《Born From a Forbidden Union, Humanity hates me.》 Prologue: An end, but also a beginning. "So, ultimately, this is all you have to show off?" The mocking words of a black-haired man echoed across the battlefield. "If only you humans weren''t this unforgiving!" A gorgeous, angel-like man answered, exhaustion painted on his face. He had six ethereal wings of lightning on his back, showing how much magical power he had accumulated over his life. His eyes were glowing with a beautiful silver hue. Only silence was the black-haired man''s answer. "Was it necessary to eradicate both of our factions!? Answer me, Elliott!" The cries of a woman with horns resounded. She was a stunning demon beauty, with red scales growing on the back of her hands, short of covering her fingers. Her tail resembled a lizard, and her eyes had a reptile-like sclera. Elliott, who stood in front of them triumphantly, was considered a hero by the human faction. A monster capable of erasing any and every enemy of the human faction. He, a knight who was bestowed with the true power of the world, was the pinnacle of strength. No one could survive his onslaught, to the point that a title was given to his unparalleled power: The Unforgiving Elliott. "With this shameful display, did you expect us to ignore this? You destroyed the balance first." "Was it a question of balance? LOOK AT THIS!" The angel pointed at the mess behind him. There were thousands of corpses laying behind him, all with wings and horns. No one was spared a tragic end. The land was reddened by the blood of Elliott''s victims. Many spots on the battlefield showed signs of slashes, and even though the place was a mess, the sky was clear, the sun shining brightly, as if to mock the couple. Both of them were in bad shape, breathing roughly and shaking slightly from exhaustion. "Was the union of us angels and demons so dangerous for you humans to act against us? If you truly cared for balance, you just had to kill us both." The horned woman wasn''t able to maintain her calm. "I guess you are right; I could have." Elliott mocked her with a self-satisfied grin. "You know, since the beginning, humans have tried to separate from you both. But it was impossible. As you said, balance is everything. But now that you have committed that outrageous act, the time has come to bid our farewell to both factions. Humans will finally reign supreme through me!" "Now that we are the last standing, do you intend to finish us?" The angel asked with beads of sweat dripping from his forehead. "I''m curious, you see. I want to see you struggle a bit more. I especially aim to destroy that tiny life you are protecting because it is the source of this conflict to begin with." "YOU WOULD DARE!" The demon woman couldn''t contain her rage anymore. "Orianne, wait." Hurriedly, the angel stepped in front of Orianne before she could move. "Don''t try to stop me now! I need to bring that man to his knees!" "Listen to her, Reon, the last remaining of the angel faction. What can you do anyway, besides dying by my hand? At least die with a smile, since I''ll be killing the three of you together." Disdain was hidden between those words, masked partially by the mockery. "You truly are one of the worst humans to have walked on this earth!" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Orianne was looking at Elliott with pure hatred in her eyes. The tiny life she was protecting inside her was her everything. "Orianne, we have one opportunity. A fraction of time when he lets his guard down completely." Reon whispered in her ear. "Reon? What are you going to do?" "I will sacrifice both of us for our only hope." A pained expression slowly formed on Reon''s face. "No, you can''t do that to him. We vowed to give him a wonderful life. Do not force this on him, please." Orianne''s face started to tear up. "So you knew I would do that in the end... I should have expected this from the demon''s heiress." A strained smile appeared on his face. "We are going to seal him with our factions'' combined power. My ''Life'', and your ''Death''. With this, it should give a good headache to Elliott and the human faction for the next hundreds of years. It will also successfully send our hope for a peaceful future." Reon explained calmly. "Are you done? I don''t have the patience to look at you two disgustingly hugging each other any longer." Elliott was getting ready to end them both. "I''m sorry, Orianne. The least we can do is send him away, give him his name, and use our combined power. I''ll also give him the Key." "He will be fine; he will be strong. Way stronger than us." Reon felt a sense of satisfaction at his words. "Do you realize what you are saying?! He will grow up without us! Who knows when he will be born, either? It could be tomorrow, in 10 years, or even after Elliott is free!" Orianne was inconsolable. "I do understand, but do you wish to sacrifice him before he can even see the world? Believe in him. I do hope he won''t get the same bad temper you have." Joking around during his last moments was how he wanted to go. "I choose to believe you, just as much as I believed in you until today. Our child is going to have a challenging life like no other." "If you give him the Key, I have to give him the Shackles, do I?" "Yes, until he needs it, he will not know about anything related to us. This will be our last struggle for him." Reon''s body began generating a silvery aura. "I''m ready, Reon; give Elliott everything you have!" Once her mind was made up, a golden aura enveloped her body. "This is it, I suppose. The end of both angels and demons. This was fun, old friends." Elliott smirked at them. He placed his hand on the sword''s hilt and slashed at both of them. Their last fight finally began. Orianne and Reon both dodged the slash with precise movements. This was not enough to end their lives, and Elliott knew it too. These two were the strongest of their factions for a reason. He chased after them until Orianne separated from Reon. Orianne tried to attack Elliott''s left side, but she was countered before she could damage him. He sent her a few meters away with a kick. She repeated that a few times until Reon moved. He was waiting for that fraction of time when Elliott would let his guard down. "Inferno Claws!" Orianne spoke the name of one of her abilities, unleashing a pair of fire claws capable of melting the strongest metal. She attacked relentlessly, but Elliott was unshakable. She attacked until a small crack appeared on his armor, which made him look away from the battlefield for a split second. Reon took this chance to prepare his magic as secretly as possible. When finished, he managed to enter the blind spot on Elliott''s right side. Without a sound, he threw with monstrous dexterity a few lightning feathers in from his back. Elliott managed to defend with his inhuman reflexes the feathers, except one that was hidden behind another feather. It didn''t damage him whatsoever, but the point was not to cause damage. That feather was the catalyst needed to activate the seal; once stuck on the victim, there was no more escape. Reon began to chant rapidly the words needed to activate the array. It was spoken so fast that it was impossible to understand a word. "What did you do?" Elliott was feeling dizzier each time Reon ended a sentence, feeling his magic diminish. "We are going to seal you, Elliott, until the day someone strong enough to defeat you shows up. The humans will lose their leader too; this is great, isn''t it?" Orianne was enjoying the angry expression on Elliott''s face. "You had THAT readied? I thought by killing the leaders of both factions, I would be freed from this bothersome spell." It was Elliott''s turn to lose his temper. "This is the end, Elliott." Reon finished the magic array. As soon as the magic circles in Reon''s hands were completed, a giant circle appeared in the sky, above the battlefield. All the corpses started fading, emitting particles that were absorbed by the magic circle. Even in death, their comrades were helping them. Reon and Orianne weren''t exceptions. "Divine Magic: Life & Death!" As soon as Reon spoke those words, a giant pillar of silvery and golden light crashed on Elliott. His body was soon enveloped by layers of crystals. "Mark my words, both of you! Even in a thousand years, death will never have me! Your struggle is useless in front of me! I am the str-" These were his last words before being sealed. A total of 1.618 layers of crystals formed slowly around him. "It''s done; come, Orianne, we have one last task before departing too." Reon extended his hand to her. "Yes, our child''s name. But how do we make sure he knows it?" Her trembling hands showed how terrified she was of dying. "With this." He was confident Orianne would like it. In his hand was a bracelet with the name of their child engraved on it. "He will inherit a part of us. He should know about it." Reon''s silver hair fluttered slowly from the last breeze they were able to feel. "I see." Orianne smiled and closed her eyes while hugging Reon. Her golden hair, which stopped at her waist, swayed the same way. "Our child will be named..." Both disappeared, their remaining voices speaking at the same time: "Orion." Their child and his keepsake would one day return to the continent. Chapter 1: The abandoned baby. 1982 years after the clash between the factions known as the ''Purging War'', all beings have forgotten what happened of the past. Basic knowledge has been preserved, but only through books. The victorious were the humans, the vanquished the rebellious demons and angels. No name was preserved from the vanquished side, only the human hero, Elliott, remained remembered and prayed upon by some. His seal still in place, no one was able to free him. Around his crystal remains, humans built a temple, believing their hero would one day return. After all this time, out of the 1.618 layers of seal, only 58 remains. Unknown to the world, the Unforgiving Elliot was close to being free from his prison. During that time, somewhere in the world, a mysterious pillar of silver and gold hue descended upon the Forest of Albriar, at the center of the continent. ~ "What was that, an earthquake?" "Look, what''s this light?" "Someone, quickly, go notify the Apostle!" "Already on it!" People were panicking, but remained quick to get their composure back, as if they were trained for any situations. "This is strange, I should take a look." A cloaked man high enough to be two meters took his weapon, got up and left, rushing out of the restaurant he was waiting at. "It should take me around 20 minutes on horse to arrive." The forest was quite far from the city of Albriar, approximately 18 kilometers away. Nothing of importance happened during the trip to the forest. Everything was calm, yet far too calm for the man to feel at ease. The birds flew away in a panic, while most animals were terrified thanks to the earthquake caused by the pillar of light''s appearance. That same pillar disappeared a few moments before he had left the city, though the man could still find where it landed, even after entering the forest. He arrived in an entirely different area inside the forest. It was surprisingly beautiful, many butterflies flew happily around the various flowers of the forest, some animals were finally coming from their terror, and looked just as surprised as the cloaked man. A deer appeared from the bushes. It skipped around for a few seconds, and approached the center part of the glade. It sniffed around, looked down, and with a cute head movement, touched the small life in front of it with its nose. "Wh-What is this?" The man, stunned by the beauty of the scene, couldn''t help but be amazed. But what surprised him the most was the baby that was sleeping peacefully even under the heavy breathing of the deer. "A baby? Is it the source of the pillar? Impossible! If it is true, what is this being?" After a few minutes of bewilderment, the man had no choice but to stop thinking. "Over here, I think the pillar''s base was around here!" A loud voice could be clearly heard approaching his position. The voice surprised the deer, making it flee instantly. The mood immediately changed, and the cloaked man took the quickest decision of his life. In front of him, two choices. Either leaving the baby here and flee, or take it with him. Of course, his choice had already been made. He ran to the newborn, kneeled, and scooped him up fast but carefully. Then, without hesitation, he left the glade, leaving the place as nothing more than a beautiful area. ''What do I do now? I can''t go back to Albriar with him. Something feels strange about this baby.'' ''My instincts are telling me that this baby should be kept away from human civilization at all cost. I don''t understand this nagging feeling...'' The man couldn''t find a reason for thinking like this, but he knew to trust his instinct. He left the surrounding area of Albriar''s forest in a hurry. ''Here should be good to stop.'' He looked around. A meadow was surrounding the forest, with lots of tall grass all around, gently caressed by the wind. ''Where would be the best place to go? If not humans, I can choose between three locations.'' The man took out a map from his bag, and took three pebbles near him, then said. "We have the beastmen village, Auro, this should be the closest to me right now, and the best choice." He looked at the eastern part of the map and placed a pebble. * Auro was a small village of around 150 beastmen. Compared to humans, they never had the freedom to grow in number. As an oppressed faction, they were forced to follow humans order in the past. Nowadays, in some areas where the Apostles authorized it, the beastmen could live in peace. They just couldn''t grow to become a threat. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The population was constantly divided and regrouped to form other villages somewhere, or asked to live in the city to serve under the Apostle ruling the region. * "Next should be... Lahro? The city of the lamia Queen. This might be the worst choice for this little one." He looked at the northern part of the map and placed a pebble where the city was located. * For Lahro, the fact that it was a monarchy still enforced in today''s age was impressive. The Queen possessed the power necessary to keep it running, only if humans weren''t controlling the Queen''s actions. The lamias were one of the most oppressed factions, a half-snake, half-humanoid species. They were in an incredibly dire situation, close to extinction. They were treated like toys by the three surrounding Apostles, tortured and abused because 99% of their population were women. * "Further north, the fairies. This one might be impossible to get in touch with, but the safest for him. Though, since we can''t even be certain they are even alive, this is definitely a lost cause. I shouldn''t believe in those fairy tales at my age." Since he didn''t know where they lived, he placed the last pebble at the forest further north of Lahro. * The fairies were a beautiful species of winged humanoid, related to insects. They have no known habitat, with only a forest of white trees as a believed spot. This species was hunted by human for having a friendly past with a destroyed faction, the angels. Their shells and wings were also very valuable, often prayed upon by unscrupulous humans. So they hid as best as they could, never to be seen by others again. "From those three..." He looked carefully, lifted his finger up, and flicked the pebble representing Auro. "Auro will be the best for him." "Lahro is too dangerous, anyone can denounce this child for not being a lamia either. This would be pointless." "For the fairies, this is definitely not worth the try. I would perish before saving the baby. Auro will facilitate things, as they are beastmen I remember a good orphanage located in this village." The cloaked man brought his hood to his shoulders, revealing his beastly features. Protruding fangs, short spiked white hair, furry ears and fierce eyes. The man was also a beastman. Hiding one''s faction was necessary to enter human facilities, especially in his case. Travelling was his way of gathering information to protect his factions'' villages. "I would have loved to bring him with me, but I fear the little one would not survive the long way south. It is rather cold down there." His village was located 15 days away from their current location. For someone not knowing how to take care of a baby, taking the risk or not was obvious. "I can''t believe I''m doing all of this for a baby I don''t know anything about." He laughed lightly, and poked the baby''s right cheek. "Ugyaa." A cute voice came from the baby''s mouth, indicating that it was finally waking up. "Even an old man such as me can find this one cute. Maybe I should get some children myself." The man was thinking of a future where he played with his children. He shook his head and focused in front of him. "We should get going, saving you is my priority right now." He stood up and tried to move forward. "Excuse us, beastfolk, please explain what you are doing here." A soldier appeared to block his path. ''Beastfolk, huh?'' The word ''beastfolk'' was an insult used by those seeing the beastmen as cattle. "You, with a human baby? Which family did you steal it from? This is low even for the beastfolk, right guys?" Another soldier cackled behind the beastman. This one was casually walking toward him with no sense of danger in his mind. "Would you believe it if I told you the truth? That I have found him laying in the grass around here?" The beastman tried the peaceful approach first. Humans were sometimes lenient towards other factions. "You shouldn''t lie, little fox. Do you think people let their newborn babies in the grass? What do you take us for?" The first soldier barked at him and unsheathed his sword. "If I were you, I wouldn''t attack blindly." The beastman smiled. Now was the time to spill blood. ''They ignored my warnings, they can''t complain anymore.'' His blood boiled, his smile cracked his face, his eyes made him look feral, and his claws grew. "We live once, human. Give your best, or you will die a worthless death." He lunged at the soldier while carefully holding the baby with its right arm. *SPURT* He used one of the beastman''s abilities, a rapid lunged followed by two rapid swipes at the chest. Two slashes appeared on the soldier''s torso. One broke his body armor, the second one tore through his chest. "You underestimate us greatly, humans. Travelers like me aren''t prey, you know?" He looked into the eyes of the dying soldier, who had both his knees on the ground. Inside them, a faint red glow caught his attention, and he noticed that the man''s gaze was on the baby in his arms. After a few seconds, the soldier lost the light in his eyes, and fell face first in the grass, which turned red from the blood. "CAPTAIN! How dare you! Lowly beastfolk!" The remaining soldiers rushed to attack. "Nothing will change. Haven''t you heard of me anyway? Something like ''Do not mess with the traveling beastman named Dylan.''?" The soldiers stopped, frozen in place. "T-The b-b-beastfolk''s ''Savior''! What are you doing here?! We heard you returned home after wreaking havoc near one of your faction''s village!" The soldier was shaking like crazy, he knew inside of him that he wouldn''t make it to his wife tonight. "Well, the fact is, I really found the little one in the grass, you just couldn''t believe it. You were unlucky to think you would get a free kill today." He shrugged lightly while looking at the baby. "THAT''S-" "You can''t expect me to let you live after trying to kill me, right? I always give back, which is something a lot of you cannot understand, it seems." He glared at the men with anger. "I''ve already repaid the debt with Albriar''s soldiers. I hope you won''t have trouble with feeding your citizens now. That''s what you get for stealing food and killing our men and women." A very nasty smile mixed with anger formed on his face. "Let''s stop with the rumbling, it''s time for you all to disappear. I wouldn''t want any eyewitnesses, would I?" A beastly smile akin to a predator scared the men. "N-NO!" The soldiers turned around and ran, showing their bravery. "Pitiful." He spat at them. "Wait for me, little one. I''m coming in a minute." He put the baby on the coat he left in the grass, wrapped him gently, and instantly vanished from the place he stood before. "AAAaa-!" The first voice went quiet. "PLEAS-" Another. This one couldn''t even start apologizing. "I HAVE A WI-" The last one, as he expected, wouldn''t be able to return home tonight. All eyewitnesses died, leaving behind the sound of the breeze caressing the tall grass. A minute later, the beastman showed himself, pacing in the direction of the baby. "Alright, we should be- hmm?" Something caught his attention when he crouched to pick the baby. A little piece of metal glistened next to the baby. "A name tag? Is it from one of those soldiers?" "..." "Probably not." He picked up the bracelet like shiny object and observed it carefully. "Let''s see... Orion... Feales? Is that your name, little one? I don''t know why, but it suits you well." "Orion... Orion. Yes, a nice name!" He laughed loudly. "Alright, Orion, maybe we should finally depart to Auro?" "Boo-Byaa!" Little Orion smiled and grabbed Dylan''s middle finger. "Pffft-" Dylan couldn''t contain his laughter. "Do you know what that finger is used for? Seriously, the first one you pick is this one?" This was too much for Dylan. ''You know what, I''m going home after that. I want a child too. Eli might still be waiting for me after all this time.'' He looked fondly towards the south, where his village was located. "I apologize for the mess earlier, Orion, I should not have let you see the gross part of this world. I hope it hasn''t shocked or scarred you." He carefully examined Orion. "Po-paa-poo!" Orion couldn''t care less about the scene that happened before. "I see, you''re a strong baby. I hope you will do great things in your life." Dylan felt like a father. "Let''s go, Orion, we have to get back to the horse near the glade, or else we''ll never leave this place." After a few minutes of walking, he found the horse grazing peacefully, caressed it a little, and finally, mounted it. With Orion in his arms, they left Albriar''s forest in the direction of Auro, one of the beastman''s village. Chapter 2: Auro, the beastmen village. Traveling to Auro from Albriar was a fairly peaceful journey. A few beasts forced Dylan to stop, but as one of the strongest of his kind, they were easily dispatched. Though, he was currently asking for information about the surrounding soldiers'' location from another traveler on the road. "As you can guess, everyone is on edge. I heard from a guard that the beastmen are on the hunt around here. If I were you, I''ll be careful." A traveler with a large backpack explained to Dylan, who put his hood back on his head to avoid unnecessary attention. "I see, I''ll keep that in mind in case I see any beastman." ''Even if this information is true, I''m a beastman too, nothing to worry about, since we don''t attack each other for no reason. Moreover, this is definitely my recent payback that led to this.'' Dylan laughed in his mind. Words traveled at a very fast speed among humans. "I have shared what I know, but I am curious, sir. Why would you need this information for?" Since Dylan was hiding his face, it made the traveler particularly suspicious of him. "As you can see, I''m traveling with a baby. I had to flee from Albriar, as some guards over there tried to steal him away from me. It led to so much trouble, I''ve started avoiding them." Dylan brought the best excuse he prepared in advance, just in case. "I see. I have heard that the number of orphans increased due to the recent attack of the Azure Dragon. The guards might think that taking children away might help them strengthen their army eventually, which is a sad reality nowadays." The traveler relaxed to Dylan''s words, but tensed at his own. "The dragons? Are they nearby?" Dylan was surprised after hearing this news. * The dragons were the strongest faction of this world behind Elliott, who was a powerhouse by himself. Dragons were written in books as prideful beings. They were the last faction to be oppressed, or so it said. The books said that at last, the dragons awakened and returned to hunt humans after freeing themselves from their oppressors. With the fact that a few cities were recently attacked by a dragon only made things difficult to ignore the truth. They truly returned. But what made it even more shocking, was that only one dragon was the cause of this carnage. The Azure Dragon, a massive dragon with blue scales. * Another thought immediately popped inside Dylan''s head. ''I don''t believe the Apostles will remain still. This is their chance to hunt a dragon. If they are strong enough, that is.'' * The Apostles, direct descendants of Elliott''s greatest allies, worked hard to preserve the current ''balance'' between factions, or to keep the oppressed faction under their ruling thumb until now. They retained most of the powers of their ancestors, even improving it with time. There was a flagrant difference between the Apostles, and their soldiers: magic. If you could use magic, then you could potentially be promoted to higher ranks, the highest one being able to support the Apostle as an advisor. If not, then a soldier you would become. * "Currently, no. There were no sightings of dragon nearby. The fight happened a few kilometers away to the East, I heard." The traveler thought, remembering the details. "A small village got caught in the rampage, many lost their homes, the unlucky ones, their lives. There were also countless orphans as a consequence." "The truth is, there are probably no survivors. Everything was reduced to ashes." You could hear some sadness in his voice. "This is tragic indeed. The civilians should not suffer needlessly." Dylan began to think. ''A small village... I hope it isn''t Auro. I would be back to square one if this was the case. Orion won''t be able to survive otherwise.'' "Thank you very much for your time and the information you gave me. I should leave now." Dylan extended his hand to the traveler. "No, I should thank you, it''s been a while since I had a friendly discussion like this. I hope you travel safely wherever you go." The traveler grabbed Dylan''s hand and shook it strongly. "Alright Orion, we should move now, I need to be certain Auro is still standing." Dylan hopped it wasn''t Auro that fell victim to the dragon''s attack. The sleeping Orion did not answer. Instead, only his slow breathing could be heard. "You''re pretty easygoing, huh?" Even Dylan speaking to someone else could not bother the baby''s sleep. Same as before, Orion kept dreaming peacefully. "All ready, let''s move." Dylan hopped on the horse, and it kicked lightly before moving East again. ~ The surrounding area comprised mostly distanced thickets separated by fields growing crops. Most of it wheat and corn, but sometimes carrots and potatoes too. On the west side, you could see a forest, the forest of Albriar, where Dylan found Orion. In the far distance, past the forest, appeared a thin blue line, barely visible. The Carmel Sea was only visible because of Dylan''s incredible ability to see long distances. Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The Carmel Sea was a dangerous, but rewarding place where all kinds of goods and food could be found. It was also the home of another faction, the Kelpies. This faction was composed of a representative being that could shape-shift into a human, with the rest being the equivalent of underwater horses with fins and tails. In the east, where the village of Auro was supposed to be, only the paved road appeared as far as the eyes could see. The road to Auro was still a few hours away. The north, where the city of Lahro and the white forest supposed to be home to the fairies, showed only a tiny outline of the two locations. It was difficult to notice them in between the fields and the thickets, but it was an easy task for Dylan''s eyesight. What caught the eyes was the massive mountains range in the "What a beautiful view..." Dylan looked at the Carmel Sea and stretched, alternating arms to hold Orion. Observing the scenery was the only pleasure he found while traveling around the continent. ~ "My Lord, we found the four bodies of the missing soldiers sent to the Forest of Albriar." A subordinate walked towards a well-dressed man reading a book. "I see, I suppose they found themselves against the infamous ''Dylan'' and suffered from it?" The man turned the page to the next one, not looking at his subordinate. "As you said, they showed traces of lacerations. To be frank, it was gruesome to see." The subordinate turned his gaze away and put a hand to his mouth. "Tom, your weak heart will kill you one day." The well-dressed man closed his book after putting a book marker between the pages he stopped at. His subordinate, Tom, turned to look at his Lord, the Apostle of Albriar, Florian Delur. "What do I have to fear with you around, my Lord?" Tom couldn''t contain his fervor for his ''Lord''. Florian stood up from his seat, a simple wooden chair, built with comfortable cushions on the seat and back. He was a man who refused the fancy lifestyle. He enjoyed a peaceful life reading, yet still had to show his authority as an Apostle. Not only that, but he was in some ways wise, thought was sometimes wronged by all the knowledge he obtained from his constant reading. "What do we do about ''him'', My Lord?" "Nothing." Florian was straight to the point. "What do you mean by nothing? Shouldn''t we track him at least?" Tom was dumbfounded. "I''m going to ask, but do you wish to die? Because I''m not ready yet, you see?" Florian smiled nervously and turned around. "This ''Dylan'' is the beastmen''s ''Savior''. For some reason that isn''t explained anywhere, each of the factions possess a ''Savior'', made to keep their members away from the conflicts we try to create with them. They are not only strong, they are incredibly intelligent." Florian explained to the unknowing Tom the threat that those ''Saviors'' represented. "They never try to kill us Apostles, but if we were to attack, they''d definitely retaliate with no hesitation. Stay away from them. Try not to antagonize them, or you''ll most likely end up like those four. Magic or not, you''ll be dead before the sun sets." Florian was strong, he could manage to fight Dylan for a few hours. The problems would appear at the first sign of exhaustion. He wasn''t sure his stamina could support him until he won. He already fought the dragons'' ''Savior'' with another Apostle, so he knew how terrifying it was. They barely managed to make it ''flee'' at that time. Just remembering his fight against the infamous Azure Dragon made his hand slightly tremble. To forget that, he adjusted the glasses he was wearing with his pinky and turned to Tom. "We won''t do anything. And for the love of all beings, stop pillaging the beastmen villages. My patience cannot endure more reports of your stupidity." "Why do you think that man was here for? The destruction of the windmill, the soldiers'' quarters, and a part of the fields took serious damage. Do you think I''m made of money? What you took from them is ten times lower than the cost of repairing all of that mess!" Florian lost his patience and lashed out at Tom, who had no choice but to lower his head at his Lord''s outburst of rage. "You know what, you pay for it. If you can''t, I''ll take the salary of you and all your subordinates until it''s paid." Florian had to punish them in somehow. "My Lord?! This is-" Tom was cut before finishing. "Unfair? The death of our people is unfair too, though you don''t hear them complain, do you?" With this last sentence, Tom fell silent. "Yes, my Lord, I will notify all the soldiers to stop any conflicts with the factions surrounding Albriar." His aid said in utter defeat. "Good, you can leave now." Florian picked his book and returned to his reading. "Yes." Tom left, his head still low. ''Let''s hope a few years can pass without any more incidents.'' ~ "We''re finally here, Orion." Dylan was delighted to see the village of Auro still standing. It was a nice village of 143 inhabitants. 16 of them were orphans, and one of them was human. The houses showed that beastmen liked to live in logged houses. They were skillful enough to build them themselves, showing individuality in each of them too. There were 32 houses in Auro, separated by the plaza that had a beautiful fountain in the center. From the plaza, the left wing was the commerce alley, the right wing was the living alley, the top wing was the town hall, and at the bottom, the orphanage. Everything was cleanly separated by 4 roads. Since the village was built inside a thick forest, sunlight had a hard time piercing the thick vegetation, making the place look slightly dark. "Welcome to our village. Can we ask who you might be?" The villager seemed on edge, expecting a human in front of him. "My apologies. Do not look so tense, please. My name is Dylan." Dylan brought his hood back to his shoulders, revealing his beastman features, which instantly calmed the villager. "Dylan? Our protector?! I have to inform the mayor! Please, could you wait at the fountain, we will receive you properly in a brief moment!" "Sure thing." The villager escorted Dylan to the fountain, excused himself, and ran like never before in his life to the town hall. In less than three minutes, an old man with a gray beard was seen rushing out the town hall, almost tripping on the way. "Sir Dylan! It is a pleasure having you in Auro. I am the mayor, my name is Milo. What is the subject of your visit?" The old mayor was having trouble catching his breath. "Please, take it easy, I''m not as great as you make me look." Dylan smiled gently. "If you say so, sir Dylan. Is it your child in your arms? If so, congratulations!" The mayor didn''t overlook the baby in Dylan''s arms. "Oh, no! This child is an orphan I found during my payb-... my small trip to Albriar." Dylan almost threw himself under the cart. "I am here to see if you could take care of him in your orphanage." Dylan looked at Orion with a hint of sadness. "I see, another one of those unlucky children who lost everything. What a world we live in." The mayor was exhausted by the current situation in the world. Though, he switched gear and smiled at Dylan. "Yes, we still have room for a new member. We will gladly deliver you from this task. We won''t disappoint you, since you have chosen our village to make it his home." A glint of pride appeared in the mayor''s eyes. "Thank you very much, mayor." "This way, please follow me." Dylan walked in the direction of the orphanage with the mayor. ... After walking a few minutes, they arrived in front of the orphanage. They both entered the main hall of the building, catching the attention of a man with a monocle and a goatee, who ended up approaching quickly. "Mayor, what can I do for you today? Is it about another orphan?" The man was quick on the uptake. He analyzed them as soon as they stepped foot inside. "Yes Director Keith. Sadly, another human who lost their family in these terrible times." The mayor explained briefly the circumstances around Dylan and Orion. "I understand. We will take the necessary procedures to include this child into the family." The man known as Keith smiled brightly. * Director Keith was a man who loved children. He loved seeing them the happiest they could be, to be precise. When he was young, he witnessed a close friend of him lose his family at a young age. This friend lost his will to live, and perished not long after from despair. Since then, he worked hard to become the director of an orphanage and thrived to accept all sorts of children, to create a place for them, they could call ''Home''. * "Thank you very much, I will leave this child in your care then. His name his Orion. His full name is displayed on this bracelet." "Please ensure he keeps it with him." Dylan handed over Orion with difficulty into Keith''s arms. "We will. Please don''t hesitate to stop by anytime to look at his growth. You have the right as his savior." Director Keith bowed lightly after commenting. "I will do that. I would like to teach him a few things too over the years." Dylan was delighted to get more chances to see Orion. He considered Orion like his child by this point. ''I''ll return home faster than usual after this.'' "This is my cue then. Please, take good care of him." Dylan turned back, and with heavy steps, crossed the orphanage''s doors. He turned back to look at Orion one last time, who at one point awakened from his sleep. Orion was staring at him, shaking his little arms, making it look like a goodbye. Dylan waved his hand at Orion, turned back, and left him in Auro''s orphanage, in the care of Director Keith. On the way back, Dylan couldn''t stop his tears from falling. He arrived in his hometown, Logran, in less than six days instead of fifteen. Chapter 3: Growing up. After Dylan left Orion into Keith''s Orphanage and went back to his hometown, life finally started to be peaceful again. Albriar''s Apostle finally put a stop to the outrageous actions of his soldiers, offering to the oppressed factions a chance to live without conflict. ... A few years passed, as Orion was nearing his ninth birthday. He grew up well with the help of Director Keith, while being surrounded by the many children of the orphanage. As a child, he never realized until now how much he was fond of this place. Everyone was his family. Every year, near the anniversary that was established by Keith the day Orion arrived, a surprise that was not so much a surprise once again happened. Today was the day Dylan came to see Orion. Happiness couldn''t describe his feelings. "Director, when is mister Dylan coming?" Orion was restless. "Calm down, my boy. He will come at some point, right?" Keith smiled at Orion. They were both waiting outside the orphanage, waiting for Dylan''s outline to appear near the center of the village, where the fountain was built. "I can''t wait to find out what he is going to teach me today!" Orion threw his arms in the air from excitement. This was Dylan''s customary gift. Each year, he taught something new about the world to Orion. For a nine-year-old, Orion already obtained most of the knowledge concerning the region, the different factions, the basic history of the last few centuries, the humans, and their leaders, etc... "Ah! I think I see mister Dylan!" Orion jumped while waving his arms. In return, Dylan waved from afar, approaching rapidly. "Hello Director, how are you doing?" Dylan extended his hand to Keith. "Perfectly fine, thank you for asking. And you, sir, how was your travel?" Keith grabbed Dylan''s hand and shook it firmly. "There was no incident on the way. It was difficult to leave my family once again, but this little one is like a son to me, so I''m always happy to see him. Right, Orion?" The burly beastman kneeled, put his right hand on Orion''s head and ruffled the child''s dark hair. "Yes, mister Dylan! I couldn''t wait anymore!" Orion jumped into Dylan''s chest and hugged him. "Well, Eli would definitely like you. I don''t know about Nylon, though." With a smile on his face, Dylan thought about his family waiting at home. * Nine years ago, after heading back home, he immediately asked his childhood friend, Eliza, if she would marry him. As he expected, she was waiting for him all this time. A year later, Dylan was the proud father of a baby boy. He considered Orion like his child, but couldn''t bring himself to remove him from Auro, the place he grew up in and called his home. He was also scared his young son would not accept Orion as a brother. What scared him the most was how the other beastmen would treat Orion. He was a human, and there was no reason to think that others would be kind to him, even if he were to become Dylan''s adopted child. Instead, he decided to educate Orion once a year during his birthday. For Orion, who learned anything faster than most children, it always provided an opportunity for Dylan to bring knowledge with him, it being trivial, or important. The truth was, Orion couldn''t understand everything, he only stored the knowledge in a part of his mind. For a nine-year-old, the world was interesting. But only the surroundings of the orphanage were significant, so why would he remember that there was a huge snake-like being that lived somewhere in the eastern ocean, or the organization of humans outside Auro? * "First, happy birthday, Orion. Your gift will have to wait until the lesson later." Dylan got up from the ground, dusted his knee, and looked toward the opened doors of the orphanage. "Tell me, Orion, did you get a girlfriend already?" With a smirk, Dylan glanced at Orion. "Huh? Of course not, mister. Why would you ask that?" With a confused expression, Orion tilted his head. "In that case, why is there a girl watching you from the entrance?" His finger was pointing at a girl peeking from the inside of the orphanage. "Hmm? Oh, it''s Amelia. I speak with her from time to time. She''s shy to others for some reason, but she''s really kind." "Would you mind going to her? I have a feeling she wants to ask something from you." Stepping behind Orion, Dylan grabbed his shoulders and gave him a light push. "Alright, if mister is alright with waiting." Orion walked to the surprised Amelia. "He is growing splendidly, as you can see." Keith began the conversation. "Thank you very much for taking him all those years ago. If not for you, he would be a soldier in training or something else in a human city. Or even worse..." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Dylan was truly grateful. The two men in their thirties looked at each other, nodded, and proceeded to enter the orphanage to continue their conversation inside. They walked past Orion and Amelia, while both began to converse. Amelia was, as Orion described, a shy girl that needed time to talk. "Amelia, can I help with something?" Orion smiled brightly. "Ah... yes, I have something... for you." Amelia blushed slightly at Orion, yet her long bangs hid the rosy color on her cheeks. She was older than Orion by one year, and was another orphan that was brought into Auro after losing her family to the dragon''s rampage nine years ago. She was also the only other human in Auro. With blonde hair stopping at the middle of her back and thick bangs covering her eyes, she had the word ''shy'' written all over her. She wore a pink shirt with three pretty flowers in the front, a long skirt stopping at her ankles, and for an unknown reason that added a touch of mystery to her, a pink leather glove on her left hand. "What could it be?" Orion thought strongly about what Amelia would give him. "Can you... come with me?" Amelia pointed timidly toward one door in the orphanage. "The kitchen? Alright, let''s go then." Orion started to walk at the same pace as Amelia. He walked across the main hall of the orphanage that comprised of a few benches, the counter where the receptionist lady who always gave sweets to the children worked at, and the stairs leading to the upper floor. On either sides of the first floor were doors leading to the kitchen on the left, and the bathrooms on the right. Entering the kitchen, Orion opened his eyes wide. "Wh-What is this! Amelia!" Orion turned around to a smiling Amelia. "Happy... birthday Orion. For being so kind... to me." Amelia walked next to Orion and handed him a plate with a slice of strawberry cake. "I- Amelia. Thank you." With a smile on his face, he surprised Amelia with tears falling down his cheeks, looking at the cake. "Ah... Huh... I didn''t mean... to make you cry." The girl looked apologetic. "Don''t worry, I''m happy. I''ll enjoy your gift now." He wiped his tears and took the fork in his plate, before eating the cake slowly to enjoy it. Amelia watched happily as Orion showered her with praise for making a delicious cake. "Can we share this with everyone?" He asked. "Of course. I don''t think... you can eat the whole cake anyway." She giggled while thinking of Orion with a stuffed belly after eating everything. They cut the cake into seven parts, and moved around the orphanage to share the cake. First, they gave one to the receptionist lady, four to the other orphan, and one to Keith and Dylan both. They all ate it with a smile, and praised Amelia for how good it was. ... "Amelia, this one is for you." Orion handed the last slice to Amelia. "Eh? I thought you... would keep one more slice for you?" She looked very surprised. "I want everyone to be happy, at least today." Not accepting no for an answer, he forced the plate into Amelia''s hands. "Orion, you really are too kind to me." Tears fell on the plate Amelia was holding. "I should go back to mister Dylan after this. But before that, let''s sit." Orion sat on a bench in the hall with Amelia. As she ate the last slice of the cake, they laughed together a little longer. ... "This cake sure was great." Dylan enjoyed the cake he was given previously, leaving a clean plate behind. "It sure was. That was our little Amelia that made it. She likes to cook, so I''m not surprised." Keith continued to praise Amelia, as he always did. "Let''s return to our previous topic, shall we? Are you sure about what you said? Humans are on the move again?" Dylan displayed a serious face. "Yes, I don''t think we have to worry much, honestly. They are certainly looking for something, but what, we aren''t sure. The mayor is looking for any conflicts happening around." With a nod, Keith acknowledged that it was dangerous, but not enough for Dylan to move. "It''s a good thing I decided to teach this to Orion." Glancing to his side, Dylan looked at one particular item on top of his large bag. Keith also ended up looking at that item. "Oh, you are serious about this." Both men looked at each other with a serious expression. ... An hour later, Dylan took Orion in the back of the orphanage. Keith decided to observe, and strangely, Amelia was also here, looking eagerly to what Orion would learn. "Alright, Orion, I''m going to teach you a way to defend your home. This is the art that made me strong. Other than my strength as a beastman that is." Dylan laughed at his last comment. "What are you going to teach me, mister?" Orion was jumping around excitedly. "The Eagle Eye ability, and your gift, my first crossbow." He took a small crossbow out of his bag. "A crossbow? It doesn''t look like a bow, though?" Orion was overly interested in the weapon. As he took the weapon, he began to carefully observe it in detail. "It is different from a bow. Instead of holding an arrow with your hand to fire it, you put it in here." Dylan put an arrow in the groove of the crossbow. "How do you shoot it then?" Orion became even more interested. "You see this small curved piece of metal? You need it to pull the string as hard as you can to lock it near the back. Then you put an arrow in the groove until it reaches the string you pulled." "At this point, you only need to press this trigger to launch the arrow. But be prudent, it is deadlier than a bow." Dylan explained carefully and slowly. "It is faster, more precise, and easier to use than a bow, if you possess the strength to pull the string." He watched Orion struggle to pull the string. "It''s so... hard!" Orion couldn''t pull the string more than halfway through. "I expected that. It isn''t something you will use immediately, so you''ll need to improve your strength with some physical work." Dylan then proceeded to teach the ability, which was necessary to learn to perfect the art of using a crossbow. "You see, this ability is called Eagle Eye, it makes your eyes focus on distant objects. It is perfect for hunting. If you have the capability, it can even be used to spy on people. I don''t recommend using it on girls." Dylan spoke like he knew from experience. "Sir, did you?" That sentence was not missed by Orion. "Yes, she still holds a grudge against me after fifteen years." Dylan sighed while remembering Eliza''s wrath. ''She''s scary. Maybe I should bring some flowers or perfume to apologize again.'' "Spying on people is a crime, even on your loved one. It''s even worse on your loved ones, as it proves you have no trust in them." Making sure his point went across, he hoped Orion would learn not to misuse his abilities in the future. "I understand mister. Only on prey." Orion nodded. "Good. If you understand that, then read this and try to focus your eyes on the top of the town hall. I''ve put a little something up there." Dylan handed a handwritten page of instructions to Orion. ... After struggling until sunset, Orion finally managed to see slightly further away than he originally could. He barely saw what was on the town hall''s roof. ''Give it your best, protect what is important to you.'' "I see it, mister." Orion closed his eyes to stop the ability, and looked at Dylan. "Great, please remember that saying. A true man protects his family. Losing your life is the same as failing." Dylan was respected for protecting his faction, like the ''Savior'' he was. It was impossible to stop every casualty, but saving as many lives as possible was what a protector should strive for. This was Dylan''s way of living, and he was now teaching it to Orion. Dylan looked behind him, to see Keith holding a sleeping Amelia. She fell asleep at some point watching Orion train for so long. "This is it for your gifts, Orion. I hope you like them." Dylan stroked Orion''s head. "Just seeing you is enough to make me happy, you know?" Orion hugged Dylan''s right leg. Every time this moment happened, only silence painfully echoed between them. Separation was always a tough pill to swallow for both of them, and it was nearing rapidly as the sun was setting. "Thank you mister. I will try my best in getting some strength. I want to try the crossbow." Removing himself from Dylan''s leg, Orion smiled sadly. "Do not point that weapon at anyone, alright? It is scary to be a target." Slowly, Dylan put a bit of distance between them. "The sun has set, this is the moment to say goodbye again, Orion." "Yes, I''ll see you next year then?" "Definitely. I wouldn''t miss your birthday for anything." Dylan smiled and gave a thumb''s up, and it made Orion laugh. "Director Keith, I''ll be seeing you next year. As usual, please take care of him." Waving his hand at Keith, Dylan saw him bend forward since his hands were full of the sleeping Amelia. "Do not worry, we''ll be awaiting your next visit." Keith straightened. At last, he turned around, picked up his bag, and walked toward the back entrance of the orphanage. "See you again, Orion." "See you again, mister Dylan." With his visit concluding, Dylan left the town of Auro, bought an expensive perfume and a flower bouquet for his wife on the way home, and was finally relieved of an awful grudge at last. Orion worked hard during the following months and years. He mastered the ''Eagle Eye'' ability, and was finally able to nock a bolt in his crossbow. With the help of Auro''s hunters, Orion started to increased his hunting proficiency. Chapter 4: Orion, hunting expert. Nine more years passed in the blink of an eye. Orion changed a lot physically and mentally during those years. In his childhood, he was a kind child, his face was always beaming with kindness, and knew nothing of the world''s hardship. This changed when he had to kill his first prey. The weight of taking a life pushed his emotions in a tug of war between his kind part and his developing hunter mind. Hunting was a necessity, to eat and to craft warm clothes. When he realized that nature was a hunting ground, he decided to hunt only the threats of the village, and what was necessary to feed the village. He was now eighteen, having experienced the difficulty of becoming a skilled hunter. After receiving his first crossbow from Dylan, he worked hard in improving his strength, which was needed to use the weapon in the first place. Even though pulling the string was easier with time, it took four years for him to finally manage to hit a target correctly. It was a tricky weapon to begin with. The positioning, the speed needed to chain shots, the recoil, the maintenance of the weapon, so on and so on... Everything was a new experience that required his full dedication. He also had to build a crossbow from scratch to improve from the small one Dylan gave him. Using the ''Eagle Eye'' ability combined with the crossbow wasn''t easy either. When he focused on the target, the arrow always grazed it instead of hitting. The difficulty of merging everything together took him six years. When he finally managed to hit consistently, he was overjoyed. His efforts were showing results. He did not neglect his studies, either. He better understood all the knowledge Dylan and Keith brought to him, and all of this made him the strongest, most intelligent, and devious inhabitant of Auro. Orion also learned Keith''s ability, the man who possessed the ''Calm Analysis'' ability. He taught it to Amelia too, who managed to learn it with more difficulty. The ability was simple, it slowed the perception of time and let the user see the small details around them. For example, if a bolt shot by Orion flew directly to Amelia, she needed to activate the ability, observe the bolt''s direction, and look for a solution to avoid it or deflect it. Orion and Amelia were great students. The only thing missing in them was the possibility of using magic. They were both considered adults, but never showed an ounce of magical energy. Magical energy was the power to bring elemental effects to your attacks, or create an object or weapon you knew how to use. If someone knew how to fight with a fork, and they were able to bring out water magic, they could either surround the fork with water, or create one from water. The usefulness of the ability was depending on the amount of magic energy they had at their disposal. Now, Orion was currently hunting a few animals to eat for dinner. After perfecting his abilities in the remaining three years, he slowly became the ''Hunter'' of Auro. Protecting the surroundings of the village, as well as bringing any game he managed to hunt to the village''s butcher. A beastman was strong to begin with, they had innate abilities that could easily kill a boar. The main reason they rarely hunted was the danger. It wasn''t a necessity, and getting hurt could become troublesome, as the cost of healing salves, and bandages weren''t cheap. It wasn''t worth the trouble in the end. Having a member of their community doing both jobs was something to celebrate. To support Orion as much as they could, they crafted his bolts, helped maintain his crossbow, and created equipment for him to use. Mainly, a quiver made from the pelt of black wolves, some leather armor parts from the strong skin of boars, and a cape made with leaves to hide him when he got out of the village. ~ ''How many bolts do I have left?'' Orion put his finger in his quiver. ''Alright, I can hunt three more heavy preys with the remaining bolts.'' He felt five bolts with his finger. Sitting on a tree branch in the thick forest surrounding Auro, he observed the area for any movement. ''Nothing''s around. I should move further ahead.'' As he was about to continue further inside the forest, he stopped. ''I don''t usually venture this far out of the village. Let''s forget about that.'' He had no necessity to proceed further. With already a few kills waiting to be collected nearby, all that he needed to do now was return home. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''Wait, I heard something.'' Orion looked to his right and activated ''Eagle Eye''. ''What is this, this is the first time I''ve seen such a beast.'' He was astonished. A bear with elephant tusks and a horn was eating the remains of a black wolf quite far from his position. ''I never saw this one in the books Dylan brought me. Should I hunt it now, or do I speak to Keith about it?'' An answer appeared immediately in his mind. ''I should hunt it. This is definitely a threat. It might be too late if I let it slip away.'' ''I''ll be careful though, I need to watch what it is capable of, and then act accordingly.'' The massive bear was about to put a show in front of Orion, just as he hoped for. He moved from the tree he was on, jumped to another branch, and repeated this quietly while getting close to the beast. ''It''s still eating. This is weird, usually, bears don''t eat the whole carcass. What''s stranger is the way it looks.'' Orion analyzed the bear carefully now that he was closer. ''Grey fur, two protruding fangs, a horn. And those paws, they are huge. This is no normal bear. My gut feeling was right, this is a new threat.'' ''I can see three places where a shot would penetrate. The problem is how tough the skin and bone is. A misplaced or ineffective shot could sacrifice my stealth advantage. Depending on the bear''s wits, it could realize I''m here immediately.'' At that moment, two wolves appeared and surrounded the bear. ''Oh? This is a helpful outcome. Show me what you can do, wolves.'' Both wolves growled at the bear for a minute, while the latter ignored them and continued to eat the now unrecognizable wolf remains. The wolf on the right couldn''t bear to wait anymore, and jumped at the beast. It tried to slash it with its front claws, but nothing happened. The bear showed no signs of injury. The second wolf followed that with a bite near the hind legs of the bear. Same result, no injuries. The bear looked at the two wolves as if annoyed, and left his bloody meal to take care of them. It was rather small while eating, but its true size when he stood tall was different. The bear was 3 meters tall, quite unusual for a bear. Intimidated, the wolves jumped a few meters away from the bear. The beast placed its two bigger than normal front paws on the ground, and roared angrily, stunning the two wolves in place. He then ran to the wolf closest to him, grabbed it and threw it toward a tree, snapping the poor wolf''s spine in the process. It was an instant kill. The last wolf saw this scene and whimpered, probably understanding what his fate was going to be. The bear rushed to the other wolf, lifted his paws, and crushed the last wolf under them. It then picked it up, and started to devour the body now that no one was around to bother it. ''This was a one-sided, gruesome fight.'' Orion winced at the carnage. ''I have no knowledge about a bear capable of efficiently killing two wolves and remaining unharmed.'' This fight, or whatever that was, showed everything Orion needed to hunt the bear. ''It is not that intelligent, apart from its killing methods. The problem will be its tough skin, as I thought.'' ''I have five bolts. I can take it down with four. No, three.'' Orion imagined the hunt in his mind, in case a mistake happened, which wasn''t impossible. He liked to have a few alternatives. ''Alright, it should be a smooth hunt. I have to bring this specimen to the village, and have Keith look at it.'' The hunt was about to begin. The bear was still eating the last wolf, unknowing of the camouflaged Orion that was readying his crossbow quietly. *Click* The sound of the string locking in place resounded in Orion''s ears. ''The hunt begins.'' His ruthless side appeared. His gaze shifted to a serious and composed one, and his gray irises changed to yellow due to the ''Eagle Eye'' ability. He took two bolts from his quiver, placed one in his mouth, the other in the crossbow''s groove. ''Ready... Go!'' The first bolt flew precisely in the direction of the bear''s left rear foot. The bolt, with the force provided by the crossbow''s string, was incomparable to the wolves attacks. It flew straight to the bear''s foot, and lodged itself in the ground below, sealing its movement momentarily. The bear growled in pain, and tried to move its hurting foot, with no success. Orion pulled the string quickly, drew another bolt, placed it in the groove, and aimed at his left flank below the armpit. ''Now!'' He pulled the trigger, letting the bolt plunge its sharp metallic head into the bear. The bear ignored the pain as much as it could, and glared at the place Orion was. It managed to take the wolf''s corpse, and throw it on the branch Orion was crouched on. All this was part of his plan. He jumped down from the branch and rolled on the floor. The bear broke the bolt stuck in its foot, and prepared itself to run at him. ''Here it comes.'' Orion pulled the string a moment before the bear rushed in his direction. It tried to crush Orion like it crushed the wolf. He took the last bolt from his mouth, slotted it in the groove, and aimed at the bear coming at him. ''Last shot. Don''t miss, Orion.'' He pressed the trigger one last time. The bolt pierced straight through the bear''s head, and into its brain. Orion rolled out of the way of the now dead beast, avoiding its charge. It crashed into the tree Orion was originally on, creating a small quake as the tree shook violently. ''Hunt successful. Another clean kill.'' Orion always praised himself or scolded himself, depending on the outcome. He was self-disciplined in hunting, which helped him improve each time. "Phew, that was stressful! I never expected to see a different species of bear around here." Orion''s gaze changed to the calm and gentle one he had before the hunt, and the original gray color of his irises came back at the same time. "This should give plenty of meat to the villagers... If it''s edible." Orion laughed while thinking of the villagers throwing a feast at the size of such a beast. "Let''s see if the bolts can be removed..." He pulled the two remaining bolts from the bear, but only the one lodged in its side could be removed. "Impressively stuck in the skull. I can''t get it out." He looked around, and saw that the first wolf that died was still mainly intact. No internal injuries seemed to have happened. A sweet bonus for the villagers. "It''s time to go home, I need to bring this one closer to Auro for the butcher to take it off my hands." Orion tried to lift the bear, but it was exceedingly heavier than a normal bear. It was definitely a three-meter tall monster. "Well, do I have to drag it instead?" Orion put the wolf body on the bear, and dragged them both closer to the village. ... "Phew, here should be close enough." Orion brought the bodies he hunted all together, and prepared himself to enter the village. ''Something''s weird. Why am I hearing screams? And what''s this smell? Burning wood?'' The faint voice of panicked villagers entered his ears. "What''s happening in Auro?!" "Damn it! When I was away hunting at that!" Orion ran past the welcoming gate of Auro, leaving the hunted animals behind him. Never, in his wildest dreams, would he ever imagine what this incident was going to reveal to him? Chapter 5: That day... ''The smell of burning wood, the shouts of people around me. What has happened in the few hours I was out hunting?'' Orion stopped in his tracks and looked at the orphanage burning in flames. Around him, the villagers were running around with buckets of water in their hands, desperately trying to extinguish the fire. "What happened?" Orion approached Director Keith, who was busy directing everyone. "Someone lost control of their magic inside the orphanage." While activating his Calm Analysis ability, Orion carefully observed the situation. "She''s missing! Damn it, where is she?!" "..." Keith turned his face away in an attempt to hide the emotions of fear on his face. "She''s inside, isn''t she? Sir, tell me!" All he received as an answer was a small nod. The man looked at the burning building, before looking at the young man. Realizing that Amelia was missing, he had to rush inside, and fast. ''What do I do? Do I go blindly?'' ''No. Water first.'' Hurriedly, he approached a beastman carrying a bucket and asked to be doused in water. They immediately agreed, and Orion, now sufficiently drenched to resist the fire, began to sprint into the burning orphanage, with only one thought in his mind. "Be safe, Amelia. I''m coming!" With a loud bang, Orion opened the doors of the orphanage, before being engulfed by the raging flames. ... ''What happened?'' Amelia was having difficulty breathing, she felt a burning sensation on her skin, but also different kinds of sensation all around. She was unable to see, her vision blurred for a reason she did not understood. All she could see was a red glow between her bangs. ''What was I doing? I remember waiting for Orion to come back.'' Her mouth did not move. No words managed to leave her mouth, yet she was sure she was speaking. ''The ringing isn''t stopping.'' A deafening, strident noise buzzed in her ears, making it very difficult for her to do anything. It was loud, it made it difficult to focus on her inner voice. ''I have to... move?'' Even though she did her best, her body refused to move. She remained sitting motionless on the floor. ''I can''t see, I can''t hear, I can''t feel anything. What is happening to me?'' "Amelia! Where are you!?" Someone screamed her name, yet she couldn''t hear it. No one answered the voice. Orion entered the building, now at the main entrance, where the benches and the reception desk were. "The fire, it''s everywh-" Something rapidly flew toward him, stopping him before he could finish his sentence. He moved his waist sideways and dodged the projectile. ''What was that? A stone?'' Looking at the projectile that looked like a sharp stone, he confirmed his thought. A sharp, elongated stone was stuck inside the door behind him. When he looked back in front of him, he understood the situation he was currently in. ''This might be bad...'' With a dry smile, he stood strong in front of many other sharp stones, ready to strike him down at any moment. Activating the ''Calm Mind'' ability, Orion increased his processing speed, giving himself more time to think. ''There are four places Amelia could be now.'' ''First, the kitchen on the left. Second, the women''s bathroom on the right. Third, her room on the second floor. And fourth, my room on the same floor.'' ''She''s not in the kitchen nor in the women''s bathroom. She did not answer me when I called her name, meaning she might be upstairs.'' His gaze moved past the stones and settled on the stairs leading to the upper floor. ''My room, or her room. I have one chance. If I take too long, the building might collapse, with me and Amelia inside.'' He had to focus more than usual. His gaze returned to the stones as he readied himself to move. Time was against him. Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The faster he found Amelia, the quicker he would be out of the building. ''There are a few more stones on the right side. It should be the direction of Amelia''s room. I''ll bet everything on that.'' His instinct kicked in. He released his ability, and readied himself to dodge the stones. The first stone flew in his direction without any warning. He slid forward on the floor, stopped, and watched the second rock lodge itself in front of him. If he hadn''t stopped, the stone would have pierced his left leg. He ran backward and stepped on the wall, pushing himself away from it. As he moved, the next three stones crashed on the floor, before a fourth one came exploding on the wall Orion jumped away from. Dropping on the ground, he glared at the remaining projectiles. ''Only three remaining, I should be able to move forward. I have to!'' But something strange happened that broke Orion''s focus as he was attempting to run past the stones. ''Water? Is it coming from Amelia''s room?'' An absurd amount of water flowed from the stairs leading to the upper floor. It began to flood everything rapidly. Distracted, Orion reacted too late to the stone coming his way. He managed to avoid a big injury by throwing his back at the wall, but the stone still managed to cut on his right thigh. He thanked the protective gear he was wearing, as it could have been way worse without it. ''This is getting troublesome. Amelia, what is happening?'' He ignored his bleeding and hurting leg, focusing once again on his objective. Avoiding the two remaining rocks wasn''t a problem. The water was actually more of a concern for him. ''If I dodge the stones, jump on the front desk, and catch the railing upstairs, I might pull it off.'' Another idea formed in his mind. There was no time to be picky about the method. He pushed forward, awaiting the incoming attacks. The second to last stone flew toward in at an angle, forcing Orion to step on the wall and perform a flip over it. He dropped in the water, and waited for the last stone to fly toward him. The moment the stone was shot, he rolled left into the water, creating a big splash. He stood up quickly, looked cautiously around him, and nodded as no more stones remained. He ran to the front desk, jumped on it, and jumped again on the wall behind it to catch the railing. The moment he caught the railing, a large explosion surprised him. *BOOM* The door leading to Amelia''s room exploded, launched toward him. Before it could reach him, a white arrow made of electricity pierced the door, breaking it in wooden shards that threatened to impale him. ''What the-'' Orion had no other choice but to let go of the railing. He had to avoid water at all cost now, to avoid electrocution. The arrow crashed on the other side of the upper floor, breaking apart from the wall in the aftermath. The place became a mess. Flames ravaged the wooden walls and floors, water flooded the upper and lower floors, sharp stones were embedded into the floor and the walls, and now, Orion was at risk of being electrified. What more could happen? The only disaster remaining would be strong winds. Luckily for Orion, no such thing happened. The arrow broke the railing Orion grabbed earlier, destroying his easiest path to Amelia. ''This is ridiculous. Is Amelia doing all this? Why?'' ''This is the only explanation, since everything is coming from her room.'' ''Now that I''m back on the lower floor, what should I do?'' Orion thought of everything he was taught. There had to be a way to get to Amelia. ''The front desk.'' He jumped from the front desk into the water he knew was safe, before lifting the desk. He placed it against the wall and made a ramp with it. After taking a few steps back, he turned around and ran to the desk and grabbed the part of the ledge that wasn''t destroyed. On high alert in case another arrow of lightning flew at him, he breathed a sigh of relief when nothing came out of her room. Hurriedly, he entered her room, immediately noticing Amelia sitting on the floor. "Amelia! Are you alri-?!" She was in a lethargic state. What was truly shocking was the state of the room, and the way her body looked. Some sort of wind aura was pushing the flames away from Amelia. At least she was safe from the fire, but her body said otherwise. Rock scales covered her legs, lightning sparked behind her forming ethereal wings that changed forms constantly, water flowed from her right hand, and fire burned from her left hand. It was surreal, Amelia was using all kinds of magic, which shouldn''t be possible. She was too old to be able to manifest magic. But the reality was right in front of Orion. The reason of this mess was definitely her, as she had lost control of her elements the moment they manifested. A Strange mark glowed on her hand, where her glove covered previously, now burned by the fire. On her left hand, she wore a glove to hide something unknown to everyone, even to Orion. It was a key symbol, like a tattoo. Even though her hand was enveloped in fire, it was unaffected. The fire only burned her glove to ashes. At that moment, Orion got out of his shock, and ran to Amelia. He grabbed her shoulders, and lightly shook her. "Amelia. Amelia! Can you hear me?" Amelia was in a state of panic internally. ''Orion! What''s happening?! Why am I not moving?!'' In a split moment, a curved wind blade appeared next to Orion, aimed at his head. The blade flew at him, but he managed to avoid it in time. The wind blade continued on its trajectory, and grazed Amelia''s face without hurting her. The blade clipped her bangs, hiding her eyes. She had managed to hide them to everyone, just like the key mark on her hand. Orion looked at Amelia''s blurred eyes. She blinked a few times, and regained control of her senses at last. She possessed extremely gorgeous eyes, like pearls. They were a light pink, with small shades of blue, green, red, and yellow in some parts of her irises. Orion was stunned. He couldn''t look away. ''She has beautiful eyes...'' He had no other thought besides praising their beauty. ''This is no time for this! Get a hold of yourself, Orion!'' He regained his composure, and grabbed Amelia''s shoulders again. "Amelia. Are you alright?" "I... think I am." The various magic engulfing her started to dissipate. At the same time, the wind aura started to disappear too, letting the raging flames around them close in rapidly. "We need to get out of here Ame-" His sentence remained unfinished. Amelia grabbed him and pulled him closer to her. She couldn''t contain it anymore. All the fear she felt, and the relief of seeing Orion. Everything came back to her instantly, leading Amelia to burst in tears. Orion was in a difficult position. He had to take her immediately outside, but he was unable to ignore her tears. ''I guess it''s fine, we can always jump through the window if it comes to that.'' He hugged her. At that moment, something incredible happened. The key mark started to shine brightly, as one tear fell on Orion''s right leg, creating a burning sensation. It burnt differently to the surrounding fire, it was something happening inside him. ''What is this feeling, it''s burning me.'' The bracelet with his name began to shine as strong as the mark. At that moment, Orion lost consciousness. ... He opened his eyes to a scene he had never seen before. A battlefield, blue sky, red earth, cracked ground, a horrible amount of dead bodies, and three people fighting. Three different beings fought on the battlefield, with a human easily overwhelming the two others. "What is this? I don''t understand anything. Where am I? Where''s Amelia?" The shape of two beings talking and hugging each other on the battlefield right in front of the human leader made his heart ache for some unknown reason. He grabbed his chest in pain. The whole scene happened in front of his eyes, with the two giving their lives to seal the human in layers of crystal. At the end, they both vanished. "What was that? Was that... history?" "It''s more than that, my child." "This is your heritage." Two gentle voices echoed behind Orion. Chapter 6: Legacy. The voices caught Orion''s attention. He looked around, searching for their origin, but nothing in appeared different in the battlefield playing in front of him. A moment later, his view shifted. Finding himself in an unfamiliar room with a little furniture, he stared at the center of the room, where a large table stood. Two familiar beings stood next to that table, somehow familiar to him. "Orion! He''s so tall, so handsome, so wild! I can''t believe it!" A woman with crimson hair grabbed him faster than he could register. Before he even noticed, he was being hugged. "Orianne, I can''t believe you... You said you would wait before jumping at him." The other person, a man with silver hair, approached them and placed his hand on Orianne''s head. "Who are you?" Surprised by the two people in front of him, Orion felt something he didn''t understand while watching them. They felt somehow important to him. "Reon, he still doesn''t recognize us?" Orianne looked at Reon with worry painted on her face. "Something might have happened to the device, or a situation out of his control happened with the Key. The whole process might take a bit to start if that''s the case." He reassured the woman, who breathed a sigh of relief. "I see. In that case, we have to give him an explanation ourselves." She stopped hugging Orion, and moved toward the table with Reon. They both sat and told Orion to sit with them with their hands. Not knowing what to do, Orion stood in place for a few seconds. ''Do I sit? Could it be a trap? I still don''t know who they are.'' ''But... they look like the two who were fighting on that battlefield.'' After thinking for a bit, his curiosity got the better of him. With a frown, he approached the table and sat on the opposite side. "He''s truly our child, that caution is yours." Orianne nodded at her words, while Reon only smiled. "Whose child?" Orion found himself perplexed. More than ever, he needed answers. "First and foremost, we need to introduce ourselves." The first to speak was Reon. "My name is Reon Feales, leader of the now decimated angel faction. I am your father, so to speak." "Mine''s Orianne Diom, leader of the demon faction. Likewise, our faction disappeared too. I am your mother!" Reon grabbed Orianne''s shoulder before she could jump over the table to hug Orion. "Let me go! I want to hold my boy!" "Give him some space, can''t you see he''s thinking?" "This is unfair! We don''t even know when he''s going to be released from this place! Let me hug him more!" "This is this, and that is that. I won''t let you." While the two people in front of him, who called themselves his parents, bantered, Orion processed the little information he obtained. ''Father, and mother... I can''t believe it. I am an orphan, right? So why am I seeing them now? I need more to be certain.'' Orion began to ask a few questions first. "I don''t mean to offend you by any means, but I don''t know anything about you. I will need some answers before I can trust anything you said." The couple looked at each other in surprise before nodding their head lightly. "Cautious like me, I get your point. Alright, it''s fine, you can ask whatever is on your mind." Orianne who was happy just talking to her son, placed her head between her hands after placing her elbows on the table. She smiled and hummed while leaving Reon to answer. "First, where are we?" This was the first question he thought of. If it was a trap, he had to understand where he was before thinking of escaping. "Simply put, this place is a sealed chamber inside a mechanism we created together. You should have in your possession a bracelet that we gave to you before your birth. We are inside that very bracelet." Reon answered his first question. "The one with my name on it? I kept it close to me, since it is the only proof of who I am." "Reon, did you hear that? He kept it close to him! Our gift!" Overjoyed, tears formed in the corners of Orianne''s eyes. The gift they made for their son before their death stayed with him until now. "I heard clearly... Ignore your mother, I will answer your other questions." Orianne began to pout and grumbled something. "Sorry for being excited. He is still my child, you know?" Orion couldn''t help but smile without thinking. These two looked so different, it was difficult to picture a happy family just by the way they both acted. The man was serious, but remained gentle in every way, while the woman was overly excited, and expressed her love with so much physical contact it made it hard for Orion. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "What are the angel and demon faction? I have read only a little about them in the books relating to factions, but nothing worth remembering." "This question, I can''t answer it. It''s not that I can''t, but that is one of the questions that will be answered with many others you might have, in a brief moment." Reon made a stiff smile, expecting Orion to be angry. "I see, what can you tell me about that ''short moment''?" Surprised by his child composure, Reon still answered. "The bracelet we gave you is a seal, for both our factions. We created it to avoid losing our soul in case the worst would happen. In this case, the worst did happen, that''s why we are here." "You, our child, were supposed to inherit the full knowledge of the factions, our history, what led to our situation, and more importantly, about us before coming here." "Through the bracelet we gave you, you should have known everything the moment the Key revealed itself. You could also say, the Key was necessary to activate the bracelet, and then you should have learned everything." Reon explained the gist of the situation as best as he could without going into details. "This should give you enough detail to put most of the story together, right?" Orion fell back in his thoughts. ''At that moment, in the fire, I saw a key mark on Amelia''s hand. I remember it clearly, but what is supposed to be this ''Key''. Is it only a way to activate the bracelet? I think there''s something I''m missing.'' "Do I have to wai-" "Aah! My Head!" He grabbed his head, which started to thump horribly, giving him a headache like never before. "Orion!" "It has started, prepare yourself fast Orion. Learn everything, and come to us once again." Reon smiled, restraining Orianne who was trying to catch the Orion, falling backward off his seat. Orion fell through the white floor, leaving water like ripples behind him. "Give him a moment, Orianne. I would prefer talking to my son instead of a cautious stranger, too. It was hard for me too, you know?" Reon let go of her, sat back on his chair, and brought his hands to his face in exhaustion. "Reon... I''m sorry, I know you''ve never liked tensed situations like these. I still remember your face when you came to ask my father for his my hand." Orianne giggled and sat next to Reon while trying to release his bottled stress. "But, you''re right, I- no. We''ll wait for him." She hugged Reon from the side, and both fell asleep like this, while the surroundings faded to dark. ... ''My head, it hurts terribly.'' Orion woke up floating in an empty, dark space. He was gradually falling down, yet he couldn''t feel it. "Memory Storage Number One, playing." A robotic voice came from somewhere and everywhere. The instant it stopped talking, a sort of projection screen similar to the battlefield he saw earlier appeared, with Orianne''s voice being heard. "Whatever it is, I don''t feel like this memory thing will work as intended." Reon, who walked on screen after she talked, answered her. "In any case, this is all the stuff we need to safeguard our factions'' information. What we''ll use it for... let me think..." "Why don''t we use this to teach our future child? This sounds like the easiest way to do it, for you at least." The woman puffed her cheeks. "Hey! Are you saying I can''t teach our child anything?" "I didn''t say that." They were both inside a beautiful white room decorated with many flower pots with blooming flowers of various shapes and colors, with a beautiful landscape painting on the wall behind them. The recording device was on a table. While Orianne poked at it, Reon was behind, watering the flowers. ''It seems like Reon likes flowers? Maybe those painting are from Orianne?'' Orion guessed his parent''s hobbies perfectly. The calm Reon liked to grow flowers, and the wild Orianne liked to paint. "Please watch as your mom''s going to teach you everything she knows!" Orianne grabbed the device with both hands and lifted it above her face. ''Can''t she contain herself?'' A smile on his face, he looked at the two enjoying their life. Even if it was foreign to him, he appreciated how easily he could feel the love emanating from the woman''s words. "What are you doing? Do you love him more than me? I don''t remember you being this excited ever?" "Don''t compare yourself to our child. You''ll see, you won''t be able to avoid being a dotting father." With a heavy sigh, Reon dropped his shoulders. "I give up, do whatever. But if you miss some explanations, I''ll take the device from you. Goodbye dotting mother." "Wha- you can be so unfair sometimes, you know that?!" "It''s because I know you''re going to do it well. Let''s stop the recording here." Reon bent over Orianne''s shoulder, and pressed one of the device''s buttons before the screen closed to black. ''I see, so they really are my parents...'' Orion felt relieved in accepting this fact. ''Why am I relieved?'' A hand on his chest, he couldn''t understand this sudden feeling. "Memory Storage Number Two, playing." ''How many recordings am I going to watch through?'' The screen lighted up again, showing the device being moved roughly. "Alright, is it registering what I say? That green light, right?" Orianne appeared with a book in her hands after she placed the recording device on the table. "Yes, you can start." Reon''s voice was heard from the side. "Today''s subject will be... BAM! Our current world''s state!" Lifting the book, she winked at the device while showing the cover of the book. "The continent of Triazils." ''I learned that already. This was one of the books Dylan brought me.'' Orion was expecting something boring, since he already knew about the continent he lived on. "This contains the continent''s map, most of its important locations, and a description of the fourteen factions. Wait, it''s thirteen now..." ''Thirteen? I only remember seven from the book I''ve read?'' Curiosity once again caught his attention. "First, the continent. As you can see on this map, this big island is separated from the mainland by a sea." "This big island is Eogis, our home. It is where the demons and angels fought each other for centuries, before signing a peace treaty because, well. Death sucks?" "Oriaaaanne?" "Sorry, sorry. Stop giving me that stare." *Cough* "Anyway, both factions were on the brink of destroying each other. Too few survived. Around three thousand people remained from the conflicts." "It was enough for both sides to stop fighting for a piece of land that wouldn''t do much without enough people to live on it." "Instead of remaining stubborn, they agreed to share the land, and started cohabiting together. What happened after was the union of angels and demons, which displeased the humans greatly." Orion took the short silence to think. ''This island. It doesn''t exist on today''s map. I wonder how far that was for it to be so far from the land. I do remember a massive chunk of land that doesn''t exist on her map. Maybe it has merged with the mainland?'' "Next lesson will be on the humans. I hope it helped you understand part of our history. If you want more, this book here will help you." Orianne pressed the device''s buttons, before the screen closed once again. ''I see, I''m going to learn everything they knew in their time...'' "Memory Storage Number Three, playing." "Hi, time for the human history lesson." "What we''ll see here is basic stuff." ... Orianne explained in five minutes that humans colonized the whole mainland, pushed other factions away, and refused to coexist. "Now, the main problem isn''t the humans. It is the man leading them. You could even say that, before that man showed his face, they were a peaceful bunch." "That man, Elliott, is a real threat. The world supposedly backs up his energy. What we can tell you is that it isn''t entirely true, but we don''t know the details." She displayed a serious expression, unusual compared to her grinning and excited mood. ''Is it that serious? Who is this man that I have never heard of, either?'' "We honestly have no idea who or what is backing him, but his power is so outrageous, he sent extinct one faction by himself. Or if they''re not extinct, only a few survived, but are in hiding. The giants are no more from what we know." ''This powerful? I wonder what our continent would be today if he were alive.'' "I think we''ll stop there for today. There''s still a lot to learn in this book." ''Bring me the next one.'' Engrossed in this new knowledge, Orion began to lose track of the time he spent watching the recordings. "Memory Storage Number Four, playing." "Woo, another le- Don''t look at me like that, I haven''t done anything yet." "I don''t like That ''yet''." Ignoring Reon''s comment, she grabbed the book next to her. "Today, I''ll talk about the factions. We don''t have much information on a lot of them except the humans, the beastmen, and our factions, so it''s going to be relatively short." "Originally, fourteen factions existed. Recently, it dropped to thirteen due to Elliott''s carnage. This leaves ten factions to talk about." Instinctively, Orion nodded. He attentively listened. ''I know a few of them already: the beastmen which I live with, the fairies that hid themselves, the lamias in the city far away from Auro, the dragons that woke up a century ago, and the kelpies in the Carmel Sea. This amounts to six with the humans.'' "I''ll start by listing everything." Orianne opened the book and showed the first page to the device. ''This is going to take a while...'' Chapter 7: A need for answers. "These factions can be separated into two types: the humanoids, and the beasts. I''m going to classify the factions based on their type." Orianne began to list the factions while counting on her fingers. "On the humanoid side, we have the humans, the demons, the angels, the beastmen, the fairies, the lamias, and the extinct giants." Counting to seven, she stopped for a moment. After closing her hands, she began to count again. "The remaining ones are in the beast category, it concerns the kelpies, the dragons, the griffins, the kobolds, the arachnea, and the elementals." This time, she stopped after lifting six fingers. ''Some of these factions are unknown to me. Are they extinct too?'' ''The demons and angels, I understood from seeing Orianne and Reon''s battle. The giants are extinct, which I''ve previously heard.'' ''But the griffins, the kobolds, the arachnea and the elementals are nonexistent in our current time. Or at least they aren''t known to the world.'' ''Wait, did she forget one faction? She only named thirteen out of the fourteen.'' His thought was quickly answered. "The last one is a mystery to everyone. We don''t know how to classify them, nor do we know a single thing about them." "In this world, there exist beings that existed since before the creation of the factions. We call them the Remnants, and they are supposed to be hiding, but that also is unknown. We know it ourselves because we saw mentions of them in our old records." Orianne seemed to look past the device. Orion guessed from her expression that she was confirming the matter with Reon. "The other thing about this faction, is that they could be giant beasts, or shape-shifters. They could be extinct, or still live around somewhere. I know it doesn''t seem interesting, but you never know what could happen, and not offending such strong beings might be the best." ''Would the giant serpent across the Carmel Sea be one of them? Now I''m curious.'' The idea of finding a Remnant and discussing with it was an attracting prospect to him, but that stayed in the corner of his mind, as more important matters needed to be dealt with. Namely, Amelia waiting for him. "This is all we have about the factions. We lack information on each of them, sadly, as we haven''t managed to build a good relationship with them before." "If you need a more detailed description, just look through this book, alright?" Orianne winked at the device before the screen went black. ''Wait! I''ll never know about those details, that book doesn''t exist anymore!'' His thirst for knowledge would remain unanswered. To him, who loved to indulge in reading, this news made his heart ache. ''I just hope they still have it in their possession somehow...'' Quickly, he placed the thought away from his focus, and kept listening. ''What''s next?'' Orion waited for the next session, which started a few seconds later. ... Silently, Orion watched lessons after lessons on the dark screen. Occasionally, these lessons were replaced with the two sharing parts of their life. Most of the questions he wanted to ask were answered during those moments. He understood why Reon told him to wait. Though, there was still one considerable question to be answered, yet, the number of registered lessons appeared to come to an end. ''What happened to them? I still have no idea.'' With that question floating in his mind, the robotic voice echoed once again. "Number of remaining files, three." "Memory Storage Number Forty Three, playing." ''I''m near the end. I understand better what they were trying to do with all of this. This is definitely a system replicating a school. I have a few questions remaining, but I guess I can always ask later.'' He nodded to himself while waiting for the screen to turn on. After a few seconds, an unusual scene occurred. "This will be a different lesson than usual." For the first time in all the recordings, Reon appeared sitting next to Orianne. They both looked extremely anxious about the subject they were about to explain. "This will most likely be the most problematic thing for you, as much as it is for us. Yet, we have to explain it properly, or else you won''t understand later on." With a serious frown, Reon continued. "We have received information about the human named Elliott approaching Eogis." "That man is far too powerful, even for us. So, we have to think of a solution in case everything turns into a nightmare. Let''s hope we don''t have to resort to the worst." "This recording is not only a lesson, but also a simple recording of our findings." After breathing a short sigh out, Reon glued his back to his chair. "We need to wonder at this point. Was having you, our child, the spark leading to our demise? Or was it my and Orianne''s fault for trying to bring peace between our factions?" "That a single man would target us over a child is..." A feeling of despair and exhaustion appeared on his face as he cupped his face between his hands. "Don''t think nonsense, Reon. We don''t have to burden him with this, not now at least." Orianne tried to ease his worry. Reon dropped his hands back on the table and looked at her while regaining his usual gentle smile. His face dropped, his eyes vanishing behind the strands of his silver hair. "Alright, my child. This might end up being a shock to you." He looked up at the device before sighing. He looked at Orianne again and spoke. "You start. Give me a second, will you? I''ll bring it here." He moved away from the device somewhere in the room. Orianne nodded and looked at the device. "I''ll take care of explaining, then. You see, both our factions have something like an heirloom of some sort." "These supposed heirlooms were passed to us by an ancient hero that created both our factions, or so it is said." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "My family, the Diom, possess the Shackles, a sort of lock that puts fifteen restriction on one''s body and mind. It is, in all honesty, too powerful to be used." Orianne looked in the direction Reon previously left from. "The Feales possess the Key to the Shackles. Both heirlooms are artifacts that the hero used in his time to destroy an awful being. If those artifacts weren''t in our possession, it would simply remain as a legend, though." Reon sat back next to Orianne, a brand shaped like a key in his hand. "That brand is the Key. Or, put in another way, this is the tool to imbue the Key in one''s soul." "That soul becomes the only one capable of unlocking the Shackles. Once the Shackles are placed into the host, the brand will look for a host of its own too." Shocked, Orion opened his eyes wide. He began to question himself. ''What the hell is this story? Are you saying Amelia was chosen to be the Key? Don''t tell me! Do I have the Shackles in me?!'' Orion started tapping various parts of his body, in hope to find proof of his doubts. ''Amelia! How could I forgot, we were still inside the burning orphanage! What am I doing watching stuff like this at a time like this!'' Frantically looking for a way out, he gave up after noticing no changes. Reon continued, so Orion listened once again. "The bothering part is, it''s possible the bearer could never find the one with the key. In theory, it''s impossible since both are supposed to be linked, but in case we do put these chains on you, you have to know." "The mark should appear on someone''s body. At least, the mark makes it easily noticeable." Reon finished his explanation. He looked at the brand in his hand, and back at the device. "If you find the one with the Key, protect them with your life. This is what being a man means." Orianne felt relieved hearing those words, since he never encouraged his child in any recordings before this one. She had been the only one speaking until now. "Also, do not die. A true hero stays alive until the end. If you have friends, lovers, family, do not make them regret having knowing you." "This is embarrassing, Reon." Orianne''s cheek began to show a light shade of pink. "I think we''ve given all the necessary details you needed to become stronger." "Let''s hope you will remember this as an informative lesson." ''This is a bit too late. I thought I was pretty normal until now.'' Forgetting for a second that he could hunt new species with as few as three arrows, Orion still had the title ''Hunting Expert'', which made him less than normal to begin with. At that point, the recording stopped. ''So Amelia is necessary if I want to be stronger... What I find strange is that there are no real threat in the village asking for me to get stronger.'' Orion never moved away from Auro. He never fought anyone, nor did he care about getting much stronger than necessary. What he didn''t know yet, was that the tusked and horned gray bear was only the beginning of a terrible problem. ''Only two recordings, once they''re done, I have some things to ask them, and then, I need to get back to Amelia.'' Determined to get through everything, he waited for the second to last recording to play. "Number of remaining files, two." "Memory Storage Number Forty Four, playing." ''It''s starting, what''s it gonn-'' Before Orion could finish his thought, he was met with an unfamiliar tent like room, and the scream of a man he didn''t know about. "REON! ORIANNE! The human hero is here, and he is by himself. It''s awful, he already killed half of our forces and is approaching as we speak!" Both were now on a battlefield, trying to strategize to stop a certain man. "What do you mean half?! Did he destroy a three thousand soldiers force by himself?!" Reon was panicking, which was a very unusual reaction coming from him. "Reon, calm down. Breathe for a minute. Some things are more important right now. Did we secure the young ones and the women?" Orianne acted as the demon''s leader, and Reon as the angel''s leader. Both acted in tandem. *Inhale* *Exhale* "I''m good now. Sorry, and thank you." She simply smiled at him. "Yes, we''ve managed to safeguard some of our people. For the day the world can accept them again." The man ran out of the tent. "I still wonder what we did wrong. Is a child born from an angel and a demon really able to threaten the great human hero? Or is it just an excuse?" "Only by asking him will we know." "You''re right, let us prepare for battle, Orianne. I can''t believe I''m making you fight while pregnant. I''m a failure of a husband." "Did you think I''d watch you die by yourself on the battlefield? Losing you is the same as losing our child. We never had the opportunity to teach our child anything! He was supposed to be kind-hearted, and avoid any conflicts with that stupid Elliott!" "Orianne... I know." Reality started to catch them. The inevitable was coming, and both felt tears falling down their cheeks. Losing the peace they worked so hard to establish because of someone else''s judgment, was too difficult to accept. Frustration was stuck to the core of their souls. Reon wiped his and Orianne''s tears, before shock appeared on his face from an idea he thought of. "Orianne, we''ll make him regret." The recording got abruptly cut after Reon touched the device. ''So this was the last stand they made as two powerful factions. This is a tragedy... and this was supposedly my fault since I am their child?'' ''No, definitely not. They''re not at fault, either. Having a child shouldn''t lead to such an end.'' With a frown on his face, the last recording began. "Last file remaining." "Memory Storage Number Forty Four, playing." Orion bit his lower lips while listening through the very last recording. "Was the union of us angels and demons so dangerous for you humans to act against us? If you truly cared for balance, you just had to kill us both!" "I guess you are right, I could have." "You know, since the beginning, humans tried to separate from you both. But it was impossible. As you said, balance is everything. But now that you have committed that outrageous act, time as come to bid our farewell to both factions. Humans will finally reign supreme through me!" "Now that we are the last standing, do you intend to finish us?" "I''m curious, you see. I want to see you struggle a bit more. I especially aim to destroy that tiny life you are protecting because it is the source of this conflict to begin with." "YOU WOULD DARE!" There was only sound this time, but for some reason, Orion could picture the scene in his head, the battlefield he saw when transported to this place. The reddened battlefield, Orianne screaming at a haughty human, and Reon planning something being the human''s back. The recording seemed to glitch, as some voices were skipped. "Orianne, we have one opportunity, a fraction of time when he lets his guard down completely." "Reon? What are you going to do?" "I will sacrifice both of us, for our only hope." "No, you can''t do that to him. We vowed to give him a wonderful life. Do not force this on him, please." "So you knew I would do that in the end... I should have expected this from the demon''s heiress." "We are going to seal him with our factions'' combined power. My ''Life'', and your ''Death''. With this, it should give a good headache to Elliott and the human faction for the next hundreds of years. It will also successfully send our hope for a peaceful future." "Are you done? I don''t have the patience to look at you two disgustingly hug each other any longer." "I''m sorry, Orianne. The least we can do is send him away, give him his name, and our combined power. I''ll also give him the Key." "He will be fine, he will be strong, way stronger than us." "Do you realize what you are saying?! He will grow up without us! Who knows when he will be born, either! It could be tomorrow, in 10 years, or even after Elliott is free!" Some noise happened here, making the voices glitch again. "I choose to believe you, just as much as I believed in you until today. Our child is going to have a challenging life, like no others." "If you give him the Key, I have to give him the Shackles, do I?" "Yes, until he needs it, he will not know about anything related to us. This will be our last struggle, for him." More noise. "This is the end, Elliot." "Divine Magic: Life & Death!" "Mark my words, both of you! Even in a thousand years, death will never have me! Your struggle is useless in front of me! I am the str-" "It''s done, come Orianne, we have one last task before departing too." "Yes, our child''s name. But how do we make sure he knows it?" "With this." "He will inherit a part of us. He should know about it." "I see." "Our child will be named..." "Orion." The two voices intertwined, and something awakened in Orion. "I get it now. They sacrificed everything for me..." Falling to his knees, Orion became unable to stop the tears from flowing freely. The emotion was too strong to fight against. At the end of the last recording, Orion got sent back to the room his parents were sealed in. "Oh... he is back. Welcome back Orion." Reon opened his eyes first and greeted him with a faint smile. "Father. Why? Couldn''t you have fled with her? Was happiness impossible for you two?!" Orion remained on the floor while looking straight, according to his father. "Orion? You''re bac- What happened! Are you crying?" Orianne woke up too, and instantly ran to Orion before hugging him. This time, Reon did not stop her. The words his son spoke shocked him to his core. "Mother!" He hugged his mother back and released all the sadness he kept piling inside his heart while growing up without a family. Even at the age of eighteen, some scars were unable to heal. The fact that his parents sacrificed themselves for his well-being, and that he never knew until now, all these mixing up created a sobbing child finally reuniting with his family. ... After a few minutes, Orion stopped crying, and moved away from his mother, who started pouting again. "Be honest with me, do you expect me to do something about this ''Elliott''?" "If you can, yes. If it''s too late, hide. We refuse to let you die now that you know everything." "A true hero does not sacrifice himself." Orion spoke the words of his father. "I see you''ve watched everything diligently." "I learned from the best parents." Orianne and Reon looked at Orion, dumbfounded. "I think I''ll never regret having a son." Orianne finally felt like the mother she wanted to be. "Me too. I wish I had seen him grew up, though." Reon felt the tears building in his eyes. "Orion, there''s something else you need to know." His mother approached and grabbed his hands. "You should be able to use magic now, so we''re going to teach you how to use it correctly. Once we''re done, you''ll have to come back to reality." While tilting his head, Orion thought he had heard incorrectly. "Magic?" Chapter 8: A choice. "Can I use magic? I thought it was impossible by now." "There are two reasons for your lack of magic. The first one was that you needed the ''Key'' to unlock the potential in you, the second one is the bracelet we gave you." "The ''Key'' I can understand, but the bracelet too?" Reon began to explain, since he was the one who created this situation. "The point of the bracelet was to suck up most of your magic, and keep the seal inside running. Most of it is magically powered. Without that function, we wouldn''t be here, talking to you." "This, and to hide you as much as possible until you knew about Elliott. We have no idea what time it is outside this place, so we feared Elliott could be roaming free when you were growing up." "If he had found you, the one he came to kill in the first place... I can let you imagine the result." Reon was about to keep talking, but before he could do so, Orianne walked in front of him. "Yeah, yeah. Enough of that for now. Unlocking is magic is simple, he either has to learn it in books and practice, or we can just unlock it with our magic. In this case, unlocking his potential will simply be enough, though." Orianne butted in, and with the swiftness of a bird, grabbed Orion and made him sit at the table. She then sat next to him and asked. "This is not the time for any of this! Do you know how much I wanted to speak to you? I don''t even know a single thing about you yet. I missed the chance to see you grow, so I have the right as a mother to listen to your story and how you lived until now!" She was pouting again. Reon looked at her, shrugged and eventually nodded before walking to the table both his wife and his son were sitting at. "You''re right, this should have been the priority. I''m sorry to only talk about depressing stuff. We still don''t know anything yet. Orion, can you tell us about yourself and the state of the world?" Reon sat at the table across Orion and Orianne. "Well, first, I should say that I''m eighteen." "Our child is eighteen, Reon! He grew up so well!" Orianne gasped in shock and relieve. "Can you be quiet for a minute? You asked for details about his life, but are you going to comment on every single thing? Give him a break for a minute." Reon began to scold her like he was her father. "And don''t start pouting again. Just listen to him, you can do that, right?" ''So this is my father. And my mother is like that too. It feels so warm just listening to them.'' "Should I start with what I heard from the person who found me? Or should I start with the world and the area I live in currently?" "Please start with yourself, the world''s state is just for me to give you advice later, on what you should do." "In that case, I''ll begin with the place I appeared at. I heard from a man named Dylan, the person who picked me up, that-" ... Orion detailed everything that happened until recently. His apparition from a pillar of light, Dylan picking him up, him growing in Auro, a village of beastmen. His lessons about the world and the abilities he obtained from both people important to him, the only girl in the orphanage, Amelia, which also coincidentally was the person marked with the ''Key'' brand. "A girl! You have a girlfriend already?! I wish I could have seen her, a sweet and shy little girl!" "Orianne, later with that." Orianne was unstoppable, she adored cute girls. Less than her son, though. He also mentioned his hunting techniques and the strange new beast that he hunted, finally ending with the orphanage fire and Amelia''s loss of control over her magic. "It is a pretty big problem I need to resolve, but I don''t know how much time has passed since I got here. I sincerely hope Amelia is safe." "I don''t know if it will reassure you, but no time as passed since you came here. To begin with, only your mind was absorbed in the device, so you''re perceiving time differently compared to what''s occurring outside. The bracelet can seal its content from ''time''." Reon gave a quick explanation of the bracelet functions. "I can''t believe it, my child is being hugged by another woman currently. I can see it clearly! This is incredible!" "Mother, it''s not like that! Do you even remember I''m in the middle of a burning building?" "This is a small detail, what could happen to you anyway?" "Sorry to cut you two in your fun, but I would like information on the current world you live in, Orion. I still don''t know how long it has been since then." "From what I guessed from the recordings, the continent is named the same still, but the island both of you lived on is now part of the mainland." "WHAT?!" Reon and Orianne let out loud screams. "What is the year we''re in currently? This might be a terrible time for you to live in." Reon pressed Orion for answers. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I''m not very knowledgeable about the past, but we''re currently in 2000." Both gasped in shock and looked at each other as if the world were ending. "Orion, your mother and I sealed us exactly two thousand years ago! Elliott is either free, or close to being unsealed!" "I can''t believe so much time passed. It took nineteen thousand and eighty-two years for him to be nurtured by the divine magic. This is bad, and the worst part is, we can''t do anything about it." Both were feeling depressed by the fact that they would leave Orion in such a dire situation. They knew how powerful Elliott was. "Let''s continue, was something else different from the recordings?" Reon got his composure back, but lost it almost immediately. Orianne was in deep thought, and stopped listening altogether. "There was something about the factions. If you forget about the giants that became extinct in your time, and the Remnants that no one ever witnessed, there should have been twelve factions. But today, four factions have disappeared." "Which ones?! This is awful, did the factions'' balance got broken by Elliott?" "From what I remember from the recordings, the griffins, the kobolds, the arachnea and the elementals are the ones missing." "The kobolds were always being hunted by humans, so I guess they just got decimated with time. The arachnea most likely went in hiding. The griffins either got subjugated, or they fled to some inaccessible place. The elementals disappearing is a giant blow to the world, without them, it becomes harder to use magic." "What about the other factions?" Orion detailed what today''s factions were doing. "The fairies... we don''t know much about them today. Lamias became human subjects to stay alive. Kelpies lost a lot of territory because of Eogis merging with Triazils, so they also became endangered. Dragons are dragons, no point in thinking about them. The beastmen lost their right to form organized groups." "This is... What happened for the humans to direct their hate on all factions? I thought that with Elliott out of the pictures for a few centuries, it would help them reconcile, but it became worse?" All of these details brought Reon to a shocked state, the world was in a worse state that it could have ever been. "Reon, Elliott had subordinates. What if those below him continued to manipulate everything until now? This could be the reason no one knows about the angels'' and demons'' fight from our time." Orianne cut in after thinking for a long time. "You might be right. We heard that Elliott''s men could inherit their ancestors'' abilities and magic. If they remained strong all the way until now, they could have pushed the other factions to the brink of extinction." Orion was listening to his parents. He was stunned to observe his parents deducing so much from almost nothing. This was another reason why Orion was so compatible with the ''Calm Analysis'' ability. The apple doesn''t fall far from the tree, as they say. "I think I have everything I needed to picture the current state of the world right now. It''s time for you to make a choice, Orion." Reon looked at Orianne, and both nodded. "What are those choices?" "We will give you two choices." Orianne lifted one finger, and said the following. "You can forget most of the things we told you, go back to your life like nothing happened, protect that girl, Amelia, and live happy somewhere far away from Elliott and his goons. As your parents, we only wish for your happiness." Orion listened carefully, but he could see some frustration on her face. Reon proceeded to lift a finger too, and gave the second choice. "You can also hunt those subordinates, help the oppressed factions as much as possible, and find a way to send Elliott on his way to the afterlife. This is the hardest path, and you could lose everything doing that. We cannot force you in shouldering this. You may have our legacy, the ''Shackles'' or whatever, you will require more than simple strength." "Finding allies, becoming a protector, and hunting only the right people. Can you be certain you will achieve everything in what seems like so little time remaining? Please remember, waste too much time, and Elliott will most likely hunt you down." Reon''s face showed signs of exhaustion. This was also tough for him, as he felt like sending his son to his death. However, he had to say it because the choice was not his, but Orion''s. "Don''t mind your father, he never liked conditions like these. Take your time, and think carefully." Orianne took Orion''s left hand between her hands. "Before making my choice, I need my magic unlocked. If I don''t have the magic for it, I might as well completely forget about it." "You''re right. Come here then. Reon, come help too." They all got up, and moved a few meters away from the table. "Get ready, Orion, this might sting a little if you possess a significant amount of magic. Your body needs to get used to it." Orianne began to channel her magic on Orion''s back, followed by Reon. Orion closed his eyes to focus on the feeling flowing inside his body. Silver and Gold energy began to flow into Orion''s core. A tingling sensation was felt all over his body. They channeled their magic for more than twenty minutes, before Reon began to show concern. "This is taking too long, Orianne. He might not be able to use it in the end." "Give him a minute, it''s his first time feeling this." "I know, but-" Cut by a sudden burst of magic, it forced Reon to stop talking, before pushing both of them back slightly. "What did you say about him not being able to use magic?" "This is ridiculous! Orianne, do you understand what we''ve done?!" "Not really, but doesn''t that mean we''ve made a strong child?" Orianne giggled while looking at her son enveloped in silver and gold energy. "It''s more than that, Orianne... We brought back two of the lost elements in one body, and we gave him our magic power." "Combine this with the ''Shackles''? Can he lose himself in all this power and become a second Elliott?" "Don''t be stupid, he''s not Elliott, he''s our son. A parent''s job is to lead their child on the right track, am I wrong?" Orianne slapped the back of Reon''s head with a smirk. "You get too easily lost in your fears. Believe in him. Or are you telling me you regret having him?" "No... I don''t." Orion opened his eyes after assimilating the energies in his body. He felt like nothing changed physically, which was true. "How do you feel? Can you feel the flow in your body?" "Yes, I can. I also obtained a few ideas on how to use this in the future." He turned around. Reon and Orianne gasped at his look. "Orion, come here." Orianne took a mirror placed on top of a drawer, and showed Orion his reflection. "What the-?!" His previously black hair showed a different color. The back of his head remained black, but the front now showed a silver color on the left side, and a gold color on the right side. "This is what you get for taking our magic." Reon felt better jabbing at his son. The magic around Orion started to dissipate, and his hair began to turn back to its original black color. "Oh, so this is temporary?" Orion was relieved, since he really liked his black hair. "So, with everything that happened, what are you going to do now? Are you going to live safely, or fight Elliott?" Orianne looked stressed, and Reon prepared himself for the answer. "First, I want to save Amelia. If I''m able to do it without her suffering any injuries, I will hunt those subordinates. If I can''t, it means I don''t have the power to do so." "His first choice is to save a life. Are you still doubting him now?" Proud of her son, Orianne smirked. She hugged him one last time. "What can I say? I wish for his wellbeing, too. But please do not rush anything. Being prepared can be the difference between life and death." "I will remember that, with everything I learned here." They both stepped away from Orion. "I think it''s time to separate for now. I''m glad we could see you, my dear son." Tears fell from Orianne''s eyes, and Reon appeared regretful saying goodbye so soon. "Can''t you come with me?" Orion had to ask. "We lost our bodies when we sealed ourselves. Only your mind came in the device, remember?" "It''s impossible for us to come out, we are technically spirits currently." He felt horrible hearing that his parents were dead, but he couldn''t do anything about it. "I understand. I hope I''ll see you again in the future. I''ll tell you everything that will happen next time." "We will await you impatiently." "Mother, father, see you later." Orion waved at his parents, watching them wave back, and slowly vanished from the device, waking up in reality. "Aaaand back he goes. Time for us to go back to sleep too." "I suppose we have to. Let''s go Reon, I can''t wait to see him again!" The room began to darken, until everything became void. Chapter 9: Planning for the future. Orion opened his eyes in furry, realizing he came back to himself. "Orion! Orion! Please wake up! I''m sorry!" "I''m awa-" *Slap* Orion felt a tingling sensation in his left cheek. ''She slapped me before I could speak.'' "I was awake before you slapped me, Amelia." While touching his painful cheek, he sighed. "I- I''m sorry! I didn''t know what to do. What has caused you to pass out like this?" "I''ll explain later, what''s more important is getting you out of here." "We need to get out of the orphanage without being hurt. It''s not an easy task, isn''t it?" Amelia was shocked. She never realized how important she was to Orion. She had never expected him to care for her in such a way. ''I can feel my magic slowly flow in my body, but it might take time before I can use it.'' ''Yet, this burning feeling in my right leg is coming back. I felt that before my mind got sucked into... whatever that place was.'' He looked at Amelia, and then at the burning room they were in. "Amelia, I have a question." ''My leg is burning, and we need to hurriedly get out of this room. Still, I want to ask her now.'' Waiting for her agreement, he thought. "Is there something you haven''t told me yet?" Orion took her left hand, before they both looked at the mark. Surprised, Amelia forcefully pulled back her hand the moment she realized her gloves had vanished, revealing her secret. "You don''t have to hide it. I already know what it is. Do you feel something when you look at it? Anything." She closed her eyes, and answered truthfully. "This might sound weird, but when I close my eyes, I can see a lock." "Can you imagine unlocking it? Could you do that?" Amelia imagined herself unlocking the lock. Upon inserting the key into the lock, the mark radiated a bright glow, and Orion began to feel his leg heat even more intensely. ''This is getting unbearable. There was no information about the ''Key'' causing such burning feelings. Nothing about the previous Hero suffering from that effect was written in the books.'' *Click* "Left leg, Lock Number one opened. First Gear is now available." A loud noise and a monotone woman''s voice reverberated in both Orion and Amelia''s mind. They locked eyes for a few seconds. *Crack* The sounds of breaking wood beams suddenly caught their attention. Orion, moved by his instinct, took Amelia in his arms, and hurriedly pushed on his burning leg. "The First Gear has been successfully assimilated." The voice gave strength to Orion, right before the room collapsed on them. With a leap forward, both vanished from the room, as the ceiling crashed down. His steps became quicker. While having an awful time readjusting his steps to avoid crashing anywhere, he barely managed by using ''Calm Analysis''. Trudging through the water still flowing downstairs, he looked at the wall next to him, and opted for a different approach. Orion stepped on the wall, before his feet began running on the wall of the upper floor. Avoiding the mess of electrified water and broken building parts all around, he made his way to the other side of the building, which suffered less from the flames. He jumped over the part the lighting arrow pierced before, before jumping down to the floor below. The splashing noise of Orion sliding in the water. Amelia''s disbelieved expression could be seen in the droplets of water that were sent into the air. This entire thing happened in only three seconds after Orion began to run. He was hurting, each step was heavier than the previous one. He couldn''t feel his leg any longer, and as he slid on the floor, thought he would lose it at some point. The pain was excruciating, but the deal was to save Amelia, not himself. He only had a few meters left to exit the building. He glanced toward the front doors. ''Last push! I have to, I gave my word!'' Amelia looked at an exhausted Orion, who was breathing with great difficulty. "I''m going to vomit... You''re going too fast." Amelia''s eyes couldn''t follow the scenery, making her sick in the process. Still, she did her best to contain it by closing her eyes. "Don''t worry, we''re almost outside. Wait a second, it''s almost over." "..." Orion thrust himself forward with a powerful leap forward, and crashed his back on the front doors to open them. He flew out of the building and landed on his back on the grass outside, where all the villagers were waiting for his return. "I got... Amelia back... Keith. She shouldn''t... have any injuries, but... please look at her... anyway." "Orion, what about you? Your nose is bleeding! You should be the one to be examined!" Amelia didn''t want to move away from Orion. He might have saved her life, and even if she was truly grateful for that, his state was way more concerning than hers. "I''m... fine... I think I need... some rest..." Orion''s consciousness began to fade away, leaving everything in the hands of Keith and the villagers. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ... Amelia looked at Orion, who had fallen unconscious in the grass. His clothes were burnt, he had a cut on his leg, a bleeding nose, a sickened face, and a few bruises. She couldn''t help but feel awful. Everything that happened around was caused by losing control of her magic. "Sir, I''m sorry. This was my all fault." "I can guess what happened. I''ll need the full explanation of what transpired inside from Orion later, but for now, please take care of him." "You won''t punish me?" "Why would I? You will have to explain everything to the villagers later, and apologize to Orion, but what happened isn''t necessarily your fault. Circumstances cause situations like these, you are as much a victim as anyone else." Amelia looked down, and tears began to form in her eyes. "Thank you, sir. I''ll apologize to everyone later." The building started to collapse, which made everyone move away from it. Keith and Amelia picked up Orion carefully, and with the help of the villagers, brought him to a safe place where he could heal from his injuries. ~ Orion opened his eyes slowly. He didn''t recognize the ceiling he was looking at, but he knew it was still in Auro just by looking at how it was built. He sat on the bed, and looked around him. ''How much time have I been out? My body feels sluggish, like I''ve missed a few days of hunting.'' *Click* The door of the cabin creaked, revealing a beautiful girl with pearl like eyes entering with a large bag in one hand. ''Her eyes are gorgeous. I can''t believe she managed to hide them so well until now.'' She shut the door, walked to the table, placed the bag on it, and glanced toward the bed where Orion was supposed to sleep. "I suppose today, too, you''re not going to... wake up?" "Hi, Amelia." Orion expressed a soft smile and waved at her. Amelia placed both her hands on her mouth, tried to move towards him, but bumped her foot into a chair, almost falling down. "Watch out!" Orion sprung out of bed and caught her. "Clumsy as always, I see... What''s that face?" He felt strange, something was wrong with this interaction. His worries were valid, looking at how Amelia appeared relieved. ''I did fall asleep for quite some time, judging by how I feel. I''m betting she''ll say something along these lines.'' "It''s been two weeks, do you know how worried I was?! Not only me, everyone is worried about you! And the first thing you say is ''Hi, Amelia.''?" ''Bingo.'' "And why did you catch me? You''re still in rehabilitation, for all that I know!" "What? You were expecting me to ignore you, perhaps? I might not look like this, but I do care about you, you know? Who''d let their friend get hurt in front of them? It might lead to a good laugh, though." "You jerk! What the hell, give me back my worries!" They both looked at each other, and began to laugh. "I''m glad you''re back, I thought you wouldn''t wake up because of me. I also wanted to apologize for the orphanage accident." "Don''t worry, I gained more things than you''d expect from that fire. I''ll have to talk to you later about some important stuff anyway. But for now, I need to talk to Keith, and tell everyone I''m alright now." "Before you go outside, maybe you''d like to eat something? It''s been two weeks, and you haven''t eaten a single thing until now." "You''re right, I honestly forgot about that. You brought something with you, I believe?" "Yes, just simple cooked rice and a few slices of ham. I prepared these, thinking you''d need energy if you were to ever awaken." Orion took his time eating the meal without living a single thing on the plate. "It''s been a while since we''ve eaten together like this." A look of nostalgia showed on Amelia''s face. "I''m sorry, I''ve only been focusing on hunting recently. I felt like I needed to be of use to this community, but maybe I''ve been overthinking. I hope you won''t hold it against me." "Being another human in a village full of beastmen can be stressful, so I do understand what you''re coming at. I was scared they would one day throw us away." "I''m pretty sure they wouldn''t go that far." They exchanged a few pleasantries, until Orion felt like moving out. He needed to talk about significant stuff to Keith right now. "I''m going Amelia. I''ll come looking for you later." "Don''t overexert yourself, since you just woke up." He opened the door to the cabin, waved at her, and closed the door behind him. ... ''So, where is Keith? Perhaps I should look at where the orphanage was before burning down.'' He stretched his weary body while walking toward the south part of Auro. After walking for a few minutes, he stumbled upon a shocking scene. Where the orphanage stood before, many builders were working on the wooden skeleton of a new children''s home. Keith was looking at this from afar, leaving the builders to their craft. He saw something in the corners of his eye, before glancing at Orion. Orion walked to him, and started by greeting him. "Hello, Sir, it''s been a while." "Indeed, it has been a while. How is your body? No remaining injuries?" "I do feel tired, but other than that, I''m in good shape." "This is good news. As you might have seen, we''re rebuilding the orphanage, which is another good news." "But you being back is definitely better, all the villagers wished to see you back." Orion realized once again how precious this village was to him. "I apologize for pressing you with questions when you have only just woken up, but would you mind telling me about what happened inside the orphanage two weeks ago?" "Are you planning to blame Amelia? If so, I can assure you she wasn''t at fault." "Do not worry, I''ve already spoken to her about this. She was a victim of circumstances to begin with." Orion nodded. "I believe her magic manifested only now because of all the elements she can deploy. I had time to observe some things after you crashed through the doors." "The doors were showing traces of earthen projectiles, water was flowing from the front doors, and the building was on fire. A tri-magi is rare nowadays." "I''ll correct you on that, mister. She''s a penta-magi." Keith''s jaws dropped, and his monocle fell on the ground. "You''re not joking around, right? You''re serious? She can use all five elements, even lighting and wind?" His composure came back as he picked up his monocle. He dusted it, and wore it on his eye again. "I''m sure, she used all five of them on me. If I wasn''t a skilled hunter, I definitely wouldn''t have made it out alive..." Orion looked at Keith with a faint smile. "What is it? Why are you smiling?" "Your monocle is on the wrong eye." Seemingly not cured of his shock, Keith put the monocle on the right eye in a swift motion and coughed, embarrassed. Right after, Orion surprised him even more. "I have more news, which might be unpleasant for you. In a few years, I''ll have to leave this village. Before I do, though, I''ll have to train Amelia. I need her with me." "What do you mean by leaving? Did we do something that led you to move out?" Keith looked saddened. He considered both Orion and Amelia like family, as he saw them grow up until today. "It is not like that. During the fire, I obtained knowledge about something." "Something I have to do. Amelia is the key to helping me complete it." ''Literally speaking.'' "I see, you won''t give me details about that goal, right?" "I can only say that I will strive to make the factions lives a lot easier than it is nowadays. I''m not blind enough to not see the new families being sent somewhere we don''t know." "It''s quite difficult to accept, but children do grow up fast. I can''t believe the babies we received so many years ago would work towards improving the lives of others. You have my thanks." Showing his determination with a nod, Orion turned around. "I still have to talk to Amelia about this, but we won''t leave before she is ready. I do have to work on a few things since I''m also able to use magic. I need a lot more practice." "I can''t believe you. Can you stop with the sudden revelations now? My heart won''t be able to settle down." Keith was sweating profusely. He would rather not ask, but he still had to. "And what elements can you use? Everything, like Amelia?" "No, I don''t think anyone understands what I can use. I heard my two elements have been lost to time, and only one person ever possessed even them." "You possess lost elements? This is intriguing. I should send a letter to sir Dylan about all of this. If he has some knowledge about it, it might be worth it." ''I can''t go speaking about everything, I''ll choose carefully what I should disclose. Mom, dad, and Amelia are a secret no one should know.'' "By the way, we''ve found the bodies of the beasts you hunted that day. There was one different from usual, so I took the liberty of looking at it." "Oh, this was something I wanted you to look at, so thank you for doing that. Did you find something unusual about it?" Keith frowned while recalling what he observed. "From the body, there was a strange organ inside it. A strange black stone that seemed to pulsate a dark energy. When we took it out of the body, it crumbled into dust, so we couldn''t get any samples from it." "I see. That stone might have been the source of the irregularity. It might even force an evolution or mutation to a species. We need to be careful about those beasts, they are terribly dangerous." "I''ll speak to the villagers about that. Nothing bad in being extra careful. Thank you for hunting it down." Walking away, Orion moved toward the builders. "Well then, I''ll be going now, I need to show I''m doing well to everyone." "Do take care of your health. If you need anything, feel free to talk to me." "Thank you, Sir. I''ll see you later." Orion walked to all the villagers he could find, showing that he had recovered. After doing his round, he came back to the little cabin he woke up in, and saw Amelia waiting for him inside. ''I guess I have to tell her everything. She needs to know if I want to get her help.'' Orion sighed, opened the door, and after some small talk, one of their most memorable nights began. Amelia''s purpose was born that night. Chapter 10: The time to depart has come! After explaining how things went down inside the orphanage, and the part where Orion met his parents to Amelia, time continued to flow, as the years passed. Orion began to train his newly acquired magic, while Amelia trained in combat, magic, and control over the ''Marked'' ability. She learned in a really short time how to be a hunter, and showed great aptitude with sharp weapons. The hobby she enjoyed became her greatest ally, as her proficiency with a knife turned out to be unparalleled. In less than a year, she successfully learned to use twin daggers. She also improved her control over two of her elements. From her five elements, the most difficult to bring out were the lightning and earth elements, while the easiest were the wind and water elements. On the other hand, Amelia remained unable to use a single flame. The trauma caused by her loss of control over her magic hindered her progress with the fire element. During their training together, Orion thought of an idea. Although, with Amelia''s control not perfected, he pushed it in the corner of his mind. ~ The same year, Orion began to show the first hints of magic. His two forgotten elements, the light and dark elements, were difficult to manipulate. They possessed peculiar characteristics. While the light element was able to greatly improve the speed of objects or individuals it enveloped, the dark element inflicted ailments on everything it came into contact with. Those were added with the physical properties of the arrows. Forming an arrow made of these elements was exhausting, as the amount of magic energy required to form just one of them forced him to rest for a few hours before trying again. The end of the first year approached, with both learning to control what they had gained so far. ~ During the first half of the second year, Amelia and Orion trained in close combat. Since Orion was more of a long-range attacker, he got defeated a few times, but used these training sessions to find counters for situations where he couldn''t stay in the back. Frustration on both side helped them improve day after day. Until Orion broke his bottleneck, and managed to surprise Amelia. Around the latter half of the year, for the first time since gaining the ability to use both elements, his appearance changed. His bangs split vertically in silver and gold hues, replacing his black hair. Ending up as a sudden and short release of magic, it didn''t last more than a few seconds. However, this pushed Orion to continue practicing his magic more earnestly than ever. While he was improving by leaps and bounds, Amelia perfected her control over water and wind elements. As important as it was for her to get every element under her control, she focused on what she could use, leaving the three other elements unused. Her proficiency with the wind and water elements improved tremendously, making their use instantaneous and effortless. Ideas began to flood her mind, as she developed new techniques for them. They shared ideas between each other, leading to an explosion of experiments for Orion. Since he was lacking in control and power output, he continued to accumulate these ideas in a part of his mind. Yet, despite their improvements, they lacked two things: the quality of the magic, and the amount of time it could remain without dissipating. The second year ended, with Amelia showing more improvements than Orion. ~ A few months after the third year began, Orion''s first success came to see the light of dawn. Two brand-new weapons made of condensed magic were created. Since they were made of magic, they had no need for maintenance, while also relieving him of the weigh. Two distinct crossbows made from light magic and dark magic. When the dark crossbow fired, dark crippling arrows inflicted his targets with ailments, while the light crossbow shot arrows with an absurd velocity, and with incredible piercing capabilities. Afterward, he named the weapons: Alcyone (Light) and Taygeta (Dark). On the other side, Amelia learned to use her magic creatively. Creating wind layers around her boots using her wind magic, she became able to move much faster. With water magic, she discovered a way to dodge more effectively. Using water to shield herself from attacks, or slide out of an attack, it paired well with the wind element. Controlling exactly when to switch them in battle, Orion began to struggle against her. The ''Marked'' ability seemed to boost the speed at which she grew, leading her to become an unrivaled opponent. It was when Orion asked Amelia to train the ''Shackles'' that everything became interesting. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The burning feeling returned in his leg the instant Amelia activated the ability. But this time, Orion was prepared and under normal conditions. The ''First Gear'' required a lot of energy. After activating it once, Amelia ended up unable to move for three days. Even after recovering, she remained unable to use magic for another day. This became their daily training for months, until they were able to both use it efficiently. With the ''First Gear'' in his arsenal, it allowed Orion to follow and fight Amelia, creating an illusion of fairness. Unless Amelia controlled the output of the ''Marked'' ability in conjecture with her magic, nothing would improve. In the end, she managed to do that in record time, needing less and less time to recover between uses. The other problem came from Orion. His leg could only endure the ability for five minutes, as the burning became unbearable at that point, making him unable to walk properly for days. He had no idea how to improve its duration, but he knew that it wasn''t Amelia''s fault. It was an issue coming from him. With his magic under control, there was nothing else for him to improve on at this point. And with all of that, the third year drew close to an end. ~ "Amelia. Come here, I want to try something." Orion opened the door to the wooden cabin. "Can''t you see I''m preparing lunch? It can wait, right?" "Oh, my bad. I was so focused that I didn''t realize it was that time already." Amelia prepared a few sandwiches, while Orion returned to his thoughts. "I mean, you can still tell me what it is. Does it have something to do with your leg?" Orion remained deep in thought for a few seconds. His gaze shifted to Amelia, and he began to explain his idea. "No, there''s still no improvements concerning that. I was thinking about the crossbows." "I want to try firing different arrows. Now that your control over the wind and water elements is almost perfect, I would like to try something." "Again with that. You want another power boost?" She packed the sandwiches in a box, and glanced at him. "Tell me, who''s the one that defeats me constantly? My confidence keeps dropping because of you. I would have never thought you were a better close-range fighter than me." "Thanks for the compliment. Still, with how impossible it is to counter Taygeta''s dark arrows, it leaves me with no choice but to go all out. This sluggish feeling is horrible." "I''ve tried not to hurt you while fighting, so those arrows are the best since they''re not physical. I tried a few different effects, and so far, I''ve found these:" Orion began to count on his fingers. "Slow, Mute, Blind, Sickness, and Confuse. I can use these five effects from firing Taygeta." Amelia turned around and leaned on the counter. "You only used slow against me? Why didn''t you use everything?" "Slow is to help me counter you, a close combat fighter. Mute would just erase your weapon, since it stops your magic from being created. It''s best used against other magic users." "Blind could have been dangerous. If you rushed full speed into a tree because of that, it would be terrible. For Sickness, this one is stupid. I don''t think I''ll use it, since it just makes you want to throw." "Confuse is dangerous too. It manipulates the opponent into fighting itself." Orion explained carefully. "I see. In the end, you''re just as sweet to me as ever." Amelia blushed from happiness. Orion turned his face away, embarrassed. "So, are the sandwiches done? You need some help?" "Well, I don''t need help, I''m just about done. I know you don''t enjoy cooking, so don''t bother." "It''s not because I don''t like it that I refuse to do it. I just... can''t cook." "Too bad, you''re stuck eating my cooking, then." "When did I say it was bad? You''ve improved so much, it''s almost impossible to enjoy anything else anymore." "You like my cooking that much? Want to get married? I''m always free, you know?" "Not yet. You know what I have to do before I can hope to have a normal life." Orion walked to the bed, and sat down. "Avenge your parents. Even though I know it, I still have a hard time accepting it. The only descendant of two forgotten factions, and me, chosen to support you with my abilities." Since the orphanage accident, Orion became more than her savior, she started to love him. While he had to shoulder the fate of the world, she couldn''t help but to try to reduce his burden. After hearing everything from him, she saw herself as the only help and only support he could have in this world. So, she strived to be strong to stand by his side. All her efforts paid off, but Orion remained emotionally distant around her. While he still displayed his affection occasionally, she couldn''t help but feel anxious. "Amelia, we''re leaving Auro in ten days." Suddenly, Orion''s expression turned serious, as he dropped news that made her froze on the spot. "Eh?" Silence fell in the room, only for Orion to break it after a few seconds. "I''m not repeating myself. I know you understood. We have to say our goodbye to everyone later." "I never expected you to be so blunt about it. But alright, I was prepared for this to happen anyway." "We''ll buy what we need for camping. Also, a good stock of food might be a good idea, stuff that-" "Let the food to me, I said it before, don''t bother with it." Amelia giggled after cutting Orion, who looked away in defeat. She walked to the table, and placed a box full of sandwiches on it. "Time to eat, hungry boy." "I''m only one year younger than you. I don''t consider twenty-two as being a boy''s age." "I''m sorry, mister grumpy, you''re a grown man now. Come eat before I get grumpy too." "This is ridiculous. What happened to your shy attitude?" Orion left the bed, and sat next to Amelia. "Lost in time." ... With their meal done, they moved into the forest to try the ideas Orion developed. "Could you create either a water or wind arrow, and make it extend its duration to five minutes?" "Five minutes? I think I can do that." Amelia focused. In a fraction of a second, a wind arrow appeared in her right hand. "Here, it should be stable enough." She gave the arrow to Orion. "I can either try an ailment with Taygeta, or a swift shot with Alcyone..." "It''s a wind arrow, why not see what it does first before adding any effects?" "You''re right, I''ll shoot it with Alcyone then, without the swift effect. Thanks, Amelia." "You''re welcome." She liked being thanked. Orion pulled the string, and placed the arrow in the groove. "Can you step back a little? I don''t know what it could do, and I want to be on the safe side." "Don''t worry, I''m behind you." She peeked over his shoulder. "Three... two... one..." *Click* The arrow left the crossbow, and flew straight to the tree Orion aimed at. What happened shocked them both. A cross made of air started to appear at the tip, slicing the tree in the process. The arrow pierce through the tree, crashed through two more trees, and stopped into the third one. They looked at each other in shock. Amelia immediately made a water arrow, and gave it to him. He slotted the arrow in the groove again, and reproduced the whole process of warning Amelia. *Click* This time, the arrow did not do much in the air, but once it got stuck into the tree, water flowed into the trunk of the tree. The trunk bulged, before exploding in less than thirty seconds. Orion''s crossbow cracked, before crumbling into magical particles in his hands. "Amelia... can you create spheres of your elements?" "No, I can''t. I don''t even want to know what you intend to do with those." "Those arrows are incredible, and there''s no swift effect applied to them at that. Now that I think about it, swift is better for wind arrows, and ailments would do well with water shots." "You say some crazy stuff every so often. Where do you get those ideas anyway?" "Who knows? I don''t think it''s that impressive." They both cleaned the area, and moved back into the cabin to prepare for the coming departure. During the next ten days, they shared goodbyes with the villagers, thanked Keith for everything he had done for them, and bought the necessary things to sleep in the wilderness. The day to depart arrived. The sun showed its shiny face, as Orion and Amelia walked away from Auro. They walked in the north, toward the place that will provide them with information about their enemies, where everything began. The now merged island of Eogis. Chapter 11: The outside world. Orion and Amelia were on a path leading north-west, in the direction of Eogis. The weather was great, the sun was shining between patches of clouds, and birds singing playfully could be heard all around them. "You forgot to bring a map?! I can''t believe you." Amelia stopped in her tracks while glaring at Orion. "Well, I forgot, alright? It was only necessary to avoid mistakenly entering a human city. I know the continent''s map pretty well, just not where the cities are." "The most important matter we need to watch out for is the one you don''t know?! You''re joking? Please tell me it''s a joke." "Calm down, will you? We aren''t lost." "There''s not much we can do beside trying to find a beastman village who sells a map. You get angry often these days, what''s happening to you?" "Don''t concern yourself with that..." Amelia walked ahead of Orion. "It''s the first time we''ve left Auro, so maybe you''re anxious?" "How can you guess so easily what I''m feeling? Are you reading my mind?" "No, but it''s not particularly difficult to guess." Orion caught up to Amelia, before they walked side by side again. "If you get tired, tell me. We''ll take a break as soon as you need it." Her wellbeing remained a top priority for Orion. If she wasn''t in shape, who knows what could happen in times of need. "Don''t worry, I had time improving my stamina during those three years. I''m not that weak anymore." "You sure were weak when you began training. You couldn''t even run five minutes without being winded. Now you can run for an hour without feeling tired. You''re a monster, just like me." With a smirk, he mocked Amelia. "It won''t work this time, I''ve learned about you and your taunts by now. Still, it''s true that I never imagined having to work out this much. You made me train so hard, my muscles grew naturally." She wasn''t particularly muscular, but she had a really toned body, bringing the best out of her curves. Orion got used to it, so it didn''t affect him that much, but he tried to avoid standing behind her. This was his greatest weakness. "Don''t throw the blame at me, you did all the work. I just instructed you on what to do." Recalling how Amelia was before their training made him smile. ''She was so slim before, it scared me. Now, look at her. Her style is perfect.'' Amelia glanced at him while pointing at his body. "Well, you''re right. But what about you? That body of yours is unfair. Have you seen those arms, those abs, and those legs? Your form when you draw your crossbow is incredible, too. I can''t believe three years shaped you so perfectly." His body didn''t stay the same either. He trained harder to support the new skills he needed to attain his goal. Orion trained his legs in hopes of reducing the pain of the ''Marked'' ability, his arms to improve the crossbow''s drawing speed and aim, and his whole body to draw more energy from his core. After such intense training, no physical changes would instead be worrisome. "Of course, I had a lot of time to work on my form. I learned through many hunting sessions that a good posture helped to aim more precisely. I suffered a lot from ripping my back muscles back then." A smile mixed with pain formed on his face from recalling his beginnings. "And now you have an obsidian body that can withstand the recoil of the most powerful shots? Are you bragging now?" "Of course I am. Who wouldn''t brag about their hard work being rewarded?" Orion was proud of how his body changed. He never dreamed about this many developments. "I can understand your point, I do like how my body turned out too. Am I more attractive?" Perplexed, Orion looked away. His mind worked four times faster to think of an answer that wouldn''t hurt her, but not too affectionate either. But, he stopped thinking and gave his honest opinion. This was too troublesome, while lying was out of the question. "Well... it''s... yeah, you look great..." A beaming smile appeared on her face. ''I''m glad he still compliments me. It''s getting harder to have him be honest recently.'' It made her feel hopeful for the future, even if she knew Orion wouldn''t bend easily to her charm. "Alright, enough of that. What time is it right now? I feel like we''re still far from noon." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. A faint blush formed under his eyes, which Amelia didn''t miss. Yet, she remained quiet to avoid embarrassing him further. "We''ve been walking for almost two hours. Do you want to rest for a bit?" "No, I''m fine. I''m getting thirsty though." Orion took out a water bottle out of his bag, and drank a third of it. Suddenly, a flock of birds flew away from the grove they were moving towards. A loud roar echoed from there as a tree fell deep within. "Amelia." "I know. This is not my first time." The roar indicated that a large beast had been moving inside the grove. A creature that could break a tree this easily could only be one type: A mutated beast. Orion and Amelia hunted down every single mutated beasts that came close to the village during their time training. While their number kept growing for an unknown reason over time, they kept using them as targets. "Let''s see what our team can do. This will be an easy hunt, but stay alert. And don''t show yourself if there''s someone being attacked." "Don''t worry, I remember." They cloaked themselves with their leather cape, and entered the grove while hiding in the shadows of the trees. Orion preferred having a good view from a high vantage point, while Amelia stayed on ground to receive Orion''s signals. They equipped their weapons using magic. Orion decided to begin with Taygeta, since he needed to analyze the opponent. Sealing its actions was his first thought. Amelia created two daggers that she named to imitate Orion. Her water dagger was named Dana, and her wind dagger Aura. The two of them moved carefully while getting closer to the sound the beast was making. At some point, Orion saw something between the leaves. He moved a bit further, signaling Amelia to wait. ''Something is different. It''s not just one mutated beast. There''s two of them fighting.'' He looked around the place with ''Eagle Eye'', and noticed the corpses of humans soldiers laying on the ground. ''I see, both beasts were fighting for a meal. Sadly, they''ve attracted us.'' One of the beasts appeared to be a mutated boar, while the other one a mutated wolf. Both shared the main trait of mutated species, their ash gray colored fur. The boar exhibited slight differences from its normal counterpart. Its size and a pair of long horns instead of its usual fangs. In front of it, the wolf displayed a bizarre behavior, similar to a feline. It was unusual to see such an agile wolf. It appeared far smaller than the boar. He looked behind him before giving the signal with his hands. (Amelia, come here. Watch your steps.) She replied with a nod. Arrived at the tree Orion was perched at, he gave her the full report. (Two beasts. Fighting for food.) ''I see, that''s why it was so loud. We''ve often seen them fight over territory and food.'' Amelia thought that it was normal for mutated beasts to behave like such. Pulling out her daggers, she looked intently at Orion, while patiently waiting for the signal. ''Move only when he fires an arrow. Always listen for the click of the crossbow, and move fast out of a shot.'' Orion focused on both beasts, waiting for the right opportunity to strike. When the wolf moved behind the boar to launch its next attack, Orion aimed at it. The wolf jumped on the boar''s back, biting a chunk of flesh from its back. With the boar being less of a threat than the wolf to him, he prioritized killing the wolf first. (Not the boar.) He signaled Amelia that he was shooting the wolf first. Which she responded with a nod again. ''The wolf first, then. Let''s finish this quickly, I don''t want blood on my clothes.'' Orion readied Taygeta, and aimed at the wolf. A dark arrow notched itself into the crossbow as his eyes locked on the wolf. The moment the wolf jumped from the boar''s back and landed a few meters away, the arrow flew straight into the wolf''s hind leg, reducing its agility. Amelia came out of the shadows, and ran towards the wolf while watching for any attacks from the boar. In pain, the wolf growled. It noticed Amelia running in its direction, and tried to move away, unsuccessfully. The slowing type arrow was wonderful against fast-moving creatures. The arrow itself was made of magic, which lasted a few minutes at most. Once the arrow entered the flesh, it spread the effect, incapacitating the victim until its time ran out. Orion monitored carefully as Amelia ran toward the wolf, reloading Taygeta before she could attack. He then locked his sight on the boar, and shot it to slow it, too, just in case. Barely five seconds went by between the two shots. Once he fired with Taygeta, he exchanged the dark element crossbow to Alcyone immediately, and prepared a swift arrow. At that point, Amelia was beginning her attacks on the wolf. ''It''s a wolf, so the neck is its weak point. I need to prove myself in this fight!'' Orion decided to stay his hand, instead of stealing the kill. He intended to observe Amelia, and wouldn''t interfere unless she struggled against it. Amelia started by swinging Dana upward, in an attempt to cut its head off. The wolf moved its head out of the way, while trying to counter by slashing at her with its front paw. Using the wind boots, Amelia side-stepped out of the way. With her focus completely locked on the wolf, she was ready for its next attack. Its whole body dropped close to the ground, signaling that it was about to lunge at her. The instant the wolf jumped forward, Amelia ran and slid under it with her water magic. She slashed at the wolf''s neck using Aura, and its stomach with Dana, but the wounds were too shallow to matter. At that point, Orion was ready to shoot at any time. He kept an eye on the boar, but it was in a terrible shape to begin with, and didn''t seem to be inclined to move. ''One mistake, and I''ll shoot it. Stay focused Amelia.'' She stood up behind the wolf, watching small drops of blood dripping from the wolf''s cuts. ''I hurt it, but that not enough.'' She readied her daggers with the stance she learned. Left knee slightly bent forward, back arched forward, arms crossed, and gaze locked on the target. The wolf growled while glaring at Amelia. The first to move was the wolf, it ran towards her, and tried to bite her chest. She jumped over the wolf by using her wind boots, and slashed its nape with both daggers, leaving a deep cut. The wolf slid lifeless on the ground, before its head dropped to the ground, detached from the rest of its body. ''She didn''t need my help in the end. You''re skilled enough to be a hunter too.'' Orion praised her in his mind. ''I made it. Wait, I need to make sure I finished it.'' Amelia approached the wolf carefully. Noticing the puddle of dark red blood on the dirt, she confirmed that it died during her last attack. The looked toward Orion, and prepared to attack the boar next, but Orion moved faster. ''You might not be an immediate threat, but we still have to dispose of you. The least I can do is alleviate your current suffering.'' He aimed at the boar as it was standing still. At the last moment, it seemed to realize it was going to die, as it tried to run back into the forest. ''I''m not letting you!'' Orion shot the boar with a swift arrow in the spot the wolf tore its flesh, stopping its movement with one shot. He jumped to another tree, reloaded Alcyone, and shot another arrow in its head. Though, he knew that boars had a very thick skull. Despite this, the swift arrow ended up being more powerful. It broke through the boar''s head, pierced the jaws, and lodged itself in the ground. ''Wow, this is definitely powerful. I can''t wait to use Amelia''s elemental arrows.'' Orion felt excited about his future hunts. "We''re done, Amelia." "Phew, what a first fight that was. I can''t believe how fast you are at shooting your targets. Those piercing arrows are really something." "You''re not bad yourself, that last cut was clean. It was clearly deep enough to kill it without causing suffering." They''ve hunted a number of times before, but this was their first time acting as a team since leaving Auro. "Let''s destroy the black organs, and then we''ll continue our journey west." "Can you do it? I don''t want blood on my clothes." Orion sighed. He knew Amelia wanted to stay away from the disgusting work. After successfully destroying the black organs inside the beasts, they moved outside the forest, leaving behind the soldiers'' corpses and two beasts that were going to be someone else''s problem. Chapter 12: The burden they shoulder. The next day, after Orion and Amelia had left the grove. "Sir, we''ve found the missing unit. It seems like they lost their lives at the hands of the corrupted." A soldier was giving a report to a burly man. His black t-shirt was too tight to hide the bulging muscles of his arms, or the perfect row of abs on his stomach. "I see, those fools. If it wasn''t enough to waste their life, they''ve wasted my time too." "I expected them to bring me the cores, but they didn''t even manage that. Anyway, did you retrieve the cores from the dead corrupted?" The soldier looked afraid to answer, but he couldn''t ignore the order. "No sir, someone have beaten us there. The two corpses were already opened, with no traces of the cores inside." "Is that supposed to be a joke? Do you mean there''s someone who knows about this around here?" Shock appeared on everyone''s face after hearing his words. "This is impossible, I thought it was a secret only the Apostles knew?!" A few of the soldiers began to show concern. "We have to think of the worst scenario first. Let''s say they know about it. Did you find any traces of their fight? The weapon used?" "We''ve found a few cuts on the wolf''s corpse, indicating a sharp object. Something like a knife, maybe a short sword." "On the boar, there are numerous injuries coming from a fight with the wolf. Lots of ripped flesh and open wounds. What surprised us was the hole in its skull, as if a spear had pierced it." These were the observations the soldiers made of the scene. "What do you mean by a hole through its skull? Is a spear even able to break through the bones of a boar?" "No sir, it is usually impossible, even less against a corrupted beast. There were no trace of arrows around, so we believe it was the work of a single person." "I understand, so someone that can use both knives and spear-like weapons." The large man placed his fingers on the sunglasses that were resting on top of his head, and placed them on his nose while listening to the soldier. "We couldn''t find evidence about the number of people involved, as the area was damaged by the unit already." The arrows Orion used were magic in nature, and dissipated with time, leaving the whole scene full of uncertainties for the soldiers. "This is difficult to believe... Wait, you haven''t told me yet, have the soldiers been killed by that individual?" "No, they all show traces of bites, slashes, and dismembered limbs. They all fought the beasts until death." He attested the findings, speculating that the individual had nothing to do with their deaths. "The person who snatched the cores knew exactly what they were. They wouldn''t have risked a fight with these dangerous creatures otherwise." "We think so, too. All things show the signs of a veteran at work. In fact, we are sure they were killed without magic being involved. There were no traces of burns or badly destroyed terrain." The magic they were all thinking of was the most basic they knew. Those with a natural aptitude for magic usually showed trouble controlling their output, like the Apostles. It resulted in large explosion most of the time, gouging the land and buildings around them. "So, we have someone who knows about our secret, who is highly dangerous and armed, and can kill efficiently without magic? This is the worst joke I''ve ever heard." "So close to our annual meeting, too. Something''s off. I''ll have to talk to the other Apostles about this before trouble arises. Nothing can hinder our voyage to the church." He turned around and walked away. "Are we going back, sir?" "Yes, take the corpses with you, we can still get some information from them if we study each one closely." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Yes, sir, immediately!" The troops began to move hurriedly, and finished cleaning the place in an orderly motion. They left the grove, and returned to the city they came from. ~ "Thanks for the meal. As usual, you can cook anything, anywhere." Orion put his fork on the table, full from his meal. "Thanks for the compliment. We still have a quite a trip ahead of us, so we''ll have to restock at some point. Can you recall any village around here?" "Going west? There should be another village of beastmen, half a day away. But it''s pretty risky, I remember someone in Auro speaking about human soldiers passing through." "We can easily hide among them, we also need that stupid map, that you stupidly forgot." "Go easy with the insults, or it''ll become a bad habit." "Fine." With a shrug, Amelia dismissed the matter. "Anyway, we should arrive at that village by evening. What''s its name?" "Thaalgar. It''s rather difficult to pronounce. We''ll find a place to sleep, buy the stuff we need, then we''ll leave tomorrow around noon. Is it good for you?" Thaalgar was another small village like Auro. Compared to most beastmen villages, it was situated not far from a human city, so soldiers passed frequently through. Since it was also used to resupply the troops, they weren''t badly treated. The villagers lived much more peacefully because of the soldiers protecting the area. "Noon? Don''t you want to leave around dawn?" "We''re traveling, might as well take the time to enjoy the journey. You''re a woman, you need to sleep in a comfortable bed. You haven''t been sleeping well last night, am I wrong?" Surprised, Amelia stared at him. ''I almost forgot how caring he was.'' "It''s not like it''s going to make any difference. We have no idea if the seal is still holding, so we need to go there first. Then we will begin our plan to hunt the Apostles." The whole journey to Eogis was to witness the sealed body of Elliott. If it was not found, the worst outcome was inevitable, but if he was still crystallized? Orion could begin his hunts without worrying about him. He needed way more experience in battle to be able to kill a man such as Elliott. "Do we need to kill all of them? What if some of them have changed over time?" Hope for humanity still existed in both of them. If everyone was as bad as Elliott, all the factions would be extinct by now. "This is a problem for the future. For now, think only of improving yourself. If you die, you won''t be able to think about anything." "True, I will improve my other elements, too. I still can''t bring the fire out though..." The trauma was lingering in her mind. "Don''t worry, it means that the time hasn''t come for you to use it. You might be a penta-magi, but it''s not like you had the elements mastered from the beginning." Amelia listened quietly. "Only through your constant efforts and willpower, you mastered the water and wind elements. Nobody is in a position to belittle your efforts, since it would mean disparaging my own efforts." "How could I face my parents again?" A sad expression replaced his smile every time he thought of his parents, Orianne and Reon. "I swore to my father that I would protect you. By doing so, I will watch over your growth, I will watch you struggle, and I will watch you succeed. This is the path I have chosen." A few seconds passed in silence, before Orion continued. "In this world, you are my only ally. The moment the hunt begins, we''ll be at war against humans, which is your faction." "I don''t want you to have regrets, but I cannot let you go either. All of this is a pressure I can''t lift off me. The moment I accepted to avenge the angels and the demons, I had no choice anymore..." Without realizing it, Orion began speaking parts of what he had bottled inside him. ''I had no idea, he never spoke about his feelings before. So this is what the ''Savior'' of a faction has to endure. This is a heavy responsibility...'' He breathed a sigh of relief. Speaking his thoughts to Amelia brought some peace to his mind. "Orion..." Amelia looked down, entwining her fingers together in anxiety. Seeing her acting unusually meek, he listened. "I never spoke about it, but I don''t remember my parents. I was brought to the orphanage when I was one year old. I have never known human interaction, other than speaking with you." "For as far as I remember, you were always there, no one else. I grew up watching you, I saw you training, and you saved my life." "I don''t care about anyone else. The day you leave me alone, this world will lose all interest in my eyes." She looked at him straight in the eyes. "I followed you in training because you needed me, you showed me I had value, that I wasn''t just ''Amelia, the orphan from Auro''. Just by being by your side is enough for me to continue pushing forward. As long as you need me, I''ll continue to support you." Her gaze shifted to the ground. "Even if I possess the ''Key'', or not." ''What am I saying...'' "Thank you, Amelia. I''m glad you think like that." "I thought I had forced you to share the same fate as me, but it seems I was wrong." His smile eased her worries. ''I have thought multiple times she would leave at some point because of the unreasonable demand I made three years ago.'' They both fell into silence. After a few minutes, Orion thought. ''This mood is horrible. Let''s change the subject, we''ve spoken about this enough.'' "Anyway, we should prepare to leave for Thaalgar. We still have half a day to get there, and it''s past noon." "You''re right, I''ll put everything away, just wait a second." "I''ll help you." They tidied everything in their bags, and returned to the road. ... Thirty minutes later. The mood between them hadn''t improved. As they were quietly walking on the dirt path, Orion opened his mouth. "Sorry for that heavy discussion before. I didn''t mean to-" Amelia shook her head. "Don''t apologize, I knew it was time to tell you about it. Following you will never be a regret, just remember that." "I will. Let''s hope we can make it out alive after this whole mess is over, so you will never feel regret at all." "I know you said I was your only ally, but I hope you find other people to support you besides me." Orion looked surprised. "I expected you to be more possessive, you always express your affection, so I wasn''t prepared to hear that from you." "You realized I made moves on you, but you never said anything?! You''re a threat to all women in this world." "What do you mean, I told you before, I need to complete my goal before accepting your advances." "That''s so unfair! How long are you going to make me wait?!" They both bickered for an hour before stopping, and exchanged trivial words the rest of the way to Thaalgar. An hour after sunset, the duo walked past the front gate of Thaalgar. Chapter 13: First impressions. Orion and Amelia arrived in Thaalgar quite late. They found an inn where they could spend the night in, and were now looking around the shopping alley to resupply on food before the stores closed. "What would be good to eat while traveling? We''ve eaten mostly soup and sandwiches recently. I can keep some fresh vegetables for a few days, but meat is out of the question." "Can''t we take some already prepared meals with us? If we could keep dried or cooked meat, it might taste better than plain soup." Food was a problem for any traveler. Orion and Amelia discussed taking proper meals during the travel to Eogis. "You might be on something, I''ll see if I can prepare something tomorrow morning. Something simple, though, I don''t have time to do extravagant dishes." "Money is not of concern, so take your time picking what''s good." Since he had hunted down plenty of impressive creatures threatening Auro during his childhood, Orion accumulated quite a wealth. At this point, he was filthy rich, thanks to the high demand in obtaining the materials from his kills. The Apostle of Albriar was particularly interested in those materials, and paid a high price for them through Auro''s merchants. Making extra money wasn''t a bad idea, though it would ultimately attract attention to them. Hunting on these grounds could affect the whole ecosystem. The situation was already hard for them. They had no reason to go out of their way to lose time on this matter. ''We have a way to move fast, but it is exhausting for both of us.'' Orion immediately thought about the ''First Gear''. ''We should avoid using it. Its use is dangerous outside of battle.'' The only thing Orion could do was stay silent, while Amelia browsed around the store. ... After a bit of shopping, they walked back to the inn they made reservations at, enjoyed an excellent dinner, and went to bed. There was only one problem. One, very, small issue. "I''m going to ask again, but why did you refuse to sleep in another room?" Amelia laid down on another bed in the same room Orion was sleeping in. "There are many reasons, but the main one being not wasting money." Orion crossed his arms, and before smiling. "If I have to be honest, I don''t mind. We''ve been sleeping together outside anyway." Amelia sighed, and turned around in her bed. "You''re no joke." With a big grin on his face, Orion stared at the ceiling, before turning the lights off. "Have a good night." They both enjoyed the comfort of a soft bed, and fell asleep quickly. ~ The first to wake up was Orion. He opened his eyes, looked around the room, and concluded after a few seconds that he was inside the inn''s room he reserved for the night. As his eyes adjusted to the light, he glanced toward the window. It looked to be around 8AM. The sun had risen past the horizon, while the morning dew hanging from the leaves of the tree dropped. His gaze turned to Amelia, who was sleeping like a log in her bed. She was a heavy sleeper, which caused a lot of trouble for Orion every morning. ''She''s still a simple woman in the end.'' Those were his thoughts, as he pulled himself out of bed. ''Alright, let''s move. There are a few things I need to buy before we depart.'' Orion put on his clothes, tidied the sheets neatly like they were the night before, and exited the room without making a sound. He did not forget to leave a note for Amelia: (Dear Amelia, I went out to buy your ''stupid map''. I''ll be back in an hour.) He stepped outside the inn, before stretching to remove the built-up fatigue in his body. After doing that, he made his way towards the shopping district. He easily found the bookstore, but it opened an hour later. So, he entered another shop that possessed the items he liked the most. That was, long-range weapons. Orion loved crossbows. It was an eye-catching weapon, full of intricate parts, exhibiting the ingenuity of mankind. He also liked bows, even though he never showed interest in using one. ''Now that I can create crossbows from magic, it is odd how all of them look bland in comparison. I don''t think I''ll get back to using a standard one again. It was a huge pain to do maintenance after four or five shots.'' The groove, the string, the small parts, everything took time to maintain. It became a routine for him, so it didn''t felt laborious, but he was glad to be freed of it. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ''I should still do maintenance on the magic weapons sometimes, maybe it''ll help me visualize and create better shapes.'' Orion explored the shop, and stopped in front of one type of weapon that deterred him. The weapon in front of him was recently added to the market, perhaps a year or two before embarking on this journey. It was the musket, a type of firing device that shot a small ball of metal faster than any arrows. The problem that this weapon had, which also irked Orion, was it''s absurdly loud blasts. For a hunter that needed to be silent, this was out of the question. ''Alright, I''ve seen enough, I''ll try the bookstore again.'' Having seen enough, he turned around and left the shop, before walking toward his original goal. The bookstore was now opened, which he was grateful for. Amelia was still resting at the inn, and who knew when she would awaken. He made his way inside, and bought the map. Orion could now rest easy, as the grudge Amelia held against him finally vanished. But before returning to the inn, he witnessed something unusual, or maybe not so unusual for the locals. A large group of armed soldiers made their way across the village, and stopped as two men moved towards a secluded alley. The soldiers each left in a direction to ask questions to the villagers, also showing interests in helping them in their mundane problems. ''I guess this village has its use if they''re protecting and helping the residents. They''re trying to avoid any riots. This is smart, but I guess it is to be expected since they allowed the lamias to live peacefully.'' Orion noticed something, and his instinct told him to go and check on the two men who walked away. The air surrounding him changed slightly, as he slowly made his presence weaker. He moved swiftly and without any loud noises to the alley. In the dark alley, a burly man quietly exchanged information with someone who appeared to be a subordinate. "Lord Eric, are you sure about that?" "I''ve said it before, but the whole situation has changed." The burly man, Eric Layman, was one of the Apostles. "I understand that, but are the soldiers going to accept that?" "I''ll speak to them, they need to understand the importance of relaying this information to the others. I might have been a fool for confiding that matter to my soldiers, but at least they''re more faithful that way. " Eric looked at the sky. "Faith is what we need the most in our ranks." His subordinate nodded. "Alright. I need to ask, though. What do we do if we find that individual? He still killed two corrupted..." "We''ve confirmed that our unit was wiped out by the corrupted beasts, but they still represent a danger for us." Looking back at his subordinate, Eric frowned. "You are correct, as I would be the only one able to fight them. The outcome could differ if what we saw was but a fraction of their power." "Though, we won''t mourn the loss of those thick-headed men. Even if he had killed them, May would have done that for us at some point." The subordinate nodded again, and glared at a vacant space. "Bunch of traitors!" ''Huh? What are they talking about? Someone killing two corrupted... two corrupted... soldiers... someone leading an army...'' Orion rapidly pieces the parts together, and linked everything together. ''Two corrupted beasts, or as we call them, mutated species. Soldiers, the ones we saw dead in the grove. And...'' ''Don''t tell me! Is this man one of the Apostles? This is my chan-'' Orion stayed his hand, and shook his head internally while listening in the shadows. ''No! Not yet. If I think about what they said, they definitely have found the grove where we battled the mutated species that they call corrupted beasts.'' ''The corpses of those soldiers we''ve come across were prey to the mutated wolf... They might have been part of his battalion, which explains why he knows already.'' ''He mentioned an individual killing two corrupted. Wait, is this how they see us? Amelia and I are considered a single entity? Isn''t this the best opportunity we have to strike during their weakest moment?'' Glaring at the Apostle, Orion took a step back. ''Keep believing in that, and sooner, Amelia will be at your front door, while my arrow pierces your heart.'' Orion thought the situation couldn''t be more perfect for them, alas, the next information was way more important. "What are we going to do about the ceremony? We still need a few more cores before leaving for Eogis." "Don''t worry, I''m sure we''ll find some corrupted on our way. They''ve been appearing more and more over the last twenty years, we''ll stumble on a few eventually." "I understand. Then, as soon as we''ve resupplied, we''ll move in the direction of Eogis as quickly as we can." The two moved out from the alley, but Orion was already long gone. Full of questions, he made his way towards the inn. ''They know about Eogis, which means I was right. The humans did alter the written history of this world. It seems only the Apostles and the ones close to them have this information.'' While walking around the soldiers discreetly, avoiding any contact or sudden movements, he slipped past every one of them while in deep thoughts. ''They''re also killing the mutated species to get their cores, which might be that dark organs we''ve been destroying. I thought they were impossible to extract without breaking to dust.'' ''The last information I came across was the mention of this ''ceremony'' in Eogis. If they are right, this is my best clue to finding the place Elliott is.'' He kept racking his brain, linking this conversation to other events he went through. ... Orion stopped in his track, and noticed he had arrived at the inn. There were still a few hours before leaving, so he decided to wait for Amelia. He made his way upstairs, and opened the door slowly in case she was still sleeping. Amelia was awake, brushing her long blonde hair. She was humming a song, until she saw Orion at the door. "You''re finally back? How dare you leave a frail girl by herself in a place like this?" "Was I supposed to try waking you up for three hours, in vain?" "You could''ve at least waited for me, I can''t believe you enjoyed yourself and didn''t include me." "What, you like crossbows too? If it''s that, next time I''ll take you with me to a sh-" "No, I''m good. I don''t particularly like your weapon." ''This woman.'' Orion sighed internally. "Also, please don''t stick the note on my forehead next time? You''re treating me roughly recently." "That''s what you get for being a heavy sleeper. At least you saw my message without panicking." A drop of sweat formed on his forehead, simply recalling a past incident. ''That would be dangerous. If I don''t leave her a message, she begins to freak out and starts screaming my name.'' "The desk was fine for that! You''re too cheeky for someone a year younger than me!" "Age as nothing to do with this." Orion became serious, which made Amelia straighten instinctively. Her playful mood vanished, replaced with a grave expression. "Let''s stop this farce now, I have heard some interesting news while shopping, I''m sure you''ll want to hear it." "You''re pretty confident, I see. Alright, spill everything." Everything he heard and deducted, Orion told her. ... After thirty minutes. "Unbelievable... What is that rotten luck of yours, this is more than interesting news, it''s life changing for us." Amelia began to laugh while Orion looked at her with a confused expression. "Why are you laughing, it''s not supposed to be funny." "Don''t worry, I was just thinking that if I had gone with you, maybe we would have missed critical information. I find it amusing that the whole situation fell on you like that." "That might be true." They smiled at each other, before Orion stood up from his chair. "Alright, Amelia. We''ll enjoy the rest of Thaal- mouthful. The rest of this village, and we''ll leave around noon like promised." He bit his tongue trying to say the village''s name. Taking this chance to mock him, Amelia laughed at him as he looked away in embarrassment. "I assumed you would leave immediately after seeing an army close by, but we''re still leaving later?" "I promised you. Even if the world disappears tomorrow, you come first." Amelia blushed at that. "I see. Thank you." With their conversation done, they both checked out of the inn, enjoyed the town as much as possible, before resuming their journey toward Eogis at noon. Chapter 14: Moving through the land. The sky began to darken, while the duo moved toward their next resupply point, another beastman village. As droplets of rain began to rapidly fall towards the ground, they ran under a tree to take shelter, waiting for the rain to clear. "Unbelievable! The voyage until now was so smooth. Why couldn''t it stay sunny all the way?" The rain was Amelia''s enemy. Having wet clothes and hair felt awful, as she couldn''t dry either in the wild. "There''s the sea on one side, and the mountains on the other. It was a miracle, not having rain for so long." Orion had nothing against the rain, you could even say he liked rain. The sound always put his mind at peace. "Well, I''m not knowledgeable like you, so I wouldn''t know about that. It doesn''t change how I feel about it." "Thankfully, that tree was here to protect us. Otherwise, we would definitely have caught a cold." "I''ve never caught a cold, Amelia. You''re talking for yourself." "O-Of course, I never caught a cold, either." Amelia turned her head the other way, while whistling. "Let''s keep it at that. Anyway, look, the sky is clearing out." "Already? I was sure it wouldn''t clear for at least an hour." "You were mistaken, it seems." A grin appeared on Orion''s face, as he moved away from the tree. "Right, keep mocking me. Next time you''re wrong, I''ll make you eat your words." Her boots sunk into the mud created by the rain, as she followed behind Orion. He looked at the sky, before nodding to himself. "We should be able to continue. The clouds appear to be moving further away, and no other rain clouds are coming either, it seems." With the rain having passed, they returned to the path and continued their journey north-west. ... On the way, Amelia asked him a question, as she became curious. "How can you know when it''s going to rain? For me, every cloud look the same. Maybe the color is different sometimes, but I didn''t think it would be relevant to rain." She believed Orion would give her an answer, and with a nod, he began to think about the right way to explain. "Follow my finger." He lifted his index finger and pointed at the clouds that glided past them. Amelia focused on the clouds, and listened to his words attentively. "The clouds that passed us, those were rain clouds. I don''t know their specific names or their different shapes and forms, but I can observe the unique characteristics of each type." "The rain clouds usually stay pretty low, while having a dark gray color. This is why they darken the sky. I remember in one of those books about weather hazards, it had many interesting observations about them." "Water accumulates in the air because the sun evaporates the water on the ground, or seawater. Then, it turns into clouds. The more water evaporated, the heavier the cloud becomes." "As the clouds continue to fuse, it will evolve into a larger cloud. When it becomes too heavy, the water pours down from it, and there it is, rain." Amelia looked at him with an impressed gaze, as his explanation made it simple to understand. She wasn''t uncultured, but she wasn''t a bookworm like Orion. Most of her knowledge came from him, from their three years together. "So, the lighter clouds are less packed with rains, less dark, and higher in the sky? That''s how you can differentiate both?" With a nod, she resumed the explanation to fit the answer of her question. "You''re right. It seems there are exceptions because rain can fall when almost no clouds are around, but it remains rather simple to read the sky''s state, and prepare in advance for any downpour or storm. Mist is an exception, though." "I''ll explain storms and mists another time, we have a long way before reaching Eogis." "Thanks for the lesson. If I had known before, maybe I could''ve avoided my laundry getting drenched." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. They exchanged smiles, before Orion looked forward while chuckling. "Who''s the one who refused to read books, and refused to listen to my explanations? You never liked it, so why the sudden change?" "Possibly, the fact that there''s nothing to do aside from walking? Plus, I''m not a child anymore. Stop comparing my current self to me from ten years ago!" She playfully slapped his shoulder while pouting lightly. "You were so cute, so shy. It''s a shame I never noticed those beautiful eyes you''ve hidden under your bangs while growing up." A faint look of embarrassment showed on her face. "I never explained that to you, have I?" With a rapid glance, Orion dismissed the conversation. "The reason for hiding your eyes? No. Actually, if you don''t want to talk about it, I''m not going to ask." He couldn''t care less about the reason, as it wouldn''t change the relationship between them. The fact that he loved her rosy pearl eyes wouldn''t change either. "It''s just... those eyes, as long as I remembered, they were never normal. No one around had pink irises, so I got scared of showing them." "What do you mean by ''white irises''? They''re not just white." "Let me ask this time. What do you mean? I always had that dead gaze for as long as I remember. That''s why I hid them." Orion shook his head, and looked at her with a warm expression. "Your eyes have a beautiful pink color, showing small spots with various other colors. Well, I do find it strange, as they look rather unique." She looked down, perplexed. "You think so? I haven''t looked at myself in a mirror for many years, since I hate my eyes. I believe you if you say they''re beautiful, but I hope it''s not a lie to make me feel better." "I wouldn''t dare. I would not lie to you." Suddenly, Orion thought of a reason for a potential change in Amelia. "I saw your eyes for the first time during the incident, so maybe something changed when you acquired your magic?" "This is nonsense, don''t you think? Eye color can''t change like that." "Don''t forget that you aren''t normal, either. You''re the only one to be so special." Orion frowned at his own words, realizing that he could have hurt her feeling. "I almost forgot about that. I''m not a normal human any-" Her sentence was cut short by Orion. "You don''t have to continue. What you are now is irrelevant, since what you are today is because of me, and not because of you." "You didn''t have to cut me, I''m not going to be depressed because I''m not normal. I won''t remind you, but you''re not normal either." "I''m half-angel and half-demon. It''s evident I''m not normal. So who cares? Let''s just do our thing, and think about the rest later." When Amelia finished her sentence, Orion reacted to something unexpected. Stepping in front of her smoothly, his senses alerted him to an unidentified person. "Excuse me, but I heard something quite interesting. Could I have a little talk with you, handsome?" A mysterious middle-aged woman dressed like a merchant appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "Me, handsome? You might be joking. What can I do for you?" The two women looked at each other and rolled their eyes at his dismissal. Orion approached the merchant lady, silently observing intently her in case she showed any kind of suspicious reactions. ''If she tries something, I''ll show no mercy. I don''t want to kill an innocent, so I''ll just listen for now.'' His eyes were locked on her, making it rather stiff for her. Yet, she gave back the same gaze, as she scanned Orion. "Alright, who are you lady? And what was the interesting thing in our conversation? Eavesdropping is a good quality to have, isn''t it?" Amelia once again rolled her eyes. ''It''s the pot calling the kettle black, Orion. You''ve spied on the Apostle back in Thaalgar.'' The merchant lady smiled faintly, before lifting her arms in the air. "You don''t have to worry about my name. I just wanted to ask something, and I would like your honesty." "I''ll think about it after you''ve asked your question." "You''re quite cautious for someone your age. But fine, I''ll ask anyway. Are you truly the child of an angel and a demon?" Orion observed the old lady carefully, but nothing seemed to indicate she would attack. He thought for a moment, and decided to answer honestly. Given the specifics of the question, she was definitely someone in the know of the extinct factions. "I am. I was born a few years ago." He crossed his arms with a stern expression. "Does that mean these factions are still alive somewhere?!" The woman grabbed Orion''s shoulders and began to rock him. "Can you not shake me this much?" He pushed her hands away gently, brought himself together, and answered. "No, I am technically the last one alive. They were definitely wiped out two thousand years ago." The woman looked extremely dejected by that answer. She placed a hand on her heart, and began to think. After a few seconds, she began to search for an item in her bag. "Descendant of the Forgotten, I have something for you. It would please me if you could accept it." Rummaging through her bag, she nodded at the item in her hand. "What is this? I hope it has nothing to do with the occult." The item the lady took out was a white branch oddly shaped like thunder, with a few colored jewels embedded on it. At its tip, a small thread was found attached, holding an insect resembling a beetle trapped in a spherical cage made of web silk. "It is not, this is a gift from me, to help you with whatever you intend to accomplish. Please, take care of this artifact for me." With a nod, Orion reached for the item and held it in his hands. "I have no reason to refuse. Though, I shouldn''t have any reason to accept either, since I have no idea who you are." Orion accepted the artifact, and carefully placed it in his bag after wrapping it in a piece of cloth. "One day, it will be useful. That day, you''ll be glad to have met me." She smiled, before picking up her bag. "I hope you are right. Since you were kind enough as to gift us something, I won''t stay on the defensive as a token of my appreciation." "Oh, you''re lowering your guard around an old lady? You are too kind." Before leaving, Orion held his hand in front of the merchant lady. "Anyway, we should be on our way. Have safe travels, lady." "Same to you both, be careful." She grabbed his hands, before moving separate ways. When Orion turned back to check on the old lady, she was nowhere to be seen. "I hope she wasn''t a ghost. This was too strange of an encounter." "She knew about the angels and demons. If she''s not an Apostle, then who is she?" The item they received popped in Orion''s mind. "We got a weird item too... Anyway, let''s go, we shouldn''t be that far from the next village." They returned on the path to their next resting spot, while guessing the purpose of the artifact they received as a gift. Arriving a few hours before sunset, they managed to resupply without problems, to find an inn to sleep at, and enjoyed some shopping together. The next day, they left early in the morning in the direction of Eogis, their last stop. Chapter 15: Infiltrating the Holy Church. Eogis. A forgotten land most people avoided. The landscape appeared ordinary, the same green grass, the same trees, the same animals... Except one area. Two individuals were perched atop a hill, their gaze directed to a single building standing in the middle of a wide expanse a few kilometers away. This building reminded them of a holy place, with stained-glass windows, and built with white marble. A few guards posted at the entrance carefully observed their surroundings, blocking any chance to enter inside the normal way. As both kept observing the location, a very few number of individuals entered the place. With more of them entering, armed soldiers representing each Apostle''s army lined up around the building. With no one coming out of the building, Orion deduced that they were the Apostles, meeting here for the ''Ceremony'' he heard about. "Amelia, fourteen people went inside. Eleven men, and three women. The man I saw in Thaalgar also went in." After waiting for quite some time, no one else joined the ones inside. "I think they''re all here." "There are so many people... Armies are stretching left and right, making it impossible for us to approach undetected. We either die fighting thousands of soldiers, or we find another way in, which might not be feasible." Orion shook his head from side to side. "Correction, I enter the place alone. Do you think I will let you go inside such a dangerous place? I''m not sure if I can protect you in case something happens. It will be easier for me to escape alone." Amelia tried to disagree with him, but rapidly acknowledged that it would indeed be better. "I... No, you are right. It''s not like we''re going to kill the Apostles today. If it''s just to get information out of them, you''re definitely a better choice." "Glad you understand. I''m not saying you''re not strong enough for the job, since I want you to wait close to the building, in case I need your help." Orion''s expression darkened. "I''m even thinking it will be inevitable to use your power. Something is going to happen in this ''Ceremony''. The moment I come out, there are two outcomes..." With a severe expression, he looked at her. "Either nothing happens, I leave the building without alerting anyone, and we leave without being seen, which, realistically speaking, might be impossible." Nodding, Amelia asked. "And the second outcome? Alerting everybody of your presence, while the moment you come out, I have to activate the ''First Gear'', before fleeing as fast as we can?" "Precisely. You know me well." "It''s simple enough. When are you going to sneak in?" "Since there appears to be no other guests, we should move closer now. I don''t want to miss any important information about them if I can." Once the plan to infiltrate the building began, they stealthily walked across the forest they hid into, and stopped before heading into the plain. It was the only place close enough that had few soldiers around. The rest of the way, Orion had to find how to cross the distance without being found. The distance wasn''t much, but it felt like a good hundred meters nonetheless. (This is as far as we can go. How are you going to get past the surrounding armies? There''s no tree to hide you once you get out.) As Amelia began to whisper, Orion fell into deep thoughts. He tried to remember the books he read when one idea popped into his mind. (Amelia, could you create a string of water between those two trees? Activate the ''First Gear'' for ten seconds when I ask for it, too.) (You know that using it hurts you. I don''t want that... But I guess ten seconds is reasonable. I can do it, but what are you aiming for with this idea?) (I will become a projectile. Using the string as a slingshot, I''ll make it without anyone noticing, and it''ll help me get to a safe spot to enter.) (You are crazy...) Amelia placed her hand on her brows, rubbing them as if his madness had caused her a headache. Then, the pointed her palm at the trees Orion pointed out before, and used her water magic on them. (Thanks for the compliment. Are you done with the water string?) (It''s done. It wasn''t too complicated.) This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. (I made it more or less elastic, so you can get some distance. I believe you already made some calculation for the power or angle you''re going to be launched at?) Orion shrugged. (I haven''t yet.) (...) She gave him a death stare, which made him nervously smile in return. (Don''t look at me like that. I''m not going blindly, I swear.) She couldn''t believe in him. The man she followed was a reckless fool. "Amelia, at my five, activate it." Placing his lower back on the string, Orion walked a few steps backwards, stretching it with each step even further. "One... two... three... four... five!" "Left Leg, First Gear Activated." The familiar monotone voice echoed in their mind. ''Here I go!'' Orion jumped off the ground, releasing the pressure on the water string. He aimed his body towards the intended target, and focused. Before being launched by the string, he activated both ''Calm Mind'' and ''Eagle Eye''. Time slowed down drastically, while he began to calculate the precise distance and angle between him and the building. ''The place I want to be at...'' His eyes scanned each part of the church-like building, before resting on the perfect spot. ''The roof is definitely the place, but what can I use to stop my acceleration? Grabbing is out of the question, as I''m risking serious injuries if I slid down, or miss a ledge.'' As he looked across the roof, a long, and thick metal bar appeared, waving a flag. ''There''s a flag pole at the top! There!'' ''Okay, I remember a book about parallax and angles, so I''ll use these.'' His eyes glowed yellow as he continued to analyze at an absurd speed. ''Let''s see, the building seems to be a few hundred meters away, something around five hundred... fifty meters. The flag pole is quite high. It might be a little below a hundred and thirty meters high.'' ''We have five hundred and fifty meters away... oh, the flag is further away than the wall! I need to take that into account. It might be a small distance, but it can lead to a bad trajectory. Ten meters seem to be the right distance away, so sixty meters away instead.'' ''The building''s a hundred and thirty meters high, paired with the distance, this should give me an angle of... around 13.2¡ã? Let me put a bit less weigh, aaaand... this should be perfect!'' His view became aligned to the flag pole, his whole body tensed, and his arms bulged ready to catch it. ''My gloves... Never mind, I''ll put them on in the air.'' Before launching, he made a peace sign directed at Amelia, merely catching sight of it for an instant before a strong gust of wind pushed her back. Holding her hair from blocking her vision, she looked in the distance and watched as Orion spun an unnecessary number of times around the flag pole. (He''s having fun, isn''t he?) ... Orion slipped down the flag pole, moved on the roof stealthily, and stopped at one of the windows. He carefully examined the room before going in. As no one was in sight, he entered unnoticed. ''I''m in. First, let''s find a place to hide.'' He seemed to be in an old storage room. Exited the dusty room, he found himself in a brightly lit wide hallway with many chandeliers, and a beautiful blue carpet spreading to an arched doorway on both side of the area. Orion looked up. Wooden beams where the chandeliers were fixed on caught his attention. Promptly realizing this was the best way to move without being seen, he ran, jumped on the wall, caught a chandelier, jumped on the wall at the other side of the hallway, and grabbed onto the beam. ''This space is pretty narrow. There''s not enough place to move around. Still, this is more than enough. Alright, I have to find the Apostles.'' Since the place seemed pretty empty, he listened for voices. After walking on the beams for a couple of minutes, he began to hear an angered voice coming from a room further in. ''This way?'' He entered the room through an attic space above a room. He couldn''t see much of what was happening under him, but he could hear what the people inside the room were discussing. "Do you want us to believe that mountain of lies? Since when, someone apart from us had the knowledge to harvest the corrupted cores. No such things happened in our history since our Lord Elliott left the world to us. We will always be the strongest!" "I''ll say it again, as it is a fact. Two corrupted beasts'' cores had already been plundered before we could reclaim them. The report does not lie, as the only part missing from the bodies are the cores." The tough-looking Apostle, Eric Layman, and a commander like man were having a heated conversation. ''They''re talking about this again? Was killing those beasts such a big deal for them? I should have let them be if I had known.'' Orion carefully walked around, before finding a small crack in the floorboard. He laid down carefully, and looked down. "You two can stop there, since nothing can be done at this point. Maybe it isn''t even a threat to us. Being at each other''s throat in front of everyone is disgraceful." "Florian, stay out of this. Keep to your books, or I''ll make you eat them on the spot." The commander looking man barked angrily at the man named Florian. "Kiel, shut your mouth immediately, or I swear you''ll be the first to die in our ranks." A dignified voice echoed in the room, putting a stop to the quarrel before it could degenerate further. "Thank you, miss Layla." Florian slightly bent his head toward her. "You''re welcome. Now, who else has something to speak off before the ceremony begins?" ''It seems like that woman is the strongest here. Layla, was it? I will need to treat carefully around her.'' Out of nowhere, a voice more powerful than hers overtook the council of Apostles, sending a bone-chilling shiver down Orion''s spine. "Do any of you remember the pillar from twenty-two years ago? This is your culprit, the one killing my beasts." ''Elliott! But there''s something strange, his voice feels too stiff, and I can hear another tone behind it...'' Orion was about to make a move, but was immediately remembered where he was. Hearing Elliott''s voice confirmed it at last; he was still sealed. "My Lord! Do you have enough strength to speak to us today? Thank you very much!" The fourteen Apostles kneeled where they stood. "The seal is still draining my life force as I speak, but it is getting close to its breaking point. Soon, I''ll be free, and we''ll cleanse this world of the filth that walks on this earth." The disdain in his voice was deeply familiar to Orion. It was the exact tone he heard mocking his parents. "We''re glad to hear about your recovery. Our ancestors would have been delighted to hear about it too." The head of the Apostles, Layla, kept answering to him with fanaticism in her voice. "I have a few words before returning to rest. Beware of the Forbidden Child. The pillar of light that shook the world so many years ago was definitely linked to the cores being removed from the beasts recently." An ominous tone surprised everyone, especially Orion. "Find him, kill him, and bring me his dead body. Once done, I would have finally conquered the continent!" His voice''s faded, as everyone stood up. ''They know about me now. It''s great to hear Elliott is still sealed. This gives me peace of mind for the future.'' His mind relaxed, before he returned to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Lord Elliott''s return is upon us. Everyone, you''ve all heard him. We need to find the offspring of the angels and demons after we finish today''s ceremony. Everyone, let''s begin the annual ritual." ''This is what I was waiting for. Let''s see what you were hiding so secretly, Apostles.'' Orion placed his worries about Elliott''s return in the back of his head, and began to watch the ''ceremony'' through the cracks of the ceiling. Chapter 16: The ceremony. (part 1) "Everyone, the ceremony is going to start now. I would like to hear the report on the number of cores each of you obtained between the last ceremony and today." The strongest of the Apostles, Layla, began to move toward a round altar with a crucible in the middle. "We''ll start with Lord Florian. From him, please continue in clockwise order." Florian, standing near the chair he was sitting in before, glanced at her. He was seated at her left, suggesting that the reports would end with her own. "As you wish. As I am starting, I can give a brief explanation of the situation, in case some of you didn''t pay attention this year, or recently joined our ranks. If you authorize me to, that is." This was directed at Kiel and two others that started whistling. Florian waited for Layla to answer before giving his report. "You can continue, it is good to remind everyone occasionally." "Thank you, Lady Layla." Florian walked to his chair and sat down, waiting for everyone to sit. Except Layla, who remained near the altar, everyone sat down. The Apostle Florian inhaled some fresh air, adjusted the glasses on his nose, and opened his mouth. "Each year, the Apostles are required to hold a competition of some sort. The goal of this competition is to regulate the number of corrupted to avoid unnecessary damage to our lands, and to gather the cores of said fallen corrupted." "It is to force everyone to protect their citizens, while being rewarded for their efforts. Perhaps if no reward was obtained for hunting them, no one would deliberately go out of their way to manage their numbers." Orion began to obtain a few missing pieces of the whole matter. ''I see, the reason there were so many of them near Auro was because the soldiers stayed away from the beastmen. If they had done their work properly, then I wouldn''t have had to hunt them down.'' ''This is also why I never heard of any such beasts in history, the Apostles regulated them. I''ll wait before making any more assumptions, thought.'' Just as he expected, Florian continued his explanation. "Our competition is terribly unfair for a few of us, since the number of corrupted varies at times. The quantity of precious cores that we get fluctuates greatly, depending on the region you live in." "For what the cores are needed, it is obvious. You wouldn''t be here otherwise. To grind them and absorb their power. The greater the number, the greater the power." Florian got up from his seat and finished his speech. "As most of you might have realized, instead of dwindling, the number of corrupted only grows more and more as the year passes. With conditions like this, let''s hope everyone got their fair share of cores." He looked at Layla, who was waiting with a notebook and a pen in her hands. "As the lord of Albriar, I''ve collected a hundred and twenty-nine cores." Many groans were heard from other Apostles. It seemed like this was a significant amount for them to feel jealous about. "I take note. Florian Delur, a hundred and twenty-nine cores. It is more than last year." Layla scribbled down the number of cores each member collected on a page with similar writings. "Next to Florian, Miss Olivia. Don''t feel shy about your results, we all know how bad the region you''ve inherited is." Orion observed the person called Olivia, who was sitting next to Florian. ''She''s rather young, maybe a few years younger than us.'' ''Did she inherit the title of Apostle from the previous one in her family? Interesting, I hope I won''t have to deal with the children... This might be where I draw the line.'' Children were Orion''s weak spot. The young of many factions were still pure hearted. Forcing them to suffer because of the actions of wicked individuals would leave a bad taste in his mouth. This was why someone younger than him being an Apostle led him to doubt for a moment. ''I thought about it before, but the hunt is only for the wretched humans, allied with Elliott. The ones that do not respect life, the ones that torture others, the ones that take from others without giving back, and most of all... the ones that are taking lives with twisted pleasure.'' Dylan''s teachings stayed with him and influenced him, to perfect his sense of justice. He didn''t consider himself a hero, nor was he proud of taking another''s life. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Instead, all of this was for his parents. For his own twisted vengeance. If by enforcing justice the life of the remaining factions improved, then he would kill his ego, and complete that mission. At any cost, even if it means ending the life of young aggressors. While he focused back on the conversation, the young lady opened her mouth, and spoke with a gentle tone. "Yes, miss Layla. Everyone might know it already, but my name is Olivia Lakis." "I have taken my father''s place after illness took him away this year. I may be new to the Apostles'' ranks, but I wish to be treated the same as my father." Orion caught an interest in this person, judging her as she spoke. ''She''s strong for someone her age. Amelia was around her age when I made her a hunter.'' "For the number of cores I''ve obtained, as you might have guessed, it is on the low side. As the new Lord of the Noctelagia region, I''ve obtained ninety-five cores, with sixty-two of them being my father''s." "Oh, you''ve done well by yourself, this is not a bad achievement to bring for your first ceremony. Olivia Lakis, ninety-five cores. Since there are no records for previous years, congratulations." "Thank you very much for your kindness." Olivia slightly bowed, which made Layla smile, noticing the respect she showed her. "Next to Olivia. Sir Ivan. How was this year''s harvesting?" Switching to the next Apostle, Orion dropped his thoughts on Olivia and looked at the Apostle, Ivan. ''An old man... This one might be an easy target. Still, I shouldn''t let his age fool me, he is an Apostle, after all. Their privilege is to use unrivaled magic.'' ''I might be able to get one kill here, but I would rather not bring attention to me right now. I need to find the worst one of the bunch before acting.'' He wanted to find the most depraved individual around the table. That person would become his very first prey. "As expected, I would say? I am relatively old, so don''t expect a lot from me." "Representing Kaios, I''ve obtained eighty-five cores. The desert is not the best of places to hunt for corrupted, as you''ve realized by now." Layla nodded, writing it down. "It is indeed not the best area. I believe the heat makes it impossible to stay too far from the city, which leaves only the extreme cases of attacks near your city, and the strokes of luck during patrols?" "You know every bit as much as I do, Lady Layla. I have nothing else to report in that case." She chuckled while reading her notebook. "I have not managed this reunion for years for nothing, I know most of everyone''s region pretty well. Alright, Lord Ivan Borias, eighty-five cores. Slightly less than last year." Orion frowned at the thought of that many corrupted being hunted down. Still, it was an excellent opportunity to learn about them. ''This is only three of them so far. This might take a while.'' ''At least it gives me a general idea of where to find them. The more I learn about each one of the Apostles, the better it will carry on.'' "Kiel, you?" Layla glanced at the next Apostle, and spoke to him in a cold tone, almost disgusted. "You can show less distaste, you know? If it works for you, I can lead you to bed so we can make up." Kiel laughed insanely, while every one avoided looking at him. He looked at Olivia and spoke more callous words. "If you ask nicely, I can even take you two together, I''m open-minded." Wincing in disgust, Orion narrowed his sight on the man named Kiel. ''I''ve identified my first target. This filth is not going out of this room alive.'' In a threatening tone, Layla asked again. "Kiel, I said it once, don''t make me repeat. Number." Kiel''s smile disappeared, and he spat on the floor. "You stuck up old lady, you''ve ruined my mood. A hundred and fifty-three. Here, happy?" "I understand why the lamias are miserable with you nearby." Florian was the one to provoke him. The reports on the lamias under Kiel''s control were sickening to read through. Abductions, forced labor, and a multitude of horrendous treatments. He tried to find a way to bring him down, but he couldn''t find any besides assassination at this point. It was easy to manipulate the lamias, since the males were extremely rare and precious to them. One threat to kill them, and the lamias would bow to them to protect their faction. "You have something agains-" The words kept floating in his mouth as Florian crossed his arms and cut him off. "We all have something against it. You''re one of the worst around this table. Do you think no one knows about what you''re doing?" Scanning the room, Orion instantly found the ones showing goodwill toward over factions. ''A few of them look annoyed. My choice was right, this man is a plague that needs to be removed. His first impression wasn''t good either.'' ''Out of the fourteen Apostles, only five seemed to support the Apostle Florian. Those five will await their turn, as they aren''t a priority presently.'' Layla scoffed at the conversation while looking at her nails. "Florian, I''m sorry to cut you in your rage, but we couldn''t care less about the lamias right now. Let''s proceed to the next Apostle." A look of pure dejection appeared on his face, as he was hoping Layla would support him, but the reality was different. She wasn''t someone to care for other factions. "Alright, please excuse me. You can continue." "After Kiel, we have Lord Neon. How was the frost this year? Did it bother your hunts?" "Do you care about my region enough to ask, or are you being polite and couldn''t care less? Either way, I''ve hunted two hundred and four cores. The frost around Ryghs is the same each year, there was no problem." Layla''s eye twitched at his comment, but she ignored it. She was more interested in the huge number of cores he managed to obtain. "I see, Neon Ultis, two hundred and four cores. This is a lot more than last year. This is a first, too. No one ever brought two hundred cores ahead of this meeting." She hoped for a comment from the man, but he closed his eyes and faked ignorance. So, Layla turned to the next on waiting. "Lord Kamala, you are next, how many cores have you gathered?" "Lord of Hocride, Kamala, a hundred and thirty." "As usual, a woman of few words. Kamala Genathis, a hundred and thirty cores. Almost no change compared to last year." Orion had nothing to think, as the conversation proceeded rather rapidly at this point. "Eric, your turn. How much did you obtain?" "Even though I''ve encountered some trouble along the way, I managed to bring a hundred and sixteen cores." "Eric Layman, a hundred and sixteen cores. Alright, with this, we''ve done half of the reports." ''From what I gathered, the one named Florian, Olivia, Kamala, and Eric are against the lamias'' harsh treatments. I''m also interested in the next person, he''s the last being against it, and he had a really fierce look, like he was about to jump at that man at any moment.'' The man Orion was speaking about glanced at Layla from his chair, and sighed. "Lord Kelvin, I know it might be late, but thank you for coming this year, it''s a rare occasion to see you, as you don''t attend this ceremony often." Kelvin, arms crossed on the table, barely looked at her before opening his mouth. Chapter 17: The ceremony. (part 2) Kelvin, an Apostle that possessed strength unlike most of the Apostles present in the room. He had a better affinity with swordsmanship compared to magic, but the way he fused them together made him one of the strongest humans. His eyes closed, and his arms still crossed, he answered. "Compared to many of you, I don''t need to rely on a false strength. This ceremony of yours is a curse that I refuse to partake in. Why do you think that man became so lost in his lust?" He opened his eyes and nodding directly toward Kiel. "I remember the first and second ceremony. The second one was a nightmare, as two of us had already begun to change." "They immediately lost their status as Apostles at that time, and were replaced by their children in record time. Isn''t that right, Kamala and Eric?" The two could only look down and remember the awful consequences of the past ceremonies. "Do you understand why some of us refuse to be a part of this?" His gaze turned to Olivia. "I came here for one purpose, to avoid another young one becoming a failed leader. Olivia, your father might already have told you, as he was one of the most sane individuals around this table, but I will say it just in case." His eyes threatened her. "Do not partake in this ritual, the power you will gain will never be good for you. Remember from who''s the cores come from." This was a simple warning, but Olivia already knew about it. "Thank you, Lord Kelvin, but please do not worry. I never intended to participate to begin with. I''ve seen more than enough to make my choice." The face Layla made wasn''t pretty. She glared at Kelvin, conveying a message that could be interpreted as, ''I''ll be sure to make you regret what you said.'' Kelvin felt that gaze, and responded with a smirk. "If you have time to fight me, why don''t you start by taking care of your citizens, miss Layla? Please keep in mind, your false power is still weak against me. Go for it, and I''ll have you buried before you know it." Orion looked at this scene with an amused expression. ''It seems like these people aren''t exactly on good terms between each others. I''ll keep that in mind.'' He watched as Layla began to lose her temper, but stayed calm while keeping her emotions in check. "Do you have something else to report, Kelvin?" "Oh, you stopped being formal with me? I supposed it''s fair." He shrugged. "No, I didn''t come with cores, since I destroyed them immediately after killing those abnormalities." A vein bulged on her temple. "Such a waste! Are you really a descendant of the strong Dellthord family? What happened for you to throw away your whole legacy?!" This was the final straw for Layla, as well as most of the people gathering cores each year. The ones unaffected were, naturally, Florian, Olivia, Kamala, and Eric. "My legacy? You mean the family that hunted a whole faction by themselves, and erased it from history? I was disgusted when I found out." "Those filthy Kobolds were always a nuisance to humans, this was inevitable." "I see. I meant to say that the disappearance of the elementals, the arachnea, and the fairies helped you? I learned everything you morons did over the years. It''s all written in this stupid book." Taking out a small and compact book from his breast pocket, he continued. "To begin with, why are we exterminating everything? Is it because of that man? The one sealed further in? He''s a man from two millennia ago! Don''t you think his view on the world should be dead already?" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Layla slammed her notebook on the table. "Continue to speak ill words towards Lord Elliott, and I swear you will not leave this place alive." A blue aura appeared around Layla, while an absurd amount of water began to compress behind her, generating thousands of water bullets as a result. It was only a mean to pressure him into calming down, but that appeared to be a useless effort. "You couldn''t even scratch me with those pathetic droplets. Anyway, I said my part, don''t mind if I leave now." The moment he stood up from his chair, all the water bullets exploded next to Layla. A terrified look across her face indicated that she wasn''t prepared for this result. Orion barely saw what happened, even with ''Calm Analysis''. ''This man... he is strong. Way stronger than me. The way he used those small sparks of fire was remarkable.'' What Kelvin did was creating a small flame inside each water bullet. The fire boiled the water instantly, before they exploded from the intense heat. It happened so fast, no one noticed it. ''It gives me ideas for Amelia. She might improve her elements'' control even more.'' Just when Orion finished analyzing the attack in his mind, the man named Kelvin exited the room. ''This man is out of my league, and I also don''t think he would be worth killing. His value when it comes to life seems equal to mine.'' After Kelvin''s footsteps completely faded, Layla and the others gathered themselves together and continued where they had left off. "Alright everyone, let''s forget about what happened, and continue on with the reports." Layla took the lead once again, scratched Kelvin''s name off the list, and called the person next to him. "Lord Dony, your report, please?" The man named Dony looked at her. "You know, after all of that, I lost the will to gleefully listen to all of this. I hope everyone can finish quickly, as I''m feeling exhausted now." He looked at the four remaining Apostles, and they all agreed. "Dony Florence, ruler of Kristin, ninety-six cores." "Leonis Grazan, ruler of Nobeli, eighty-one cores." "Julian Jurnos, ruler of Juvern, a hundred cores." "Pierre Loran, ruler of Mounti, seventy-five cores." "Horace Marth, ruler of Croates, eighty-eight cores." They all gave their reports before Layla could ask them. That made her a little sour, as they all wanted to end this meeting as fast as possible. "Alright, I''ve taken notes of the cores you''ve collected." Orion was relieved that it had ended. He couldn''t let Amelia alone for too long. Silently, he formed Alcyone. One man had to perish today. ''The moment I have an opportunity, I''ll strike him down. The problem is, the moment I fire my arrow, I''ll be identified immediately...'' ''Another problem is that I need to get down to have a view of them. There''s no chance I''m firing from here.'' The place was basically an attic. He could see them through a small peeping hole, that was it. The moment he confirmed the kill, he would jump through the window, and signal Amelia to leave. ''Let''s take a look at their ritual. I''m here to crash the festivities, but I might as well understand what they''re doing before that.'' As he continued peeking through the hole, a few Apostles began to leave their seats, and approached the altar where Layla stood next to. "Did your brain become smoother?" Everyone looked at Layla with a dumb look that showed they didn''t understand the question. "Where are your cores? Did you seriously forget about that?" Suddenly, they felt embarrassed by their stupidity. They turned around and ran out of the room to fetch the bags they stored in another room of the building. "I swear, Kelvin might be right. Is it just the four of you not participating? Don''t regret it later, as it is your only chance this year." Florian, Olivia, Kamala, and Eric nodded in silence. After listening to Kelvin and taking note of Kiel''s behavior, their conviction only strengthened. They were all relatively new Apostles who never performed the ritual. After hearing the stories from their predecessors, and seeing how much that changed them, the decision was easy enough. Being a slave to a perverse power, or remain their own masters. They weren''t weak to begin with, they still had magic that each new generation improved, but it was now that they understood. The growth of magic power never came from their hard work, but only from the ritual itself. It took something from them as compensation each time. "Alright, it''s your choice. It''s the first time we have so many of us that refused to partake in it." At that moment, a few Apostles came back with one to two large bags in their hands. "Alright, let''s begin for those that arrived." Layla snapped her fingers, before a red flame appeared under the crucible. She took a bag she pulled from behind the altar, which appeared to be hers. "I, Layla Flotary, have gathered a hundred and thirty-four cores, let''s begin." She emptied the content of the bag into the crucible, until all the cores fell inside. The cores were relatively small, so they managed to fit into the medium-sized crucible. She used her water magic, which began to fill the vessel, and placed a lid on top of it. They only waited three minutes for the whole process to finish. As she opened the lid, all the cores seemed to have melted into the water, and an abnormal amount of magic could be felt from the muddy purplish water. "It is done, thank you, my Lord, for this gift." She picked up a big mug on the side of the altar, placed it in an opening below the crucible, and watched as the liquid began to make its way slowly into a pipe, before dripping into the mug. Once the liquid filled the mug, her trembling hands took the cup, bringing it to her mouth. She gulped the entirety of the muddy liquid, as her body started to convulse slightly. Her power appeared to moisturize the wall, as she lost control of her newly acquired power. After a minute, her uncontrolled state calmed, appearing more powerful than earlier. She had to use her power to understand what changed, but she could feel it. "Ah, this is great. I''ll never have enough of this feeling!" Hugging her body in a twisted manner, she smiled. Then, she dropped her arms and glared at the others. "Next person. You can do it now." She ordered each Apostle, as they drank the mixture one after the other. Until it was Kiel''s turn. A shadow moved quietly, aiming at the man''s back. Chapter 18: The first kill. "Finally, my turn! I couldn''t wait any longer." Kiel''s body trembled from excitation. "The moment I can get more power! With this, I''ll be able to do way more!" ''Dream on. I won''t give you this chance.'' Orion began to move back towards the wooden beams outside the room. Crouched on the beams, he scanned the corridor below him, waiting a few seconds for any signs of life. It would be unfortunate if anyone realized Orion was here before he could attempt a shot. He had to be silent, and precise. He only had one shot and couldn''t be too greedy today. Another chance would present itself for each one of them at a later date. ''The place seem cleared of life, it should be alright now.'' The sound of something boiling echoed, forcing him to act. ''I need to wait for that perfect window. The moment before he takes the drink. Not now, not yet...'' He refrained himself from jumping down as much as he could. As he listened intently, the sound of the cup being filled entered his ears. ''NOW!'' He jumped down with Alcyone in his hands, already aiming for the room. With ''Calm Analysis'' and ''Eagle Eye'', his vision slowed considerably while falling, before focusing on the neck of his victim. "It''s ready, you can drink it now, Kiel. Drink it and leave, I would rather not see your face anymore." Layla wanted Kiel out of the room, and fast. Her wish came out way different than she could have ever imagined. The moment Orion''s feet touched the floor, before any speck of dust flew from the landing, and before anyone registered the noise following his descent, Alcyone''s trigger clicked. An arrow flew straight and struck its target. Though, ''struck'' doesn''t even qualify the event that happened. Orion experimented with the arrow''s head, creating something unusual. - Before coming to Eogis, on the way, he thought thoroughly about the differences between hunting a beast, and a human. Since the targets weren''t normal humans either, using magic, it meant that the moment he failed his first attempt, the next phase would be a fight without tricks. If he could do a tremendous amount of damage and pain to the target before arriving to the second phase, then, he would have the upper hand for the rest of the fight. Which led him to rethink about his gear. The crossbows didn''t need any particular upgrades, as each of them were magical, but the arrows that he created were simply too basic to be effective. He tried many changes, going from the velocity to the shape of the arrows. For the velocity, he realized that Alcyone was remarkably fast. The arrows shot by the light crossbow were three times faster than a normal one. Usually, it took two to three seconds to hit a target, but with Alcyone, the arrow touched its target around half a second. The shape was the most important realization. The basic arrow used for the light arrows was weak, with the head breaking inside the target. In this case, the head would vanish before the arrow got fully stuck inside. He also realized that he couldn''t pierce trees with it, and that the thick skull of the boar that he managed to break through, was most likely not in perfect shape. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The arrow never pierced through its back, which means that it was pure luck at that time. To change the outcome of the arrowhead, and to strengthen the base, he began experimenting. Different types of heads showed varying damage. Out of all those experiments, only two types of arrows were kept. One arrow with three feathers, with a simple but sharpened head, made to fly through a target with ease. The other arrow had two feathers and a broad head with three blades, made to cut pieces off flesh from the prey. The amount of damage caused by the second arrow type was ridiculous. Replacing the basic flattened V-shaped head, the piercing arrow resisted the shock of an impact, getting halfway through a tree trunk. The broad head, even though powerful, didn''t go as far in as its brother, but ended up creating a dangerous piece of equipment. When the arrow flew into the tree, it gouged a massive part of wood in a triangular shape. What''s more, Orion managed to find another use for the arrow. If the arrowhead possessed dents on its blades, and the feathers were slightly modified, the arrow spun at an incredible rate. It was so outrageous, Orion swore to never use it against anyone other than direct threats. Amelia saw for the first time an arrow drill a tree, blinking wildly as she couldn''t believe it. Even if the spin was slower, it did a great deal of damage. - Returning to the present, the question now was, which arrow did Orion use on Kiel? The piercing arrow? Of course... not. ''You won''t survive this one, it is also a warning directed at each one of you.'' The arrow traveled the distance between Orion and Kiel in record time. Blood splattered all over. Layla realized something was odd, and turned to look at Kiel, but it was already too late. The only thing she saw before drowning in blood was an arrow ripping Kiel''s head off his neck. The shot was clean, there were no obstacles on the way, and since the altar was higher in elevation than the table, it was perfect. No one managed to see the arrow, only the bloody result. It was only when Kiel''s head began to roll down the steps that dust scattered around Orion from his landing. The moment everyone realized something turned terribly wrong, they looked at a fountain of blood, and a bloodied Layla in shock. No sound besides Kiel''s body tumbling down the steps, no voice, no reaction. Everyone turned towards the entrance of the room, and there, was the perpetrator of this act. A young man, crouched on the floor, wearing black clothes, a black cape and a gray scarf. His hair presented a strange pattern of colors, being black in the back, with aspects of gold and silver in the front bangs. In his hands, a bright white crossbow. At that moment, Layla brought herself together, and screamed. "Y- You!" Everyone seemed to gather the situation. The person in front of them was unmistakably related to the angels and demons. He possessed their energy, which should have disappeared. "Just a passerby. I''ll take my leave now." ''Let''s leave before they all wake up. Mission accomplished.'' Orion took this moment to run toward the front door of the church like building. "EVERYONE, CAPTURE HIM IMMEDIATELY! ALL THE ARMIES OUTSIDE NEED TO CATCH HIM!" The Apostles all looked at Layla in a daze, her words falling in deaf ears. After a few seconds, it seemed to finally hit, and they scurried to give their orders. ''Kiel is dead?'' Is all they were thinking about. They all glanced at his head before leaving, that was smiling, locked eternally into an overjoyed state on the floor. Four individuals remained sited at the table, analyzing the situation carefully. With no signs of doing anything apart from rejoicing, they glared at the dead Apostles. Florian being the most grateful for this happening. ''Finally! That trash got what he deserved. Now I can finally bring the lamias under my wing. It''s time to make them a true faction again.'' Olivia was thinking about something entirely different. ''Oh dear! Who was that man? He was so handsome! I''ve never seen someone like him before.'' Kamala and Eric were simply looking at each other, and sighed in relief. "What are you waiting for, all of you! Move!" "No, thanks, I won''t chase after someone who cleaned the place." Florian spat those words at Layla, which they seemed to all agree on. "You should clean yourself before going outside, Lady Layla." True to that, Layla was soaked in blood. Someone else''s blood. "Calm your nerves, too." This time, it was Kamala. Layla looked at them, and then took a deep breath. "You might be right, I''ll go clean myself. Let''s hope the others catch that cursed child before I do." With a disgusted expression, she pulled her long dress closer in the air, and walked into a room behind the altar. ~ "EVERYONE, CAPTURE HIM IMMEDIATELY! ALL THE ARMIES OUTSIDE NEED TO CATCH HIM!" The loud scream could be heard even from the forest Amelia hid in. (I guess... he got one?) A tensed smile appeared on Amelia''s face. Sweat began to appear on her temple, thinking of the trouble he had brought with him. (So it finally begins, we''re definitely at war against the humans now.) She realized Orion might come out at any moment, and observed anxiously for his signal. Noticing the armies moving erratically, she watched as they showed clear confusion. As they were moving all over the place, a considerable noise caught their attention, as a man emerged from a broken window. (Seems like his only escape was from that window, so close to the front door too. I hope that didn''t leave cuts on his face...) ... Orion fell to the floor and rolled, cursing his current situation. Many armed soldiers with muskets and weapons of all sorts stood in front of him. ''How am I going to get out of here? I guess I have no choice.'' He lifted his left arm, before the bracelet he cherished began to reflect the light of the sun. Amelia saw the sign Orion promised to do. With that, Amelia immediately went on to activate the ''First Gear''. Chapter 19: Fleeing the scene. Prior to the infiltration of the church. Orion and Amelia were discussing the potential endings that the mission could lead to. There was obviously the failed attempt, and the one where Orion died, but these were out of the equation, and the reason was simple. Nobody knew of Amelia yet. They knew of the ''Cursed Child'', but not about the ''First Gear'' ability. This led to two final results: one where Orion was able to leave discretely without finding a window to assassinate an Apostle, with only information about their plans, or one leading to absolute chaos. When Orion managed to accomplish all of his objectives, he would be at the center of this chaos. Amelia was there to extract him from the place, alive. It was simple. Yet, easier said than done. "Left Leg, First Gear Activated." A monotone voice echoed in his mind, followed by a burning sensation in his leg, though fairly manageable at the moment. ''Alright, I have exactly five minutes, with no time to lose. We have to get far away from this place.'' "Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, but I have places to be." Orion paced himself, jogging towards the soldiers. He made each soldier tense up just from his unshakable state. Suddenly, a booming voice caught everyone off guard from the window Orion jumped from. As he glanced behind him, he saw the Apostles looking at him from various windows. "What are you waiting for?! Seize him immediately!" Layla screamed at the top of her lungs, commanding the soldiers to act. They looked at each other in slight confusion, but quickly made up their mind to stop the enemy standing in front of them. "Why am I paying these fools for?" Layla''s repressed thought until today came out of her mouth. Those armies were useless, since foot soldiers couldn''t stay on the same pedestal as magic users. Against corrupted, certainly, they could stand a chance with long-range weapons, but that was it. ''Well, let''s give them a show they won''t forget then.'' Orion approached the first row of soldiers rushing him. He readied himself with ''Calm Analysis'' to counter any attacks thrown at him. ''Left, right, and a slide. This should be enough for the first row.'' Using the ''First Gear'', he swiftly dodged the swords coming his way. He moved so fast, most never even realized he was already past them. Layla blinked a few times, as well as most of the Apostles watching the scene. "This man, no wonder he got through our ranks without being seen. He possesses skills unknown to us. It doesn''t look like he is using magic, either. What could it be?" Layla, nor any Apostles, heard about the ''Key'' and the ''Shackles''. These two artifacts were successfully hidden through time. Another person fixedly looked at Orion from a window, and it was Olivia. She was unable to miss a single movement he made, in awe. "His movements are absurdly precise, do you think you could dodge like that, Lord Florian?" Florian, standing next to her, looked bewildered by what he was seeing. "I am absolutely certain I would have a hard time against him, but that is it. He is an assassin, the moment he reveals his presence, it either means the attempt was successful, or he failed." The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Olivia listened quietly to his observations. "The fact that he came out of his secrecy to kill Kiel leads me to two theories. If nothing more, this man chose the worst of us to kill. He was definitely listening since the beginning, planning either to move or stay hidden." "This person might be either a justice seeker, or a kind-hearted man. Maybe both, but something is sure, if we want to keep our head on our head, we might try to seek friendly contact out of him." Olivia''s eyes opened wide. For her, it was strange, her father always spoke ill of the demons and angels factions, so much that she couldn''t understand why. She didn''t share that hatred, but she never imagined seeing the last survivor in her lifetime either. As she was thinking that, two silhouettes walked closer to them. "I''m sorry, we''ve heard what you said, and we had to say something." Eric, walking alongside Kamala, approached Florian and Olivia. "Are you sure it''s not too dangerous to act friendly with someone we don''t know anything about?" Eric asked with genuineness in his voice. Florian took a second to think, watching Orion avoid another group of soldiers. "It might be better. I apologize if it offends you three, but I took the opportunity to look at your city management reports. Well, for miss Olivia, there is no data yet, so I assume you are clean of any illicit activities as of now." It looked like Kamala and Eric weren''t offended by his actions, maybe because of his reputation as a smart and thoughtful man. Florian continued after smiling at Olivia. He looked in turn at Eric and Kamala. "You two are managing your citizens with care, there is nothing to say on that. What is truly important in my criteria was how everyone treated the other factions. And let me say, I was impressed to see other Apostles care for them." "Look at this man. He attacked the only person in the room that showed clear hostility and was known for treating other factions like toys. He could have ended any of the thirteen present, but he killed the worst. Good riddance, by the way." Florian shrugged. Eric reciprocated with a nod, Kamala closed her eyes, and disgust appeared on Olivia''s face. "I want to forget about that man as much as possible. His depraved gaze was vile." She shuddered just recalling his voice. Kamala walked behind her, and wrapped her arms around Olivia''s shoulders. "Young girl, nothing will happen anymore." "Thank you, miss Kamala. You remind me of my mother. She used to do that too." Kamala smiled gently. Both men got reminded why they fought against once again. They had a history together, and were relatively friendly to each other, even though they rarely spoke. "You know sir Florian, I have a wife, and someone I consider a daughter. Dying like Kiel is not the end I want. Are you suggesting that he has a capacity to judge which one of us is a target for him?" Florian nodded while looking outside the window. "This is also a possibility, but maybe he is willing to kill all of Elliott''s Apostles. Explaining things to him is our only option if we want to avoid an unnecessary death." A severe expression formed on his face, as he frowned. "I would prefer not to feel his breath on my neck." This time, all four shuddered, the scene of a decapitating arrow flashed in their mind. "I just became an Apostle, I don''t want to die yet." Olivia looked distraught, imagining herself dying by that handsome man''s crossbow. "This will sound cruel, but of the Apostles, you are the most vulnerable. If this man hadn''t chosen Kiel, maybe he would have chosen you instead. This is only speculation because we don''t know how he judged us." At that moment, Kamala pointed toward the window, wile tightly hugging Olivia. "He''s breaking through, he''s almost out." They all stopped talking, and glued their gazes towards Orion, right as he escaped. ... ''This is tiring. I don''t know how much time passed, but I''m feeling sluggish. The burning is getting more severe, which means I might be close to the limit.'' Orion breathed out a cloud of hot mist from his mouth. He did acrobatics for three minutes straight, but he was getting close to the forest. ''Alright, focus. Let''s break free from this now, before the others start to attack too.'' Around him, the soldiers spread out slowly. The problem was, even this slow, his body wasn''t fast enough to past them all. ''The next one is striking down, but the next one is going for the ankles. So, dodge to his left, and then jump.'' For someone not using ''Calm Analysis'', Orion''s movements were incredibly fast, way faster than a normal soldier, but not as fast as a magic user. Most of the Apostles weren''t impressed by his actions. They even questioned why someone like him killed one of them. The moment the last row of soldier was breached, Orion immediately began to run toward the forest. Everything was as expected... Until Layla grew tired of this show, and snapped her fingers. ''What the-?!'' Orion couldn''t believe it, neither could Amelia. A giant wall of water appeared to block his escape. "Now, you won''t be able to flee, vermin." Slowly turning around, he saw the armies split in half as Layla approached with water flowing behind her back. ''This was out of my expectations. This doesn''t look like anything I can breach through. At least Amelia is safe, this is all that matter.'' His leg throbbed from the burning pain. He clenched his fists, before creating Alcyone out in an attempt to fight back. ''Sorry, mom, dad. I guess it wasn''t that simple in the end.'' Everything showed that the end was near for Orion. The soldiers closed in on him, while the Apostles prepared to capture him. But something unpredictable for both sides happened. "Lady Layla! D-Dragon!" "What?! This is impossible! Why now! It never happened befo-" She couldn''t finish her sentence. A gigantic shadow was cast over Orion, the armies, and the church. An azure dragon stared at its surrounding, flapped its large wings, before snorting. Chapter 20: Monolavir, the Azure Dragon. A dark shadow was cast over the field and the church. ''It'' was massive, around a hundred meters wide from one wing to the other wing, and sixty meters from head to tail. ''It'' was a dragon, and not any dragon. It was the ''Savior'' of the dragon. The only one capable of fighting toe to toe against the Apostles. A dragon was already capable of causing great pain to some members, but this one was on another level. Eric, who was watching from the window, began to shake violently just seeing the dragon, while Florian removed his glasses in shock. He and the Florian fought that dragon a few years ago, managing to repel it. Their battle was so intense that they sustained heavy injuries, including broken bones, while the dragon only lost a scale, ripped from one of its front arms. "Monolavir... He''s back." The moment Eric pronounced that name, Kamala and Olivia opened their eyes wide. They knew how dangerous the creature outside was. Each ''Savior'' possessed a strength rivaling the Apostles, and an immunity to one type of magic. Most weren''t able to use complicated magic, but a simple claw enhancement or movement speed was possible depending on the element they used. Except Monolavir. At that moment, when everyone was silenced by the grunt the dragon made, Orion lifted his head and realized who was above him. A blue dragon, its scales shining a blue azure. Six enormous horns forming a crown over its head, and a tail composed of two rows of spikes going from the base to a pointy tip. It showed its white underbelly, starting from its neck to the tip of its tail. Looked at his back, four large wings flapped in synchronicity, powerful enough to lift its colossal body in the air. The dragon''s eyes fell on Orion, as they looked into each other''s eyes for a moment. Everyone watched the dragon''s every move, avoiding catching the attention of this unpredictable monster. After a few seconds, Monolavir looked into the forest in front of Orion, before a slight surprise appeared for those who paid attention to his facial features. Orion realized immediately that it sensed Amelia, but for a reason he could not explain, felt no imminent danger from the dragon. The dragon''s look was one of nostalgia, like it remembered something. The dragon slowly dropped to the ground, further away from Orion. Wind gushed out from under it, pushing a significant amount of dust on everyone. Once it landed, to everyone''s surprise, it began to walk toward Orion. Each step made the ground rumble, terrifying the soldiers and the Apostles alike. ''Is it coming towards me? Why?'' At that moment, Layla''s mind was in complete chaos. She desperately wanted to strike down the dragon and the man who attacked them. But the moment she moved, she would either suffer fatal injuries, or die if she was very unlucky. To make the matter worse, this specific dragon was immune to water magic, Layla''s specialty. It was suicide, the same as asking an ant to fight a tiger. She was a powerless woman at this moment. The dragon stopped in its tracks, and focused past Orion, looking in the distance. Monolavir saw a man on one knee in the grass, his hand on his sword''s hilt, ready to strike the dragon at any moment. It was Kelvin, that readied himself after seeing the dragon. They both stared at each other for a minute, but the dragon decided it was enough and continued to walk toward his previous direction. Kelvin lifted himself up from the ground, patted the dirt of his knee, and turned around with a sigh, walking back to his horse. The shaking became increasingly pronounced the closer the dragon approached, and when it was close enough, it lifted its head high in the air. A cold air began to emanate from the dragon that wasn''t being felt a moment ago. The dragon brought his head close to Orion''s level, before they locked eyes again. But this time, something different happened. Orion''s bracelet began to abruptly float around his wrist, as he felt a burning sensation in his brain. The dragon was doing something to him that he didn''t understand, but he discovered something right away. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. ''This feeling, it''s burning as much as my leg. Is it trying to help me unlock another seal?'' He closed his eyes, focusing on the other burning sensation. After what felt an eternity, a snapping noise echoed in his mind. "Magic Lock Number One. ''Dragon Speech'' Unlocked." It seemed the procedure was successful, as a voice of a middle-aged man slowly gained intensity in his mind. "Young man." "Yes? This voice, is it you?" The dragon lifted its head high in the air, releasing a cold breath from its mouth. "Indeed. My name is Monolavir. I arrived after feeling a familiar power emanating from this location." Everyone looked at Orion with shock. In everyone''s head, they were all asking ''Is he talking to the dragon?!'', ''Is he crazy?!'', or ''No one can understand the dragons!''. As an opportunity presented itself, he immediately took it. Without showing fear, he began talking to Monolavir. "I''m Orion, the last member of the demons and angels. I heard a lot about your faction from my mother." A detail that didn''t escape Layla''s exceptional hearing. ''What is he talking about? His mother should have died when Lord Elliott was sealed two thousand years ago! How could she possibly have survived?'' Since she was the closest to her ''Lord'', she knew details that others ignored. Monolavir drifted in thoughts for a moment, as a memory of a young demon with crimson hair and reptilian features popped into his head. "That woman''s child, I see. Orion you said? I must have recognized her aura around you, though I cannot be sure due to the disastrous aura inside this place." His gaze shifted to the church further away, seemingly knowing full well what was inside. "You know my mother? But it was quite a long time ago..." Monolavir ignored his question. "Can I ask how it is possible to understand you?" Orianne didn''t say a thing about the relationship the demons had with the dragons, which made him a rather perplexed. "The dragons were on excellent terms with the demons a long time ago. They helped our first members, me comprised, to survive. Many factions at that time wanted to get our scales and horns, though unsuccessful." "We had an eternal debt to them, so we gave them the ability to understand us. This ability was sleeping inside you, so I only tried to awaken it, and I succeeded. I confirmed while at it that you really were the last survivor of the demons." "What happened back then... In the memories of the past, I didn''t see any dragons in the fight against Elliott." Slight anger could be sensed in Monolavir''s tone while he answered. "They did the same, they protected us. The demons sent us dragons to fight the Apostles while they dealt with the human Hero. When we learned about their demise, we lost control and ravaged many cities, but ultimately, it didn''t change a thing." Something clicked in Orion''s mind. ''I see, mom didn''t tell me about the dragons because she feared I could be attacked out of spite for the past.'' "Do you have a grudge against them and me?" "We do not, as we miss them terribly to this day still. I at least can go home and speak about the last survivor." "This is a relief because I''m in a complicated situation." Orion pointed to the water wall that was still separating him from the forest. "I understood that the moment I arrived. What I do not understand is why all the Apostles are frozen in fear. They haven''t attacked yet, so I don''t know what to do." Orion laughed and guessed what the reason might be. "When was the last time you were seen? The last report I''ve read was around twenty years ago. This is a long time for humans, so they forgot how powerful dragons are. The Azure Dragon is the strongest dragon at that." Monolavir showed disgust towards the Apostles. "To believe such strong members in the past regressed to such a state... the world certainly has changed. They maybe are strong physically, but they are not strong emotionally." "I killed an Apostle earlier, this is why chaos is everywhere around here." "Oh. Already? Are you moved by vengeance? Or by a sense of justice? Be wary of what each path will lead you into. Avoid making unnecessary enemies." "I will remember your advice." Orion showed sincere emotions, which moved Monolavir. His words did not fall on deaf ears. "Anyway, it''s been a moment, but my body is starting to deteriorate. Thank you for cooling my leg earlier, I had no idea ice could be produced from water magic." "Pretty observant for a young man. Indeed, I realized you were using a strange power, so I tried to alleviate your suffering." "I think you realized, my other half is around, so I''ll have to take it with me when I get away." Orion began to limp toward the wall, but his left leg was impossible to move. Looking at this scene, Monolavir began to understand his determination. This man reminded him of the selfless demons, which protected until the end what they created. ''For another person, another human at that. I can''t let him end like this.'' Monolavir flapped his four wings, and with a lightning-fast movement of his tail, the water wall exploded. "Water do not bother me. I''ll help you and your friend escape, so wait without moving an inch. Perhaps you should open your arms wide." Monolavir''s body left the ground. He flew a few meters high above the ground, pushing everyone away around the field. At that moment, a dark aura began to crawl around the building. Elliott realized something went wrong, and managed to send a small amount of his power out of the seal. The soldiers touched by the dark aura convulsed while their eyes turned hollow, and ran toward Orion with no care for their life. ''What is this horrible aura? Is this really the same Elliott?'' A sickening feeling welled up inside him, hurting his chest. "Orion, be prepared to catch your friend. I''m taking you two with me!" Feeling pressurized, Monolavir plunged toward Orion, creating a water bubble between his claws. Realizing what Monolavir was going for, he prepared his arms to catch Amelia, which was far away, still unaware of his situation. Orion''s body was caught by the bubble before any crazed soldier managed to reach him. Monolavir grazed the ground until they reached the forest. In less than five seconds, they arrived at the forest. With his strong body, Monolavir swept through the forest to get to Amelia, and before she understood anything, she was in Orion''s arms. "Thank you, Monolavir." "You are most welcomed. I wouldn''t want to stay around that awful aura, either. I''m taking you to the dragon''s nest, so take this time to heal yourself. This bubble can help with your recovery." They left the Apostles in chaos, leaving them dealing with the aftermath of Elliott''s permeating aura. Chapter 21: History from a dragon. With a quick glance, Amelia examined Orion''s state, that she couldn''t all the way back into the forest. She immediately sealed the power she shared with Orion, which made the pain subside drastically. His condition was deplorable. She couldn''t touch his leg at all, steaming through his black jeans, while the ice around his leg provided by Monolavir was melting at a staggering rate. Even Monolavir began to show concern. Orion''s breathing grew heavy, but he managed to maintain his consciousness. He wasn''t weak like in the past, he trained hard to be able to endure this pain. "Are you going to be alright, young man? I can create more ice for your leg if needed, tell it to the young lady." Orion nodded and turned his head to Amelia. "Amelia, the dragon that took us... he''s called Monolavir. He''s helping us..." Amelia wasn''t expecting to hear him talk to her, which made her listen without letting out a single word. "He can create ice with magic... and he said that if you need any to help cool my leg... you just have to tell him." After listening, she almost instantly knew what to do. With a nod, she looked at the dragon above her. "Monolavir, was it? My name is Amelia, and I''m Orion''s companion. Thank you for saving us." Surprised, Monolavir expected everything else but gratitude. "I never expected a human to show such kind emotions. It is fairly unusual." "Anyway, your friend... Having such a dedicated companion, it is rather impressive. It was to be expected, you have the charms of your faction." Orion closed his eyes with a smile on his face. "It''s not... like that. Amelia, he''s happy to know you." "I never said that! But it''s not wrong either. I''ll let it slide." The large dragon snorted. "I always give back." Orion smirked while Monolavir grimaced. Maybe because he was not used to these kinds of interactions, he stopped talking to Orion. Amelia stood up and asked the Azure Dragon. "Could you give me fifty liters of water in ice form? In a cube, if possible?" "F-FIFTY LITERS?! Is your friend crazy? I know I said I would help, but you''re really treating me like a horse." Even though he complained, he still slowly began to form the ice cube. Less than a minute later, it was ready. Orion''s leg was getting hotter by the minute, so she had to act fast. "Orion! What did I say before you entered that building? Don''t put too much stress on your leg! What part of it didn''t you understand?" Anxious, mostly because he was in bad shape, she started lecturing Orion, oblivious to what had happened. Using her wind dagger, Aura, to cut into the large cube of ice, she removed a cylinder shaped piece from its center. She placed his leg inside the cube, which had a large hole in it, and broke the cylinder in several pieces, which she placed in a piece of cloth that she gently pressed on his burning face. "It wasn''t my fault... I was ready to go at that moment, but I was also at my limit... before the wall appeared. Without Monolavir, I would have died..." He felt the burning pain dissipate steadily, and relief could be seen on his face. With a sigh of relief, Amelia''s face began to relax, too. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "You''ll explain to me everything later, you have to rest for n-" Interrupted by Orion, she listened as he had something important to tell her. "I killed one of the Apostles, the most pervert and a cruel man I''ve ever seen. I won''t tell you what else he did, since it''s not relevant anymore." Closing her eyes, Amelia nodded. "I expected as much the moment I heard that crazed woman''s shout. You''ve done well, though I would have appreciated getting you back without the injury." They both smiled at each others. Monolavir took this chance to ask. "How''s your leg, young man? Is the ice effective?" Monolavir''s only way of checking on Orion was to ask, as he was focused on flying. "It is working. Half of it has already melted and evaporated, but it''s slowing gradually. The pain is gone, and my head stopped throbbing. I''m feeling better." A low growl escaped his mouth. "It is good to hear. My ice magic is powerful, so I never used it outside of battle. Using it to heal a burn came to me on the spot." "I should come up with different ways to use the other abilities I have. I''ll help the other dragon if I can." Only now did Amelia realize an important detail. "Wait, you can understand the dragons? Since when?!" Her voice ringed inside his ears, as Orion plugged his ears by instinct. "Don''t shout, you remind me of that woman..." "You compared me to that old woman? What''s wrong with my voice anyway?" "You''re ripping my eardrums with your voice, so tone it down, please? I''m trying to recover, here. And I never said anything bad about your voice, I quite like it." Being complimented, Amelia calmed down, and got back to nursing him in silence. ''These two...'' Monolavir kind of understood their relationship just by hearing their conversation. The woman, Amelia, was trying to protect Orion and get his affection, while he remained unmoved toward her. "By the way, Monolavir, where are we going? From what I figured out, we''re going for the Talviera Mountain Range. No one goes there because it is a hostile environment." Since they were already moving towards the dragons'' territory, he didn''t felt like lying, as they weren''t his enemy. "This land is where we were created a long time ago. We dragons have lived in a system of caves left by the protector of the mountains, which vanished a long time ago." His voice showed hints of nostalgia in them. "Her roots left us lots of ground into the mountains to hide, and hide out of sight from our enemies. Everything changed when the Apostles came to subjugate us two thousand years ago." Orion froze, as he couldn''t believe what he heard. "Wait, how many dragons are there? And we never heard of any besides the ''Savior''?" This time, it was Amelia that stared at Orion, seemingly as shaken as him. Monolavir developed further, explaining what had happened in the past. "I have no idea which fool decided that our faction was a threat. Maybe it is because we can''t communicate, or because they cannot tolerate our existence as the most powerful faction, but the only thing we asked for was a peaceful place to live in." "The humans attacked us when they''ve invaded the demons and angels'' territory. At the same time, they began to hunt every faction around them. We had to support a few of them at that time." Focusing on what Monolavir said, as it was a part of history he didn''t hear about, Orion frowned and nodded. "We had a few dragons mature enough to fight, so we had to choose whom to protect and whom to leave out. The giant faction had already been decimated, so we were unable to do much about them." "The fays had already disappeared without leaving a trace as a result of their fear towards the atrocities they were subjected to." "We could only protect the beasts, the snakes, the spiders, and the elements. We also tried to help the bird-lions, but they fled to another part of the world when they saw us." Orion analyzed his words, and linked the names to their factions. ''Does he mean the fairies, the beastmen, the lamias, the arachnea and the elementals? The last one might be the griffins. I am assuming the kelpies were out of danger because they lived in the sea.'' There was one faction he didn''t speak about. Orion already knew the answer to his next question, but still asked nonetheless. "What about the kobolds?" "The two-legged wolves? We tried to get to them after failing to help the bird-lions, but they were already wiped out by then." A sigh escaped Monolavir, which sounded like a growl to Amelia. ''This might be a regret they continue to carry to this day.'' Feeling the emotions transmitted in his mind, Orion tried to talk the dragon out of his sorrowful emotions. "You don''t have to feel guilty. The ones who did that were not the dragons." "We know, but if we had chosen them first, maybe they would have survived." "The faction doesn''t exist anymore, there''s no need to be stuck in the past forever." Amelia couldn''t hear Monolavir, so she barely understood the conversations. She asked Orion if he could resume it to her, which he did. ... He took this opportunity to explain what happened inside the church, and that Elliott was still sealed, to everyone''s relief. After getting closer to the Talviera Mountain Range, there was one remaining question that Orion had to ask. "What happened to the factions the dragons protected?" The response was faster than anticipated. "They disappeared like the fays, except for the beasts and the snakes, that couldn''t flee from their home in time." "So they might still be alive somewhere?" ''I would like to find them someday.'' Orion didn''t realize at that moment, but the artifact he received from the lady merchant began to glow slightly in his bag, unaware that his thought was linked to it. "I hope you''ve recovered because we''re arriving soon." Said Monolavir in a pressing tone. "I''m fine now, thanks to both of you." He managed to recuperate completely from his weakened state, without any lasting injuries. Amelia, worried about his wellbeing, asked that he refrain from moving too often for a few days. They all looked below, into a hole inside the mountain, where many dragons hovered around the entrance. "Welcome to our home, Ormrdivin." Chapter 22: Ormrdivin, the dragons nesting ground. The two guests looked at the flying dragons at the entrance of the dragons'' nest. "I see, if no one ever found your territory, it may have been because it is a natural hiding spot." Orion observed the mountain range, and all the dragons flying around the entrance. Amelia was in awe, as the scene was straight out of a fairy tale for her. "There are so many dragons flying, and the entrance! I''ve never seen something like this!" The entrance was more of a ceiling opening. Grass was growing at the bottom, where a small river passed through, ending at a large pool of water. As they approached the entrance, dragons began to converge around Monolavir. Their voices began to fill Orion''s mind, giving him a small headache. Out of the dragons pestering Monolavir with questions and thanking him for coming back, only one got his attention. "Mono, you''re back! Why did you leave so suddenly?" A green dragon with two tails showed itself behind the many other dragons. "I''m going to ask for everyone here, but did you seriously bring humans to-" "Wait, one''s not human. I can feel the demon''s magic signature ever so slightly from the one you''re carrying." The many dragons who knew the demons of the past gasped in surprise. This was a shock, but thankfully for Orion, that information silenced the voices. "Orion, this is Ruminona. My-" "Your wife?" "Mate. I don''t know what a ''wife'' is, but that might be the word in your communities." "Ah, my bad. Yes, it is an equivalent. I shouldn''t have interrupted you." Orion got up from his sitting position, while Monolavir brought the bubble in his claws closer to his face. He looked at Monolavir, then at the green dragon. "My name is Orion, and the one next to me is Amelia. I am the last member of the demon and angel faction. She is a human, though, but a special one, so please don''t treat her badly." "I can vouch for her being special. You can treat her like a demon, too." The giant dragon holding them said, leaving no choice but to the other dragons but to listen. "Thank you Monolavir." Monolavir agreed with Orion to avoid an unfortunate accident. "Wait, Mono, he can understand us? That means he really is a demon. This is something I never thought would happen." "Me neither. But let''s talk inside." He glanced at his surroundings. "It''s far too noisy to focus on a conversation." Ruminona agreed with him, and stared at the dragons flying around them. "You''re right. Everyone, make way. We''ll listen to Monolavir later, go tell everyone else we have two guests, significant ones at that." The dragons all flew down to the entrance, and dispersed inside to talk to everyone living in. Only two stayed outside, to guard against uninvited guests. ... After breaking the group of dragons apart, the four began their descent inside the nest. Monolavir and Ruminona led them through a couple of tunnels, which, at some point, opened into a large cavernous chamber with an abundance of crystals acting as light sources. At the far back of the cave, two large rocky nests with dragon scales embedded into them stood out. ''Are these decorations? Or is it to differentiate which nest belongs to whom?'' Orion had no idea, and didn''t feel like bothering them with this question. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "It''s good to be back. I didn''t expect to go out in such a rush today." Monolavir dropped to the ground and released the bubble from his claws, popping instantly before freeing the two inside. Ruminona landed next to him. They noticed at that moment that she was smaller compared to Monolavir. She displayed one of the rare mutations happening to dragons, a split tail. These dragons, Monolavir and Ruminona, were the only ones in the whole dragon faction to possess a mutation. The four wings of Monolavir were one too. "Mono, tell me what happened? Where did you go?" "I sensed the nostalgic aura of the demons on the remains of that island. Luckily enough, I managed to find one before it was too late." Monolavir took his time explaining what he saw to her. ... It took around an hour for him to finish the conversation. At some point, Amelia fell asleep on Orion''s shoulder, maybe because of the stressful situation and the relief of being in a safe place. ''They unquestionably are massive. I can''t believe they saved us. I''m getting sleepy, too.'' After a few minutes, Orion had fallen into a deep sleep, exhausted by the events that took place earlier, and the pain that was inflicted upon him. ~ The chaos that remained after Monolavir, the Azure Dragon, left was not cleared yet. The moment he flew out of sight, the soldiers affected by the dark aura began to attack the unaffected soldiers, and even the Apostles outside. Layla did her utmost to calm everyone, but it didn''t work whatsoever. "This is absurd! Why is my water magic, which can calm any negative condition, isn''t working on these men?!" She was enveloping soldiers into gentle water currents, but they just stepped out of it, unaffected. "Lady Layla, it doesn''t work! Please let us do something about it!" Dony, Julian, Pierre and Leonis, who followed Layla outside, prepared themselves to attack. "I leave it to you! There''s nothing I can do at this point. Lowering our troops even more is not a good idea." More than thirty percent of the joined army was in a berserk state. "Yes!" They all used different magic weapons of various elements, and cleared through the soldiers with a smile. The four that remained at the window this whole time did not miss these details. "These guys, they find pleasure in killing their troops. How bad have they fallen." Eric couldn''t believe what was happening. The idea of treating them like pigs in a slaughterhouse never crossed his mind, as he always treated them with respect. Something unexpected caught their eyes, though. "Eric, do you realize what the situation is outside?" Florian grabbed the left shoulder of Eric, and pointed to three armies. "Why are mine, yours and Kamala''s men not affected by that dark thing?" They all looked closely at the soldier''s state. They removed themselves from the carnage happening, and watched from afar, out of danger, confused in front of this strange event. "It did affect my army too, but is it because it is not my personal one?" This was Olivia''s observation. Florian looked at her and nodded. "Is it because we treat them well, or is it because we never drank that weird liquid? There are so many questions we cannot answer yet." Kamala stepped forward, and unexpectedly said the longest sentence of her life. "The world is at a turning point with the appearance of that man. This might be the right moment to switch sides. The question is, will they accept us? I suggest we wait for them to come to us." She backed away a little, expecting some kind of angry backlash. The idea of waiting for the enemy to come first did spell danger for them. "This is something we all need to think about. Let us all go back to our cities, and ponder on that. I''ll add that everything you said might be right, Kamala." Florian, the brain of the group, thought with a finger on his left brow. Kamala was a woman with a troubled past. She was used to having her words ignored, so she felt appreciated. Realizing that at some point, they lost the honorifics in the middle of the conversation, like friends would talk to each others, she tilted her head. This was truly unexpected. She expected this year''s ceremony to be miserable, as usual. Another year when she moved across the whole continent to see the wretchedness of the Apostles. But instead, she found two allies she could call friends in Florian and Eric, and a little sister figure in Olivia. She got attached to her incredibly fast. Florian looked at each of them, and spoke. "For now, everyone call their armies and move away from this place. We''ll exchange letters later to plan our future actions. Take care on the way home." Eric turned around and moved away while waving his hand. Kamala bowed and walked away with Olivia, the one that had almost no sane soldier remaining, leaving Florian to think in front of the window. His reflection appeared in front of him, before he removed his glasses to wipe them clean. "It is time for changes to occur." The start of Orion''s faction was birthed this day. ~ "They fell asleep. Do they trust you this much?" Ruminona asked her partner. "Rumi, I''ve saved both of them from despair and impending death. It is normal to trust kind and strong beings." "You call yourself kind? You''ve decimated three cities, a few years ago. Remind me how many lives you took?" Apparent anger showed on Monolavir''s face, as a deep growl coming from deep within his chest echoed. "Even a kind being can become the worst of monsters when their children are killed." "And I never said what you did was bad. They got what they deserved in the end. Believing in false rumors that dragon''s blood gave immortality..." Orion woke up the moment Monolavir growled, silently listening to both of them. "They dared dig into the mountain, find our nest, and steal our eggs while we were slumbering. If not for that thief who woke up one of us, they would have left without being ever found." Recalling the tragedy that was caused by humans, he snorted. "Ravaging three cities and killing thousands of humans wasn''t even enough. These places were full of thieves and greedy individuals. One glance was enough for me to understand." A particular event popped in Orion''s mind while listening. ''Was he the one that destroyed these cities twenty years ago? I never knew it had something to do with dragon eggs. In the end, there is always a reason for tragedies like this.'' A long silence replaced the rage of the dragon, which Orion used to speak to him. "Monolavir." "Oh, you are awake? I''m sorry if I woke you up." "It''s not a problem. I just want to ask something related to what you just said." "Yes?" "During your rampage, you might have killed Amelia''s parents." Monolavir stopped breathing after this shocking information, while Amelia''s body twitched lightly. Chapter 23: Amelia, blessed by the dragons. An even more profound silence fell after Orion spoke. The possibilities that Monolavir killed Amelia''s parents made both dragons tense up. "I knew one day, this disaster would fall back on you. I know you had your reasons, but you still did something terrible." Ruminona expected this situation to happen one day, this was the reason she tried to stop him at that time. "First, I want to ask where you attacked. I''m not concerned about the name of the cities, just their general locations. Even if it is true, I won''t do anything, but Amelia needs to know if the dragons, you in that case, did it." ''If only I had kept my thoughts to myself.'' Regret invaded Orion''s mind. Just by speaking that sentence, Monolavir could have turned against them right then. "You are right. Let me recall what happened. I left the nest while following their scent. They took a road south-west at first." Orion pictured the map of Triazils in his mind. All the way north was the Talviera Mountain Range, with the Northern Sea a little further north from the mountains. West, from where they came from, lay the now merged Eogis and many human cities. East from there was where most of the oppressed factions were, and the home to both Amelia and Orion, Auro. For some reason, not much was known about the south, as it was a frozen area. No one knew how far it stretched, or if people lived there. Past a massive wall, the Frigoria Plains laid frozen in time, where only beasts lived. "Toward the place you rescued us? This might be obvious, since the one who stole from the dragons are humans. Moving towards their cities, though, might not be the wisest choice." Orion frowned. "You said ''at first'', which means west wasn''t the right place. Did they move east?" Monolavir closed his eyes and answered. "Indeed. Near one of the cities, I found traces of our eggs. It might have been a waypoint, but that made no difference to me. I destroyed it and the people living inside." Orion recalled the city being destroyed first. In history, it was Mounti, the city under the Apostle Pierre''s leadership. The city was rebuilt rapidly, and never brought this incident publicly afterward. "I have an idea of where Amelia might have been from, this definitely is the place. After that?" "The next scent was going south-east. There was one small village below the birch forest that seemed to be looking for a dragon, but the egg cracked before arriving, and our poor child died. I also crushed the whole village there." "Not there either, she''s not from the south." ''Keith gave me a good idea of where she came from. Let''s hope Monolavir is not guilty of such things.'' "The last one drove us further east, but slightly closer to the eastern sea. What surprised me at that time was the pillar of light erupting from the center of the continent, but I didn''t pay much attention since I needed to find the last eggs." ''I heard he attacked when I was found by Dylan. He was pretty close to Auro too.'' ''From the looks of it, he flew past Auro, and continued south. This is nowhere near the place.'' Orion analyzed the path Monolavir might have taken, and reflected on it. "I followed some tracks going inside a forest, but the moment I saw it was a village of beasts, I realized the thieves only moved through the forest." ''I was right. He went by Auro.'' Monolavir continued to explain, his eyes focused on nothing in particular. "Further east was where the tracks stopped. Indicating that they realized I was chasing after them, they left even more traces behind them. I have no idea how, but they managed to move it without a carriage at that point." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "If it wasn''t for us dragons being able to feel where other dragons are, I might have never found it." "I''ve found the last of our eggs smashed on the ground near the entrance of the city, located in the south-east. It looked like the guards destroyed it before they entered, fearing for a dragon to come to them? This is what it felt to me now that I think of it." ''This is not where she came from. She''s from further north-east.'' "Amelia, he''s not the one that made you an orphan. Even if he was, I would have thanked him for that." "I should have expected you''d realize I wasn''t sleeping anymore." Amelia took her face away from his shoulder, and looked at Monolavir. "I can''t understand you, but Orion said so. I''ll believe you. I apologize for doubting you, even though you saved us." Bending forward slightly, Monolavir turned to Ruminona. "Rumi, what would have I done if I was the one who ruined her life?" She closed her eyes, and remained silent. Monolavir then turned toward Orion and Amelia. A dragon''s perspective was different from a human. They possessed a strong sense of pride towards their strength, and that incident in the past proved it. What could a dragon do to be forgiven by a human was on his mind. Quite frankly, they didn''t care. A human was a fly for them, there was no need to apologize whatsoever. But this time was different, he had a debt of life towards the demons, and she was accepted as one by himself. "I have no idea either, only the concerned party can tell you." Orion glanced at Amelia, then pointed to Monolavir. "He wondered what you would have asked of him if he was the reason for their death." "Huh? Like a judgment?" She looked straight in Orion''s eyes, and then, after a few seconds, both began to laugh. "Haha~ Good one. Do you think we can judge dragons?" Orion looked at Monolavir and Ruminona. The two dragons then understood, even if she had asked them to die, they would have refused. "All of that is in the past, it doesn''t concern us in the slightest." Monolavir swallowed his pride, and managed to say something to Orion. "I would have at least brought my head to the floor, and asked for forgiveness. This is how much I value the demons." Shock appeared on Ruminona''s face. She had known this dragon for a long time, and this was the first time she heard such words come out of his mouth. Amelia understood that what the blue dragon had said was absurd, enough for the green dragon to stare at him, stunned. She looked at Orion for the translation, as she for once was eager to understand. Ruminona stared at Amelia, who showed great interest in the conversation, and then an idea came to her. "Young man, tell your friend to show me her wind magic." This sudden call from Ruminona, which was also the first time she voluntarily spoke to him, surprised him. Still, he told Amelia. "The green dragon wants to see your wind magic. She excels in wind magic too, it seems, so it might not be a bad idea to show them. Your water magic, too." The water part intrigued Monolavir too. He was a master of water himself. "I can do that. The complete set?" "The complete set." "I''ll do that then." Question marks appeared over the dragon''s heads. "Dana, Aura." Two daggers appeared in both of her hands. They were extremely sharp for being elemental weapons, which proved how much control she had on the quality of magic. ''Wind gliders and water cloak, too.'' Her boots began to glow before a calm wind enveloped them. She began to move towards a boulder in the cave, and when close enough, she slid on the ground with water around her legs. During this movement, she sliced the boulder. The daggers extended themselves to cut what Amelia wanted. Before the dragons processed what they saw, she was back next to Orion. "Rumi, is it possible for a human to be this powerful? Or is it because she has this man with her?" "It is possible, look at those degenerates among the humans. Yet, compared to her, their strength isn''t a legitimate one, she possesses true power." "Also, the way she uses those elements is fascinating. I never thought of using wind magic like such, probably because it favors agility over power." Orion listened quietly, caressing Amelia''s hair, rewarding her effort. "I''ve decided, I''ll bless this girl." "Rumi?!" This time, it was Monolavir who looked at his partner with a dumbfounded look. "What? Don''t you think she has the talent for it? I want to see her prowess in the future." "Do you wish to make her an even greater being?" "I don''t care, I''m pretty sure she won''t attack the dragon either. This is my payback for the past. I''ll use their kind against them." Monolavir looked at Orion, as if to ask for permission, but as he didn''t know of the dragons'' customs, he asked. "What do you mean by blessing her?" Orion looked at Amelia, then Ruminona. The latter explained her thoughts to him. "The dragons can bless a single human, by doing so, we bestow a part of our magic to them, and we authorize that person to act freely in our territory. She will possess the power to summon the dragon that blessed her during her time of need." "And as a freebie, she will understand us. Not a bad deal, isn''t it?" Orion''s gears began to operate at full throttle. "The downsides are? Don''t tell me there''s no trouble coming with the deal." "I don''t know if it is a bad thing for humans, but I heard a scale the color of the dragon blessing her appear on the body." He looked at Ruminona with astonishment. "That''s it?" "What? Did you think it was a contract? It''s only a blessing, young demon." ''Oh, she''s right. I might have been too cautious on this one.'' "I feel bad for doubting you." He explained the gist of the situation to Amelia, the same Amelia that couldn''t believe the proposition she received. "I- Do I have the right to such a blessing? Was my magic good enough according to a dragon?" She looked at her hands, weighting the pros and cons in her mind. "It''s your choice. There''s no real downside to it, either, except that scale." Amelia fell into deep thinking. After a long minute of silence, she opened her mouth. "I accept." Chapter 24: Not one, but two blessings. "I accept." If she could stand next to Orion, having more power was never a bad thing. "Is there a chance I could lose control of my current elements?" She looked at the dragons, expecting a response. Ruminona turned her head, and thought for a satisfying answer. "Obviously, she will gain a huge amount of magic, which means more control. That doesn''t mean it''s going to spontaneously go berserk, either." "Seeing how great her current control over the quality is, I don''t think she has anything to be afraid of." Orion acted as a middle-man once again, explaining back to Amelia what the green dragon said. "I understand. Just in case, Orion." She asked Orion for his way of stopping a potential surge of magic. "I''ll use it if it comes to this." An arrow of darkness appeared in his hand, possessing a magic neutralizing effect. "I''ve never seen this element, even two thousand years ago. It is true, then, there were a few elements unknown to us so far." Monolavir spoke, catching Orion''s attention. "What do you mean? I heard a bit from my parents, but they didn''t know much beside the fact that it was forgotten." The blue dragon gave his honest explanation. "I don''t know much either. I had a few discussions with the demons in the past, and from what they said, their creator was able to use seven different types of magic." Orion listened to another story from the dragon, history that had preceded his parents. "The five elements: Fire, Water, Earth, Lightning, and Wind. But he was also capable of imbuing two other elements into him." "The Light element, that imbued a faster use or movement of an object, and the Dark element, that reduced another object''s overall properties." Orion already knew what he meant by this explanation. He experimented with both of them for three years already, and became quite familiar with their use. "Yes, as strange as these are, I know how to use them too." Another arrow, this time white, appeared in his other hand. "But what I don''t understand is the ''imbued'' part. I can only create a weapon or an arrow. I can''t give properties to anything besides those." Confused, Orion looked at the two arrows in his hands. "That is something I cannot assist you with. We dragons only possess the ability to use the five elements. Ruminona and I are the only exceptions, as we can use derived forms of our elements. As an exemple, I use ice, while Rumi manipulates storms." "So, it means I still don''t fully understand my abilities properly?" "Did that upset you? Not understanding your power?" An excited smile appeared on his face, before he looked at Monolavir. "Of course not! I should have known there was much more I could do. I''ll continue to train them." Many ideas filled is head, but now wasn''t the time for that. The conversation now over, Ruminona gave orders to Orion that he needed to relay to Amelia. After a few minutes, Ruminona laid on the rocky floor, her head pointing straight at Amelia. "All I have to do is touched your nose?" "She said so. Go for it, I''m ready just in case." Orion and Amelia looked at each other, before nodding. With each footstep, Amelia''s tension could be felt. She wasn''t willing to repeat another orphanage incident. As she got close to Ruminona, one conversation popped into her mind, one she had with Orion before leaving Auro. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. - "You''ve been improving so much, I don''t know if I''ll catch up to you one day. Do you know how unfair that is, having five elements?" "I never expected you to be such a powerhouse. You can bring me to my knees in a simple bout, so don''t lose hope, and trust your powers." "I''ll be counting on you, more than anyone else." - All her worries vanished into the air. ''He can be so unfair sometimes.'' "I''m ready." Before touching the green dragon''s snoot, she lightly slapped her cheeks. "Nothing''s happening?" Both Ruminona and Amelia looked surprised. Absolutely nothing happened. "Something is missing." Seeing the reaction of the dragons, an idea came into mind to Orion. "Monolavir, have her touch you too, I have a feeling both of you are needed. The fact that she can use both of your elements shouldn''t be a coincidence at this point." Nervousness appeared on everyone''s face. Ruminona had to interrupt, as more than one blessing could be dangerous for Amelia. "Two blessings will be too much for a weak human! Do you want to kill h-" "Who said such things? There''s no reason for me to put her life in danger." Unbridled anger showed on Orion''s face, unusual to his kind expression he had shown until now. The dark arrow in his hand shattered in particles from the strong pressure exerted on it. "I know her potential better than anyone else, and it is not for me, nor you, to decide. She has the last word on the matter." His expression alarmed both dragons, as they felt the intent to kill exuding from him. Even Amelia couldn''t entirely understand why such anger came from him. But she felt happy that he treasured her enough to pressure even dragons. "Amelia, Ruminona pointed out that two blessings were too much for a human. It''s if you ignore your ability to use all elemental magic." The idea of a human using all elements frightened the dragons to their core. "Orion, wait a second! Wasn''t she only able to use water and wind magic?!" Monolavir couldn''t believe what he had heard. "When did I say that? She''s only mastered those two elements in the past three years. She can use lighting and earth, but not to a useful extent. Fire magic is currently unusable because of a past incident, but she can use it too." She also possessed the ''Key'', but they didn''t need to know what that was in details. Even Orion didn''t know the extent of the ability. "Wha- I never heard of any human using all five elem- Is she a Hero?!" The roar was so loud that the entire cave shook. Amelia had to plug her ears from the sudden sound. Amelia being the current era''s hero was something that also crossed Orion''s mind. Maybe she was, perhaps not, it wasn''t relevant. There was something different, and Orion guessed the exact reason for her not being one. ''I inherited the ''Shackles'', and Amelia the ''Key''. The Hero of old possessed both in his core. Once you know that, everything makes sense.'' Indeed, it was simple. The ''Key'' provided the opportunity to nurture magical affinity to all natural elements, while the ''Shackles'' were a gate blocking light and dark elements from being used naturally. ''Since I have the ''Shackles'', I cannot use other elements. Only if it is given a shape and handed to me. I can only manipulate its form to a degree.'' Thinking about the whole situation between the artifacts sealed in them, Orion internally nodded. "Do you still doubt her, even knowing she can use five elements?" Ruminona was speechless. She was sure the girl in front of her was another human weakling. If this era''s Hero was in front of her, then anything she could say would be useless. Common sense couldn''t affect the Hero. "No. I won''t say anything concerning that matter, I apologize for speaking ill against her earlier." "I understand a dragon''s value is different from us. If you tried to avoid her being hurt, then I do have to apologize too." The two looked at each other and apologized to each other. The anger inside Orion vanished, while Ruminona'' impression on Amelia went drastically up. Amelia now understood, Orion believed in her completely. There was no doubt she would succeed in his eyes. "I''ll do it, it might not be much different for me anyway." Once Amelia said that, Monolavir sighed. "Don''t get angry at us if anything happens. This is bad for my heart, you know? Too many happenings in a single day to deal with can''t be good for an old dragon." Orion laughed, looking at Monolavir moving opposite to Ruminona. He brought his face close to Amelia, close enough for her to touch both dragons at once. "I''m doing it." She touched both dragons. "..." "..." ''Is nothing going to happen again?'' Orion thought, while frowning. But this time, no one spoke. Amelia appeared to have closed her eyes, alongside the dragons. A small light appeared through Amelia''s clothes, towards the middle of her back. After the first light completely vanished, a second one appeared near the same spot, slightly higher. ''I should prepare myself for anything going wrong.'' ~ ''Where am I?'' Amelia was in a different place than she was before. There were no dragons, and there was no sign of Orion anywhere. ''Is this the result of the blessing?'' Her surrounding was pitch black, but surprisingly bright too. She could see the floor, and she could see herself. She looked up, and saw the source of the light. ''I''m inside my soul? Is it even possible?'' The ''Key'' was floating high in above her. It wasn''t small, maybe the size of a person. Around it were five orbs which were rotating slowly, some bigger than others. Inside each respective orb, a part of its element was contained inside. ''I see, this shows how proficient I am with those elements. The fire element is almost extinguished... how am I supposed to rekindle such a small flame?'' Then she looked at the lightning and earth orbs. The lighting one showed blue electric arcs sporadically, while the earth orb had a medium-sized chunk of rock inside. ''I definitely have to use those two more. I haven''t worked on them since leaving our hometown.'' Her gaze stopped on the water and wind orbs. Those two showed the most intriguing results. ''There are no orbs containing them, it''s just a sphere of water and a sphere a wind. So, when you master an element, the content breaks free from the orbs?'' Just when she finished observing the content of her soul, two lights shined inside the two spheres, and a sharp burn was felt in her back. ''It''s not that bad, but it still hurts quite a bit.'' She looked at the two spheres, and inside of them, each now had a different colored scale inside. She touched her back, and felt those same scales on it. They were pretty soft, so it didn''t bother her movements. It felt like skin merged with the scale, giving it a more fleshy feeling instead of the rocky dragon feeling. After a moment, the scales completely merged with her skin, and fused with her body. No traces of the scales were left, as they instead entered the elemental receptacles. When the blessing ended, she noticed nothing changed inside the spheres, so she closed her eyes again and woke up to reality. Chapter 25: The absurdity of the duos abilities. Amelia slowly opened her eyes, and looked at the dragons that were now standing at her sides. "Nothing wrong with your power? Do you feel any uneasiness?" She looked at the green dragon, and blinked a few times, showing her confusion. "Can I understand you now? No one said that to me." She turned to Orion, who obviously wasn''t concerned about that detail. He was looking all over her to see any signs of disturbance around her. "Orion? You''re focusing too much." With a blush, she started playing with her hair while turning her face away. ''Nothing strange, no indication of elements going haywire around her. She seems fine.'' Orion stopped staring and realized Amelia was embarrassed. "Well... Sorry, I had to make sure you were alright." "So? How do you feel?" He asked the same question as Ruminona. "I''m feeling fine. Nothing changed, I think? The only changes that happened were the scales." She could touch the part on her back where the scales were fused to her skin. Ruminona, quite bitter from not getting the answer before Orion asked it again, answered Amelia''s question. "With the blessing, you can now hear us. I also would like to see how your magic improved." "I do too. You have the blessing of two unique dragons, which should be enough to open many opportunities in your control over those blessed elements." Monolavir was still doubting this human woman. How could one human shoulder that much power? Amelia felt nothing different in her control while grasping the two daggers. "Dana, Aura." The result was the same as usual. A sphere of elements appeared in her hands, before the magic shaped them into daggers. It''s what Amelia made with them that became interesting. "I feel something different in Dana." She threw the dagger further away, aimed at the ground. Once it touched the floor, it exploded into mist. "Amelia? Did you use fire magic?" Orion knew the principle being steam and ice, since both felt under the law of water transformation. What Amelia did was boil the water around the dagger and use it as a smokescreen. It was too insignificant to be useful, but still a good find. She appeared perplexed, as she touched her chest to confirm something inside of her. "I can feel it. I made a wish when I saw the almost extinguished flame inside me. My new control made it possible to link some elements together." Now Orion was in complete disbelief. He suddenly got an urge to laugh. "I concede, I''ll never be able to hold a candle to her. She keeps creating new abilities left and right without even trying." A cute pout appeared on Amelia''s face. "Stop that, you also invented those terrifying arrows recently, didn''t you? How am I different than you?" Orion blinked, before scratching the back of his head, ashamed of himself for forgetting he wasn''t normal either. "Ah... Yes, I had forgotten all about that..." The dragons looked at the two joking together, and became certain of it. Maybe it was a mistake to have blessed this young lady. It made no differences for them, but the same couldn''t be said for her. She might become a target across the continent. The stronger you were, the easiest it was for people to fear you and try to crush you. To forget about this bad thought, Monolavir asked Orion about his arrows. His expression was priceless, as seeing a dragon back off in horror was a priceless experience. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Orion, don''t become my enemy. Those arrows will shred dragons'' scales to bits if you do!" Thinking, Orion asked. "Are they that terrifying to you? I''m sure I can improve many features on my crossbow to make them even deadlier." Orion took his crossbow close to his face, and began muttering about new gadgets, like a spinning device to improve the rotation of his arrows. "The arrow type you use for speed is not the problem. It can pierce our body, but I''m pretty sure only where we don''t have scales." Pointing at his underside, where scales were thin and soft, Monolavir explained. "On the contrary, if you use that big one, you might break apart our tail or even a wing. I don''t want to think about the state of our scales, either." Revealing his weakness to Orion, he looked to the side after realizing something. Ruminona was glaring at him. "What did you bring into our home, boneheaded dragon?" Ruminona completely lost herself, as her thoughts were a mess. If the man in front of her wasn''t the last survivor of the demons, she would have fled somewhere without turning back. "Don''t worry, I have an indebted to the dragons, I won''t turn against any of you. Since you''ve made Amelia stronger, I don''t have any reason to distrust you." "The only thing I ask is that you stop burning human cities. Even I refuse to kill children and innocents." A dark veil covered his face, hiding his eyes. Just remembering about the Apostle he killed made him sick. ''Let''s hope there''s no other like him. I would rather not regret refraining from killing everyone at that time.'' "We- No, I won''t do it. If it happens again, can we count on you to resolve the issue?" A bond appeared to have been created between the dragons and Orion. Through Amelia, they could be summoned anywhere, anytime, which was a big trump card in difficult situations. They placed their trust in him just as much as they did in the demons in the past. "My words on it. You''ve saved me from a difficult spot, the least I can do is to give back what I''ve been given." "Just like the demons of old. You do have it in your blood." Both dragons were glad to have them as allies instead of enemies. ... With all of that sorted, it was time to rest. They haven''t had a moment to enjoy a moment of peace for a full day since breaking into the church. "Let me call an earth dragon, we''re going to create houses for you." Monolavir flapped his wings, and left the cave, leaving Orion, Amelia, and Ruminona together inside the giant glistening chamber. "I will say that now, but when he attacked the human cities, in the eggs they stole, those were our children. He never forgave himself for being unable to protect them." Silence fell in the room. Ruminona looked down, seemingly reflecting on the past. Amelia, seeing her state, began to rack her brain to say something. "I hope one day you could have another one and give him the same treatment his sibling would have had. Everyone should have the opportunity to be happy." Orion, who was looking away, felt this resonate in him. More than that, it began to resonate inside the bracelet too, as two souls'' consciousness awoke for a few seconds. ''Orion''s lucky to have this girl by his side. As much as I have you.'' ''I''m glad I gave her my last name. And I''m glad you''re here, too.'' They both fell back asleep without being heard, but it was enough for them to understand who Amelia was. Strangely enough, many beings inside the bracelet began to stir, as if that sentence was all they were asking for. Happiness was all they desired. As hope sprouted in their heart, them, too, fell back into slumber. Ruminona looked at Amelia with kindness in her eyes. She never expected a human being to show consideration to a different individual this much. "Thank you, I''m starting to understand why he needs you by his side. He might lose hope one day, or fail to live up to the expectations placed on his shoulders. You may be his only saving grace." It was something Amelia was conscious of. He didn''t take her just because she was the ''Key'' to unlock more of his power. He took years of his life to teach her how to be what she is today. For her, Orion was her hope as well. Both were needed for the other to continue walking forward. ''Are we this easy to read? It''s not the first time someone said that.'' It was unbelievable. He struggled to put some distance between himself and Amelia, given that he could disappear at any moment during the Apostles'' hunt. But the more time passed, the more he came to realize he himself couldn''t leave her behind anymore. ''I don''t know how much time we still have before Elliott frees himself.'' That random thought brought him back to reality. "I have a pretty good idea of how much time we have before Elliott comes back." His words brought another short silence, as both began to listen to Orion''s observations during the infiltration. "If what I heard is true, we have only a few years, maybe less. The fact that his voice was heard outside the seal and the way he managed to make usage of the dark aura, I''d say one year, give or take." Amelia immediately knew what he was going to say next. "We have to find a way to incapacitate the Apostles before it comes to that moment, correct?" Orion nodded in confirmation. "Indeed. There''s also another find I discovered inside. There might be traitors on their side. Maybe humans that value others than themselves at least." "I want to avoid killing them until I find evidence they''re as much corrupted as the others." Something unexpected came out of Ruminona''s mouth. "You might want to find the other factions then." Orion and Amelia asked at the same time. "Why?" "I don''t know if it is still ongoing, but the fays have a way to learn about an individual''s way of thinking just by seeing them. As you possess the blood of the angels, you have a chance to approach them." "For the spiders and elements, we have no clues where they went. This is for you to venture places people usually don''t bother going into." The idea of traveling around the continent didn''t sound bad to him. "We''ll do just that before actively engaging against the Apostles. Knowing my target is far better than going blind against it." Ruminona shared a bit of information they were unaware of. "Also, beware of the increase in magical creatures, this has been a bother for us for years now." "I see what you''re talking about, the ash gray colored beasts?" "Those. They weren''t that strong a few years ago, but now they can easily destroy the surrounding ecosystem. Do keep an eye on them, and get rid of them before the land''s dies." "Will do." At that moment, Monolavir came with a brown dragon in tow. Monolavir asked if he could build earth houses for both Orion and Amelia to sleep in. He finished it in a few minutes, and flew back inside the tunnels after receiving their thanks. After this painfully strenuous day, they both enjoyed a good night of rest. But, back at the church of Elliott, the remaining seals continued to be broken one by one. With only fourteen seals remaining, not much time was left before his release. Chapter 26: A month to improve. After a day full of events that no one could have predicted, Orion and Amelia decided to stay hidden in the dragon''s nest, Ormrdivin, for a few days before departing. Orion could determine the state of the continent at the current time. The Apostles were most likely turning every stone in every city to find a trace of him. Since there were no records of him in any cities, they were chasing after a ghost. Their only luck would be Auro, but no one would expect the man to have been living in a beastman village. If they had known Amelia was with him, then maybe they could have traced her origins and the place she was brought to, but since remained hidden, no luck there either for them. To further complicate the matter, they didn''t know his name, and while is hair color could have been helpful, someone with three different colors of hair would have been easily noticed by now. Again, it was a false hope. There were barely any leads on Orion. So, the only action left for them was to turn every single city upside down until they find him. But then again, due to the ''sudden'' drop of soldiers amount, this task turned out terribly slow. Orion made a guess as to how many days he had to stay low. He just about had a full month to remain hidden before the matter settled down. A fact that made Amelia pretty unhappy. ... "What do you expect me to do about food now that we''re here? We have less than three days of supplies right now." He tried his best to think of something, until he looked at the dragons. "They eat a lot too. If we just ask for some meat, we just have to look for vegetables outside." He pointed towards the food storage of the dragon. They both asked a dragon if it was possible to get a small amount of food from them. "Sure, you don''t eat much anyway. Just take whatever you need during your stay." "Thank you." They both excused themselves, and entered the cavernous tunnel. At a certain threshold, a cold breeze enveloped them, making Amelia shiver. "I forgot you don''t wear much on you. You can stay here if you''d like." "No, don''t worry. I''ll keep going. I didn''t expect the temperature to drop out so suddenly." During his training, Orion became used to freezing temperatures. Hunting at night, in the early morning, during winter. All of these experiences forged his resistance towards cold. Swimming in ice water was unfortunately out of the question, as it was dangerous for anyone, even with resistances against coldness. For Amelia, she was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and a pair of flexible black pants. Quite unfit for ice-cold temperatures. "Here, wear this." As Orion still wore his black mantle even inside the dragon''s territory, he took it off and gave it to Amelia. "Thanks. I already feel better." Amelia smiled while pressing her cheek against the soft fabric. ''It''s warm.'' They moved further inside, before entering a completely frozen chamber. The walls were blue from the frost, while some ice cubes the size of small houses were placed in various locations inside. "Now we know why it was freezing. They store their meat here so that it doesn''t spoil. That''s mostly why we don''t see dragons often. If not for Monolavir, this wouldn''t have been possible." The dragon''s ability to use ice was a blessing for the faction. Less time outside, less opportunity to be seen by other factions. Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "You''re right. Look at that pile of meat! You could have at least a thousand dinners with that alone!" "It seems dragons don''t have to eat daily either, and since most of them sleep during the years, I suppose it''s normal that they gathered this much." They walked toward a piece of meat, before Amelia cut a large chunk with Aura. "Well, let''s take this for today''s meal and dinner. The troublesome part is that I don''t know what type of meat I''ll have on my plate." Orion and Amelia joked around for a few minutes, before exiting the food storage with two large chunks of frozen red meat. ... Back at the earthen houses. Amelia knew the differences between red and white meat. It wasn''t hard for her to separate both types. "We still have a few vegetables we need to finish before they rot, so we''ll have some carrot pur¨¦e with the meat we gathered, and cabbage rolls for dinner." "My, having a chef with me is certainly the greatest pleasure in the world. Thank you for your hard work every day." Orion was training his control over his magic while Amelia was cooking near him. "Even if you compliment me, you won''t have more in your plate. But thanks anyway." "I won''t complain, since I''m able to eat your cooking every day." Suddenly, he stopped forming arrows and stared at her. "Maybe I should try to cook to alternate with you sometimes." Amelia stabbed her knife into the food she was preparing, and glared at him with a vicious smile. "No. You can just enjoy the food. There''s no way I''m letting you in the kitchen ever again." "Alright, if you say so." The earthen houses built for them were quite comfortable, now that they had changed the inside to fit their need. Amelia managed to recreate a kitchen area inside her house, and Orion remained plain, as he didn''t have many things to begin with, and had no particular interest in anything but books. His other hobby was his crossbow, and now that he could create one from thin air, it was easy to bring in and out. While Amelia prepared their meal, Orion stepped outside to work on various parts of himself after being asked to leave. There was something he needed to try, but couldn''t succeed to do. He tried to ''imbue'' the light element to a moving objects. He felt something in his mind blocking his progress each time he tried, causing him frustration. ''I don''t think I''ll be able to do it before leaving. I need to do something else during that month.'' On the other side, Amelia wasn''t just cooking, either. During her spiritual exploration, she realized how frail her fire element was. If she hadn''t noticed its state, she would have been unable to use it ever again. That was why she decided to train her fire element during cooking. Using it would help her adjust its output. But before that, she had to overcome her fear. The orphanage fire turned out to be a traumatic event for her. She badly injured Orion with her three other elements, thus the reason she focused on wind and water first. ''I have to do something about that... Orion might say nothing, but I know he thinks it''s a waste.'' ''This power is mine, so why did I lose control of it before? Fire... Fire, right?'' ''I don''t need a big flame, I can start with a small one and work on it.'' Amelia focused on her index finger, and with little effort, a minuscule flame burned faintly. ''I... made it. Why do I find it cute?'' Watching the flickering flame sway at the tip of her finger, she smiled warmly. ''Alright, I''ll work on the flame during cooking, and work on earth and lightning during training time. So much to do!'' With both having now clear objectives, their month of training began. ~ The days were mostly the same. During the morning, they left the nest to forage for vegetables. Around noon was the moment where Amelia prepared their meal, training her fire element in the process. Orion took to sharpening his senses to find a way to break through his bottleneck at the same time. In the afternoon, it was the moment where self training or light sparring took place. Amelia focused on using earth for half a month, while Orion worked on the ''First Gear''. The more he trained it, the more he could surpass its previous limit. Even Amelia became able to activate the ability without it impairing her magic. After a few days, Monolavir, Ruminona and many other dragons took interest in their training, and proposed to help them both. They forced Orion to fight without his crossbow most of the time, afraid of the potential of his arrows. When Monolavir or Ruminona helped Amelia, they asked to improve their respective elements. With their help, she was able to keep her control over water and wind while training other elements. When night came, it was time to enjoy the end of the day peacefully. There wasn''t much to do until they went to sleep, but a few days after starting training, Amelia surprised Orion with something incredible. "Since when? This is incredible." Orion was looking at a ball of fire the size of a pebble. He was stunned, as he was persuaded Amelia had forsaken her fire element. "Since I learned, I could combine my magic. I almost lost the possibility to use fire, so I wanted to at least improve it slowly." "Yes, this is great news indeed. But tell me, why did you bring a barrel in here?" They were both inside Orion''s house, and Amelia brought out of nowhere a barrel that she received from the dragons. To be more specific, she asked for two, with the other one being in her house. "I''m going to change your life." With a smirk on her face, she approached the barrel. ''What is she saying now.'' Orion felt like laughing, but he refrained from doing so. Amelia crouched down, and placed a few wooden sticks on the floor, created a small flat dome on top of them, and lighted the wood with her fire. She placed the iron barrel on the earth dome, placed a round wooden plate at the bottom of the barrel, and turned to Orion with a thumbs up. "Don''t tell me! You made a bathtub?!" "I did! I''m a woman too, I need to clean myself regularly!" Orion left the place he was sitting on, and rushed to the new tub Amelia filled with water. "You''re using a lot of magic, are you alright?" "The bath is enough to replenish my fatigue, don''t mind it." After waiting for fifteen minutes, the water was hot enough to bathe in it. "It''s good to go now. I''m going in mine too." "Thanks Amelia. You''re the best friend anyone can ask for." She left the house while smiling, as Orion began stripping. They both entered their barrel tub, and now obtained another way to relax from a tough day of training. This cycle continued for a month, until Orion thought it was time to go look for the hidden factions. Chapter 27: The long road to the birch forest. The long month of improvement finally came to an end. During training, the one who made the most progress toward developing magic was Amelia. She was now able to use most of her elements freely. She didn''t have the opportunity to master any of her remaining elements, but it was now at a satisfying degree, as she had become capable of using them in coordination with other elements. Orion, on his side, did not progress much. The bottleneck in his mind did not lift, and he couldn''t find the reason behind it. He mostly improved the time he could stay in ''Overdrive'', the newly called release of power Amelia was able to grant him. Before coming to Ormrdivin, he lasted no more than five minutes. After a month of training only this ability, it now lasted twenty minutes. The muscles in his legs were torn again and again to adapt to the burning. What he didn''t know was, the process he went through was standard. To be able to use this power freely, the body needed to be reconstructed each time through heavy and painful practice. Each time, he became slightly faster than the previous training. The bout against Amelia became more and more one-sided with each training. His speed became overwhelming. Before, Amelia could follow his speed with her wind magic, but currently, she was unable to follow anymore. He became three times faster than she was used to. He could technically run at forty kilometers per hour in twenty minutes. Not only that, but he was as fast as a horse now, with a short time required before reaching top speed. But something was troubling him during training. Why was his other leg, which wasn''t part of the ability, able to follow he''s other leg''s speed? He became sure something similar happened to his right leg, but the lock was still in place. His right leg was also reshaped to prepare for the next increase in power, while being sealed away. After checking out all the changes going on, it was now time to leave the dragons, to seek for the hidden factions. As Monolavir and Orion discussed which faction he should look for first, they mutually agreed the fairies were the better choice. The fact that they already knew the place they lived at helped a lot to decide. The birch forest, or ''Dead White Forest'' as it was called, was their next stop. It was nicknamed as such due to all the trees in this forest being dead, no leaves growing on their branches whatsoever. It was also quite close to the Talviera Mountain Range. There was more or less a week of walking before reaching it. Both Orion and Amelia said their goodbyes to the dragons, before they left while being carried in a bubble by Monolavir, similar to how they arrived. He dropped them at the base of the mountains, giving them the easiest time anyone had going down those treacherous slopes. "Monolavir, thank you for hiding us until now." "Do not worry about that. It was a pleasure watching you grow stronger. We''ll keep an ear out for any reports about the humans, even though we cannot really interact with them." "Just focus on finding the fays. I''m sure they will be filled with joy seeing a member of the angels alive." You could hear a bit of sadness in his voice, as the two were about to leave. "We will. Though I don''t know how, so we''ll go there first." "It''s a goodbye for now. We''ll probably come back at some point." Orion and Monolavir nodded to each other. "Alright, the dragons will be waiting for your return." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Suddenly, Amelia approached him, and asked with unease. "Monolavir, is it alright to summon the both of you if we really need help?" Amelia felt it was unfair to rely on them for emergency. "Yes, our priority is to protect both of you, so the moment something wrong happens, call us immediately." With a faint smile, she acknowledged his words. "I understand. We''ll see you at that time then. I''m hoping it never happens." "Monolavir, it''s time we move. See you, Azure Dragon." The dragon winced. "My nickname again... you sure do like it." "I do, it makes you more impressive. It''s cool." With that said, Orion and Amelia left in the direction of the birch forest, while Monolavir flew back to the dragon''s territory while snorting. ~ The duo walked for a few hours. The sun was already at its peak, as they only realized that it was around noon. Out of nowhere, someone''s stomach began to scream in agony for food, and that someone was Orion. "I get it, I know I''m hungry. Stop growling." He pressed one of his hands on his stomach, trying to stop it from making any more noises. Amelia laughed while moving to the side of the road, placing her bag in the grass. With swift hand movements, she created a table with earth magic. She began to bring out ingredients they received from the dragons before departing and dropped them on the table. As usual, she made a simple meal, vegetable sandwiches. They ate excessive quantities of meat while staying with the dragons, so she was a bit fed up with eating meat. "Thanks for the meal, Amelia." "No problem, let''s continue walking until the sun sets." They cleaned the place, packed their things, and got back on the road, not knowing someone already expected them to come across the forest. ~ "I''ve been waiting for two weeks already, I''m not even sure he''s going to come to this forest... but thinking of it, if the dragons were allies of the demons, then the next would be the allies of the angels, right?" A man with glasses was walking in a circle on the outskirts of the ''Dead White Forest''. "Well, I do have to go back at one point, but I still want to find him before something happens to him." Observing the forest, he frowned. "This forest is not necessarily a good place, even for him. I still don''t understand why the dragons, that no one can understand, allied themselves with that man." "There''s no problem with that, obviously, but for some reason, the others are beginning to become as strong as the dragons. It took us nearly two millennia to come to this point, but now it doesn''t make much sense." "Why are we trying to kill them? The dragons attacked us two times in history. The first time was during the past mass-murder of factions, and the second was when Neon''s father thought a dragon''s blood gave immortality..." Florian took out a book from his breast pocket, and opened it. He turned the pages, and stopped at one story. "The world paid a terrible price for that action, and what it gave him was nothing but death. Truly foolish." "So why are we still hungering for more power? Why are we drinking that ooze of corrupted cores? They are called corrupted for a reason, why are we even drinking that?" "I don''t understand, but the man named Elliott, that every one worships, might be the one at fault for our current situation." He stopped in his tracks and looked at the sky. "Is it going to rain? Maybe I should go back for now." Covered in lightning magic, he formed a sphere of plasma in both of his hands. Then, he crouched, placed the spheres under his shoes, before a pair of lightning wheels formed on each side. "Time to go back. I''ll come again later." The man looked inside the forest, and turned around toward the south-east, where the city of Albriar was. A blinding white flash lighted the surrounding, as the man vanished from the area. ~ The forest entered their sight. It was still a tiny speck in the distance, but it was a relief to finally see their goal at last. "Almost there. Now I''m starting to understand why it''s called the ''Dead White Forest''." Amelia could see the grayish color of the forest from here. "And you''ve seen nothing yet. It''s worse inside, it seems." Orion, with his ''Eagle Eye'' ability, could see more details about the forest. "Nothing seems to live inside, not even those mutated creatures." Nothing escaped his eyesight. "Good thing we''ve killed the ones we came across, maybe we would have lured some into the forest." They encountered a few beasts with gray fur on the way, that died without showing much resistance. "True. It''s also good to obtain some meat, so I won''t complain either." "Yeah, after two days, I started missing it again." Amelia thought the less meat she would eat the better, but not eating any was worse. She liked eating meat as much as Orion. While laughing, something caught Orion''s attention. He activated the ''Calm Mind'' ability in a rush, seeing a man running, or more specifically, being pushed by streams of lightning strikes at the back of his shoes. The man moved at a remarkable speed. For Orion, even with ''Calm Mind'' and ''Eagle Eye'' activated, he was unable to keep track of the man. As he took another step forward, the man was already at the entrance of the forest. He stopped using ''Calm Mind'', and stopped walking abruptly. "Amelia, we have a problem." "What do you-" A flash of light blinded both of them, showing that someone had arrived at their destination. "An Apostle arrived before us." "Impossible! How could they know we were moving toward this forest!?" Amelia looked in the direction of the forest, and anxiously bit her lower lip. "I know your surprise, I feel the same. The good thing is, he doesn''t seem to have noticed us, and he is alone." Orion frowned, before quickly deciding the next course of action. "We''ll avoid him for now. We have to get inside without being noticed. If we kill him here, they will all know we''re in here." "Good idea, I''ll use my win-" "No, we''ll use ''Overdrive''." Orion pulled Amelia toward him. Chapter 28: The Keys ego. "This is the worst luck we''ve had so far." Orion looked at Amelia with a broken smile while holding her close. "If you expect something like Monolavir saving us to happen each time you''re in a pinch, you better lose that hope now. I''m pretty sure it was a one time only ticket." Amelia, with her usual harsh banter, prepared herself to use the ''First Gear'' ability. "First Lock broken, Left Leg released." The voice that usually told them about the use of the locks said something unusual, surprising them. "Was the sentence changed? It frequently said, ''Left Leg, First Gear Activated.''. Why did it change to that?" Before any of them could question the voice, it explained in detail the situation as if it had a mind of its own. "The ''Second Gear'' has been released. The ability of the user to maintain the ''First Gear'' for a long period of time has been granted the permission to unlock the next stage." "What do you mean by ''Second Gear''? I already had a tough time with the first one, and now you want me to suffer more?" Orion was displeased. When he finally worked on mitigating the pain in his leg, the ''Key'' suddenly developed an ego and slapped his feelings. But the voice ignored his discontentment, as it carried on in its explanation. "The ''First Gear'' is now automatically used when the ''Second Gear'' is active, granting more mobility to the user." "Amount of time the user''s body can withstand the ''Second Gear'': thirty seconds. Past this point, damage to the nerves is expected." "The correct use would be to regress to the ''First Gear'' before entering the last five seconds." The voice finally stopped talking and left Orion and Amelia stuck looking at each others, their mouth opened, searching for something to say. "At least it gave us a manual explanation for you to not get hurt, I can respect that." Amelia praised the Key''s ego for safeguarding Orion''s wellbeing. "I was angry at first, but I guess I can still manage if I have the ''First Gear''. I was sure it would force me to use the ''Second Gear'' immediately." Breathing a long sight of relief, Orion relaxed. The most shocking discovery was the sudden evolution of the ''Key''. "It''s the first time it spoke this extensively, I hope it''s fine." Amelia placed a hand on her chest, knowing the ''Key'' was deep inside her soul. "Well, what are you going to do, do we use the ''Second Gear'' right away to see what it does, or do we proceed normally?" The answer was already clear in Orion''s mind. "This is too dangerous to use in our current situation, if we make a single mistake, or I lose my mobility, this man will find us. Let''s proceed like I said first." "Well, it has been released for a few minutes already, but you don''t feel it?" "What? I feel like usual." Orion pushed slightly forward, and leaped forward a few meters with Amelia in his arms, faster than he normally should be. "What is the meaning of this? Why am I not feeling burning pain increasing anymore?" The voice came back, as if it felt obligated to answer. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "The user''s progress in the use of the ''First Gear'' became sufficient for the limitation to be lifted. The burning is the method used to block the overuse of power. If not for this limitation, the user would be crippled right away." It answered many of Orion''s questions in a second. Now there was one last question he needed an answer to. "So I don''t need Amelia anymore to use the ''First Gear''? She is simply here to protect me against the overuse of the released locks?" "Correct, the partner is key to maintaining a balance between power and wellbeing. As such, once the user is strong enough, a lock becomes unnecessary." A prickly sensation gnawed at Amelia''s heart after hearing she would be cast away after Orion was strong enough to break all the limitations. One look at her face was enough to break Orion''s heart. "As if I''ll throw you away after all of this. Didn''t we have this conversation before? I''ll obtain vengeance for my parents, and we''ll both go home alive." He pointed to Amelia and then himself. "Together." Amelia''s pearl eyes glistened, before she nodded. ''Where did this fear of being thrown away comes from? Maybe because she is an orphan?'' Orion thought for a moment, before letting it go. "I''ll say it again, in case. I''ll say it as many times as it satisfies you. I took you with me because I wanted you, not because I wanted your power." "Once you are emotionally stable, we''ll start moving toward the forest, avoiding that Apostle." Amelia stayed silent for a few minutes to get her emotions in check. During that moment, a small voice could be heard in her mind. ''I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make you feel less needed. I should have worded it differently.'' It disappeared as fast as it came, and left Amelia in shock, but a small smile appeared on her face not long after. The Key''s ego went out of its way to apologize, and she now realized that maybe, with more locks unlocked, this ego would speak more to them. ''Perhaps that''s why the previous Hero was always alone in Orion''s stories. He had another person to talk to so he never felt alone.'' While Amelia was thinking that, Orion stared at the Apostle. ''That man, he was the first one to be asked at the table at that time. What was his name again? Florian?'' Indeed, it was Florian Delur. He recognized the man the moment he saw him, and the way he showed his power looked rather interesting to Orion. ''This man, he uses lightning magic. I remember him being one of the few that are not an immediate threat, but if he gives me the chance, then before leaving, I''ll end him. He still is an Apostle.'' ''There''s no reason to take risks.'' Another flash of light appeared, and Florian disappeared. Orion looked for him, but he was nowhere to be seen. ''He probably left or went further inside the forest. We have to be cautious. Being able to freely use the ''First Gear'' is a great advantage right now.'' Amelia lifted her head, and looked at Orion. "Another flash... Did the Apostle leave?" "I don''t think he went far. He might have gone further in, so let''s get in quickly. We can hide inside the forest once there." "Alright, let''s go." "Come here Amelia." Orion grabbed her wrist, and pulled her effortlessly in his arms. As she was used to it by now, she wasn''t as embarrassed anymore. He leaned on his leg, as the power of the ''First Gear'' carried them to the forest in a few minutes. ... Orion placed Amelia on the ground, before they both hide themselves in the shadows of the forest. "I didn''t realize before entering, but the trees are unusually high. We cannot hide much because there are no leaves, and the trees are too much spaced out, so let''s be careful. Watch out for any suspicious movement." "I know. Same to you." They both moved further and further inside, witnessing flashes of light occasionally, avoiding the places where it came from. (What are we even looking for in here?) Amelia asked as her stress grew the more she walked. (I''m just like you, I have no idea. Maybe if we continue walking, something will happen?) (Well, we''ve walked for almost an hour, but there''s no sign of life except that man appearing out of nowhere.) Fearing being heard, they both whispered to each other while carefully crossing the forest. (There''s not a single bird, and I haven''t seen an insect either. Something is weird in this forest.) Amelia''s stress was through the roof. An Apostle was near, putting far too much pressure on her as they searched for the fairies. (Yes, this forest is full of odd phenomena. No one usually ventures inside this forest, so there are no records on why it is like this.) Orion was feeling stressed too. It would be easier to kill the Apostle than it was to avoid him, but now was not the time for that. They walked for a few more hours, avoiding as much as they could the flashes of lights. When the sun began to dip below the horizon, fatigue overwhelmed the duo. They had to move excessively quickly all afternoon. The moment the sky turned orange, a short mist curtain slowly enveloped everything in a thin white blanket. Not taller than their knees, it looked like another strange anomaly to Orion. "Mist? Where did it come from?" "Let''s follow it, it''s the first lead we found since we entered the forest." Forgetting to lower their voices, they both walked toward the source of the mist, which lead to a mysterious lake that wasn''t there before. During their descent with Monolavir, they had the opportunity to have an overview of the forest, and that lake was definitely not inside it. ''Dead White Forest'' is certainly a massive forest, but people would know if a lake this huge existed. Another mystery around it was its lack of movement. The water was still, showing there was no life inside either. It''s at that moment, when both stopped near the edge of the lake. "I see, I was right in the end. You came for the fairies, didn''t you?" Florian walked and stopped next to them, looking down into the water. Chapter 29: Are all humans enemies? ''We''ve been found out! What do we do now!?'' It was the first thing that popped into Orion''s mind. Amelia was sweating profusely. She was impatiently waiting for Orion to make a move, but he wasn''t. She was conflicted between striking the opponent down or wait for Orion. As the fog wasn''t flowing higher than their knees, they could see each other''s clearly. Florian stood right next to Orion, a few meters away. He was looking at the edge of the lake, seemingly to avoid falling into the lake. After a short glaring contest, Florian started the conversation. "I believe you are the man born from the angels and the demons? I would like to ask for your name, but since you look so tense, it would be wiser to start with myself." Florian gestured to Orion, pressing his right hand on his heart, while bowing gracefully. "My name is Florian Delur, the man who rules the region, and city of Albriar." "I also have to thank you for bringing down that man. Since then, I managed to bring an extensive improvement in treatment regarding a faction previously taken advantage of." Orion''s brow twitched. ''Did this man...come here to talk? Didn''t he come to kill me?'' Conflicted emotions began to form in Orion''s mind. His cautious blood stirred restlessly, trying to find a way to turn the situation, or have Amelia flee. But it was too late for any of that. He knew of Amelia now, there was no way she could escape his lightning magic. "..." Nothing came out of Orion''s mouth, as he glared at him silently. After thinking for what seemed like an eternity, he finally gave up the fight. The man in front of him hadn''t started the hostility, and he believed he could get some information out of him if he exchanged a few words with him. "Before giving you my name, do tell me. Are you here to kill me?" Cold sweat began to drip on Amelia''s back. She imagined the man in front of her slashing Orion''s throat, and an intense killing intent could be felt from her. It surprised both Orion and Florian. ''Was she this dangerous? I need to carefully watch over her. If she attacks, she might lose her life.'' Orion extended his arm and blocked her field of view with his mantle. "I see, you have someone who is ready to lose her life for you. Let me answer your question with a few other questions, then." Orion didn''t like that. Was it so difficult to just give a ''yes'' or a ''no''? But what choice did he had in this situation. "Alright, I''m listening." Florian smiled in relief, as he expected another kind of answer. He liked the man''s attitude. "You know about us Apostles, that I''m sure of. You, the..." "Orion. That''s my name, so stop calling me the ''child of the demons and angels.''" Orion caved in, that title was much too long for his liking, and bothersome to no end. "Thank you. So you, Orion, for vengeance I believe, are planning to get rid of us Apostles before Elliott is free again, am I right?" It wasn''t too complicated to deduct Orion''s plans just by looking at him once. Someone smart would not go killing a prominent figure of the humans without knowing anything about them. He at least has a reason why he goes after them. "You are correct." ''I''ll avoid speaking too much, just in case.'' Cautious, Orion observed the man''s movements carefully. "As you''ve seen during the ceremony, many of the current Apostles have been drunk on power. So much that common-sense went flying out of the window." Florian began to count on his fingers. "Exploitation of factions, unnecessary violence, greed... followed by many additional flaws that could be avoided." "The reason? The corrupted cores we collect every year. I don''t know when or why it became like this, but drinking that sludge gave tremendous power to the Apostle who drinks it." "Its effect lessens with each next generation of Apostles, but some stay with them, strengthening them in the process." If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Orion lifted his eyebrow, confused. ''Why is he saying all of this right now? Is he just here for that?'' Noticing the confusion on his face, Florian took the opportunity to speak his intentions. "Now, would you believe it if I said that five of us Apostle refused to drink the corrupted sludge?" "I saw that, so I already know. You want me to ask why?" "It''s not a conversation if only one person talks, so yes, feel free to ask questions." Memories from the ceremony played back in his mind. There was a great deal of information to process from that time. "I do recall seeing one leaving and four others, you included, refusing to drink the liquid. Are you really going to tell me why you refused? Is it that simple to get an answer from an Apostle?" With a smile, Florian lifted his arm and shrugged. "I''m sorry to break it to you, but normally, outside the usage of magic, we are simple beings. We Apostles don''t live in luxurious places, only the ones that lost track of reality do." "But you are right, most of our group is full of people that let the power take over their mind. I won''t blame you for thinking that." ''Is he getting close to answering my question? I can feel Amelia losing patience.'' Frustrated, Orion glanced behind him. "In the end, we refused to drink it for many reasons, but the main one would be... seeing people you loved, drawn into that power and losing their lives horribly." The killing intent diminished behind Orion. When he turned his head to look at her, Amelia was looking at the ground, not knowing what to do. "Your friend, did she lose someone important?" "..." Orion hesitated, before he stared at Florian. "We are orphans." "No wonder." Florian adjusted his glasses, and gazed into the still water of the lake. "I would like to ask for your help. The world is standing still, or maybe it''s going straight toward its end, I do not know." "The way we treat other living beings is outrageous, and it''s been going for well over two thousand years. I want to make it stop, and your apparition was too perfect to be a coincidence." ''Wha-'' Both Orion and Amelia''s brains stopped working. "Are you seriously an Apostle?" Orion couldn''t restrain himself from muttering this out. A laugh escaped Florian''s mouth. He answered this question with a smile on his face. "Indeed, I am an Apostle. But I also want to live in a better world. I would rather not see the faces of drunk people that think way too highly of themselves. I want people like you to be free of struggles, to live without the need to fight." Shocked, Orion lowered his guard slightly. ''I never expected a human aside from Amelia to show so much consideration for us.'' "What do you expect us to do? It won''t make me change my mind about hunting down the other Apostles." "I don''t even know whether you are trustworthy or not. You could be telling lies for all I know, so don''t expect me to believe you on the spot." Florian received an expected answer. "I understand, and I didn''t wait for you here to simply tell you this. If possible, would you kindly avoid killing the four of us that didn''t drink the corrupted sludge at the ceremony?" He bowed to show his sincerity. "I can''t promise anything without knowing more about them." "Could you at least forget about Olivia? She is too young to be part of this massacre." Florian bowed with more conviction than before this time. "I don''t act against people younger than me. She wasn''t a target to begin with." The name ''Olivia'' entered Amelia''s ears. She remembered Orion talking about a young woman who got picked on by the ''trash'' he killed. She was curious about her. "I would like to add another request, if you do not mind." A nagging feeling tugged at Orion. "Us four Apostles, me, Eric, Kamala and Olivia, are not your enemies. If you could come to our land and discuss with us, it would help you understand our motives, and how we treat our people." Here it was, the most absurd request he heard in his life. "Do you realize you are asking me to walk freely into enemy territory? As if I''d do that." Orion was speechless. Could he walk leisurely to his death? Of course not. "No, you can walk freely into our territory. This is why I said we are your allies. You can just keep that in a corner of your mind." "Looking for you before you killed one of us was more important than anything else. Especially as we didn''t know Olivia wasn''t a target for you. This is the biggest relief." Florian placed a hand on his chest, and sighed in relief. "Before I leave, let me give you the name of the region we live in." He took his glasses off and began to wipe it with a tissue he took from one of his pockets. "Let''s start with Kamala Genathis. She rules over Hocride, a port city on the edge of the Parsmata Desert. If you leave this forest east, you''ll find her city." "Then comes Eric Layman, who is straight south from this forest. He rules over the area of Turric, a few days away from the Frigoria Plains." "Next is me, Florian Delur. I''m leading the city and the surrounding of Albriar, near the center of this continent." "I''ll end with Olivia Lakis. She is the furthest from here, at the port city of Noctelagia. This city is using the Carmel Sea to transport goods and have contact with the Kelpies." Orion slowly nodded, imprinting the information into his brain. ''That''s a lot of knowledge he gave me. Maybe I can listen to him at least, and prepare in case something goes awry.'' "You can go to whomever you want first, as I''ll be more than happy to send a letter to the other three to prepare for your visit. They definitely have a few things to say, just like me." With a scowl, Orion answered him. "I can''t promise anything. I cannot trust any of you yet." Amelia grabbed the back of Orion''s mantle and pulled slightly. "I want something to say too." Orion lowered his arm, and let Amelia walk next to him. "Like Orion said, we cannot trust you. So in case something happen to us in the time we are in those cities, I''ll give you a warning." Orion knew exactly what she was going to speak of, and thought it was a good way to learn if this man, Florian, was speaking his true mind. "We are allied with the dragons. As a matter of fact, it is possible for us to summon them directly inside your walls and ravage everything before leaving unscathed." Florian''s face tightened, as imagining the number of lost lives almost made him faint. "I won''t go back on my words, as I have no ulterior motives other than showing you what we wish to build." The conversation arriving to its conclusion, Orion thought it would be of good faith to at least give his and Amelia''s names. "If you still harbor those sentiments when you receive us, we''ll begin to trust you. As of now, the only thing we can give you is our name." "I''m Orion Feales, and next to me is Amelia Diom. Give this name to the other three. If I hear it from another Apostle, I''ll know you can''t be trusted right away." Florian placed his glasses back on his face, and nodded. "You are one cautious man. I suppose it is normal when the world is your enemy." "I will leave you to whatever matter you have with the fairies, as I do not wish to bother you anymore. We will be waiting for your visit. Farewell, Orion, and Amelia." Florian quietly moved away from the edge of the lake, before disappearing completely from their sight. Moments later, a flash of light blinded them for a second. Both of them sighed in relief, as this stressful ordeal was finally over. "Let''s take a small break, and then we''ll look around the lake." As they began resting their mind, shadows in the lake''s depth stared at them. Chapter 30: The fairies appearance. "What do you think, Orion?" Amelia was preparing food, albeit with difficulty. Her hands were still shaking from the unexpected confrontation with her first Apostle. "About his proposition? I don''t think it''s such a bad idea. If they really wish to change the world as they say, then our goal aligns ever so slightly." Conflicted, Orion stared aimlessly into the forest. "But it''s still pretty risky, isn''t it? I know I said we can summon Monolavir and Ruminona, but that doesn''t mean it is acceptable for us to jump into the jaws of our enemies." With a nod, he turned to look at her. "You are right on that, that''s why it will only stay as a potential visit. We still have a lot to do, like finding the remaining factions." Even if this encounter showed no enmity from the other party, it doesn''t mean anything for them right now. "I''m done, let''s eat no- Wha-?" While bringing the plates of sandwiches, she tripped over Orion''s bag. "!" With sharp reflexes, and the use of the ''First Gear'', he caught Amelia and the sandwiches before both fell to the floor. The bag, though, tipped over and spilled its content on the mud. "Are you alright? Did you sprain your ankle?" "Y- Yes, I''m fine. I didn''t get hurt, don''t worry." He put Amelia straight on her feet, and took a sandwich out of the plate he gave back to Amelia. "Thanks for the food, as always." He walked to his bag, and crouched to pick the food ingredients and the few items he had taken with him that were laying on the ground. Between the two books he brought with him on this journey, there was an object wrapped in a cloth. ''This cloth, there''s the white branch ''artifact'' I received from that merchant a while back.'' Looking closely at the cloth, he noticed a faint flickering light. "Thanks for catching me. I''m sorry for tripping on your bag, I''ll help pack everything back in." Amelia finally began to calm herself, realizing what had just happened. She did the same as Orion, walked a few steps towards his bag, and crouched next to him. "You''re welcome, it was no big deal. I know you are still on edge, take your time." "Though, there''s something going on with the item we received a while ago. Let''s tidy everything and take a look at it." "This is the branch, right? Why is it glowing?" "No idea, that''s why I want to look at it." They packed everything that fell out in the bag, and took the cloth somewhere where they could sit. "Sit there, I''ll sit on the ground." Orion pointed at a tree stump, halfway cut. "Are you joking? How am I supposed to sit on that spiky trunk!" "Your daggers?" "Oh... I see." Amelia created Aura, and cut the tree horizontally. The dead tree got cut near its base, while a perfect seat was crafted. "But why am I the only one to sit? There''s definitely space for both of us on it." "Because I won''t let you sit on the dirt. I don''t mind since I have my mantle." Amelia sat on the overly large stump, and looked at Orion with pleading eyes. ''Please sit next to me.'' Her eyes were screaming this. His only reaction was a heavy sigh, before admitting his defeat. He walked to where Amelia was, and sat next to her. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Alright, can we look at this now? It''s still glowing, and my curiosity has been picked." "Yes, I got what I- I mean, let''s look at it now." ''She can be manipulative every so often. It''s good to see she''s back emotionally.'' He placed the wrapped ''artifact'' on his knees, and began to unwrap it. "I''m opening it." As he unwrapped the surrounding cloth, the light remained faint, as it continued to flicker. The item in question was a white branch with encrusted gems, and a sturdy thread going from the tip to a cocoon of silk trapping a beetle. Just seeing this made Orion wonder why such an item existed. Amelia was attracted to the beautiful jewels in the branch, but also by the beetle inside. She gazed at it for a few seconds, and she exclaimed in shock. "Orion! The beetle inside, it''s still alive! It''s moving, really slowly, but it''s moving!" "What? Let me take a look." Orion took the branch before lifting the whole thing, observing the ball of threads trapping the beetle inside it. It didn''t take much time before Orion realized she was right. "It''s still alive. I was sure it was dead when we received i-" "!" Orion reacted to something that moved in the corner of his vision. "Something''s moving in the water! Amelia, take cover immediately!" Just as he was speaking, many shadows began to swarm the lake''s water. Orion and Amelia moved from the stump and hid behind a tree on opposite sides. ''It''s strange, the water isn''t moving at all. With all of these entities moving, why isn''t there a single ripple?'' This observation was made by both Orion and Amelia. Something was odd about this situation, adding to the strange phenomenons across the entire forest. "Amelia, stay where you are, I''m going to get closer." As if one time wasn''t enough, Orion once again said something absurd. "Why closer! Aren''t we supposed to avoid fighting in such opened area?" "Who said we are fighting?" He showed the branch in his hand, as the flickering became faster. The beetle showed faster movements compared to before, moving in the direction of the lake. "Wait! Do you think it has something to do with the fairies? I can''t let you take another gamble today!" After ordering her to stay behind, Orion walked closer to the lake. But it was too hard for her to remain in place while he once again put his life in danger. With every bit of courage in her being, she hurriedly joined Orion. "What are you doing? Why couldn''t you wait?" "I don''t have the nerves for another big event. If something happens, I want you near." Orion agreed with that, so he remained silent. Instead, he looked towards the hundreds of shadows looking at them in the lake. Their blue eyes instilled unease into them. ''Are they waiting for something? Are they waiting for us?'' Orion thought for a few seconds about what to do. ''After coming this far, I can''t back down now. Sorry, Amelia.'' As he made his mind, he turned back to Amelia with a smile. "Well, let''s go. What could happen after having a nice chat with an Apostle? What could go wrong anymore?" Sarcasm left his mouth, so much it made Amelia crack. She stopped herself from laughing, creating a weird smile on her face. Satisfied, Orion left his hiding spot with the branch in one hand, and Amelia''s left hand in the other. He got close to the edge of the lake, and spoke to the shadows. "I have no idea who or what you are, but we do not want conflict. We came looking for the fairy faction in these woods." "As someone related to the angel faction, I came looking for them with a companion." The shadows appeared surprised. Some showed hints of anger, others looked confused. Many emotions could be seen on the shadows. "I''ll repeat myself, I am not looking for a fight. I am only looking for the fairies." After finishing his introduction, he had to wait five minutes before something happened. A part of the water began to ripple before it opened in a wide circular shape, letting an unusual figure out from the water. The being emerged, and walked on the water. After a moment, it stepped on the lake''s edge. "As I thought, you really are well hidden. I apologize for bothering you." Orion bowed to show respect to the fairy. "Human who thinks himself an angel, who are you?" A humanoid bug walked on the grass. His features were not much different from humans. Only the wings on his back, and the antennas on his head, showed he was a fairy. Orion noticed the similitude to an insect, and instantly made the link between this fairy, and a moth. Many particles flew from his wings as the fairy opened them, falling downward like dust. His skin appeared light purple, giving signs that the being was poisonous. ''I don''t like that tone. I can understand it because of their past, but why being so condescending?'' Cautiousness instantly replaced the respect Orion had. "I am Orion, last member alive of the angel and demon faction. As you can see, I am not human." "Not human? What a joke. We know that both factions perished a long time ago. There is no way a lone survivor could exist." He glanced at Amelia, before moving his head next to her ear. (Amelia, lower your daggers. Please.) Orion whispered to an infuriated Amelia. She wasn''t expecting the fairies to be this rude. "What proof do you need from me to believe it?" As she slowly lowered her arms, Orion looked at the fairy and asked a question. "Believe you? We will never. We could discuss more if you were able to use the two forgotten magic, but that is impossible, as I''m sure you have no idea what those are. Only the Hero could use them." The fairy turned away and tried to fly back in the hole he came from. But Orion didn''t let him move further. "Alcyone." He shot a light arrow at the ground in front of the humanoid bug''s feet, which made him gasp in surprise, as well as every single shadows in the water. "Taygeta. Silence this bug." The second arrow pierced right through his flank, leaving no a scratch to it, as the arrow could only inflict an ailment. "..." The fairy couldn''t utter a word anymore. It tried to understand what happened, and realized he maybe had provoked the wrong person. The woman behind the man terrified him. Looking into her eyes, he could see she was able to use the five elements. ''I should have used my ability before angering them. I''ll look at this man too before doing anything else.'' ''...'' His eyes opened while, as he dropped to the ground, terrified. ''It was the truth?'' Now, he was feeling awful. All of this could have been avoided with a simple glance. ''I''m dead, aren''t I?'' It was his thought, looking at Orion aiming for his head with a white crossbow. "I won''t shoot anymore, so stop being rude, alright?" The humanoid bug nodded instantaneously, multiple times, moreover. "You will be able to speak again in a few minutes. Until then, let''s wait together." Orion smiled as he moved closer to him, crossbow in hand, while an annoyed Amelia walked next to him. Chapter 31: Entering the fairies realm. Five minutes. Five minutes was all it took for the victim to be freed of the ailment Orion inflicted. The longest five minutes of his life, where two irritated people, armed at that, kept staring at him in silence. One was smiling, though, you could see on his face that it was fake. The other was seething with rage, which he understood the reason when he used his ability. During this time, he had plenty of time to think about the way he wronged these people. There were also problems going inside the fairy realm, which made them on edge, causing his rudeness. ''The angels never took advantage of us, and I know that. What happened wasn''t their fault, and this child is neither at fault. Why did I act like that? Was it because he looked so human?'' He kept questioning himself until the ailment left him. "Aaah..." "Oh, you are free to talk again? Good." The fairy sat in the air cross-legged. His wings supported his weight, so sitting in the air wasn''t possible for him. "I apologize for this shameful display earlier, this was unquestionably improper." He bowed, showing the honesty behind his words. "I see you can show some respect too. I wondered whether I had to teach it to you or not." Seemingly satisfied with the fairy''s apology, Orion cancelled his magic, making Taygeta disappear. He patted Amelia to appease her rage, which he chose to overlook until now, mostly to intimidate the other fairies looking at this scene. Surprised, she looked at him. With an exchange of smile, she understood it was unnecessary to see them as enemies. The mood went back to normal again. "Many circumstances led me to act like this, but I could have easily avoided such a shameful display of foolishness by using my ability. For that, I apologize, too." The fairy bowed once again. "There''s no point in apologizing anymore, once was enough. I am not here for that anyway." "Yes, I understood that when looking at your... information, if we can call them as such." Orion looked intrigued by the fairy''s ability. "You can even see what I came here for? If so, it is incredible." A small smile appeared on the fairy''s face. "Not necessarily everything, but I could mostly deduce it, Orion Feales, The Cursed." Surprise appeared on Orion''s face. He knew about the fairies'' ability from the dragons, but he never expected them to provide information about him just like that. "What do you mean by "Cursed?" "Just as I said, it is your World Title. Each person destined to great deeds possess a World Title, given by the world itself. Sadly, this was lost in time, and only our faction can see them." The fairy placed a hand on his chest, and bowed graciously before giving his name. "My name is Mitorion, one of the few supporting the Queens. I would like to invite you inside our realm now, if you don''t mind, as not much time is left." "Though I could understand if you refused after what happened." Orion and Amelia looked at each other. (We came all this way looking for them, and we''ve finally got a hold of their location. We even have one in front of us.) (Yes, we should ignore what happened earlier. He said something about having many problems inside the realm, so maybe we can take this time to gather our bearings.) While nodding, they turned back to look at the fairy, before Orion answered him. "Alright then, let''s get inside. Lead the way, Mitorion." "Thank you very much, I''ll immediately go and speak to the Queens. Once inside, please ignore the curious ones, and wait for my return." Mitorion left his sitting position, before he walked on the lake''s surface. Each time his foot touched the water, a path appeared for the guests to access the entrance he came out of. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "This way, watch the steps at the end." He entered the entryway, while both Orion and Amelia followed, as he disappeared in the entrance. After entering the realm, the entrance closed, as the shadows inside the lake disappeared, and everything turned back to normal. When the light of the sun waned to give the stars their moment to shine, the mist slowly retracted itself inside the lake, until everything turned back to a dead, quiet forest. ~ A flash of light appeared in front of a house in Albriar. "I''ve been using my lightning magic a bit too much recently, and for some reason, it''s become easier to manipulate. Strange, I hadn''t found a way to improve until now." Florian walked towards the front door, and entered his house. After closing it, he walked to his kitchen, brewed himself a cup of coffee, and plopped on a chair. "That was so nerve wracking. I wasn''t expecting to see two people instead of one, and so intimidating. For a woman, this Amelia might be scarier than Layla." He took a sip of the cup of coffee, before sinking his back into the chair while staring at the ceiling. "This Orion is terrifying too, he never dropped his guard, and never gave a single clue about himself either. At least I was able to survive, which was is a feat by itself." He sighed, thinking about how he introduced himself, and if he could have done anything better. "Let''s not think about that." He shook his head and placed the cup on the table. "There''s much to do to prepare for their potential visit. I have to write to the others, since I''m not the only one in this." He got up from his chair and walked out of the study. He came back from another room with a few pieces of paper and a pen. After placing everything on the table, he took his cup, drank the remaining coffee, and placed it away from the papers. He sat back on the chair, wrote a letter to the other three for about an hour, and prepared everything to be sent for the next day. Once everything was done, he left his house to complete his duty as Lord of Albriar. ~ "This place, I never expected it to be this spacious." Orion walked down the stairs to a big room with hundreds of fairies, all looking at them as they descended. Both stepped on the ground and turned back to the hole they came from. The ceiling showed a somewhat big circle the size of two people side by side, with some unknown writings. It hadn''t closed completely yet, as everyone could see the dark blue with tints of orange in the sky from the other side. But the moment the last ray of light disappeared, the portal entirely changed, turning the ceiling back to normal. They were completely sealed off from the Triazils. "Where are we exactly?" Amelia asked Orion, but she knew he wasn''t going to answer, as he didn''t know either. "Let me answer your question once I come back. I am going to notify the Queens immediately, it shouldn''t take that long." Mitorion turned around after speaking to them, leaving the duo in the middle of the fairies. "..." The silence was deafening, which made everyone feel uncomfortable. "Why were you all here? Was it in case there was a threat outside?" Orion couldn''t let this chance go away, there was a lot to know about this faction that remained hidden for ages. Though, no one seemed to want to answer his question. ''Quite disappointing. I thought they would indulge me for a bit, but I suppose it''s not going to be that simple.'' Orion thought with slight disappointment. But out of all the fairies, only one moved towards him. ''Oh? Does someone have something to say? Will they answer my question? Or are they approaching to threaten us.'' "Mi- Miss Karteira! What are yo-" The one who said that got thrown to the side, not from malicious intent, but because he simply stood in her way. "As expected. You know she won''t listen to any of us." Another one spoke to the poor fairy man that got pushed, looking dejected. The woman kept walking, and stopped a few meters away from Orion. As usual, Amelia was once again on guard. She was exhausted from doing that, and really thought about having some sleep right after this whole ordeal was done. "The name''s Karteira, we don''t have last names like you humans. I don''t know what species you are if you bear the blood of two different factions." Karteira, a fairy woman, talked to Orion. She had cerulean blue eyes, and blue irises. Or at least, it was what Orion supposes, since he could only see her left eye, thanks to a black eyepatch covering her right eye. The clothes she wore were rather plain compared to the surrounding crowd. With most fairies wearing simple shirts and baggy shorts, Karteira wore a gray shirt underneath a black leather vest that stopped at her elbows. The tight black jeans she wore had their right leg torn off, showing a wide and deep scar on her thigh, moving down to her knee. But what was most eye-catching was her fairy appearance. At the lower portion of her back, a large scorpion tail swayed left and right. Interestingly enough, this was the only fairy feature she had. Compared to all the fairies in the room, she was the most human looking one around. "Just call me Orion. I don''t know myself what I am, which means we don''t have to dwell too much on it." "Anyway, what compelled you to come to me? I was sure no one was interested in having small talks with me." Usually, Orion would be more cautious about the way he approached others, but he was mentally drained. "Simple, you are strong. I would have loved to have a fight with you right here, right now, but since the Queens cannot wait, I''ll be the one waiting instead." Surprised, Orion blinked a few times before laughing loudly. "Such honesty, it''s so refreshing! Alright, have my word, I''ll fight you later." "Orion!? What are you thinking?" Amelia thought she heard wrong. Was Orion going crazy? "What I''m thinking is, we need to unload the stress we''ve accumulated today, and what better way than to fight another skilled individual. It''s also a good way to learn about the way they fight." It occurred to Amelia that she also needed to let some steam out. "I... I would like to fight too in that case, I have a lot to let out." A big grin appeared on Karteira''s face. "More people to fight! I like that." With a nod, she turned her back to them, ready to leave from where she came from. "I''ll come for you tomorrow, then." Orion and Amelia nodded, too. "..." "..." The three looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence. "T-To answer your question from earlier. Just as you said, we were waiting in case humans were planning to invade us. We cannot allow more trouble here, so it was a priority." Karteira scratched her cheek while answering the question he asked when he arrived. Orion nodded, grateful to Karteira for taking the time to answer. "Karteira, I see you didn''t wait to introduce yourself. Orion, the Queens are waiting for you, please follow me." Motirion came back, and left the place immediately with Orion and Amelia in tow, in the direction of the fairy Queens'' residence. With a grin on her face, Karteira turned around and walked away, pushing everyone on her path. Chapter 32: The odd Queens. Following Motirion, the two left the structure that served as the meeting point between the two realms, and walked toward a castle entwined by a gigantic tree. As they observed around them, they saw houses that looked poorly built. Wooden houses, less attractive than the wooden buildings in Auro, were erected randomly left and right of the area, in complete disordered. The road they were walking on was just as simple, a dirt path. It led to that structure under the massive tree. The castle seemed to be the place where the Queens lived. "This tree is gigantic. I wonder how old it is?" Amelia found herself impressed the moment the tree appeared in her sight. Orion already had a guess, so he answered before Motirion could speak. "If you think about it, it grew in this place. So it might have grown when the fairies colonized the area two thousand years ago." "You are right." Motirion continued the explanation. "After the war between the factions and the humans, the promptly named ''Purging War'', we fairies left the other world." "I don''t remember much of the past since I was just a newborn fairy, but that tree sprouted a few years after we began living here." Orion felt that something was strange in his description, but ignored it for the moment. "Only the Queens can explain the situation, so it will depend on you in the end. Gain their trust, and all your questions will be answered." They just arrived in this realm a few moments ago, and they were already asked the impossible. Or so he thought. "Well... it won''t be hard. The Queens are quite... odd. One of them was even excited after hearing there were two guests in the realm." ''Why would the Queens be excited about our arrival?'' Shock appeared on Orion''s face. He was sure to face dignified Queens who would be difficult to converse with, but instead, was told that they were ''odd''. ''I''ve never faced these faction''s members, so maybe ''immature'' differs from the type I know. In the end, we just have to meet them to be certain.'' They walked on a slight slope, before they were greeted by a gate right before the Queens'' quarters. "What will happen, it is up to you. Now, we''ve arrived, please enter one at a time." Mitorion walked through a white barrier. When he passed it, the color changed to yellow. Orion was ready to go through right after. Once he passed the barrier, he looked back and saw the portal changed back to a white color. "As expected, you are neutral. Last one, if you may." Amelia followed Orion, and passed the gate too. The portal remained unchanged as she turned to look at it. "Same as before, you are neutral." "What is this device? Is it to identify threats coming inside the castle?" Orion scanned the device intently, though he couldn''t understand anything from the symbols carved on the rocks surrounding the portal. "You are once again correct. Those are necessary to avoid unnecessary friction between the residents and the Queens." "What do you mean? Are the people living here planning to revolt?" Something was weird in this exchange. Why did they need a security for their inhabitants? "Oh no! No such thing. The Queens are sometimes... asking some unreasonable demands from the residents, which sometimes leads to friction." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "With this device can effortlessly find people with a huge amount of anger, and lead them directly to a place where they can let it out. We usually have Karteira, the fairy you saw earlier, help with that." Orion closed his eyes and smiled. ''Poor locals, this contraption might be less useful now that they know Karteira is the end road for their anger.'' Pitying the fairies who had to fight Karteira, Orion focused back on the matter at hand. "Anyway, you didn''t show any ill intents toward the Queens, which is a good thing." There was something Amelia wanted to ask before they continued, so she asked. "Why was your color yellow?" Motirion turned around, and thought for a second if he should answer. "My status as an advisor to the Queens gives me that color. It proves that I am the real one. Usurpation never happened until now, and we wish to keep it that way." "I see, I thought it only showed your emotions going through the gate." Once she got the answer, Mitorion showed them the way inside the structure. It was called a castle, but it was smaller than what it should really be. It was the size of a mansion at most, lodged inside the base of the tree. On the way to the Queens quarters, the voices of two women echoed in the building. "Motirion, lead them to the second floor. We are waiting, so be quick." "Yes, be quick, she''s awake, and we don''t know how much time she will stay like that." "Queen Dramia, Queen Drania!" With a dignified bow, Motirion dropped a bead of sweat. "Yes, we''re coming!" "What does that mean?" Question marks appeared in both Orion and Amelia''s mind. "It means you have a chance of a lifetime. Don''t waste it and follow me." They followed Motirion up the stairs. The inside was interestingly clean, the rocks inside were polished, and the decorations showed they were taken care of properly. It was a definitive contrast to the rough outside the building displayed. They arrived in front of a double wooden door. On the door, there were two symbols of a tree, which represented the tree outside. "My Queens, I have brought our guests." "Please do enter." A buzzing sound came from the other side of the doors. Orion and Amelia were expecting that the Queens had wings, but compared to Motirion which didn''t let out any sound, those were much louder. The doors opened, before they entered a room that could be described as surreal. Two fountains of water were on both sides, with flowing water going in a small hole inside a part of the tree. Large windows on the side let a considerable amount of sunlight in, bathing two ladies in its light, sitting on a table while drinking tea. "Finally, they are here! Dramia, look at her! She''s so adorable!" "You''re right, Drania, she is indeed adorable..." One of the two women suddenly disappeared from her chair, and appeared beside Amelia. ''She''s fast! If she had shown any sign of attacking, I would have protected Ame-'' ''Or maybe not, she appears to be growing too.'' He glanced at Amelia, and saw her with her daggers in hand. "No need to be on guard. I didn''t intend to do anything beside hugging you!" The one called Drania pouted while crossing her arms. "Ah! I''m sorry, you moved much too fast, so I instinctively..." Without giving it a second thought, the fairy lifted her arms in the air, and threw herself at Amelia. "Can I hug you? Can I? Alright, I''m coming!" "Wha-?!" Motirion sighed and touched his head in exasperation. He expected that. "This is what I meant by ''odd''. Queen Drania is the worst of the two." Queen Drania turned to Motirion while still hugging Amelia, a slight pout on her face. "What do you mean I am the worst? I am still your Queen, you know?" Orion looked at the two fairies in front of him. They both looked stunningly identical, so he thought. ''Those two are definitely twins.'' And he was right. Drania, the hugging and pouting queen, wore a long green dress going down to her ankles. Dramia, which looked more composed and displayed a colder expression, was wearing a green dress, the same type as her sister. There were no traces of any jewelry on them, which also surprised Orion because he expected them to show the usual greed leaders always displayed. Their hair was a mossy green color attached in a side ponytail. What differentiated them was the side it was on. Dramia was on the right side, while Drania had it on her left side. The last thing Orion observed was their fairy features. Like Karteira, they had not much to show in this part, as they looked rather human in contrast. On their back, two pairs of vibrating wings were attached, which reminded Orion of dragonflies. ''Long, and sturdy wings. Why are the most powerful beings showing less insect characteristics?'' Orion wanted to know the answer, as he saw the many fairies inside the realm portal structure, more insect looking than human. "Are you done looking at us, young man?" The second Queen, Dramia, placed her cup on the table, and moved like her sister did earlier. She moved even faster than Drania. But that was nothing for Orion''s sight with ''Calm Analysis''. She tried to grab his hand, but Orion caught her hand faster. Dramia''s wings stopped vibrating before she looked at her hand with slight surprise, as Orion began to shake the hand of the Queen. "Well, that is unexpected. You are quite the rough type, being able to catch me before I do. What is your name?" "My name is Orion, the last survivor of the angels and demons." "I''m asking, but I already knew when you entered the room. I''m simply being polite." Orion let go of Dramia''s hand, before she returned to her seat. "Drania, come back and finish your tea. We still have an important discussion to have." After Dramia finished her sentence, Drania stopped hugging Amelia, which was struggling until now, and vanished instantly, only to sit on her chair too. "Yes, I didn''t forget. Guests, please come and seat, we have something to tell you." Amelia could finally catch a breath. ''Aaah, I''m finally free!'' All the playfulness left Drania, and only seriousness remained. As both Orion and a reluctant Amelia approached, a third, more dignified, but fatigued voice echoed in the room. "My... How many years has it been since I have seen an angel?" Chapter 33: Tiohr-nam, the fairy Tree of Life. There was an element of mystique in that voice. Like a spell, it wrapped everyone in a sense of tranquility no one ever felt before. Orion closed his eyes, and let the voice intrude into his mind. During that moment, the room fell into complete silence. Dramia and Drania kept their gazes on Orion, as they understood the reason this happened. ''She''s way too exhausted to have a proper conversation. These two might be our best chance in saving her.'' Drania looked at her sister, which seemed to be in deeper thoughts. Waiting for Orion to open his eyes, she looked at the tree. ''Don''t mess it up, Tiohr.'' ~ ''So nostalgic. It''s been a while since I''ve been able to enter my own thoughts like this.'' Orion opened his eyes, finding himself in a place that didn''t look like the inside of his mind. ''Where am I?'' Surrounding him was greenery as far as the eye could see. In the middle of the plain, a gigantic tree stood tall and alone. It looked frail, ready to wither at any moment. He felt a call from the tree, which made him move closer to it. ''...'' Once in front of it, he felt the need to touch the trunk, which he did by placing his palm gently on it. After waiting a couple of seconds, he realized. "I see, you are the one who spoke earlier." "Indeed, I took the liberty of contacting you this way, since I am unable to do it for long presently." The tree''s trunk opened gradually, and the body of a woman began to emerge from inside. This woman''s body was merged with the tree, with everything below her navel inside it. Her arms up to her shoulders were swallowed by the trunk. "I am the fairy Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam, the first and last entity able to create a faction as of far as I am aware." In immense shock, which seemed to happen frequently since the beginning of the day, Orion began to process what he had heard. "Is this your true form? Or is it something else?" He stared at the aged woman, who looked forty in Orion''s eyes. Her hair was a leafy green, similar to the Queens he met previously, though hers was clearly bleached, as a fair majority of it past the tip was white. She wore a dress similar to the Queens, making him unable to see many details on her body. Yet, he still noticed black spots on her shoulders and her neck. Tiohr-nam answered his question. "It is but only a medium of my true self. What easier way to converse equally than this?" He nodded, as he could understand. Talking to a tree, even one with an ego, could make anyone take a step back. What is unusual will always be disturbing for the common people. "You said something about being able to create a faction, what did you mean by that? I have a guess, but I''m still somewhat unsure." "I could answer you, but first I have a few hints for you instead. I, or my first incarnation, gave the fairies the ability ''Intuitive Reading''." "They can read a person''s characteristics, the faction they belong to, their titles, their history, and many fascinating details." "I already know who you are, and I already know why you came here." With a frown, Orion tensed up. "You know why I came seeking the fairy faction? I was sure I never spoke about my goal to anyone, even to Amelia." Orion made a serious face, he wasn''t keen on having his objectives being displayed for everyone to see. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Fret not, I am the only one able to see this many specifics. What you are looking for is in my possession, but as you can see, I became much too weak to do anything." Tiohr-nam, The fairy Tree of Life, closed her eyes and slumped in exhaustion. "I am the only one knowing about this, and it is not too difficult to understand why you would come looking for such an item." When she opened her eyes, she shared personal information that made Orion relax. "He was indeed the strongest at that time. Managing to retrieve such an important item was close to impossible, but I still retrieved it." "So you''re the one who protected it?" "Indeed, as you stated. This, in return, caused me many grievances. It is part of why I am in this state." Many pieces of the puzzle moved in places inside his mind. The whole picture began to form, as he came closer to the truth. "You are a Remnant, aren''t you? This was unexpected..." Tiohr-nam opened her eyes wide in astonishment. "You are one terrifying person. Easily finding my true nature over a few bits of knowledge." With all the remaining strength she had in her, she proudly lifted herself from her tired posture, and stared at Orion proudly. "I am the Remnant of Protection, the one that shoulder the life of my creations, and protect what is important to others." Orion smiled in satisfaction. "Seeing you here, I understand that even though you never received your parents'' affection, you still cherish them, and for that, you came to this realm." He touched the bracelet on his wrist, with a sorrowful smile. "I will give you what you want, but for that, I would implore for your help." "I had anticipated it the moment you saw through me. Tell me what you expect me to do." "It is no simple task, so let me explain everything." ~ After a few minutes, Orion opened his eyes. "Are you really asking me this? Do you believe in my skills that much that you wish to send me to the pit of death?" Everyone looked at Orion as if he had lost his mind. What was he saying now? But he received an answer, to Dramia and Drania''s surprise. "Yes, I believe in you. You are not alone, either. Two brave souls are waiting for you nearby, one of them being next to you." "I''m not bringing Amelia into this damned hole! There are matters that I will not consent to." "The choice is yours... but do not make any mistake... if I draw my last breath, your wish will not be fulfilled. I am exhausted..." "Good luck, Orion." "..." Tiohr-nam fell into a deep slumber. A long sigh escaped his mouth, as he looked at the tree. "I guess there''s no other way. Rest well..." He looked at the Queens. "I have come to grasp why you needed me to come fast, and I understand the situation. You have it rough." "Yes, it is difficult indeed, as we have our back against the wall. We cannot blame anyone, either, as it was her wish to begin with." Drania, the energetic queen, shrugged. It all led to Dramia giving the last push to Orion. "Since you are here for a precious item that is the cause of all our trouble, are you going to help us?" Another sigh escaped Orion'' mouth. He was exhausted, and this situation wasn''t helping in the slightest. "Do I have a choice anymore? Of course, I will help. But don''t expect me to give my life for it. There are many things I still have to do before drawing my last breath." Only now, Amelia realized that he might have been led once again to do a dangerous mission. "Orion, I''m coming wi-" She wasn''t able to finish her sentence. "No! I refuse. I need to see if I am ready first. Once I am, I will check your capabilities personally." He turned away, his back facing her. "I''ll explain later what I was asked to do. You''ll understand why I don''t want you with me." She was speechless. This was the first time he obstinately refused to take her with him. "Don''t be too hard on her, she has nothing to do with the task, but she might be more useful than you think she is." Anger took over Orion when he heard Dramia talk. His difficulty containing his emotions backfired on him, and led to the loss of control over his words. "Do you think I refused to have her follow me because she is not strong enough?" "Perhaps you think I treat my allies like meat shields? I refuse to take her with me because I am not sure to even come back alive from that place!" Orion glared at her with unbridled anger, which made her recoil in fear. Realizing she might have been inconsiderate towards him, Dramia looked down. Once again, a fairy underestimated Orion. In a single day, two members of the same faction managed to anger Orion. Quite the achievement. The other twin, Drania, walked to Orion and poked at his face. "Don''t get angry at Dramia! She wasn''t treating her like a tool, alright?" "There''s no reason for us to send you to your death, but having more help could improve your chances of survival, am I wrong?" He looked at the fairy he shouted at, which was on the edge of crying, doing her best not too. Before he could say anything else, Amelia moved past Orion, and hugged Dramia. Seeing this, all his anger left, and only an apologetic look showed on his face. "I am sorry, I went too far. There have been too many events in a single day, and I am now on edge after listening to your story." Drania, which was being hugged, nodded, as her sister wiped the tears at the corner of her eyes. "I heard from Tiohr-nam that she could not withstand the damages much longer, so I would ask for a room to rest and prepare." Breaking the tense mood, Orion spoke with a soft voice to avoid making the same mistake again. Dramia, which recovered from the shock of being yelled at, nodded, before answering him. "We will give you whatever you need. Furthermore, I apologize for my rude remark earlier, I couldn''t have anticipated that you treasured this young woman so much." Orion simply nodded, and thanked her, leaving the matter to rest. "Thank you, we are in your care." Orion slightly bowed, and left the room with Amelia, who stopped hugging Drania. Leaded by Motirion to their rooms inside the mansion, they finally were able to rest. ~ "Sis, are you alright?" "I am, I just saw something when he got angry. Something I wish I never saw again." "What do you mean..." Dramia shook her head slowly with her eyes closed. "B-But he died ages ago! He hasn''t shown any signs of knowing us, either!" The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before Dramia rectified her thoughts. "The problem seems to be that his power is rising exceptionally fast, and he might lose control of it at some point." "It might be the same as before, the same as when Noah lost control and perished." "Sis, we have to prevent this. Another case like his shouldn''t be avoided at all cost!" A serious frown on her face, Drania stared at her sister. "You know we can''t do anything. The day it happens, no one can do anything. Only his fate will decide of his path." Silence fell in the room, as they recalled their past. Chapter 34: A rare resting day. During this past month, Orion and Amelia continued training daily. When they were inside the dragons'' territory, they never stopped. Every day was for improving. But today was different. After a day that seemed unbearably long, they had enough. Without resting their mind, training would only give unsuccessful results. Since this was a day for resting, something unusual for both of them, they were left doing essentially nothing. After having a good night of sleep, it was now early in the morning. Orion was sitting on the bed, his back against the wall, while reading one of his books inside a room of the manor. On the other side of the wall, Amelia was lying down on her bed, watching the ceiling with no particular thought crossing her mind. A day like this never happened before. Anyone would expect these two to finally enjoy a day without anything happening, but for them, who were used to exercise daily, this moment of peace was boring. It was around noon, when Orion was about to finish his book. *Knock* Someone knocked on the door. He slid out of the bed and walked toward the door to open it. "Yes? Who is it? Oh-" As he opened the door, someone he wasn''t expecting forced her way inside. "Nice room, but isn''t it a bit too choking in here?" "Well, if it isn''t Karteira? What can I do for you?" After closing the door, he approached the table at the center of the room, and presented her a chair. "Have a seat. Seeing your expression, it''s not going to be quick." She took the chair, and sat down in an uncomfortable posture. "Well, you''re right about that. I wanted to remind you about our spar." "Listen, the moment I saw you and your friend, something sparked in me. You two are bound to be great fighters, and I want to feel it in a fight!" A faint smile appeared on his face. ''The moment I realized she was a battle addict, I was certain she would be back soon.'' Something attracted his gaze, the swaying scorpion tail of Karteira. As she was sitting sideways on her chair, he realized chairs were not meant to be for Karteira. Indeed, the tail was pretty large, standing straight up high above her shoulders. It had a few clothes around the segments, maybe to avoid injuring these areas. Her tail was pretty thick, taking around half of her back''s width at the base. "You like what you see? I can let you touch it if you''d like?" Looking away in a swift way, a bead of sweat dripped from his face. ''I messed up, I was too focused on it that she noticed me staring.'' To avoid making it even more awkward, he shook his head. "I will have to refuse. I was simply wondering why you were having trouble sitting, and then I understood after looking at your tail. This is a hindrance in everything apart from fighting, isn''t it?" He did his best to avoid the previous questions. "You have no idea! I can''t do much at home, I can''t move without bumping into something or someone, and I can''t sleep on my back! Do you know how troublesome that is?" "Most of the others have wings, pincers, or antennas. I''m the only one with a tail this... this... stupidly thick! It''s thicker than my thighs!" Karteira gritted her teeth in frustration while pointing at her legs. ''I''ve stepped on a trap, haven''t I? This conversation is bad!'' A terribly sensitive topic as your very first friendly interaction? Orion was the best at it. "But you are still proud of it, right? I can imagine it piercing your enemies with it." If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. He tried deflecting the subject as much as he could. "Actually, I had to train it to not be a burden in fights. At first, it was weak and impossible to move without causing pain, but now I''m able to move it with great flexibility." She touched her tail over her right shoulder. "The base is still a weak point, though, I can''t do anything about that." "Why are you telling me your weaknesses? I''m not exactly your ally right now." Karteira shook the idea away with her hand. "Don''t bother with that, if you were my enemy, I would have sensed it, and you wouldn''t have missed a chance to strike at the Queens yesterday." Orion frowned while crossing his arms. "I''m not satisfied by that answer, but fine. If you think I''m not a threat, then there''s nothing for me to say about it." "So, what did you want to say about our ''spar''? You came looking for me for that reason, right?" Exhilaration showed on her face, as a grin replaced her neutral expression. "Damn right! I had to ask the Queens for a fight against you two, and I received the authorization." Her expression suddenly darkened, as she touched the tips of her index fingers together. "That is, only if you accept. I heard you were pretty exhausted, so I came to say that the moment you feel like it, you could come fight me." The conflict between Karteira being a nice person, and her trait as a battle addict made Orion appreciate her. ''Fair enough, she has the decency to wait for me to be in better shape instead of forcing me to fight. She might not be so bad, after all.'' Feeling his warm gaze on her, she tilted her head. "What? There''s something on my face? Why are you smiling like that?" "Nothing really, I''m just beginning to understand who you are." Confused, she nodded. "Oh... is that a good thing? I don''t know you enough to say the same about you, though." They made eye contact for a few seconds, and led to Orion to make his choice. "Well, you will most likely understand me when I''ll come to fight you in a few days." "So you agree to the fight?" Standing abruptly, she joyfully slammed her hands on the table and stared straight in his eyes. "I''ll be waiting! You can find me near the entrance of the Realm Connector. We''ll fight in the arena next to it, as it can withstand quite the beating." With a nod, Orion focused on another matter. ''I can use her to measure Amelia''s aptitude, too. I refuse to bring her with me this time, and I have to explain everything too. I guess I''ll pay her a visit later.'' Once his thoughts were clear, he agreed to fight her. "I understand, we''ll come to you when we''re ready." Karteira walked away from her seat, and moved toward the door with a beaming smile on her face, seemingly satisfied about this visit. ''I was also quite excited about fighting her when we arrived in this place. There are still plenty of pent-up emotions I need to release.'' As he stood up from his chair and went to open the door for his guest, Karteira spoke. "Rest well and prepare correctly, I won''t go easy against either of you. I am not the strongest of our faction for nothing." "I thought the Queens were already exceptionally capable with their speed, but if you are stronger, then it is promising." "Then there''s nothing left to say, I''m leaving now." Karteira opened the door herself, and walked out of the room. "Take care on your way." Karteira closed the door behind her, leaving Orion by himself to think about what they discussed. ... Amelia left her room before noon to cook for Orion and her, and was currently moving toward his room. With a tray in her hands, she was carrying two big plates of salads and cooked meat slices. She wanted to eat with Orion, as it was stressing her not seeing him for so long. When she approached the room he stayed in, she saw Karteira leave the room. She didn''t know how to react to this situation. Someone besides her, another woman, walked out of his room. While conflicted by an emotion she was never aware of, Karteira noticed her and approached Amelia. "Hi, you are the other guest that came yesterday, right? What was your name again? Amelie? Emilia?" "Close, but not quite. I''m Amelia, nice to meet you, Karteira." She didn''t expect this woman to come and chat with her. "I''m sorry, I''ve never been good with names. I went inside to speak with your friend, but since I couldn''t remember his name, I avoided using it. Pretty sad, isn''t it?" At that moment, Amelia realized who she had in front of her. It was that battle addict. So why would she have to be jealous of her coming out of Orion''s room? There was no way someone could take her place next to him. In the end, she decided to relax, and exchange with the fairy. "It''s not sad, there''s always a thing or two we are not great at. Was I supposed to make fun of you?" "You... are actually nice. I would have expected either of you to judge me like everyone does, but neither of you did that, which is honestly surprising." Amelia felt a tinge of sadness between her words. "We''ve been to a few places, and we know how different each person is to the other. We are strange too for that matter." Falling into deep thoughts, she thought about her progress and about Orion. ''We are technically absurd people with absurd powers. But we have our flaws too. Orion can''t do anything apart from hurting himself each time he trains.'' ''Even I''m getting better with my elements, while he''s still struggling to use his.'' A frown appeared on her face, recalling his anger from the day before. ''Now I''m intrigued about what he said yesterday about that place he refuses to send me to.'' While thinking about that, Karteira looked back to where she came from. "Your friend, he agreed to have a battle with me. He said that he will come find me when he is ready." An expression of worry showed on Karteira, as she turned back to Amelia. "He might have a lot on his plate because he looked quite exhausted. His gaze looked a bit off, too, compared to when you entered the realm." "He did? It''s not surprising he accepted, he likes to fight and improve himself." Thinking about a fight against Orion, she couldn''t bring herself not to tell Karteira about the dangers of fighting him. "Just a friendly advice, if you want to walk away uninjured, bring good protection, and try not to blink too much, or you''ll be in for a bad time." She ignored the part where Orion was not feeling great and instead gave Karteira some advice. "I''ll accept that advice. I wish to enjoy the fight as much as I can, so letting it end quickly is not in my interest." Looking at the plate of food in Amelia''s hands, Karteira frowned. "Well, I see you have brought meals, maybe I should eat too." As she spoke those words, a loud growl escaped her stomach. Amelia laughed at the sudden cry for food coming from her stomach. "Aaah, I didn''t mean to let you hear that. I hope you enjoy your meal, I''m going to have mine right now." Karteira hurriedly walked away, slightly embarrassed. "Enjoy your meal too, take care on your way." After saying goodbye, she walked to Orion''s room, and knocked with her left foot. But when Orion opened the door, she saw him in the worst state she could have ever envisioned. Chapter 35: Under pressure. The moment Orion opened the door, Amelia froze for a second. Orion was in emotional turmoil, and it showed on his face. His gaze was darker than usual, and his grip on the door handle was crushing it. Even though he was smiling, she could feel it. He wasn''t doing well. "Is it time to eat already? Sorry to have made you come all this way like this. You could have just asked me, you know?" She entered the room without turning away. "Orion, are you alright? You don''t look fine to me." "Huh? Ah, yes. I''m fine, as you can see." He didn''t expect this question, so he gently tapped his hip to show he was in good shape. "I''m not talking about your body. What''s happening to you right now? Did you not realize how miserable you look?" "What do you mean? I don''t look different from usual." He looked over his body, but didn''t find anything noteworthy about his appearance. "You''re looking awful, your gaze is dark, like your mind is somewhere far away." "You''re exerting too much strength, your tone is also colder than usual. It''s not like you!" He paused for a second, before finally acknowledging what she meant. "I might have let my emotions run wild. I haven''t had any way to vent recently, and it kept adding up yesterday." "Do you want to talk about it after we eat?" Amelia sat on the bed while placing the tray that she was holding on it. "I''ll think about it, I''m still unsure whether you should know or not. This trip wasn''t supposed to be this troublesome." He sat next to her, and handed him his plate of vegetable salad and roasted meat slices. As he was feeling down, the food he had in his hands felt warm. Noticing his troubled expression, Amelia smiled brightly in return, in hope of turning his feelings around. "I thought we''d eat something different, so I used fire magic to cook meat. Eating the same dehydrated meat was getting boring, so I hope you enjoy it." Looking back at his plate, Orion began to eat without a word. Orion took a bite of the salad and the meat, and Amelia finally saw a sincere smile on his face. Continuing to eat in silence, Amelia kept peeking at him while eating her share. ''Even when he is preoccupied, he still makes me feel needed. This is really unfair. Something as simple as a meal is enough to make his worries fade for a moment.'' After ten minutes, the plates were emptied, leaving Orion to think about what to do. ''I don''t want to, but there''s no point in keeping her in the dark. This is something she needs to know sooner than later.'' He finally brought himself to speak about his conversation with Tiohr-nam and the help she required. The reason he looked for the fairies was also an important part of the conversation, which he kept hidden from her until now. "Thanks for the food, Amelia, it was delicious." He lifted his head up and, the plate still in his hands, began to speak as his gaze became lost in his thoughts. "I think you have to know why I''m annoyed, and why we are here. There are a few details I purposely avoided telling you." A long sigh escaped his mouth, as he closed his eyes. "Mostly because I don''t know what to make of the situation." Amelia was intently listening, as she placed her plate on the tray next to her. She stared at him, as his expression changed once again. - "I had anticipated it the moment you saw through me. Tell me what you expect me to do." "It is no simple task, so let me explain everything." Tiohr-nam''s expression turned serious, as her smile turned upside down. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "The item you are looking for, your father''s ring, is in my possession as you know it. I do not know how you learned about the fairies having it, but we indeed received it before he passed away long ago." "Your father was a hero for the fairies, he protected many of our members when I, my past incarnation, began proactively creating more fairies." The memories of a horrible past flashed in her mind. "He single-handedly fought against the many factions that exploited and hunted my children." "As you know, his land was already at war, and he had his hands full. But that was not enough to stop him from flying across the whole continent to protect us." Hearing stories about his father, Orion listened without interjecting. "One day, the day that pillar appeared in the sky, we saw four lights break off from it, and one of those flew directly towards our forest." "At first, this even made me skeptical about it. Unable to understand what could have crashed near the lake, as I was still an underdeveloped tree, I used my roots to track the item." "After many days of searching, I managed to find it. It was overwhelming with lightning magic, and it had the signature of your father all over it. At that moment, it occurred to me." A solemn look appeared on her face, as she showed deep sorrow. "He was gone, and this was the ring he always showed with pride. My thoughts are that even when he disappeared from this world, he wished for us to remain well." "So before the humans trampled on our forest and on my children, I used a fraction of its power, and opened a gateway between two realms." "With the power given to each Remnant, and with the appropriate number of resources, it went smoothly." "Many of us live on different planes, or even hidden in plain sight through us Remnants." Suddenly, Orion felt a little perplexed. His father was protecting the fairies, which was something he wasn''t prepared for. He knew the angels had a relationship with fairies, but never in his wildest dreams was he expecting his father to hide such an important fact. ''Father is such a liar... I thought there was no information about the fairies?'' ''He completely concealed this from me. Even mother is seemingly unaware of this. It''s possible it was his pride that made him act this way.'' Still, Orion kept listening to the tree intently. "But, something happened that was out of my control." "I certainly succeeded in creating a link between the two realms, and sealed its entrance, but I failed in sensing the horrors encroached on it." Tiohr-nam left a silence between her words as if she were asking Orion to ask about it, which he obliged. "What do you mean? I heard there were many problems occurring for the fairies, but you make it sound as if-" "As if they were already plenty since the beginning? This is precisely the case." Surprise appeared on his face, as she seemed to have been waiting for this question. "I don''t understand? I looked around with my ability many times when I walked toward the mansion. There were no signs of struggle anywhere." The woman nodded. "Because we are not fighting in the open. The problems are underground." "Underground? Do you have a mole problem?" Orion tried to make a joke, and Tiohr-nam went along with it. "As if, young man. Do you think simple moles would hurt me this badly?" "No, which is the reason for my confusion. You''re still hiding some details from me." His smile died, as he watched the Avatar of the tree tremble slightly. The branches in particular were shacking. "He followed us even in this place. Encroaching a fragment of his power into the ring, that monster used it to breach the realm barrier, creating corrupted beasts around my roots." "Are you referring to Elliott?" A severe frown formed on Orion''s face, as it wasn''t making sense. ''Something''s off. Elliott is definitely strong, but he isn''t so powerful as to create mutated species, isn''t he? He can''t be the one creating them.'' Noticing the emotions on the man''s face, Tiohr-nam answered. "That human was indeed a threat, but he was sealed when this happened. I''m talking about Miasma." "Miasma?" Orion plunged into his memories to find a hint as to what she was talking about. ''Miasma... I don''t know. I feel like I know about it, but I can''t recall it.'' "Yes, it is the remaining will of a monster that was threatened the world before factions were born." "As an old living being, do you know about the time before the Remnants?" "Not much, sadly. Us Remnants were already living on this planet for a long time, but we kept away from the rest of the world." "What intrigued us was the battle between the Hero and this monster." "The ones that knew him were the other two in the room." "Dramia and Drania were not fairies at first. I had to transform them into one. If you want details, feel free to ask them, as they are older than my current incarnation." Seeing the confused look on his face, Tiohr-nam coughed. "I am getting distracted, so let me get back to the main topic." "Miasma''s power was encroached on the ring, which in turn created dangerous beasts that kept growing in strength as they ate at my roots, leaving me in this state." "I am only alive because of the life force of the Remnant of Protection''s ability. By protecting a part of my soul, I am able to revive myself." "But now, it has become impossible. I don''t have the energy left to even do that." With a nod, Orion acknowledged the problem. "So this is your last chance at stopping this?" "It is. Under my roots, I sealed the ring. The creatures kept gnawing at them, trying to get their hands on it. Lucky, their effort was in vain. But, it is only a matter of time before it happens." "Which is why I am forced to ask for your help. You want the ring, and I want to live, to protect my children." While the matter was simple to understand, it wasn''t the end of it. Knowing that, Orion asked a question. "Why did you say it wouldn''t be an easy task?" "This... How can I say it without getting on your wrong side?" Anxiety filled him as she pondered in silence. ''Is it that dangerous? If we''re talking about killing a few of these corrupted beasts, then it''s no big deal, isn''t it?'' But he was mistaken. The situation was a nightmare he wasn''t ready to hear about. "More than ten thousand creatures are in the tunnels leading to the ring." Orion''s eyes opened wide, thinking that he hadn''t heard correctly. "The tunnels are narrow, and there''s also a concern with the usage of magic in there. Your magic should work, but the five elements are less active, because of the proximity to my roots." "Wha- Are you serious?! This is considerably more than I can take on!" The tree''s Avatar closed her eyes, and turned her head away. Orion glared at her as he tried to make sense of the whole situation. "This is not possible, I am not that powerful!" "Ten thousands beasts! Do you realize what that means?" Giving her a chance to continue, he asked another question after sighing. "How bad is it down there?" "It is dreadful." "The fairies have to send most of their forces to repel a horde of them each week, causing more casualties on our side than on the beasts'' side. Fairies were not meant to fight. The only fairy born with the purpose to fight was..." "Karteira." - "Do you understand now? The reason I refuse to bring you with me?" Orion turned to Amelia, which had the most horrifying expression on her face, her hands hiding her mouth. Chapter 36: His treasures. "I will not allow you to come with me to a place where you cannot use your magic." With a severe expression, Orion his reasoning. "This is asking me to sacrifice you, and for absolutely no purpose." Then, he proceeded to tell her about Karteira. "I want you to fight Karteira without the use of anything besides your basic daggers. You won''t be able to maintain your magic in there, so this is your only way to prove you are capable of defending yourself." "Without the use of your elements, against a horde of these beasts... I don''t even want to imagine." His face was incredibly dark. "Do you understand now?" Pure dismay, fright, and concern invaded Amelia''s mind at the same time. She ended up turning into a mess inside. "Orion, this is not a joke, is it? There''s no way you''re going there?! Tell me!" Her voice resounded inside the room and into the hallway outside after she lost her composure. "Calm down. The situation won''t change even if you lose your self-control. Look at me, I''m also a mess, but I haven''t lost control." "If you think I want to do it because I was asked to, you are gravely mistaken." It was enough to bring Amelia back to her normal self. "You said we came here for an item, a ring. Is it really worth the risk of fighting this many beasts? Why do you need it?" Orion turned his head away, and recalled one of the recordings he watched inside the bracelet a few years ago. "My parents. They both lost their rings after the fight against Elliott. Father remembers thinking about the fairies before sealing him, but he never explained why." - "I know I thought about the fairies, but where my ring actually went, I have no idea." - "That''s what my father said to my mother, which was enough for me to visit the fairies." "Mother lost it too, but she does not remember what she was thinking about at that time besides me, so I have no clue about her ring." "I''ll have to ask Tiohr-nam for any clues about the three other lights that broke off from the pillar." Even with this explanation, Amelia wasn''t satisfied. It was too perilous to accept such an impossible task for a simple keepsake. "Orion, stop hiding things from me! Am I not good enough? What about your motives?" "Am I not the same as your family?!" Tears dripped on Amelia''s thighs. Her pearl eyes gleamed while looking at Orion. She clutched her chest, harboring hope that Orion would accept her unconditionally. Despite that, Orion did something she wasn''t expecting. He stood up, and moved toward his bag. ''I see, he never saw me like that... What was I expecting? He said it, his vengeance will always take precedence over me.'' The light in her eyes began to dim, as she felt exhaustion take over her. The sadness enveloped her heart, as she slowly closed her eyes. But before she could, a book appeared on her lap. The title was ''The Sceneries of Triazils''. "Page forty-one. Open it." Amelia blinked, confused. Did she not receive her answer when he left her side? The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. She opened the book, and slowly turned the pages. She arrived at the page, before she began reading it. Between the two pages, a familiar envelope was there. She picked it up and opened it gently. - ''Orion, Happy Birthday. Since you are fourteen now, I didn''t know what to do for today, so I made you another cake, I hope you enjoy it this year too!'' ''Happy sixteen years, Orion! You''re a grown man now, but this year again, there''s a cake for you! I love seeing your smile when you eat it.'' - Many letters were kept inside that envelope. She read the many letters she''d written, when something else fell from in between the letters. The moment she saw it, she came to understand everything. It was the picture Dylan took with is weird tool when they were eight. She recognized her past self, wearing a glove on her hand where the symbol of the ''Key'' was, with her bangs covering her eyes. Tears flowed incessantly on her cheeks, while she looked at the photo with shock. So many important letters she thought disappeared in the fire she had caused. "Read the book too." Orion pointed at the book while looking away. She read out loud what was written on its pages. "Cape of Pearl Waters." "The most enchanting place in the whole continent, the millions of sea pearls washing ashore on the northern beach of Eogis left everyone who approached speechless." "Millions of oysters come dying in the turbulent waters, leaving behind them a view impossible to witness anywhere else." "We recommend coming with your loved ones at sunset, as it is the most satisfying moment, where the rainbow-colored waters mix with the orange of the sun." Orion sat next to her. "Do you need more?" Amelia clenched her chest, not knowing what to think. It wasn''t difficult to understand Orion''s feelings through all of this. ''He''s just clumsy with his words, so he used something else...'' Now that she was left with all of Orion''s emotions laid bare before her, she felt at ease. Every single part of her was now at peace. She never realized it herself, but she was reluctant to give herself fully to him either. While Orion never accepted any of her advances, it made her anxious, and afraid of pushing their relationship further. ''I love him...'' She grabbed Orion''s right arm, and hugged it tightly. "Why haven''t you said anything until now? Why did you keep all of this to yourself? I was persuaded everything burned during that accident." Placing her cheek on his shoulder, she looked inside his tired eyes. "I said it before. I keep the important stuff near me all the time, this is why I don''t have many possessions to begin with." "These are the only important items I have, and it''s embarrassing to show that even at my age, I keep your letters." While hugging his arm, she began to laugh. "Also, what is this about the ''Cape of Pearl Waters''?" Orion scratched his cheek with his free hand. "The first time I saw your eyes, this is what it reminded me of. The most beautiful sight in the world. It''s terrible saying it like this, but it''s my honest thought." A little tint of red appeared under his eyes, which she noticed. "I see now. Let''s go there one day, I need you to say which one is the most beautiful." "Maybe one day. There''s still a lot to do." She nodded, feeling completely relieved of her previous worries. She let go of his right arm, and instead, Orion touched his arm that was now free. "I''m baffled... What did you do?" "What do you mean, did I do something? I just hugged your arm?" Piecing two and two together, Orion explained his thought to her. "I was subjected to your tears in two different situations, and it seems as if it awakened another ability. That makes it the second time now." When she gathered the meaning behind his words, she grabbed his arms and intently stared at it. "Is it burning badly again?! Let me see!" "It''s not as bad as the first time, and I don''t have a situation where I have to fight for our lives, so I''m fine." It still seemed to hurt, as he was gripping it rigidly. As the pain subsided, a familiar voice echoed in their mind. "Right Arm, First Lock opened." "Are you joking, Orion? You just got another power just like that?" "Hey! Don''t throw the blame on me! I didn''t mean to make you cry, alright? I just wanted to cheer you up a little." Suddenly, the mood changed and became more pleasant. "I don''t know what happened for you to unlock another ability of the ''Shackles'', but since I have something new to train, I won''t complain." When he said that, the familiar voice of the Key''s ego was heard once again, to Amelia''s dismay. "The power of love was the reason for this unlock. Don''t forget to pamper her for more power." "AaaaaaaH!" A shriek escaped Amelia''s mouth, echoing into the entirety of the mansion. "What have you done! Why did you say that! Oh, my word!" With a swift movement, she turned her back to Orion, completely red. But she wasn''t the only one, as Orion looked away while scratching his cheek. He stood up and walked to the nearest wall, before placing his left hand on the wall while putting his head against it. "I''m not going to ''pamper'' you for more power. What was that about? Since when is the ''Key'' able to speak like that?" Without waiting, the ''Key'' answered him. "Since you''ve unlocked a tenth of my power. Her mind wasn''t ready to bear the burden of the ability, so I locked it firmly until now. But seeing as she as accepted you and your goal fully, it was enough to wake my ego." Amelia stood up from the bed, and looked at the ceiling, swiping her arm in disapproval. "Stop talking! Stop giving him so many details about my thoughts!" "I believe it is fair, since he laid all of his cards in front of you earlier." Her arms slumped at her sides, as she slowly nodded. "Well, yes... No, wait! Go back to sleep! Don''t try to make me the villain!" "As you wish, I''ll be waiting for your improvements, Masters." The voice died down, leaving an embarrassed Orion and an exhausted Amelia on the spot. "I think we should go and take a walk. I''ll tell you know why I want to get my parents'' rings back so much." "Good idea." They both left after tidying the room, and stepped outside the building. Chapter 37: Whats so important about the ring. The duo exited the building that was the Queens'' residence. Once again, they got to see the state of the houses around here. They looked awfully primitive, like they never evolved, or couldn''t. ''I guess this is the effect of the never-ending attacks that come from the beasts underground?'' Orion was thinking that maybe he could improve their life if he were able to succeed in eliminating those beasts. ''My arm is still burning, so I''d like to prioritize that for now. I have to find out what the ''Arm Lock'' does first.'' With that in mind, he searched for a place around the fairy village. "Amelia, we''re going a bit further out the village. You see that place over there, with the rocks?" He pointed at an open area outside the fairy village, a few hundred meters away. Since the village was a bit elevated because of Tiohr-nam roots under it, it was easier to see further away. "Yes, I see it." Amelia suddenly glared at him, and pulled on his shirt. "Wait, you want to try your ability already? You just unlocked one yesterday, and now that you have another one, you want to train both today?" "I feel refreshed enough to train. Since the burning isn''t going away, it might be best to deal with that first." "You''re unbelievable. Can''t you stop and take a day off from time to time?" As they began moving outside the village, their usual banter came into place. "It''s just so boring not being able to move my body, it is a routine at this point." "Think about me for a second, do you have any idea how much muscle pain I have after training?" Orion tilted his head with a smile. "Muscle pain? It''s normal to have that, isn''t it? You could even have that while cooking. Don''t make me the cause of your problems." "You''ve got guts, I''ll give you that. Talking to me like that when I''m the one feeding you." Her gaze wasn''t pretty. "Do you think I''d seriously ignore your condition? I''ve been looking at your physique, and the moment I see any kind of exhaustion, I stop the training. Did you ever rip a mus- ... yes, you did." "Don''t remind me! I''d like to never be reminded of that." Amelia showed genuine annoyance at his comment. "What do you mean? It was so funny, yet absurd." "You''ve tried to imitate me jumping from tree branches to the next, but you missed one and caught the one below to avoid crashing on the ground." "When you grabbed it, you''ve sprained your right arm''s muscle and ended up unable to move it for a week." "I''ve never seen you try ever again." He laughed at Amelia''s past mistake, which irritated her more and more. With a pout, she turned to look away. "I shouldn''t have spoken about the muscle pain. Now you''re laughing at me. It''s so idiotic to not have any dirt on you." "You do have one piece of dirt on me now." His secret, the fact that he kept away his precious stuff near him. "I won''t speak about that to anyone, this is a secret I won''t share." She seemed to have calmed down, as the conversation turned back to a pleasant tone between them. Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Orion, you said you''d tell me why you want your parents'' rings. Maybe now is a good time?" They were close to their destination, but it was still a few minutes away. "Yes, I''ve said I would." His expression relaxed, before he looked into her eyes. "But first, I''m sorry to have kept it hidden from you. It was a detail I caught when I watched the recording of their fight, and when I saw my parents. There was a ring missing on their fourth fingers." With a nod, Amelia smiled. "I accept your apology." Now that this was settled between them, she focused on the topic. "But how did you piece together that the rings were still on the continent? More so, that one of them was with the fairies?" "It''s not difficult, at least it wasn''t when I began to gather information." "It is impossible to remain hidden for two thousand years without being seen at all. There is only one way to do that. Well, two exactly, but the other one is the same as the first." His words confused Amelia. "What do you mean? You said that the tree had the power to move between dimensions as it see fit, so the fairies being here isn''t surprising, isn''t it?" Orion confirmed her thought with a nod. "It isn''t surprising, but the entrance being sealed certainly is." "How could anyone figure out that the portal only opens at dusk for about ten minutes, and that you need permission from a fairy to come inside?" "To push it even further, you have to find a way to walk on water or find a similar option." Amelia placed her left hand on her chin, and started to analyze with her ''Calm Analysis'' ability. She rarely used it because Orion was more proficient at it, but she also went through great length to learn it from Keith. ''She''s thinking, good. Keep thinking and the answer will come by itself.'' Meanwhile, in Amelia''s mind, it didn''t take long to find the answer Orion came to find. ''Let me arrange what he said.'' ''The tree can move between realms, but not seal the entrance to it? So, sealing the entrance of a realm is impossible for the Remnants...'' ''If it wasn''t sealed, then yes, he is right. The fairies would have been found a long time ago.'' Amelia understood the underlying problem with the gateway. ''The fairies do not seem able to use such forms of magic. To be precise, I think no one was able to-'' "!" Realization came to her as she abruptly stopped in her tracks. "Your father created the bracelet! He is the only person who was able to use sealing magic! Orion, how did you realize that?" Satisfied, he looked forward. "If I have to be honest, it was pure luck. I didn''t fully understand my father until recently, around last year to be exact. I was done with my day''s training, when the bracelet''s hook broke, and it fell to the floor." "I crouched to pick it up, and when I grabbed it, a lingering thought kept surfacing in my mind." "''How did father seal him and mother inside?''. I read many books about magical powers and their uses, but the ''seal'' concept never appeared in any kind of elements." Amelia listened intently, as his parents were equally significant to her. She received her last name from Orianne, which made her keen to learn more about them. "That''s when I realized. I never saw my father''s attributes, not explicitly, that is." "He used a small amount of it during his last fight against Elliott. I had to rewind the scene in my head again and again to finally confirm it. My father is a lightning user, and certainly not an average one." "Linking his feathers with threads of lightning, making them move however he needed them to, and manipulating a form I have no idea what it is." Orion seemed lost in his awe toward Reon. The applications he created for his magic were fascinating to him. "It is most likely how he found a way to seal items, memories, and beings inside those ''barriers''." This was a lot to absorb. Reon was an incredible magic user, and he could use a magic even Orion was not familiar with, even with all the knowledge he acquired. Having the blood of remarkable people, it made sense Orion was particularly strong. Then, everything became clear to Amelia. "If your father was the only one able to seal, a place hidden from everyone''s eyes could be a lead in finding traces of him?" Noticing how quickly Amelia came to understand what he had discovered put a smile on his face. "Exactly. I had already planned for a visit to the ''Dead White Forest'' before being saved by Monolavir in Eogis, but fate had it we had to wait." There was still something Amelia was unaware of, which made her question the correlation between everything. "So why did you hide everything from me? It''s not because I wouldn''t understand your reasoning, right?" Orion stared at the large rocks in front of him. "I didn''t find it right to bother you with trifling matters such as these. I want to find my parents'' rings because they are the last physical memories I will find of them." The pride of a son. He will not search the whole continent for the power still emitted by the rings, but as a keepsake of their existence. "You haven''t seen them since the orphanage accident, right? Is it not weighting on you constantly?" Amelia kept asking sensitive questions, since she realized today might be the only day Orion would speak is mind openly. A glowing light enveloped him for a split second, as his hair changed color. ''Alcyone''. A white crossbow appeared in his hands. "It doesn''t necessarily weight on me." With the light crossbow in hand, Orion glanced at her. "Yes, I haven''t seen them since that time, but I know they are with me as long as I have this bracelet. I will never get separated from them until the day I die." A smile appeared on her face, knowing how important it was for him. He found his inner peace about this matter at last. After looking at each other for a minute, Orion finally decided to ask a critical question. "So... how long do I have to wait until you activate the ability? You know I can''t do much if you don''t unlock it." Slight panic appeared on her face, before sweat began to show on her face. "I''m sorry! I didn''t realize! I''ll do it now." His training session began with an unusual lack of seriousness. Chapter 38: Another training session to be remembered. "Orion! Stop! Explain immediately what happened!" "What do you mean, ''explain''? I just fired arrows at the rock in front of me. Nothing unusual." Orion was now in training mode. After releasing two newly acquired ''Key'' abilities, the left leg''s ''Second Gear'', and his right arm''s ''Overdrive'' state, he used his full might in the very first attack to see the extent of his power. The entire area was covered by a thick cloud of dust, created by the arrows Orion had fired. Bothered by the lack of visibility, Amelia swiped her hand while releasing a blast of wind, clearing the dust away. ''My movements were unnaturally fast, so I was unable to clearly see what had happened. What I know is that I aimed at that, ran around it, and shot six arrows at it. When I came back to my original spot, it was already like that.'' ''...'' Orion looked down at his feet. Three steps away from his actual spot, he noticed his previous footprints. ''I am slightly off. This was to be expected, as my control over the ''Second Gear'' is different from the first.'' ''Also, I cannot use it for long. To avoid creating any lasting injuries to myself, I need to find a way to have it under control. Thirty seconds is a tiny time frame to have for such an ability...'' Thinking of all the problems it would cause him to learn this ''Second Gear'', Orion looked in front of him, watching the dust dissipate. "The dust is dissipating. Thanks, Amelia." "Don''t thank me. Explain! For the love of everything in this world, Orion! What is this, horror?!" "Huh? I just fired six shots." Dumbfounded, Orion looked at her as if she had finally lost her mind. "Amelia, why are you panicking so much?" She was losing patience with him, seeing as he had no plans to look at the mess in front of him. "So you didn''t see what you did? Did your brain freeze when you activated your ability?" "Am I imagining things, or you''re being awfully mean to me right now?" "You''ll see... Prepare yourself, then. You won''t believe it." Orion turned his head forward, now that the dust had completely disappeared. ''There''s no way it made much difference compared to before. It may be an improvement in firepower, but to exaggerate that-'' His thoughts stopped when his eyes fell on the result of his training. "What... is this?" Orion lost his breath, his eyes glued to the place where the rock stood. "I can''t have done this, right? I''m firing arrows, you know? Not sharp blades." "It seems like you got another stupidly strong boost in your overall strength." The state of the rock was, to be honest, a pretty clean result. The rock Orion chose as a target practice was a round-shaped rock, rather rough on the edges. What was out of the ordinary was that it was perfectly cut into six parts. There were cracks where the arrows entered, but besides that small detail, the inside was cut smoothly. The six arrows he previously shot were all five meters away, splendidly stuck in the ground, leaving behind them a trail of dirt as they grazed the grass before lodging themselves in the earth. Orion fired at an angle going from the top of the boulder to the bottom of it, cleaving it perfectly on both sides. "This is atrocious, even for you. I thought you were incapable of piercing rocks and trees before. Even your drilling arrows can''t do this much damage." Still in an astonished state, his curiosity was again sparked. "I need to try that type too!" He created the second type of arrow, the drilling arrow, with its tip shaped into a triangle. "Orion, let me move away first! You know those are terrifying." "Right, better be safe than sorry; I should also shoot it in a different direction than the fairy village." He waited for Amelia to move away. Once she hid behind some rocky cover, he slotted his arrow. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. *Click* "Amelia, I''m ready to fire! Don''t miss it, in case it is different. I will fire only one arrow this time." He glanced at the place she was hiding, seeing her face peek from the top of the cover. She made a ''go'' sign to Orion with her hand as an answer. Orion turned to the target and aimed without activating the ''Second Gear''. He got the result he expected from using it once, so he could limit the burning that grew rapidly in his leg. After aiming carefully at the sliced rock, he pressed the trigger. A strong wind, like a tornado, ripped the grass off the ground. They did not blink, yet the rock pieces vanished before they could process what had happened. "O-O-ORION! You''ve pulverized it! Why is your arrow able to spin this fast?! I don''t understand at all; what''s happening?" "I don''t know; I''m just as confused as you are right now..." Orion was looking straight at the leftover trail of his arrow and the place where the rock was before. Amelia got out of her cover and walked next to him. "I never imagined you could make such an expression." His face was cramped with pain, but also with immense unease. "Is it a power I can use on humans anymore?" *BOOM* But just as he finished his sentence, a massive explosion happened a few kilometers away, creating a powerful shaking. A considerable pile of dirt was thrown into the air, creating a new hill in the landscape, along with a deep hole next to it. ~ *BOOM* The ground rumbled and shook inside the mansion. "What''s happening! Are we being attacked?!" Dramia got woken up suddenly by a rumble she hadn''t'' felt in ages. "Drania, can you feel anything?" "No, I can''t! Come see this!" The apathetic Dramia moved next to her sister and stared outside the window. "Sis, was there a hill over there before?" Drania, the most cheerful of the two Queens, looked at her sister with a sheepish look. "Of course not! There''s no hill over the-" "Wait! There''s one now?! How''s this possible?!" The Queens were in a panic. Well, mostly Dramia, as her sister found this situation very entertaining. Was this finally the moment when the full enemy force decided to attack? "We need to look for the cause of this. I''m sorry, Tiohr, I''m going to use some of your magic for a moment." Dramia''s began to see the world in a darker tone. She could see the colors of the inhabitants from her room and looked around for quite some time. "There''s nothing unusual in the village except the panic they all show. Hmm?" Her gaze moved to three lone shapes further away from the rest of the village. She could recognize them even without focusing much on them, but one was particularly shocking to her. "Karteira? What is she doing over there? And why does she look so... aroused?" "What do you mean? Isn''t Karteira only looking to fight? If we are attacked, then it isn''t strange, isn''t it?" "Drania, there are no enemies in sight. There''s nothing whatsoever, not a single darker shape." "What?" Just then, Tiohr-nam''s voice echoed in Dramia''s mind. ''You are not looking at the right place; follow Karteira''s gaze, and you''ll find the culprit.'' "Tiohr? Weren''t you sleeping?" She received no answer, as the tree only briefly awakened through her magic. ''I have to finish before worsening her state.'' She stared at Karteira before her vision focused on the two silhouettes slightly away from her. There, the gold and silver aura of a man caught her attention. "I should''ve guessed! Orion caused this." "What?" "Drania, can''t you say anything other than ''what''?" Drania rarely bothered to develop her thoughts, so it usually ended with a short response. "I let the brain stuff to you." With a shrug, she turned around. "Now that we found out Orion''s the cause and that there''s nothing dangerous out there, can we go back to sleep?" Dramia sighed, stopped using Tiohr-nam''s magic, and moved back to the bed. ''I suppose I''ll have to question him later. She can be such a pain sometimes.'' - Karteira had just finished eating. She was a strong believer in exercising after a meal, so she was on the path to the training field next to the realm''s portal. As she hummed while walking, she spotted a couple she hadn''t expected to see for the rest of the day. ''What are these two doing?'' Intrigued, she stared at their backs while observing their every move and expression. ''It seems like everything is going well now. His face is more relaxed, and her expression is less nervous. Now they are more likely to enjoy our fight later.'' She was overjoyed by this sudden development. But her curiosity was piqued when she saw both of them leave the village. ''Maybe I should follow them; I wouldn''t want them to get lost or get attacked out of nowhere.'' She followed them from a fair distance away, making it impossible to hear their conversation. Karteira was able to gather that they had a serious discussion during their excursion outside the village. ''I like his expression; he seems like he has his goals straight now. I do like a strong and ambitious man.'' ''Wait, what am I thinking? I thought I only loved the thrill of battle?'' Something slowly began to grow inside her, but she couldn''t understand it. Pushing it deep in her mind, she focused on watching them. The couple finally stopped near several big rocks before she hid herself next to a few scattered trees. A small light flashed, and she saw, for the first time, his ability. A white crossbow, and a slight change in his hair color. ''Is he going to train his ability? Wasn''t he supposed to rest?'' But what happened next left her speechless. The man focused on a semi-crouched pose and disappeared before running around the rock at a mind-bending speed. Six arrows ripped the rock apart before a massive dust cloud obstructed her vision. The dust hid the two for a few minutes, enough for her to process what she saw. ''He is powerful; those weren''t novice movements. I never expected to find such a great fighter so soon. I was sure I would have to leave the village for that after fighting back the corrupt beasts.'' The dust settled before her vision returned, but this time it was the bewildered faces of the duo that caught her attention. ''What is that face? Is this new to them? I thought they knew how to fight already.'' Disappointment slightly crept on her face. Despite this, the next action changed her stance instantly. She watched as Amelia moved into cover, as if she expected something crazy to happen. Orion straightened his posture, focused on the same rock, and fired another arrow. Along with the other two, she could barely realize what happened. ''Did he just... erase a whole boulder? Did he just do that?'' Her breathing began to get rougher, and a slight pink flush showed on her face. Her tail moved from left to right, and her gaze began to strongly focus on Orion. Before the last nail pierced her heart, a giant explosion in the direction he fired his arrow happened. Dirt flew high in the sky, and a new hill was formed in the landscape. ''This man is the most absurd person I''ve ever met. No other fairy can compare to his raw power. I find his strength quite attracting...'' - Orion never realized he was being observed by someone and continued to train, with moderation this time. Only the ''First Gear'', as Amelia refused to grant the rest for today. The day ended rapidly, until they both returned to the mansion. But, more trouble started as soon as they returned, as Orion received a summoning order from the two Queens. Chapter 39: The queens summon. After being summoned, Orion entered the same room where he met the Queens the day before. "Could you explain what happened? I am sure that hill wasn''t there before, am I wrong?" Dramia, the coldest of the two Queens, pointed outside the window to a tall mound of fresh dirt and gravel. Orion, the reason for this mess, was now being questioned about it. "Well, what can I say? I didn''t expect it, either." He had some remorse about scaring the inhabitants, but apart from that, he shrugged it off. "I''ve purposely avoided firing in the direction of the village, so I hope there wasn''t anyone injured from the shock." Hearing the genuine concern in his voice, Dramia closed her eyes. "You don''t have to worry; no one got hurt. What I''m having trouble accepting is the range of the damage. Just looking at it from here, it scares me to imagine having you as an enemy." Orion sighed in relief before an honest smile replaced his previous emotion. "I have no reason to be your enemy. What happened was only a slight oversight on my part." Orion bowed slightly. "I apologize for the inconvenience." The two Queens nodded in satisfaction. Any man capable of showing humility was a good thing in their eyes. "So, what did you do to arrive at such a result?" Drania left her seat and used her speed to move closer to him. Something Orion became used to. "I can''t tell you the full explanation, but if you want a simple answer, I can tell you." Nodding rapidly like a child, Drania waited for Orion to speak. "I just fired an arrow; it pulverized a rock into dust, and said arrow traveled until it hit the ground further away from its trajectory, creating that new landscape." As he glanced at Drania, only disbelief appeared on her face. Her dragonfly wings stopped flapping all of a sudden while she looked at her sister, who had the same reaction. ''This is bad, sis. Maybe it is not the right moment to play the simple-minded? We should explain to him now, don''t you think?'' ''Not yet; he hasn''t shown a single ounce of his power. He might have obtained his legacy, but he''s not ready to learn the origin yet. He displays promising growth, so we need to keep an eye on him for now.'' The two sisters began to speak with their eyes, or more accurately, in their minds. Living a long time together and being twins made them able to read each other''s minds with incredible ease. The instant Drania nodded, the wings on her back flapped at full speed before she vanished from her spot to reappear in her seat. ''I''ll never understand how those two possess such speed. Why do they not fight if they possess this attribute?'' Orion wondered about the monsters below. Now that his movement speed while using the ''First Gear'' was constant and painless, he understood how speed was one of the best weapons in this world. Attacking, dodging, countering, fleeing... all those tactics were much easier to perform with greater speed. But those two didn''t seem to participate in the fights against the corrupt beasts below. ''It doesn''t make sense; why not use all of your power if you can? They definitely have something making them unable to participate.'' As he continued pondering, Dramia and Drania discussed many things related to Orion''s power. They were convinced Orion was hiding something important. The room stayed silent for a few more minutes, until someone broke the silence. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "I need to go; I have to prepare for the mission. I also have a fight with someone else planned." "Yes, we know. Our commander, Karteira, came to ask for permission yesterday to have a bout with you. As she seemed quite excited, we have accepted. You''ve decided to accept her request, too, it appears." A confident nod answered Dramia. "Yes, though be reassured, I won''t use that stupidly strong shot again. My body cannot support multiple of those." Touching his wrist, he frowned. ''I almost broke my wrist with the recoil, so it''s not something I can use repeatedly.'' Orion was starting to understand what the ''Overdrive'' ability did to his body. Other than his arm, no other limbs were influenced. Since he slotted the arrow into the groove with his right hand and held the crossbow with his left hand, the power was transmitted to the arrow instead of his arm. His left hand not being strengthened or reinforced meant that the amount of power coming from a shot was dangerous. Breaking his wrist would be the worst thing to happen on a battlefield, so he refused to use it until he had a way to mitigate or completely negate that pain. After finishing his sentence, he stood up from his chair and walked to the door. Before leaving, he turned to the Queens, still sitting at the table while sipping their cup of tea. "Feel free to come see the fight. I''m sure she would be happy to have an audience cheering her on. Though I''ve seen when I stepped into this realm that she was not very much liked by her peers." He shrugged and left the room. ... Once Orion walked out of the room, Dramia placed her cup on the tray and spoke to herself. "Is it because he acknowledged Karteira''s strength that he shows such respect to her? For some reason, he expresses the same respectful behavior toward us. Has he already deduced our strength?" Drania was also pondering while making her chair stand on two feet. "I''m certain he doesn''t know that much. He might be wondering why we haven''t resolved the problem of corruption by ourselves, and I could understand if he were suspicious of us. Instead, he keeps treating us normally." Her sister, too, was constantly watching his every move. "There''s no reaction coming from him anymore when I approach him." With a faint smile on her face, Drania looked at the ceiling. "Usually, when I do that, it either scares the guest or makes them angry. He is different. So different yet quite familiar. Noah, too, was cold, but never in a bad way." "We had forgotten about him until now, but seeing Orion seems to have reignited our memories. We need to wait for now, as the moment we are freed, we will be able to support him." They both nodded to each other before turning to the tree trunk. "Did you speak to Tiohr?" "I had to. She said it was alright to do whatever we wanted. We''ve protected her until now, so we have the right to protect others too, she said." "Won''t she be lonely if we left? How much time have we spent next to her?" "Too long. I want to see something else. I need to see the state of the world. The same world Noah shoved on our shoulders before leaving us alone." Drania brought her chair back to its four feet and hugged her sister, who was sitting next to her. "Don''t force yourself too much; there''s no need to think about what has not yet happened. Let''s continue to observe for now." Dramia, being hugged by her sister, felt relatively uncomfortable. "I don''t say that usually, but the way you can change your behavior from being an airhead to a perfect older sister is scary." "Wha-" The two sisters continued joking around for a few minutes before exiting the room. "..." A small sigh of satisfaction echoed inside the empty room. "..." "These children. No, they are full-fledged women now... Maybe they will finally be able to turn the page and live for themselves after this. I should prepare, too." Tiohr-nam woke up for a few seconds before falling back into a deep sleep to preserve her energy. ~ "Oh, you''re back? How was it? Did you get scolded?" Amelia was waiting for Orion in his room. The smirk she had on her face was quite unpleasant to him. "No, I did not get scolded. I did expect it, but they seemed more concerned about another matter. Since there were no injured fairies, it did not cause any problems." She closed the book taken from Orion''s bag and immediately switched to being serious. "Orion, I have a bad feeling. My instincts are telling me someone is trying to snatch you from me!" Or so Orion thought before being disappointed. ''So much for a serious mood.'' "Can''t you stop with that? It''s the third time since coming back yesterday evening that you said that. There''s no one trying to ''snatch'' me away from you, alright?" "Don''t underestimate a woman''s instincts! I can''t shake it off, and it''s only getting worse. I need to find out who it is before it is too late. Is it one of those Queens? Maybe an inhabitant saw you and fell for your charm yesterday." "''What are you, my mother?''" Orion grumbled. ''Damn it, I''ve let my inner voice slip out.'' "Well, at least I''ll be proud to say to your mother that I protected you from all the vile women only going for your body. Though, it is a well-built body, I can''t lie on that." "Can you stop now? I''m starting to get bored by this skit. Moreover, why did you take this book out again?" He pointed to the book holding his secrets. He did manage to see that Amelia was on page 41 before she closed it, so he knew she was looking at it once again. "I simply wanted to see this picture again. The pearl beach is so beautiful that I can only dream about it." She closed her eyes, probably imagining herself near that beach. (One day, I''ll take you there.) He whispered this so low that she did not pick it up. "Well, I''m going for my daily training, and you''re coming with me. You still haven''t shown much improvement in earth magic, right? Today, you''re going to spar with me using only that." He took her hand and hurriedly moved outside, almost dragging her. "Wait! Wait, I haven''t changed! I''m not ready, please!" Realizing he was too eager, Orion released her. After being scolded, he had to wait for her to change, and then they both left to train. Chapter 40: The three letters arrived. A few days have passed since the incident Orion caused. His daily life, as usual, turned out to be mostly training. Now that he had found a new type of training to focus on, the workouts were quite different. He had a defined goal in mind. Alas, a more important issue kept hindering his training. Discussing the current condition of the fairy Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam, they concluded that she had around two weeks left before her energy was completely depleted. Nonetheless, Amelia was forced to stay by his side as he desperately needed to train the ''Second Gear''. To that end, it didn''t take much to agree, since Amelia enjoyed her time with him. Although, concerning the ''Overdrive'' state of his right arm, she refused. Nothing was able to make her stance shift. Determined to protect Orion from unnecessary injuries at this time, she crossed her arms and spoke with a deep frown. "It''s for your own good; start with perfecting your leg before trying to do both at the same time." There was no need to fight with her, as even for him, doing both was unlikely to happen. With less than two weeks remaining, controlling both abilities was impossible. Even if he did, the result would be questionably useful. Such firepower was far too destructive to be useful in an enclosed tunnel underground. ''I don''t plan to be buried alive.'' It was his first thought. In the end, he focused on improving the time he was able to use the ''Second Gear''. The intense heat was a good way to gauge how close he was to his limit. He already knew how to be efficient in training, as he had three years of experience working on the ''First Gear''. However, the ''Second Gear'' was something entirely different; each time he used it, he became increasingly effective. Each time he used it, he gained half a second of wiggle room. It wasn''t quite how it actually worked, but that was how it felt. During this week of intense training, a few letters eventually arrived in the homes of their corresponding recipients. The first letter to arrive was the day after the Queens summoned Orion. The city to which it was going was the closest to Albriar: Turric, the city closest to the south. Eric Layman was the first to receive a letter. His city was located in the coldest part of the continent, the Frigoria Plains, resulting in an average year-round temperature no higher than 15 ¡ãC (59 ¡ãF). Many people walked in warm clothes at all times. Besides resolving the issues and helping those in need, Eric never meddled in the matters of his people. This led to people respecting him for his leadership and integrity. In the early morning, Eric walked out of his house and walked to his mailbox. With a quick glance inside, he noticed a letter with an unfamiliar seal. He returned inside his house, which looked remarkably ordinary, and sat on a chair. Staring at the letter, he opened his hand. A sharp stone formed from thin air before Eric used it to open the envelope. "Did you receive a letter? That''s rare. I thought you had no friends." A woman''s voice caught his attention as he opened the letters. "Excuse you? What was that for? Of course, I have friends. My subordinates are my friends." Eric''s wife was smirking at him from the couch. "Alright, if you say so." Caroline Layman, Eric''s wife, stopped looking at him from over the couch. Lazily sliding back to her laid-back posture, she went back to the book she was reading. She had short blonde hair stopping just above her shoulder and a mole located on her left earlobe, which could be easily mistaken for an earring. Eric focused back on the item in his hands, slightly frustrated by his wife''s comment. Even so, he still loved her dearly, making him forget about it instantly. His eyes fell on the words written across the paper as he began to read the letter in his head. ''Dear Eric Layman,'' ''I have some incredible news to share with the three of you.'' ''I have made contact with the man who assassinated that disgrace of a man who was Kiel during the ceremony. That man was seeking the fairy faction inside ''Dead White Forest''.'' His eyes opened wide, unable to contain the words from leaving his mouth. "Already? As expected of Albriar''s Lord." Caroline looked over the couch once again. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Hmm?" With a faint smile, he pointed at the papers. "Nothing, just the content of the letter." She answered with a smile of her own before returning to her book again. "Alright." Scanning the next sentence, his jaws dropped at the amount of information Florian was able to gather. ''I''ve managed to obtain his name, and I also learned that he wasn''t alone. He had an accomplice with him all along.'' ''His name is Orion, and his partner is a woman called Amelia. Both were extremely cautious and ready to strike me down at any given time.'' He nodded. "I can sympathize. I wouldn''t trust a man from the side of my enemy, either." ''I made a promise to him that we would welcome him into our territory to show him how we treat our own fellow men and even the other factions around us.'' ''He agreed, saying that if it was on his way and that he felt like it, he would think about it.'' ''If he enters your city, please receive him accordingly. His partner told me that they can easily wipe any city from the continent as a result of their relationship with the dragons, so no funny business. Your life is at stake here.'' ''On the next page is a sketch I''ve made of both. Use it to identify them. As I''ve given your names, they will definitely look for you if they intend to meet you.'' ''This is all I needed to say. Be careful out there.'' ''Your friend, Florian Delur.'' Eric placed the first letter on the table while keeping the second one in his hand. He stared at the drawing depicting Orion and Amelia in their smallest of details. What was outstanding was that the drawing even had colors. "This is definitely the guy we saw at the ceremony. This Florian is doing quite the dangerous part. We''ll have to treat him to something next time we run into him." Someone walked behind him, placing her head on his right shoulder. "Wow, what a cutie! Who''s that girl?" "No idea; I''ve never seen her before, either. She''s this man''s companion, it seems." "Oh, the one that killed a high-ranking member of the human army?" Caroline straightened while placing both hands on his shoulders. "The same one. We were looking for him, knowing that he could become a precious ally in making this world more tolerable for everyone." Since she was his wife and he rarely kept details hidden from her, she obviously knew about everything he did and saw. "Well, what about them?" With a nod, she turned her head toward the paper. "They might come here one day. We''ll have to receive them as guests." "What?! You''re serious? Oh, my! This is great; I will be able to see this cutie in the flesh!" Rubbing his eyebrows together, Eric thought to himself. ''Why did I marry her again?'' Listening to his wife''s excitement over Amelia''s cuteness, Eric smiled warmly. ~ A day later, the next letter arrived in a port city to the west of Triazils. Noctelagia was the second-closest to Albriar. Olivia Lakis, Lord of Noctelagia, received her letter shortly after. This city, which she inherited from her tyrant father, was a port city on the west side of the continent. As the Lakis grew in power over the past century, they lost all sense of realism as they built an extravagant high castle in the middle of the city. While she also inherited it, Olivia refused to live inside of it. Instead, she began to live in a residence further away from that place. She was warmly regarded by the citizens and even accepted as a good ruler by the subservient factions, treated as nothing more than free and expendable labor around her, before taking the place of the previous Apostle. Surprisingly, she handled the resisting members, who were determined to force her to resign, with an iron hand. She sentenced each one of them to live on an island in the middle of the Carmel Sea. The corrupt men of her father, the soldiers, the merchants¡ª everyone who showed corruption in their behavior disappeared. Although she lived in a bigger house than her citizens, they never spoke ill of her, as she was kind and worked with determination to accept their requests while improving the lives of her people. Nevertheless, work still had to be done in the castle. Separating work from private life, Olivia walked to her desk and sat down inside the study room. Two of her maids walked on each side, one of them with a letter in hand. The dark-haired maid gently placed the letter on the desk before sliding it toward her master. "Who sent this?" She turned to the maid and questioned her. "It appears to be coming from Lord Florian Delur." Lifting an eyebrow, Olivia picked up the letter and looked at the seal. "Sir Florian? Then I should hurry and read it." She instantly applied her water magic to her fingernail, creating a small blade to cut a straight line at the top of the envelope. Olivia pulled the first letter, but inadvertently dropped the second one on the desk. "This man! Did Sir Florian find him already?" With an excited grin, she picked up the drawing and began to read the first letter. ''Dear Olivia Lakis,'' ... The content of the letter was the same, with small variations. "I can''t believe it! His name is Orion. He is still the most handsome man I have ever seen in my whole life." She had a dreamy expression on her face while staring at his picture. "But I have to wonder who this woman is. Is she special to him? I''m quite intrigued by her; there''s something about her face that I can''t quite get my finger on." Tapping her finger on her cheek, she looked away. "Well, there''s no reason to think too much about it; we have to prepare to avoid disappointing him when he comes. Girls, can you go fetch the next pile of documents, please?" Olivia carefully folded the papers and placed them in a drawer while asking her maids. The maid left the room, leaving the hardworking Olivia in her study. ~ The last letter to arrive was two days later, after Olivia received hers. The final recipient was located in Hocride, in the Parsmata Desert, known for its white sand. Hocride was the biggest port city on Triazils. It was the richest city and the most thriving of all the cities. The laws were especially strict toward merchants, making them care for their merchandise and how they did business inside the city. Money was dispatched equally toward the management of it all and the resource center. That center was a building that the Lord of Hocride specifically asked to be built, as Kamala herself rarely entered a debate with anyone. She hired many capable people to resolve the citizens'' problems and complaints. As she showed a great deal of support for each person coming to trade, her laws were rarely broken, and complaints rarely ensued. At that time, the city''s ruler, Kamala Genathis, was enjoying a cup of tea on her balcony, gazing at the gleaming sea. "Lady Kamala, we received a letter from the Albriar''s Lord. It most likely comes from the Apostle Florian Delur." A servant came to her with a letter and a pocket knife on a tray. He placed them on the table next to her and headed back inside. Without a word, she picked up the envelope and cut the side of the envelope with the knife. Once opened, she spun the letter around and tapped on the bottom, making the content of the envelope drop on the table. She took the papers and began to read them. ''...'' After a few minutes, a sight escaped her mouth. She smiled while looking at the letter, most likely knowing that Florian was fine after facing Kiel''s ''murderer''. Thinking that maybe the other side could be acting on circumstances, she believed that perhaps the man was willing to listen to them. As a woman of few words, she was expecting the future visit of Orion to be a short one, with him losing patience and taking her life. Still, she was glad to learn she had a chance to meet someone who could protect the world she herself wanted to keep safe. ~ Soon after everyone received their letters, something incredible happened inside the fairy realm, which made Orion think again about bringing Amelia into the corrupt underground. Chapter 41: The solution to his problem. The day after the secretly rebelling Apostles received their letters, something happened in the fairy realm. Orion was training while Amelia watched over him, releasing or stopping the flow of power to prevent over-exhaustion. The current training was simple footwork, simulating his battle against past mutated beasts he fought. He was smoothly avoiding each hit the imaginary enemies threw at him. This was how he improved his proficiency using the ''Second Gear''. It was going well so far. This helped him push the restriction and enabled it to be used for five minutes until overheating. A week was enough for him to extend its use from thirty seconds to five minutes, thanks to the familiarity between the two modes. But, there was something he missed during this training: an enemy he never expected inconvenienced him when he moved. That enemy was a pebble. He tripped over it during a dodge and inadvertently caught Amelia in his fall. Luckily, no one was injured. Everything began at this moment. "Amelia, I''m sorry... Are you alright?" Orion was lying on his stomach, confused about what had happened. "I''m fine; don''t worry. You caught me before falling, so I''m fine. I never expected you to fall on me all of a sudden, though." "That was quite hilarious. What happened?" He tried to stand up, but something stopped him from doing so. "I think I tripped on a rock..." Glancing over his shoulder at Amelia, snickering mockingly at his unfortunate fall, Orion frowned. "Stop laughing and get off me already." Sitting on his lower back, Amelia giggled without a care. "I don''t want to. You have the strength to lift me up, so why don''t you do it?" Forced to stay in this awkward position, Orion pondered. ''Why is she doing this? I need to train more.'' Then, he did exactly that. "Fine, but don''t complain if you get hurt." She hugged his neck when she felt him standing up, as she was going to fall off. "There, happy? Now get off. Why are you still clinging to my back?" It was an uncomfortable situation for Orion. Amelia had her arms around his neck and her legs wrapped around his waist. "It''s fine from time to time, right? My height is so different from yours; can''t you let me enjoy the view for a minute?" *Sigh* Letting out a sigh, Orion''s shoulders dropped. "I never expected the wonderful Amelia to bother me during training." She poked his right cheek with her finger. "It''s beginning to be boring watching you move around unpredictably. I''ve improved my control over earth magic, so I want to do something else." Her earth magic control had greatly improved during this week. She now had a clear ranking of her magic on a scale of 0 to 10. Water and wind magic were at a 6, earth magic was at a 4, lightning magic was at a 3, and her fire magic was at a 2. The progress was there, but she was still far from mastering any of her elements. "Orion, try moving around. I want to experience your speed. You haven''t shown me how it feels yet." Adjusting her position, she lifted her chest, grabbed his shoulders tightly, wrapped her legs around his hips so that she wasn''t hindering her movement, and glued her stomach to his back. "Fine, but after that, you allow me to continue. I have very little time to improve." "Yes, my grumpy friend, I''ll let you continue your boring training, so amuse me for a minute, will you?" Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Orion shrugged, then proceeded to grab her thighs to tightly secure her. "Hyaa! Where are you touching me?" Her sudden yelp caused Orion to freeze before putting it in a corner of his brain. "Close your mouth so that you don''t bite your tongue." He leaned forward, bringing forth the phantoms he had been fighting earlier. ''She''s light; I can''t even feel her weight on me. This is a strange feeling.'' He continued to hold her tight while making turns left and right. Amelia was silent, focusing on adapting her sight to the shifting scenery. They continued to move around the many rocks in the area for four minutes, until Orion thought it was a good stopping point. The burning was beginning to bother him. "How is the burning?" His eyes opened wide as Amelia''s voice sounded very close to his ear. ''I had completely forgotten she was on my back.'' Glancing over his shoulder, their gazes met. "I''m fine. I stopped before it started to hurt. How about you, not sick?" Leaning slightly to his right, Amelia shook her head. "At first, I was slightly frightened, but after a bit, I could almost understand what you were imagining from your movements. I can''t believe you managed to move so freely with me on your back." With a nod, Orion looked away. "You are as light as a feather, so it wasn''t a problem to run around like I usually do. I was afraid you would be somewhat of a bother, but on the contrary, I felt barely any change from usual." A bright smile appeared on her face. "This is the second compliment you''ve given to me since you''ve said my eyes were beautiful. Thank you." "Let me get down now; I''ve promised to let you continue in peace." She tapped on her shoulder while asking him to drop her. ''Maybe... I can use it.'' Suddenly, an idea came into Orion''s mind. "Amelia, stay on my back." "Huh? But I thought-" He cut her comment short and continued speaking his idea out loud. "Bring your daggers out, and try to stay balanced without grabbing my neck. I''ll keep my grip on you to avoid you falling off. Try to create an earth dagger this time too." Confusion clearly appeared on her face as she did as asked. ''What is he thinking about? Well, he won''t hear me complain, but where is he going with this strange idea?'' Amelia focused on her element, and her magic activated. A sphere of dirt with a ring of rocks the size of a ball appeared in her right hand. "It seems like this element is way more complex than the wind and the water elements. I can''t control much of the rock surrounding the main sphere." She closed her eyes and imagined that sphere taking the shape of her usual daggers. Orion watched the process quietly, amazed by Amelia''s manipulation of her own magic. ''She might have a specific ability for that; I should ask the tree after we secure the ring. Perhaps it can describe our abilities in detail.'' He internally nodded, planning to have a discussion with Tiohr-nam about their power. Amelia continued to focus on her magic as he fell into deep thoughts. The dirt sphere began to morph into a hilt, and the stone merged into the form of a sharp blade. Everything seamlessly glued itself together, and her new dagger was finished. Sweat glistened on her forehead, as the concentration needed to create a new dagger was massive. "So, what is its name? You have ''Dan''a for the water element, ''Aura'' for the wind element; what''s this one''s name?" Amelia pondered his question while staring at the dagger in her hand. "I wonder. Give me a second." Many names popped up and passed through her mind. From those countless names, only one caught her attention. The dagger itself reacted by vibrating, showing its approval. When she acknowledged her own element''s request, she decided to give that name to it. "Ceres." Orion nodded, imprinting that name in his brain. "Another beautiful name. I don''t know how you keep finding those names, but maybe they represent a part of you? I can''t know for sure, since I don''t understand the meaning of those names." A blush appeared on her face; luckily enough, she was hidden behind him, so he was unable to notice. The next dagger she created with ease was her first greatest element, the water dagger, Dana. "I sensed that these two wanted to be used together, so I went with it." Orion looked at his surroundings and turned his head as much as he could to observe Amelia''s posture. "I''m going to go full ''First Gear''. You better stay straight." "Don''t do anything silly. You just have to get used to this posture. Bring your daggers like you do when you get ready for a fight." She did as asked and placed her hands like she does when ready to strike an enemy. The two arms crossed each other, and her daggers switched sides while doing so over Orion''s head. "Good, you''re ready? Focus; only get used to the speed for now." Amelia nodded, still unsure of this whole thing. "I''m ready, though I still don''t understand what you''re going to do." He closed his eyes and felt the energy of the ''Second Gear'' dissipate, replaced by the steady flow of the ''First Gear'' in his left leg. He exhaled and leaned on his leg, moving in an ''8'' pattern around the many rocks in the area. During this first session, which took twenty minutes, Amelia had a hard time maintaining her posture on Orion''s back. The sudden turns and U-turns he took made it difficult to stay upright. A breathless Amelia was now on all fours in the grass, coughing as her throat was closed up. "Here, have a drink." Extending a water bottle that was in his bag to her, Orion smiled. She took it and drank a third of it slowly. "You did way better than I was expecting. In twenty minutes of intense movement, you lost your posture three times, and you remained straight for most of it. Maybe this idea will not be a worthless one for once." "What... do you mean?" She was still breathing heavily, but the coughing had stopped. The air pressure she was constantly subjected to on his back dried her throat. After drinking, she felt better. Orion explained at that moment. "It''s simple; I''m going to train with you on my back for a few days, and I''ll bring you with me on the ring retrieval mission." Shock painted her entire face. Since Orion was adamant about not bringing her along, this was her only reaction. "While on my back, I can easily protect you. I''ll need you to slash at any enemies in sight, though, and this will require training." Orion had already thought of the problems he would encounter in the underground tunnels. This solution was perfect to counterbalance it. "Using my crossbows underground where tunnels are not necessarily straight is not a decent idea, and I needed something to combat that fact." "Having you do the attacking and me do the dodging is way smarter. Still, it all depends on how fast you can adapt to my movement speed." This was a very strange concept. A piggyback battle stance. "Once you are ready enough, we''re going to Karteira for a fight. We''ll see if you can hit her while I focus on dodging." And thus, another hellish training began, when all she wanted was a bit of fun. "You''re joking? This is an outrageous idea!" Her yell echoed in the empty field as Orion continued to train with her on his back all afternoon. Chapter 42: Karteira, the Cerulean Aegis. The following days were once again packed with training. Now having to train their teamwork along with the many other things they had to do, these days became pure horror for Amelia. Three days after they had started, on the way back to the village, late into the night. "I think we just about have what I was looking for." "The stance is fine, your stability is perfect, and our signals were chosen correctly. We can finally process to the final challenge." Orion was carrying Amelia in his arms like a princess. She was totally exhausted, to the point of not being able to walk. Three days of non-stop training with only two breaks to eat and only the night to rest. For Amelia, who didn''t possess the stamina he had, this was tough. The strength required just to stay straight at every change of direction Orion took while moving as fast as a running horse was beyond belief. Not many people were able to perfectly balance themselves on a horse with a weapon in their hands, so it was unsurprising that Amelia would struggle too. But, she made it in three days. Enough for Orion to recognize her efforts, which he rewarded in the form of a bridal carry. "You mean we''re going to fight Karteira? Don''t you think this is a bit too much for her to handle? I heard from the Queens that the fairies were not meant to fight." Opening her eyes tiredly, she spoke softly. "I heard from the tree that Karteira was the last child she created, made specifically to fight. She cannot be a weakling like the others." Amelia then basked in the atmosphere and enjoyed Orion''s warmth. "Well, if you say so, I wouldn''t mind having a definitive result on how we perform. Wasting so much energy for it not to work would just depress me." He stared at her and laughed when he saw her sigh depressingly. "Even if it doesn''t help immediately, this training wasn''t in vain. It would be useful occasionally, mainly if I have to protect you in case your magic stops working like it should." An unusually serious expression appeared on her face. "Like the underground tunnels we are supposed to go through? When are you going to enter it? There are only a few days remaining before the tree is expected to die, right?" Orion nodded with the same seriousness. "In two days. After the fight with Karteira, we''re going to save that tree and retrieve my father''s ring." He had already decided. There was really little time left. Four days was the limit for Tiohr-nam; any later would be too late, and the ring would fall to the corrupt beasts. "Alright, does that mean you''re taking me with you?" "Tomorrow''s fight will be your answer. Don''t let your guard down; we don''t know what she is capable of." Amelia nodded, bringing her fists close to her chest in a ready-to-go pose. "Who are you talking about, might I ask?" As they were walking past the entrance to the village, someone managed to hear the conversation and called them. "Oh, what a pleasant surprise, if it isn''t Karteira. We were talking about you just now." Grinning at Karteira for an unknown reason, Orion took her by surprise. "I see. Did you need something from me then?" She was feeling slightly uncomfortable, as if he knew something. ''Wait, does he know that I''ve been watching his training routine every day? There''s no way!'' A dreadful thought appeared in her head. Her scorpion tail moved slightly down. "Yes, I was thinking that it would be a good time to have that fight we''d agreed upon when you visited me." Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. She perked up at the news. This was great for her, as she really wanted to fight him since the day he unleashed his full power. "This is great! So what are we waiting for?" "Slow down. I won''t be fighting you today, but tomorrow." "In the morning, preferably. And it''s going to be a two-versus-one. Though, I won''t attack you, Amelia will." He glanced at Amelia, who appeared confident in front of the fairy. ''I can feel it. She''s after him. I don''t mind it, but she won''t walk over me! I''ll teach her that I''m far stronger than her!'' A bit disappointed by the fact that Orion wasn''t going to unleash his power upon her, she still agreed. "Well, it''s too bad I won''t be receiving those powerful arrows, but I''m also intrigued by her overall power." "You might have noticed, but I''ve been watching you train for the past few days. I know what you plan to do in our fight. I won''t go down easily; I''m not the strongest for nothing." She also displayed a great deal of confidence. "Well, then, it''s decided. We''ll come to the training area near the portal in the morning, an hour after sunrise." Orion nodded until she did the same. "It''s a deal! I''ll be waiting for you." Karteira turned away, her tail dancing from left to right. ''She''s definitely looking forward to it. I wasn''t wrong; she was the one watching us all this time. This was to be expected from a battle addict.'' She was terrible at hiding her presence. Orion noticed her the first day they began training but ignored her as she wasn''t bothering them. "It was the first time I talked to someone carrying a girl like that. Rest well tonight; I don''t want any of you exhausted before the fight. See you later." She waved and left the place, leaving Amelia with a terrible emotion of shame, realizing she was still being carried even through the village. "You can let me down... Please." Amelia thrashed lightly while blushing. "No way! That''s not going to happen. I said I''d carry you home, so I''ll do it." Stopping her attempt to get down, she remained motionless in his arms, her mind cursing him as he walked further into the village. ''Stubborn as always! Why are you like that? Read the room, damn it!'' And like that, they both got back to their rooms to rest. ~ *CRACK* "Oh! Lord Elliott, another one of the seals broke, I see! That is great news!" A crazed Layla was seated at a desk inside the church building. "It is only a matter of time before you will freely walk this continent once again! And when it happens, we''ll finally bring all those unworthy to their graves!" A maniacal laugh came out of her mouth. "Anyway, there are still many seals left; until then, many matters have to be sorted out." She looked back at the papers on her desk. ... In the room behind the altar where the ceremony took place, a giant crystal with a blond man sealed inside was shaking. An evil voice leaked out from the few cracks on the crystal''s surface. "Not long, just you wait! I''ll correct my mistake soon enough." The remaining seals were now down to seven. These last seven being the strongest ones, it would take a long time for him to break free. But was it really that simple? ~ Morning, the moment when the air was the most humid, where the sun''s rays gently caressed the skin, and when the sky showed the most beautiful cyan blue. The duo walked toward the training area in the village. They both enjoyed the morning the most, so they were in a great mood. "Are you ready? You''re not feeling ill or anything?" Orion looked at Amelia walking beside him. "Stop worrying every time. The training we do is not enough to hurt me anymore, you know. And yes, I''m ready." "I''m just asking. Before, you said I never asked you and that I was cold to you, and now I''m worrying too much." He shrugged. It was difficult to understand women every so often. "That was so long ago! I said that one time, and you entirely changed after that. I never expected you to truly care." They bantered as usual and arrived before long. "I see you are in a good mood. I''m glad to not be the only one looking forward to it." Karteira was already ready to go on the side of the training area. She was wearing a full-body outfit. She changed from her worn pants to more flexible jeans and took off her jacket, letting only her gray shirt be visible. Her cleavage was in plain sight, but Orion wasn''t interested enough to even look at it. "Well, hello. It is a good morning to have a friendly fight, so obviously we are in a good mood." "Have you forgotten? We have the stress of that day to unleash on you, too." Orion cracked his neck, and Amelia began to stretch her arms. "I remember you saying that. So, don''t you need some protection? I don''t think taking my stinger would be painless for you." Orion laughed at the sudden care. "If you can hit me, that is. I don''t need physical protection; just in case, I have Amelia''s wind barrier." He would rather not be hindered by weight, so they thought of another method, and the wind barrier won the prize of being the most resistant to piercing damages. Water was great against slashes, and earth was great against strikes. "Well, you''re prepared for it; I can clearly see that." Taking her advice back, Karteira crossed her arms with a smile on her face. "What about you? You don''t seem to be in an outfit to fight us." Amelia wondered if she was throwing the match before it began. "You''ll see. It is no fun if I reveal my secret already, right?" She moved toward the center of the arena and began to stretch, too. She forced her tail to move in different directions while spinning a few times. "I wonder what she is doing. I''ve never seen someone spin during stretches." She was totally intrigued by the person in front of her. For a battle addict, Karteira was quite normal right now. She was quite original too, showing plenty of moves Amelia wasn''t expecting to see. "I don''t know either, but that''s part of her routine, so it should have a positive effect on her." After preparing for five minutes, both sides stood in front of each other. "Alright, hop on my back." Orion pointed his thumb at his back before Amelia jumped on him. She locked her legs around his waist and took the fighting stance she worked so hard to perfect. "Dana, Ceres." Two of her daggers appeared in her hands. Her stance was now complete, ready to battle with the fairy commander. "Are you ready, Karteira? Because we are." "Wait a second." Karteira closed her eyes and activated her own ability. "Cerulean Aegis!" After saying that, her whole body began to show changes. Chapter 43: A friendly fight between monsters. (Part 1) "Are we late?!" "I don''t think we are; look." Two fairies were flying at high speed toward the training area from the castle. Dramia and Drania, the twin fairy Queens, were slightly late for the fight between Orion, Amelia, and Karteira. As Orion said, they were both welcomed to see the fight, and after thinking about it, they thought it would be a good idea to watch them. Perhaps they could find a way to help him before he left for the underground tunnels. "They haven''t started yet! That''s good." Excited, Drania pointed at the training field. "Cerulean Aegis!" The two were able to hear Karteira shout from a distance. "Wait! She''s going full throttle? They don''t stand a chance then!" They both managed to arrive before the fight began and before Karteira''s full transformation was finished. "We made it in time. Good thing we are the fastest." In her usual coldness, Dramia crossed her arms after landing at the border of the field. "You''re right about that, sis." Drania placed her feet on the ground and waved to the fighters to make them notice them. Orion was the first to notice. "The Queens have accepted my offer to come see our fight; that''s great." He was pretty happy to see them because he quite liked their personalities. Even though they were strange, they still took the time to converse with him about fairy knowledge. They were friendlier, especially Dramia, than he thought at first. "Ah, you''re right." Amelia waved at them gently in response. Karteira was still in her transformation phase, so she wasn''t able to notice them yet. Plates began to form over her skin. Dozens of blue plates began to cover her body. Her arms, her legs, her back, her stomach, her tail, and her neck. Only the head wasn''t covered by thick plates. Her right leg plates showed the same scar as she had on her skin. A long exhalation of hot air left her mouth the moment the changes stopped. "It''s always making me so hot to use this thing, I swear. What was mother thinking when she created me?" After finishing her transformation, she glanced toward the tree, Tiohr-nam, with a saddened gaze. Orion and Amelia were stunned. How could they expect her to have such a trump card. "I thought your tail was your only weapon, but I was wrong, it seems. Color me surprised." Karteira laughed happily after hearing his surprise. "Well, I use it against the beasts that attack us. Though, before we start, could I ask for a favor?" "Sure, what is it?" With a nod, Orion listened. "If you could avoid hitting my right leg during the fight, I would be grateful. It''s still a recent wound, and I would like to avoid opening it again. Could you do that?" Orion turned his head to Amelia, asking for her answer, as she was the one to strike at her. "Of course I can do that; I wasn''t even going to hurt her, for that matter. It''s a friendly match, not a death match. I''ve dulled the blades to avoid cutting her skin, just in case." Satisfied with the answer, he looked back in front of him. "You''ve heard her. That won''t happen." Confirming that this was really just a bout to test their strength, Karteira nodded. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Thank you. I''m grateful for that. I''ll avoid any vital organs with my tail as a token of gratitude." She gratefully bowed, displaying her pride as a warrior. "Fine by us, you just have to focus your hits on me. I won''t let you touch me, though, so be prepared to hit my dust." Her eyes brightened at the thought of challenging Orion''s speed. "Hah! You know how to trigger me! Alright, get rea-" Suddenly, her eyes picked up movement to her right. "Wait, the Queens are here? I just noticed. How are you?" She finally noticed the twins on the side of the arena. They waved back at her, exchanging words shortly. "We''re doing fine, so focus on your fight." "Go for it! Show him the pride of the fairies!" Karteira scratched her cheek, embarrassed by the sudden praise from Drania. "Can you give us the starting call?" Orion turned to them and asked the Queens to be the ones to start the fight. "It''s fine, right, sis? Can I do it?" With puppy eyes, Drania looked at her sister. "Yes, feel free to do it. I won''t, though." "Great!" Drania walked closer, but was still far from the three in the center of the arena. She brought her left hand above her head and dropped it abruptly. "You can begin!" She flew back to her sister at the same speed she used when she approached Orion before. Orion and Karteira were looking at each other intensely. Neither began to move. Amelia was tense, expecting the fight to start at any moment, but she had to wait until Orion began to move. She felt a pressure on her thighs and immediately understood that he was about to rush in. She dropped her current posture and straightened immediately, ready to slice. Her back felt a sudden pressure as her vision captured all sides of Karteira rapidly. Karteira was motionless, simply observing Orion, who was running in circles around her. At the last moment, he noticed a slight movement from her tail and jumped. Her tail moved incredibly fast, swiping under his feet to make him fall. He took the chance and closed in. "His first mistake is that Karteira isn''t just good with her tail, she also knows how to fight with her hands." "Those plates of hers also act like gauntlets, so you''re in for a lot of pain if you get hit!" The two sisters felt like commenting on the fight. As Orion moved closer to her, Karteira launched a swift strike toward his side. He saw it and thought about evading it, but ignored the urge to avoid it and left it to his companion. "HUMPF!" Amelia caught the strike with Ceres. Sparks flew from the two colliding objects. She managed to deflect the hit without being destabilized. ''Alright, she''s still stable. It''s time to pressure her a bit more.'' Orion was still considering improving Amelia''s riding experience. He wanted her to be perfect if she were to follow him. Backing off when he felt the scorpion tail come back for him, he dodged the stinger and made some distance between them. "You''re fast, I''ll give you that. I didn''t expect experiencing it firsthand to be so different from seeing it." "But if that''s all you have to give me, then it''s not going to work." Karteira leaped forward, ready to punch him in the stomach. "Amelia, ''Second Gear''." "No!" "..." Karteira stopped in her tracks and looked at them with a blank stare. "Wait, I''m sorry! It was a reflex. I''ll do it." Panicking slightly, she noticed Orion''s frown. "Pffft..." Everyone around began to laugh, even Dramia, who was trying her best not to chuckle. "Don''t laugh! It''s not my fault! He''s the one always asking for impossible requests!" "My, she''s adorable, isn''t she?" Karteira wiped her tears and got back to her previous stance, back to being serious. "She is, though I wish she wouldn''t do it while we fight." He felt the energy of the ''First Gear'' get overtaken by the ''Second Gear''. When everything flowed like it should, he gripped Amelia tighter. "Get ready, Amelia, show me what you got!" If the ''First Gear'' was the speed of a horse, the ''Second Gear'' was almost double that. He was able to run alongside a gliding bird now. He stepped on the ground, and with a dust cloud, he moved swiftly around Karteira. Amelia was trained to focus during the ''Second Gear''. She was capable of seeing each detail as if she were standing still after countless hours of enduring this pressure. As for Karteira, she had her eyes wide open in amazement. She never expected such speed from someone carrying another person, even if she had seen it previously. "What is this speed? How can he move so fast with Amelia on his back?" "Sis, do you think anyone can do this?" "Of course not! I''m more concerned about Amelia. Is she alright being moved around like this?" Even the sisters were questioning what they were seeing. Back to the fight, Orion was testing the water by running aimlessly around Karteira. He was waiting for a counterattack at some point, and he wasn''t disappointed. "Even if you are faster, I can still strike you down!" She moved her tail in his direction, this time trying to crush them. Since her stinger was retracted, Amelia took this chance to counter it. She crossed her daggers and received the strike head-on. The plates touched the dulled daggers as she made the tail slide in the other direction Orion was moving toward. ''Alright, I saw enough with those two counters. She was capable enough to catch a hit and send it away. It''s time to begin our attack.'' Orion stopped running around like a chicken and stared at Karteira. "Play time is over, I''m coming straight at you this time." ''Two fingers pressure, he wants me to attack when we get close.'' Amelia prepared herself. He closed in on her instantly, and Amelia lunged at Karteira over Orion''s head. She moved her upper body left and right to slash at many angles, rapidly. Then, he bent his back slightly to allow Amelia to strike more precisely, looking for the moment she would retaliate. "I''ve never seen such a fight before. Who would have ever imagined two people fighting as one like this? It''s unbelievable." Dramia began to question her sanity. "Well, he is an unusual man, that''s for sure." "Still, this is a ridiculous sight. How is it even possible to fight like this?" Her sister, Drania, began laughing. This scene was funny to her. "Kuh! Even if it doesn''t cut me, it still stings." Karteira was fighting off each strike with her gauntlets, not letting a single dagger get past her defenses. ''I''m not one to be on the receiving end forever, I have to strike!'' She dropped her right arm down and let a few slashes hit her shoulder and right arm. She began blocking with her left arm instead. ''She''s going to strike at me!'' Amelia immediately saw through Karteira''s gaze. She was going to take a hit. A punch faster than any other she could have thrown before closed in on Amelia''s left arm. ''I can protect in time!'' *CLING* The sound of two objects impacting each other echoed across the arena. Chapter 44: A friendly fight between monsters. (Part 2) The sound of two objects colliding was heard, and one dagger flew away from the arena, lodging itself in the ground a few meters away. Amelia managed to repel the strike, but she lost Dana in the process. "Aura!" She immediately called her third dagger, Aura. Orion made some distance between them and Karteira to check on Amelia. "Are you hurt? That blow was powerful." Her arm was still shaking from the hit, but she didn''t seem injured at first glance. "I''m good, but that was close." Karteira was looking at her gauntlet. A tiny, almost insignificant dent appeared on her plate. A distorted smile appeared on her face, one a battle addict could only display. The thrill of battle grew inside Karteira as she stared at Amelia with eagerness. "Here she goes! She''s found them to be in her league, I guess? She smiled like that only against us, didn''t she?" "Don''t make me remember. She becomes quite nasty when she''s like this. The way she fights completely changes." Dramia and Drania were quite surprised to see Karteira, their best fighter and commander, display her ferocity. Heavy breathing could be heard coming from Karteira, her tail shaking in a circular pattern. Her eyes began to fill with the desire to fight, and her plates began to heat her skin underneath. In the humid morning, steam came out of the heated Karteira''s joints. Orion looked at her with a wary look, which made her understand her state. "I might look like this, but I can still control myself. I wouldn''t lead an army of fairies in battle otherwise. I just want to fight a bit more, that''s all." Noticing that Karteira was conscious of her state made him appreciate her more. He would rather fight her in a normal state than as a crazed, beast-like person. "Are you sure? If you lose yourself in your instincts, it''s over. I don''t want to fight someone who can''t control themselves." "Don''t worry, don''t worry." Karteira locked her gaze on Orion and Amelia and prepared to move. She crouched, placing her left hand on the ground. Her other arm moved above her in the air, her elbow curving toward Orion as she planned to use it to punch them. Her tail was arching over her back and head. Orion saw this as her preparation for an attack and immediately entered a defensive stance. He was in a position to receive the strike and gauge her current strength. ''She''s coming; prepare to counter her tail.'' He pressured Amelia''s thighs to notify her. ''Defending? Alright.'' She crossed both Aura and Ceres and set up to receive the next attack. "I won''t let the same thing happen twice!" "We''ll see about that!" Karteira left her spot with a burst of speed that could rival Orion''s. Her blue hair flowed behind her as she closed in with a smile of pure happiness on her face. She was going for a lariat on Orion and a slam on Amelia with her tail. But both had already prepared a technique in case something attacked both of them at close range. Orion lifted his left knee up and pushed his heel with full weight behind it against the ground. He gave a little spin at the same time, making his body do a small rotation. Amelia was still firmly wrapped around his waist. She was looking at the tail with ''Calm Analysis'', which she rarely used, and observed the tail''s trajectory. Observing carefully where it would strike her, she prepared to deflect it while still in the spinning motion. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Orion''s left leg, containing the power of the ''Second Gear'', kicked the plated arm that was going for his throat, and an instant later, Amelia deflected the tail closing down on her. He had left the ground for two seconds¡ª just enough to be able to kick her arm and fall back to the ground. Amelia was stable even after this acrobatic move. On the other hand, Karteira flew a few meters away from the kick, with her tail still moving downward. Her stinger pierced the ground, making her stop sliding farther away. "That hurt! It hurts so much! How much strength did you put into it? What was that for?" "You were going for my throat; what were you expecting?" "I know, but couldn''t you go a bit easier on me?" She looked at her left arm, small cracks showing on the plates. "That''s our retaliation. So, are we stopping there?" Karteira pulled her tail off the ground and straightened. "Of course not! How much time do you have before your power completely depletes?" "Four minutes? Around that much." A big smile appeared once again on Karteira''s face. "Then we have to continue for four minutes, and then we can stop! Great!" The plates on her body moved slightly upward, releasing a huge amount of scorching air from beneath them. "Ah! That feels way better. Here I come!" The plates moved back to their original places before she threw herself toward Orion. They continued to fight, with Orion and Amelia dodging and parrying each of the strikes thrown by Karteira. At some point, Amelia got close enough to Dana, her water dagger, and managed to retrieve her with a small thread of water, replacing Aura immediately. "Amelia, what was that?" "No time to explain! Focus on the fight!" Seeing the ability Amelia used reminded Orion of something. ''I was sure my father was the only one able to create threads of magic. Did the fight improve her control over her elements?'' She was having a great time fighting against Karteira, who made her fighting instincts work full throttle. If she wasn''t using Orion''s speed, she would have already received many hits and wouldn''t have focused as much on their exchange of attacks. "I cannot believe such a fight exists. I never imagined the untamed beast that is Karteira fighting this freely against someone and thinking before throwing punches. We had to subdue her before she injured herself, but look at her now." Dramia was genuinely impressed. It had already been many years since Karteira''s birth, but only once did they fight. She was a wild character before becoming their commander. "She grew up alright! She can finally fight openly without having to be stopped anymore. I knew having fun was the right answer! Everyone thinks she''s just a crazy woman who loves battles, which, I mean, is kind of true. But she is more than that." "Look at her moves! It''s been a while since we had something so exciting happen! Can you believe it? She''s using her legs too now!" Drania was like an excited child. She was watching the best fighters fight for her amusement. Well, it was a half-truth; she was genuinely amused by the fight. The fight was beginning to enter its last stage. Amelia was breathing roughly as her arms tingled, and Karteira was feeling sluggish as she suffered too much from the heat under the plates. Orion had his leg burning, suggesting that the time to stop was near. ''I still see a glint in her eye; she wants to try something. Who am I to refuse such a thing?'' He let go of one of Amelia''s thighs and made her move down with his other hand. "Last one, alright? After that, I''m done." "Amelia, get down; you are way too exhausted to continue. Go drink some water." She released her grip around his waist and placed her feet on the ground. "Fine... I''m going first." While still breathing roughly, she walked away to where the twins were. "I''m dedicated to you now; go on. I can''t go much further either, so could you make it quick?" The two exchanged a tired gaze before Karteira lunged at him abruptly. She spun her body counter-clockwise two times and threw a side-ways kick to his side. He easily dodged the kick but got caught by the last strike. After her kick missed its target, she did not stop spinning and instead extended her tail to grab his legs, which Orion wasn''t prepared for. She caught his legs perfectly, and both fell to the ground. They were completely spent. The plates on Karteira began to retract to their original location, and her heated skin, which was dangerously red, began to revive. The cold air quickly cooled her body down. Orion had his back against the ground, not yet understanding why he was in this position. There was also something on his chest, making it difficult to breathe. "Get away from Orion! I looked away for a second, and she''s already going for him!" Amelia ran toward them with water bottles in her hands and an angry look. Karteira was breathing heavily on his chest, her tail still around his legs. He looked down and saw her face hidden by her cerulean air. ''You''re too spent to move. I sympathize with you.'' He waited for Amelia to come. Once she was here, she removed Karteira from Orion''s chest and gave her a water bottle. "Here, drink this. You too, Orion." She threw the last bottle in the air, which he caught with ease. "Well, that was one awesome fight! I don''t regret coming to see it." Drania was already behind Orion. She was crouched next to him, looking in the distance as her sister walked toward them. "Karteira, you''ve finally found what you wanted; aren''t you glad?" This time, Dramia moved near Karteira and hugged her while putting her head against hers. "Yes, thank you very much. I wouldn''t have fought openly like that without you agreeing to my request." Small tears appeared in the corner of her only visible eye. Her face was still hidden, but she was smiling. "She was never accepted by her peers. She is the only strong fairy, and the youngest one too. No one ever took her fighting spirit as a good thing, and no one gave her a single chance. She wanted one person to accept her as she was." "More than that, she got two individuals to accept her. She was terribly anxious, thinking you would go back on your words and be unwilling to fight her." Drania took her rare serious tone and explained everything to Orion and Amelia. "We''re going to send her with you on the mission. Please, send her back home without a scratch." Watching Drania smile mischievously at him, Orion sighed. ''This is an absurdly difficult request to fulfill.'' He let his back fall to the ground again, and as he looked at the sky, his mind became clearer. "Alright, we''ll bring her with us. We need her strength." Without anyone seeing it, a gentle smile appeared on Karteira''s face, way different from her crazy smile. With the fight between them over, it was now time for the real fights. The ring was waiting to be recovered, and Tiohr-nam''s enemies were to be slain before it was too late. Chapter 45: Amelias elements are ever-changing. Karteira stood up from the ground after a few minutes. With her strength recovered, she stretched and walked toward Orion, who was still sprawled on the ground, looking at the sky. "Aaaah! That felt so good! Thank you for the fight; I never had this much fun before." Orion saw a hand extend near his face as he thought about his current condition. ''The heat has diminished; I should be able to walk.'' He grabbed the hand with a firm grasp and felt a tugging force pulling him. "Likewise, it seemed to have been a great experience for Amelia, too. She progressed way faster fighting you than when she fought me." They smiled at each other as Orion straightened. "I could see that; her eyes were so focused on me that I had to give it my all. Otherwise, I would have betrayed her expectations." "I apologize for the last hit. I didn''t expect to fall over too, but I was out of strength at that point." She scratched her cheek in embarrassment, looking prettier than ever with her hair disheveled from the fight. "You got one on me. I saw your second swipe too late to react." "I acknowledged it when you threw the first punch, but you are considerably faster than any of us. Amelia was struggling to counter most of your hits." The two began to exchange their thoughts on the fight now that it was over. Amelia was on the right side of Orion, not feeling like interrupting them. The sisters were behind them, listening to everything they were saying. Many things were happening at once inside Amelia. She exhausted her body and her magic storage. But, as a result, in her soul, two elements were pulsing violently, trying to break a threshold they were currently stuck at. ''It hurts. My heart is pounding, and my mind is blurry.'' *Thump* *Thump* She placed her hands on her chest, plunging her consciousness into her soul, similar to when she linked with the dragons, Monolavir and Ruminona. While Orion and Karteira were having a long chat, Amelia was struggling. ~ "What''s happening in there?" With great struggle, she walked in the darkness toward the ''Key'', floating in the void that was her soul. The voice echoed inside the confined space and began to explain the situation to her. "These two entered their new stages faster than expected during the fights, leading to this situation." "What do you mean? Weren''t they in need of more stimulation before they could progress further?" Amelia looked at her two elements that were pulsing brightly. "Your water and wind elements, with the help of the dragon scales, grew in strength with each strike you exchanged with Karteira." Understanding the reason, Amelia nodded. Still, she was confused. "What was the difference for such an increase? I always train and fight with Orion, so why doesn''t it progress that way?" She knew the answer but didn''t want to acknowledge it, so the voice did it for her. "You have certainly realized, but that man is never serious when fighting you. He never forced you into your last resort or pushed you to the limits where a single mistake could lead to injuries." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The hard truth made Amelia agree with the voice as it continued explaining. "He is indeed strong, but he is also far too overprotective over you. That woman you exchanged blows with never stopped walking toward her victory, and you refused to give it to her, which gave this incredible result." A bit dejected to know Orion wasn''t able to make her magic improve, she quickly continued discussing the matter. "But that doesn''t explain why the elements improved, does it? It just tells me I''m a stubborn woman who refused to lose." "Not that it''s wrong, but still!" Frustration took over when she realized her inner nature. The ''Key'' took over from there. "Your elements are now a part of you. They are akin to children. Nurture them, and they will grow stronger, but ignore them, and they will weaken, refusing to give you their strength." "You''ve cared for those two, and they grew accordingly. They even worked way harder than anyone would have expected. They have supported you fully and wish to continue doing so. Likewise, they are not the only ones, either." Amelia looked at the orbs floating around the ''Key''. They were floating faster than the first time she saw them a month ago. The two strongest orbs were frantically glowing their respective colors, blue and green. The water orb was full to the brim of water. There was an opening at the top spewing the excess water, making another layer of water around the orb, doubling its size. As the blue scale inside was shimmering, it created many ice particles that immediately thawed inside the water. On the other side, the wind orb was irregularly forming strong wind gusts inside, with the green scale as its center. This orb had two openings on both the top and the bottom. The wind from the top was joining the wind at the bottom in stripes around the orb. Next to the wind orb was the lightning orb, which was in a state close to being released from its orb. Purple lightning was striking the orb rhythmically, and most of the hits were toward the wind orb. The next one was the fire orb, the weakest of her elements. She felt sorry about it because she had neglected it until now. The decent-sized flame was now a bright orange, different from the small and flickering dark red spark it had before. The last one was the earth orb. It grew during the fight so much that a new part of the element was formed inside the sphere. It was full of dirt and rocks, but on some occasions, she could see a tiny sparkle mixed in all the aggregate. Amelia could see what it was, but she knew it wasn''t in Ceres before, so this matter was obviously new. The orb appeared to crack on all sides from the amount of packed dirt and rocks inside. "You gave names to three of them, and the last two are expecting one in the future. The ones who received a name pushed themselves to be of use to you, and they are now in this state." "If not for the dragons, they would have never progressed this much." The voice made sure Amelia understood why she was progressing so rapidly. "Do you mean that the other ones will stay in the previous state these two were in before?" Curious, Amelia asked. "It does seem like it. Nothing can be done to break through a threshold; only a slight push can hasten the process." "So what needs to be done to make water and wind progress to the next stage?" The next answer was more shocking than expected. "You need to avoid using them for some time. A month seems necessary as they''ve accumulated too much energy." With a shocked expression, Amelia looked up. "A month?!" "Yes, a month. You will feel it immediately when both have progressed past their limits. You must let them absorb the experience that brought them to this state." "Instead, it might be a good idea to start using your two lacking elements. They want to be of use in battle, too." This wasn''t necessarily a bad thing, but losing two of her strongest weapons was not good news to hear. "It doesn''t look like I have a choice, so I''ll try. I also aim to use them more, so let''s do it!" "I''ll make them quieter so as not to bother your daily life. Having your heart hurt every second is not pleasant, isn''t it?" "It is not. Thank you." With a grateful nod, Amelia thanked the ''Key''. "I have another piece of information to tell you before you get back. Orion is close to unveiling his magic''s nature. It might even happen in the days coming." "What do you mean by that? Did he once again find something and haven''t told me?" Anger took over Amelia; she didn''t like being left out on important matters. "Not this time. He hasn''t realized himself yet, but it will most likely happen." She calmed down and continued gazing at the ''Key'' with a neutral look. "Everything that happens is for him to unravel. I am only here to watch the result, as I did before. You won''t get anything more from me." Hearing the voice speak more fluently, she smiled at it. "You''re speaking more now; is it really because you''ve released more seals?" Amelia turned around and began to walk toward the white light on the floor. She stepped on it and looked once again at the ''Key''. "I''m going back. If you need to talk, just do it, alright?" "I will. Be careful out there. Tomorrow will be a dangerous day for everyone." "I''ll keep that in mind. I don''t want to lose him, either." She closed her eyes, the white light engulfing her on the spot. The ''Key'' was now once again inside the empty void of Amelia''s soul. "Neither do I. I simply wish that Orion would avoid the same fate as Noah. If only I..." A brief silence replaced her voice as the ''Key'' hesitated to speak further. "Never mind. I know what to do, and I will do it in due time, even if I have to suffer for it." "Another tragedy needs to be avoided." The ''Key'' stopped responding, and only the sound of the orbs remained in Amelia''s soul. ~ "Well, I had a good time anyway. Let''s go back home." Karteira started to remove the dust from her clothes. "Amelia, let''s go." Orion called out to her, but she wasn''t responding, a blank look in her eyes. "Hey, are you alright?" He moved closer and waved in front of her eyes. She blinked a few times and looked at him seriously. What she said left him speechless. "Orion, I won''t be able to use my water and wind elements for a month." "..." Chapter 46: Doctor Orion, and a newfound friend. The news was indeed shocking. Amelia was unable to use her most powerful elements for a long period of time¡ª a month, to be exact. But that was all. "Well, it''s fine. You cannot use your magic tomorrow anyway." That was what Orion said after thinking about it briefly. He shrugged it off, grabbed her hand, and walked with the group to rest at the castle. ... The fight against Karteira was way more exhausting than they had expected, so they cancelled any kind of training for the day and instead stayed with Karteira to explain what their plans were for the next day. Orion had to explain in many details his current abilities in battle that he didn''t show in the morning, though Karteira already knew most of his prowess after spying on his training sessions. They unleashed everything at each other during the battle, which was enough for all three of them to form a bond that no one could have expected. Strangely, Amelia and Karteira were both enjoying some tea and talking about many topics. Someone was feeling left out, but he didn''t show it. For the first time, Amelia was able to have another woman around her age as a partner instead of Orion. He smiled warmly upon seeing this scene. Although, during their conversation, Orion noticed two details that made him move faster than his thoughts. He walked out of Amelia''s room and ran to his to pick up a box that was in his bag. After running back, he entered the room again, catching their attention. "Amelia, right arm." He pointed at Amelia''s right arm. "And you, Karteira, the tail." Then at Karteira''s tail. "What?" Both replied at the same time, a questioning look on their faces. "Don''t make me repeat." He placed the box on the table and opened it, revealing its contents. It was full of medical supplies. With a guilty look, they both stared at the ground and showed the injured limb in question. Amelia''s right arm had a horizontal cut near the wrist. It looked pretty deep, and it was not treated yet. Orion believed she got injured when Dana was ejected from her hand, even despite the fact the blade was dulled. Karteira''s tail appeared to have a pretty bad rash on the stinger segment, most likely when her tail pierced the ground when he pushed her back. "I can''t believe both of you; why didn''t you say anything? It''s looking pretty bad." Still looking at the floor, he couldn''t see their expression, but he was fairly certain they were ashamed of hiding these injuries, especially Amelia. "I should be the one hurt, but what is this? A deep cut, and a rash. Still, they don''t look like severe injuries. Give it a week at most, and it should heal." He moved further away from them. *Slap* Amelia shuddered at this sound. She knew what it was without looking. ''Oh no. Oh, no! We''re done for; it''s going to hurt so bad!'' Orion had a good disposition for healing injuries because of his unquenchable search for new knowledge. He read numerous books on medicine and illnesses. As there was a possibility he could be gravely injured during a hunt, knowing how to patch himself up was precious knowledge for him. And many times in the past, he had to heal an injured Amelia after training. Injuries she tried her best not to have, ever. Because Orion was a monster. He disinfected wounds with alcohol before wrapping a bandage with gauze soaked in the same alcohol, changing it a day later with a simple bandage. The slapping sound was him putting gloves on to avoid aggravating the wound further with his fingers and to protect them from other infections. The books on medicine were remarkable. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. She grabbed Karteira''s hand with her left hand and closed her eyes while expecting the worst. "What''s that sound?" Intrigued, the blue-haired woman couldn''t stop herself from looking up. The sight of Orion walking closer with a disinfectant and gauze in his hands terrified her instantly. She looked at her tail as if she were going to lose a close friend. "Alright, I''m starting with the worst one. Amelia, I''m starting with your arm. It won''t hurt, I promise." Biting her lower lips in anticipation, she cursed him. ''Liar! It always hurts! I''m the one who should heal you, not the other way around!'' Hearing the spray, she prepared herself for the worst stinging pain ever. She felt a cold liquid where her cut was and a soft tissue rubbing her skin. "I''m done. I''ve cleaned all the dust from it and wrapped the bandage for you." "What?" She opened her eyes and quickly looked at her arm, alternating between the bandage and Orion. ''No pain?'' Seemingly understanding her reaction, he slapped her hand gently and laughed. "I promised, didn''t I? You''ve complained so much about me cleaning your wounds that I''ve found a way to prevent the pain. It still does the same job as alcohol, but with less discomfort." Tears of relief appeared in the corners of her eyes. "Orion. I love you!" He took a step back at the sudden confession. ''Was that such a shock for her to find a disinfecting spray that doesn''t hurt?'' Recovering his composure, Orion ignored her puppy''s expression and turned to Karteira. "Calm your horses; it''s just a first aid treatment. You will have to be careful not to open it up again. If you do, alcohol this time." "Hiiiie! I''ll be careful!" The sound she made was funny to him. As he smirked from teasing her, he focused on Karteira''s stinger. "Good. Now, show me your tail, Karteira." He saw her nod and gently reached for the tail. "Can I touch it without you getting hurt?" "Yes, there shouldn''t be any problem with that." He rubbed the segments of the scorpion tail to feel how it behaved under his touch. It did not show any negative reaction, so he made her turn on the side for him to place the stinger segment on the table. ''It''s surprisingly soft. I suppose that''s why it is so flexible.'' He switched his thoughts and looked at the ripped skin of the blue tail. "It''s pretty bad, too. Though, it doesn''t seem to have injured the muscles, only the soft plates. Scorpions are pretty rare, so their anatomy is not well known for me to be certain." Karteira listened shyly, while Orion was focused on looking for a way to clean up the injury. "Well, there''s a lot of dirt and dust. I can remove some pieces of dirt with a cloth, but I will have to remove the remaining pieces myself." He used the spray on the tail and cleaned everything meticulously. Surprisingly, it didn''t hurt as much as she expected. ''It looks pretty clean already; I don''t think I will have to remove any more dirt.'' After looking over every part, he sprayed the gauze and wrapped it with a bandage around the injured part. "It''s done. You two should be alright. I do hope it won''t hinder you tomorrow." "Thank you." Karteira lowered her head after she felt the throbbing pain she had before completely vanish. For someone who had to protect her tail from those kinds of injuries, she expected greater pain, but it was taken care of so easily by one man. "You''ve really found a way to make it painless... I''m sorry for making you do the impossible every time." He shrugged, removed his gloves, and placed the spray, the gauze, the bandages, and the straps all inside the box, which he closed right after. "It''s my job to make your life easier. I owe you this much." He took the box and left the room. ... *Sigh* "I thought I was going to die there." Amelia let out a sigh after Orion exited her room. "Why, it wasn''t so bad. I cannot feel any remaining pain now." Karteira was caressing her tail, as she took great care of it outside of battles. "Well, sure, each time he healed me, I was in a better shape than if I had not treated the wounds. But the pain it gave me when he cleaned it was awful. It felt like double the pain you had at that moment." With a perplexed smile, she looked at her right thigh. "Surely, you''re inflating things. It can''t be that bad. I wouldn''t know because we never had this kind of treatment in the village." "Look at my scar; it wasn''t treated correctly, and it left a horrible mark." She was still a woman. Having such a scar wasn''t easy to accept. "I wanted to ask, but did you get your eye injured at the same time? You''re wearing an eyepatch, so I wondered about it." Karteira touched where her right eye was. "During a fight against one of the beasts, I suffered a hit that rendered me blind from that eye. There was nothing to be done about it, so I hid it. Having a white eye seemed to scare everyone else, so I had no choice." "I see." Both looked at each other, and Amelia brought herself to talk about her own insecurities. "You know..." "I''ve had an accident with my magic three years ago. I lost control of it and almost killed Orion in the process. Since then, I''ve feared using magic." Remembering the awful state Orion was in when he escaped the burning orphanage and the time it took for him to wake up, she still felt a sour taste in her mouth. "Did he... Did Orion say anything about that?" Karteira, who was bad at recalling names, sought to remember both of their names. "I did. He asked that I stop feeling guilty about it, that it wasn''t my fault." Karteira listened, but she couldn''t stop her thoughts from coming out. "If he said that, maybe you should forgive yourself?" "Ah! I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to give my opinion; I don''t have the position to-" She began to shake her arms, thinking she might have been extremely rude. Amelia stopped her after thinking about her words. "No, you might be right. It''s been so long, and I couldn''t bring myself to talk about it with him, so maybe I just refused to listen to him." The conversation stopped there, and Amelia observed who she had in front of her. A woman like herself who never shared anything with others. Someone who had no friend to talk to, and a gorgeous person at that. There was no choice to make. Karteira was already her friend. "I''m in your care, Karteira." She bowed slightly and grabbed her hands at the same time. Taken by surprise, Karteira realized that, for the first time in her life, she might have found her first friend. "Thank you. I am also in your care... Amelia." She squeezed back, and they both opened themselves to each other. ... Orion entered the room after taking his time on the way back, this time seeing both girls smiling at each other warmly. "What is this scene? Did you two fall in love?" "Of course not!" Two angry voices echoed throughout the entire building at his rude remark. Chapter 47: The underground cleaning begins. The day ended with the three bonding, sharing their stories, and enjoying their time together. Then, the night came, and each of them returned to their room. Karteira returned home quicker with the help of Orion. It was her first time being carried, but she was more interested in the speed at which the scenery moved by. After sending her home safely, he took his time walking back. As he began simulating the bout he had during the morning in his head, an idea came out of nowhere. ''Wait, I think I understand what I was missing so far! I have to try this immediately!'' He turned around and ran toward the training arena with excitement. ~ The next day, the time to start the ring retrieval mission was about to begin. "So, where are we supposed to enter the underground?" Orion was with Amelia, Karteira, and the Queens, Dramia and Drania. The one to answer was Dramia, the coldest of the sisters. "The entrance is behind Tiohr, far away from the village. It is protected by our magic, so you can''t miss it. Moreover, Karteira is with you; she knows where it is." Karteira nodded to confirm it. "I do, since I am the only one who trudged inside and fought against their hordes." "You''re not alone this time; we''re coming too. We''re going to clean this place until nothing will be alive to tell the story beside us." Amelia, who was next to her, began to pump herself up. "You''re right." The two of them were on excellent terms now, which wasn''t a surprise to Orion. ''Two people having almost the same experiences always end up on the same wavelength.'' After quietly watching their exchanges, he finally spoke. "Well, then, we should be moving now. Karteira, please lead the way." "Yes." They began to move, but Orion''s sleeves on both sides were caught. He turned to look at the twins, who were the only ones behind him. The first one to talk was Drania, with a look of worry on her face. "Please do your best to save Tiohr. We couldn''t do anything so far, and you are her only hope." Dramia was looking less worried, but she still couldn''t hide it completely. "All three of you have to come back alive. I don''t care if you get injured; just come back." At this very moment, he understood that he was quite attached to those peculiar fairies. "I will. I''ll do the most I can to protect the tree and the two of them." He placed his hands on top of their heads and caressed them gently. "You misunderstand something. Protect yourself too. I would rather not see someone else die." They were both staring at him with glistening eyes. ''They''re quite pushy. It''s not like I was going to end my life in there.'' With a faint sigh, he smiled at them. "It''s fine. I wouldn''t want my quest for revenge to end so soon, either. I''m going now; take care of the place." "We should have finished cleaning the place in a day or two. It will depend on how efficient we are at killing the invaders." He removed his hands from their green, mossy hair and turned for good this time. The ''First Gear'' activated, and he got back to Amelia and Karteira, who walked ahead of him. "This man, is he overconfident or is he that strong? I don''t know. Let''s just hope for the best." Dramia grabbed her sister''s hand and walked back into the building to watch over Tiohr-nam. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Wah- Wait, don''t pull my arm!" ... "We''ve arrived." Karteira stopped in front of a considerable opening between the roots, covered by a glass-like material. It was the seal the Queens put on it to prevent any beasts from leaking outside. "Well, I can see that it is indeed the right place." *Hissss* *Clack* Many beasts were already at the entrance, ready to pounce on them. "Are you ready? We have to kill all of them before they manage to leak past us." Orion looked at Amelia. "You''re only able to use Ceres, right? You know how to fight with a single dagger, so you should be fine." With a determined nod, she brought the earth element out. "Yes, I can only use my earth element. I tried creating a lightning dagger, but it was too much for me now." A ball of dirt, surrounded by a ring of rocks, was created in her hand. She focused on it, and instantly, it turned to Ceres, the earth dagger. "And you, are you prepared?" "I am." Orion released his magic, enveloped in a dark aura. His front hair changed to gold and silver as usual. "Taygeta." ''I haven''t used you much so far; now is your time to shine!'' He looked at his black crossbow fondly. Karteira turned and looked at Orion and Amelia, both already in their fighting stance. She moved her hand close to the glass material and touched it. Once the seal recognized the order to open, she ran immediately toward Amelia and prepared herself to receive the beasts. An entrance the size of one beast opened, letting the first one rush outside. "What a disgusting creature!" Amelia was aghast at the sight of the thing that crept closer to them. Karteira contained her laugh when she remembered having the same reaction the first time she saw them. The first creature lifted its upper body when a dark arrow pierced its chest. That creature was an insect. Karteira explained that because it was underground, most of them were insects. The one Orion fired at first was a gray centipede with five rows of wings. The second one to move outside was a gray hornet without wings, but it didn''t look like a common one. Its body was morphed to have its stinger above its head. Strange creatures left the entrance one after the other. They were definitely corrupted species; their gray skin, fur, or shell showed it. The other detail was their deformities, which were shown only by them. The last thing was their size. A hornet the size of a lion was horrifying. Orion fired slowing and paralyzing arrows, stopping all insects coming from the entrance in their tracks. After firing debilitating arrows one after the other, Orion looked at Amelia and Karteira. "You can go. I''m covering you." The two turned to him and gave him a thumbs-up. Amelia, her dagger in hand, ran toward the giant insects. Karteira used a portion of her ''Cerulean Aegis'' ability, creating plates only around her forearms and hands. Both began to slice and pummel everything in their path, while Orion fired arrows at all creatures coming out of the entrance. The sluggish insects were unable to understand a single thing. They died before they could move a muscle. Some insects in the back realized how dangerous it was to go forward, so most of them began to spit streams of acid toward them. Seeing that, Orion decided to use one of his newly acquired trump cards. He extended his hand toward Amelia first, emitting a white light that was transmitted to her feet. Once done, he immediately did the same for Karteira. "Woah!" Both tried to jump away from the acid jets, but instead found themselves next to Orion. They lost their balance and kneeled on the dirt, noticing the glowing aura around their shoes. "Orion, you''ve finally got through your bottleneck!" ~ ''Well, what am I supposed to do now that I''m here?'' Orion was in the training arena, a normal iron dagger in his hands. ''I should focus on what I saw today and imbue magic to give the same effect?'' After trying many times unsuccessfully, he let go of the dagger, which stabbed into the ground. ''I''m still stuck at the same part. It''s difficult to break through your limitations.'' The night continued, and one idea came to him. ''Maybe it''s not an object that needs to be imbued, but a part of it? Let''s try it.'' He focused on the blade of the dagger, and a white light began to form an aura around it. ''It''s working! Was it really this simple all along?'' *Click* A sound like a lock opening resonated in his mind. "Magic Lock number two was successfully released." "Awareness of ''Enhancement Magic'' was obtained. The user can now perform enhancements to specific parts of his choice." *Sigh* "So much training for something so simple." ~ Amelia was overjoyed. He was stuck, not progressing for over a month, and finally, he managed to break through. "Yes, I remembered the speed at which Karteira threw her punches. Those were extremely fast, so I thought about doing the same with magic. I finally understood how to imbue this energy last night." "There''s more to it, but we''ll get to that later. Get ready, you two. You can adjust the amount of speed you want by now." They focused on the feeling and picked themselves up. The rest of the fight was pure carnage. The speed at which Amelia sliced her enemies began to quicken, and Karteira punched through her enemies with her gauntlets, occasionally piercing them with her tail. Orion continued to fire crippling arrows at the insects near the entrance, sealing their speed with paralyzing arrows and their ability to spray acid with muting arrows. Less and fewer insects came out, and when the last one died at Karteira''s hands, they could finally take a break. "Ah! That was so good! Teaming up with you two is the best thing in the world!" Karteira was on cloud nine. Her thirst for battle was difficult to quench, but with their help, she was able to freely enjoy the battle. Fighting alongside Amelia was the greatest feeling ever, as she wasn''t fighting alone anymore. "Glad to hear that, but it''s only the beginning. Once inside, I won''t be able to proactively attack, so be extra careful. I won''t be able to maintain both of your enhancements inside either, so I''m only focusing on you, Karteira." "Destroy everything." Pure euphoria appeared on her face as her entire body trembled. ''I can go wild without hurting myself? What a dream!'' Her battle-addict trait reawakened. ''She''s so simple. Why do the other fairies dislike her?'' After watching her breath heavily, he turned to look at Amelia. "I have a gift for you. How you use it is up to you. But before that, on my back." Amelia jumped on his back without saying anything, wondering what that gift could be. "I gathered that you can influence the form of magic you use; it might be one of your hidden abilities." "Because I can give you my magic?" Orion nodded as she adjusted herself on his back. "Yes, because of that. No one should be able to give their magic to someone else. So, I was thinking that the opposite was also possible." "What do you mean? That I could take your magic?" Orion smiled. He always liked how fast she was able to understand him. "Spot on. Here''s my gift to you, Dawn and Dusk." Two spheres of elements formed in both of his hands. Chapter 48: Amelia and Karteira ravage the place. With the two spheres in his palms, Orion lifted his hands further up. The white sphere in his left hand was Dawn, his acceleration magic, and the black sphere in his right hand was Dusk, his ailment magic. "When have you thought of that? I am sure you said that magic was sealed underground." Amelia was stunned; she had in front of her two spheres, way bigger than any of her elements currently. "When I spoke with the tree, it said something about the sealed elements. It said that ''normal'' elements were sealed away, not my ancient magic." "So you should be able to freely use this type of magic, knowing that they''re not part of the five elements. I don''t know how they will react to being transformed into daggers, though." With a heavy sigh, Amelia reached for them. "Another absurdity coming from you... What a change. But thank you. Now I won''t feel like a dead weight with my iron daggers." She was about to take out the daggers attached to the holster at her thighs, but instead was gifted brand-new elements to use. "I remember when you made me those two elemental crossbows. I still want to experiment with them, but I''ll wait until you can freely use all five of them." With a faint smile on her face, she was reminded of Orion''s nature. ''He''s impossible. He still intends to use those dangerous weapons?'' Forcefully pushing the elements upward, he urged her. "So, you''re taking them?" "Yes, I will." Amelia placed her hands on top of the spheres, and his magic switched hands. With Orion now freed of most of his magic, the most he could do was support Karteira''s speed enhancement. His ''First Gear'' wasn''t part of his magic, making its use free of any burden. "What they want to morph into is what I''m curious about." "I don''t usually force my daggers to have a shape; they all have a specific one they want. But these two don''t want to take shape." Hearing Amelia''s confusion, Orion closed his eyes and looked closely inside him. ''They don''t want to change from a crossbow to a dagger. What a pain.'' The two spheres, seemingly hearing his inner voice, began to undulate in Amelia''s hands. "Wait, what''s happening? They refused to change a second ago!" Even taken by surprise, she immediately closed her eyes and focused on them. ''While the light element requires a flat and curved blade to slice, the dark element requires a pointy shape to plunge into its enemy.'' "Dawn, Dusk." After saying their names, both spheres brightened and shifted to the greatest daggers Amelia had in her hands. ''They possess tremendous power. How does Orion control them so well?'' Amelia thought, looking at the two new daggers in her hands. Dawn, the light dagger, refused to have a simple blade. It kept undulating, as if the blade were made of water. Dusk, the dark dagger, was more tamed. Its shape was a simple, pointy blade, but it kept hiding its true form. "Good, they changed form. Karteira, can you grab that ant body and throw it in the air, please?" Karteira, who had been looking at this scene since the beginning, also wanted to know the power behind the two strange daggers. At Orion''s order, she grabbed the dead ant next to her and chucked it toward them. "Incoming!" The body of a gray ant flew straight at them. "I asked in the air, but whatever. Amelia, do your magic." Amelia immediately slashed at the body. Dawn''s blade straightened into a solid form and cut the body in half after stretching out in the blink of an eye. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Once Dawn finished cutting the ant and returned to its watery form, Amelia stabbed Dusk forward. Its pointy blade extended to the head of the ant, which was now cut in half, and pierced it. After entering the head, the tip separated in two, causing grisly internal damage and inflicting a new ailment Orion later called ''Bleeding''. Looking at that scene, even Orion was speechless. He never expected his elements to be so different while being in a different form. "I guess this will have to do? Well, it''s time for some carnage." Orion was impressed at how dangerous they were, even in dagger form. They kept their specific attributes even after being transformed. With the two daggers in her hands, Amelia thought about the way they behaved. ''They are way different from every dagger I had in my hands so far. They feel untamed. Maybe it''s because they are not used to being a weapon that isn''t a crossbow?'' *Clap* *Clap* Both of them looked at Karteira, who was clapping her hands. "Nice, nice. I can already see a pile of dead bodies inside, using those two. So, what are we waiting for?" Amelia was now ready. ... After checking one last time to see if they were ready, they entered the tunnel. Karteira used her ''Cerulean Aegis'', wearing her full plate armor, expecting a few struggling fights. There were still well over ten thousand creatures inside, as there were dens of monsters all around. The tunnels were all lit by the roots of Tiohr-nam emerging from the floor, walls, and ceiling. It was easy to see in front of them thanks to the yellow light emitting from her. They walked inside the curving tunnels, took a few turns, and killed the insects they encountered. Karteira, as a vanguard, killed them on sight with her fists. It was a stroll so far, as not many insects seemed to move in the tunnels. But the actual situation was way different from those tunnels, as they were struggling. "Orion! Watch on your left!" "Damn it! I didn''t expect to see this many crawling all around!" "Karteira, are you alright?!" The room they entered was large, and it was crawling with ants, grasshoppers, and hornets, ready to devour them. Orion was running all over with Amelia on his back, doing somersaults and kicks to avoid the bugs, while Amelia sliced and stabbed everything. Karteira was acting as a decoy and walking armor because most of the attack didn''t hurt her at all. She just had to protect her head from any attacks, which was made easier with the speed enhancement. "I''m fine; there''s just an awful amount in here!" She said that as she punched a hole inside a grasshopper''s head. "Definitely. Amelia, above!" She slashed before looking up, giving her full trust in Orion''s judgment, as he was able to see the surroundings in considerably more detail than her. Dawn, which was used to slash the ant on the roof that was preparing to throw a stream of acid, perfectly separated the body in two and even made a dent into the ceiling by a few centimeters. An outrageous amount of body parts and green blood were all over the room. There was nowhere around them where blood wasn''t spilled. It was gross, as even the ceiling and the walls were covered with body parts. "How many have we killed already? Two hundreds? Three?" "I''d say more. I can''t even look around without seeing a corpse. Try to push them behind you to avoid having their dead bodies hinder your movement. Anything can be your end right now!" Orion kicked a hornet with his left leg and destroyed its head, making it fly straight to the pile of bodies behind Karteira. "Watch where you''re sending that trash!" She growled at him after receiving a shower of green blood. "Sorry! I don''t have time to be careful right now!" "Stop talking! More are coming!" Amelia killed three bugs with one slash using Dawn and pierced two more with Dusk. "If that isn''t unfair, I don''t know what is! Her body count is through the roof! How am I going to catch up to that?!" Karteira began to heat up, moving faster and faster. The cool underground was great to keep her from overheating, and the speed she was running at helped her regulate her body even more. She was in good shape. "Out of the way!" She ventured further away from the new group of enemies but found an ant running to bite her. She punched it hard and crushed it against the floor, creating a crack where its body touched the ground. After killing it, she took the chance to let the steam under her plates out. It was still manageable, as she tried to keep her temperature regulated as much as possible right now. There was some irritation in her from the competition she had with Amelia. She had the most enemies in front of her, but Amelia was killing her targets faster. ''I want to kill faster. I need to kill them all faster!'' Her plates returned to their places, and with a rage unusual in such a situation, she roared at the bugs. "Come here, trash!" The plates under her hands moved, revealing her hands. Those plates mounted themselves on the top part of the gauntlets, creating a sharp plate capable of cutting anything she desired. Her rage toward the enemies in front of her and the birth of competition brought a new evolution to her plate armor. "Rip and Tear!" With the two gauntlets now in place around her wrists, she growled like a feral beast. "Karteira! Calm down; you''re going too far!" "I just need to kill more; I want to kill as many as Amelia! Don''t stop me now!" Unable to focus on stopping Karteira, Orion let her be. ''Well, it''s normal for her. I was doubting if she had finally lost it.'' Orion thought, running on the slanting wall while Amelia killed everything in their path. "I wasn''t trying to stop you; I''m stopping you from losing your mind!" "Thank you, but I''m fine!" "Also, could you change your enhancement? I need it on my arms instead." After looking at her current state, he switched the speed enhancement to her hands. "It''s done!" She ran toward the group of enemies closing on her and jumped inside without worrying about taking damage. In no time, the mound of bugs turned to pieces around her. "Aaah~ Awesome! More!" Her tail pierced a hornet''s corpse, and she threw it toward a grasshopper behind Orion and Amelia. "There''s more coming! We need to retreat! There''s not much space left for us to fight in. We''ll find another room like this!" There was no room for the group to freely move around anymore as the many bug corpses and limbs littered the place. Liters of blood formed puddles all around, making it difficult to avoid. It was impossible to move without risking tripping on a bug or slipping on the blood. So Orion decided it was about time to retreat and move on another path. It was easier to clean the underground this way, keeping everyone mentally free of stress. After ending the lives of at least another hundred bugs, they retreated to the tunnels, where it was easier to take a breather from the carnage the two women had caused. Chapter 49: The ups and downs of friendship. "This is atrocious!" Amelia began wiping off all the green blood on herself with her hands. "Why haven''t we brought towels in case this would happen?" Karteira was in a better position, as her plates protected her skin and clothes from being covered by the gooey texture. Only her head and hair were full of it, which, in reality, wasn''t much better. "I couldn''t have expected fighting in such a large room. The tunnels were supposed to be where we would fight. Karteira, haven''t you fought in such rooms before?" Orion had his pants covered in blood because he kept kicking the insects away. His upper body was a bit cleaner because Amelia received most of the falling blood on her back. "I''ve never explored much; typically it was fighting off the ones near the entrance to avoid the seal from breaking. I''ve moved inside, yes, but I''ve never walked into rooms like this one. I''d already be dead if I was alone at the time, don''t you think?" The trio had retreated closer to the entrance to take a break from the onslaught of giant bugs. They took the chance to rehydrate and evaluate what happened. They stayed silent for a few minutes, simply enjoying a slight moment of peace, before returning to the search. Orion was the first to break the silence after five minutes had passed. "Maybe it''s time to review what happened, what we saw, and what we should do." Amelia and Karteira, now done removing most of the goo from their bodies, approached him. "There''s something we have to prepare for." Now that Orion had a moment of peace to think about, the situation was simple to understand. "The other insects we saw at the entrance but not in that room?" Pointing out the obvious, Amelia answered him. "Yes. There were all kinds of deformed insects, but ultimately, there were three specific species." Amelia began to name them. "There were the ants, the grasshoppers, and the hornets, right? Only these three appeared during the fight." Karteira also gave her thoughts after hearing Amelia. "Does that mean the other rooms we might find could be the nests of other types of insects? Isn''t it bad?" Orion agreed. "It is indeed dangerous. The fact that the same tactics cannot be applied means we have to progress further and change the way we fight them in each new encounter." "Huh? But how do we even change tactics? There''s not much we can do with the way we''re currently fighting, isn''t it?" Amelia couldn''t understand what he was trying to say. "If there are flying insects in there, and I''m sure there will be further in, the only one that can hit them is me. How do I do that with you on my back?" With a shrug, he explained it to her. "You have to protect Amelia, though; how are you going to do that if you''re attacking?" Karteira, too, was missing his point. Orion looked at Amelia intently, and that one idea pierced her mind. "You don''t think? You''re crazy; this is not going to work, and you know it!" He smiled and moved a few steps ahead of them. He stopped and turned around. "Are you ready to tame a wild beast?" ... In the next room, they stumbled upon. Like Orion speculated, this was a den of flying insects. Once again, three species seemed to inhabit the area. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Flies, mosquitoes, and moths were flying around the cave. Another trio of disgustingly shaped insects. Alcyone was in Orion''s hands, meaning he had to retrieve Dawn from Amelia, leaving her with only Dusk to attack. These insects were effortless to kill, and it was faster to clean up hostile life in the room. There wasn''t as much blood in the bugs as the ones from the room before, and the arrows only pierced instead of cutting, only pilling corpses around them. "This is impossible! Don''t move so erratically! Karteira, stop!" "I can''t stop! If I stop, we''re dead!" The problem was Amelia and Karteira. It wasn''t a life-threatening concern, but since this was the duo''s first collaboration, they were struggling. Amelia was thrown left and right by Karteira. Her movements were wilder than those of Orion, and no amount of training she did with him could have prepared her for such a shift in speed. Karteira was certainly slower than Orion, even with the speed enhancements, but there were many things causing issues right now. After cleaning the room of every insect, the group walked back into the tunnels, and Amelia hurriedly left Karteira''s back. "That was awful. Oh~ I''m going to hurl!" "What do you mean by that? It was awful for me too! I can''t fight while I have you on my back." The two began to vent their frustrations at each other. Orion observed their bickering while drinking some water and eating a simple sandwich. ''I''ve eaten many sandwiches recently. Maybe I should look for another type of easy-to-carry meal.'' He entirely ignored their bickering. His priorities were elsewhere. "Of course you can''t fight! What do you think Orion does when I''m on his back?" "I didn''t think it was this bad! I thought it was still possible to attack, but I was wrong." The intensity kept increasing as they began to get closer. "My hand keeps slipping from your armor, your tail bumps on my back, and you almost caused my brain to explode from how fast you turn! I don''t want to-" "You''re hindering my movements; you''re heavy, and you kept crying like a baby! I don''t want you on my back a-" Then, Orion finally stepped in. "That''s enough for now. Calm your nerves and think about the situation before saying things you''ll regret eventually." Orion stuffed a sandwich in each of their mouths, stopping the conversation immediately. "What did you two expect? That the first time would be natural? Did you think a wonderful cooperation between you two would blossom right away?" They looked at him with surprise at the sudden lecture. They grabbed the sandwich and began to eat it while looking at each other. After finishing the food in a matter of seconds, they received a water bottle from Orion. After a moment of silence, Karteira opened her bottle and drank half of it. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have lost my temper with you. My urge to fight spoke for me the whole time." She closed her bottle and gave it back to Orion. "Thank you. Without you, it would have ended badly." Amelia realized Karteira was going to walk away, and she feared she could lose her new friend just like that. "Ah- I''m sorry, too!" "Huh?" "Heh?!" The two looked at each other with question marks in their eyes. "Why are you apologizing? I''m the one who got angry. I wasn''t expecting a sudden apology." Amelia had a look of disbelief on her face. ''Did she forget I shouted at her the whole time? Did she just delete that scene from her mind?'' But contrary to her thoughts, Karteira still remembered it just fine. She simply didn''t mind at all, as she was used to the other fairies shouting at her. It was still a big deal for Amelia, so she finished her apology nonetheless. "I''ve been rude to you while I compared you to Orion. I was expecting the same thing from you, which was wrong of me. I should have known how hard it was to have me on your back." Satisfied by the situation, Orion approached both of them again. "Time will help improve your duo. In case other flying bugs appear, I hope you won''t find yourself shouting at each other again." "I don''t mind it, as it is healthy to vent your frustrations occasionally, but as I said, you can easily hurt one another. Try to avoid that next time." They both looked at him in a new light. ''Did he seriously just intervene to avoid us breaking our friendship? Was he always this caring? I know he cares a lot about me, but I didn''t expect it toward Karteira.'' Those were Amelia''s thoughts. Karteira''s were slightly different. ''He''s strong, caring, and protective. I should strive to be like him, even if I''m like this. I should work on my bad temper first, I suppose.'' She now had a new goal in mind. It wasn''t to find a strong opponent or to support her realm. It was a simple wish. To become like the man in front of her. "Amelia, when this is done, I want to train with you. Not only that piggyback thing, but I also want to fight you seriously. There''s a lot I have to work on." Surprised, she repeated that sentence in her mind. ''She wishes to fight me? Not Orion? Did I do something? No, she said she had to work on something, so it should relate to that.'' With a nod, she agreed to her request. "I don''t mind, but please go easy on me. I''m not as tough as Orion." She feared for her safety for a split second. ''It would be great to have her as an opponent, since she already helped me with Dana and Aura''s proficiency. Perhaps she can help me with the other elements too.'' The two had new plans after this mission. Escaping this place in one piece had to become a reality. They had to give it their all. Everything was fine now, as Orion defused a bad situation. They had eaten and rested well enough, and now it was time to search for another room full of insects to dispatch. At that moment, a breeze caught their attention, coming from the room they had freed from corrupt insects. Two glowing brown eyes glowed in the tunnel in front of them. ''I guess it was time to encounter one of them?'' Orion hurriedly instructed them to move. "You two, back away from the tunnel! Fast!" They hurriedly followed his order and ran closer to the entrance of the room. A giant shadow followed them into the room, releasing a powerful gust of wind that launched the corpses behind the group. The first corrupted leader, known as ''Corrupted Lords'', appeared in front of them, blocking their path. ''Here comes the fun part.'' Another challenging enemy stood in their way out. Chapter 50: Always forgetting the important details, that is Orion. "What is this thing? Orion, this wasn''t part of the mission!" Vigilance took over Amelia''s mind as she began to observe the ''thing'' in front of her. Giant green wings, two giant antennas, a thin gray body, and brown insect eyes. It was definitely a fly, a moth, and a mosquito merged into a single being. It was the ugliest creature she''s seen so far. There was one particular detail that intrigued her. The ''thing'' had actual colors on it, compared to the gray, white, and black all the other regular insects had. It also had another problematic feature, and that would be its obvious use of wind magic, which was unusual, too. "Orion, what is this thing? Aren''t there only monsters like these around here?" She pointed at the pile of corpses behind them. "Karteira? Are you alright?" He ignored Amelia''s question for now and focused his attention on Karteira, who was completely frozen next to him. "It''s him. The one that injured my leg and my eye. I... What should I do, Orion? My body refuses to move." He could see how tensed she was, with her body drenched in sweat. The giant insect stopped flying and dropped to the ground, using his mosquito-like legs to stand. It kept its eyes fixed on the group. They were tiny in its eyes. "For now, just wait. I''ll think of something. If you can''t attack, retreat immediately." That word pierced her mind. The battle addict, Karteira, flees from the enemy that injured her before. "Don''t joke about that. I''m fighting." She grabbed her right leg and touched her blind eye, which started to itch at the sight of the aggressor. "I have thanks to give to this bastard for scarring a maiden''s body." Her body began to heat up. "Cerulean Aegis!" And just like that, she was ready to attack. But she did not simply let her rage engulf her. This time, she waited for Orion and Amelia to be with her before jumping in. ''She''s controlling herself? This is new. Fine, I should answer Amelia right now while it seems to be waiting.'' He turned his face toward Amelia while still keeping an eye on the thing. "What you see there, Amelia, is the strongest type of monster created by Miasma." ¡ª The day Orion surprised the realm with his explosive power, he entered the room where Tiohr-nam''s trunk rested. It was the room where he met the Queens for the first time. He had a few questions before preparing to go underground, and he wondered if the tree could offer some advice once again. ''I can feel it somehow. She''s awake, or maybe just a part of her? I''ll try calling her.'' He was alone in the room, with only his breathing echoing in the room. "Fairy Tree Tiohr-nam, I would like to speak with you if possible." Silence remained for a minute, until his eyelids felt heavy. He closed his eyes, giving in to the feeling he felt before. When he opened his eyes, he found himself in the same surroundings as before, with greenery on all sides and a giant tree at its center. He approached the tree and waited for a bit. The tree''s trunk opened, and a familiar Avatar appeared from inside. "Welcome, Orion. I am sorry to receive you like this, though I hope you can excuse me." With great astonishment, Orion frowned at the sight of the Avatar. "You are in a way worse state than a few days ago. Is it that bad below?" Tiohr-nam was exhausting her life force to maintain the protection over the ring, and the damage to her main body was putting her closer to death with each second that passed. Her avatar expressed the state of the tree, and it wasn''t pretty to see. Her age seemed to have skyrocketed, which made her equivalent to an old woman close to eighty. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Only small patches of her hair kept a green color, and she almost had no muscles on her. "It is. I do not have much time left, but please protect them if I ever leave this world first." "By them, you mean the fairies? You know I can''t do that. It''s your job." "In this state, do you think I have much longer anyway?" Anger filled Orion. He had always hated it when others let fatalities drive their lives. "There''s always a solution. If you can''t find any, ask the Queens. Stay alive, and watch me save you and your creations." Tiohr-nam opened her emerald eyes with difficulty, and a strained smile appeared on her face. "Who would have thought the child of two factions that previously fought each other for centuries could show such kindness to a being like me?" Containing his will to respond to her pessimistic view, Orion turned to his kinder side. He understood that she was on her last leg, closer to death than most, which affected the way she thought. "You don''t deserve to die. Only me and my parents'' enemies deserve it." After making his stance clear, Tiohr-nam focused on the small amount of strength she had left and straightened her body. "Well, Orion, what was it that you wanted with me? Is it something I can help you with?" Following a clear nod, he asked about his mission. "Most likely. I would like to know what to expect under your roots. Being unprepared is asking to be killed." "If you know, that is. If you don''t know, I won''t bother you further when you need to preserve your strength." After gathering the strength to talk, Tiohr-nam answered his inquiry. "I should have spoken to you about it last time, but I missed the chance to do so when you showed frustration." His gaze dropped, reflecting on his past actions. ''I see, I made it harder for her to explain everything.'' Looking into her tired eyes, he apologized. "I am terribly sorry about my previous behavior. This was too sudden for me to process after everything that had already happened." He bowed, showing his sincerity. "Do not apologize. There were a thousand different ways I could have mentioned it, and the way I did was the worst of them." "I heard everything from the twins too. I was oblivious at the time to how many things happened during that single day." She let out a small groan as she moved her shoulders to adjust her position. "Allow me to explain everything, then. It should not take long." Orion moved closer to a root emerging from the ground and sat on it. As if the tree wished for it, the root completely extracted itself from the dirt and brought Orion closer to the Avatar. He maintained his focus and looked inside her fatigued emerald eyes. ''I can see something in her eyes... What... is that...'' While he was staring at her, she began to explain. "There were three waves of corrupt beasts that came to destroy my roots and steal the ring." "From those three waves, a large amount of corruption took over the simple creatures underground." "I do not know specifically what kind is down below, but there are a lot of them. As I said before, I can sense numerous creatures, around ten thousand." Orion nodded, recalling the exact words she spoke previously. "During those waves, a different type of corruption appeared from the creatures reproducing. I could feel it, and I can still feel it under me." "This dreadful corruption that took over one of the corrupt beasts transformed it into a superior entity." Imprinting each piece of information into his brain, he noticed that Tiohr-nam was speaking slowly, going as far as exhausting herself for his sake. "They only appeared after the first Hero arrived in this world. He called these creatures the ''Corrupted Lords''." "They can lead a specific part of the whole legion of corrupt beasts linked to it physically. Members of its family, basically." What she was saying was simple. The gray corrupted had leaders, and those said leaders were powerful. "You will have to kill them if you want to end the legion. This is an arduous task, and I am well aware of it. Once again, I am sorry to have you do this." Orion fell into deep thought, absorbing the information. "How did the Hero kill them?" "The Hero? Let me remember." Tiohr-nam closed her eyes and racked her memories for such details. "He was strong¡ª way stronger than you can imagine. He killed an army of ''Corrupted Lords'' instantly with a swing of his sword. I believe there was no falsehood in his feats." With a faint smile, Orion made a remark. "That doesn''t help me plan ahead, you know?" She answered with a smile of her own. "Do not whine; I''m still thinking." This was something he would have heard from his mother, Orianne. "If I recall correctly, he always said that the weak points of these monsters were the cores inside their bodies. Find them, burst them, and the victory is yours to take." This helpful detail was enough for him. "That should do it. Thank you, Tiohr-nam. I feel more prepared knowing such beings are there. It won''t take me by surprise, at least." Closing her eyes, the tension left her body as she slowly slumped against the tree. "You are welcome. You should find three Lords underground, so do not overestimate yourself. Retreat when you feel danger, and attack when the moment is opportune." "Make your words a reality, young man, as the world needs someone like you more than ever." His opinion on the tree became more positive with this exchange, as his mind was unclouded from exhaustion and stress. "I will do as much as possible to alleviate your pain. Just think of a way to stay alive, and everything will be over before long." "Thank you, Orion. I wish you luck, and I hope you can retrieve your father''s ring." The root slowly began its descent, the Avatar falling back into sleep. The tree once again fell silent, and Orion woke up where he was standing inside the room. He stretched his numbed arms and exited the room, now knowing what to expect. ¡ª "Orion! Why did you not talk about it with me before?! You kept precious details from me again! You too, Karteira, why didn''t you say anything about this?" She pointed at the ''Corrupted Lord'' in front of her. "How was I supposed to know it was a special being? I don''t go talking to my mother like you do!" Not knowing that these two were orphans, she threw a painful jab at them. ''Oh, that''s right, that tree is the mother of every fairy. Wait, it''s not the time for that.'' Orion''s previous thoughts dispersed rapidly, and he focused on the moth, fly, and mosquito hybrid. "I can''t seem to see its cores, so we''ll have to hurt it pretty badly. It seems ready to attack too, so go carefully about it, you two. Find the places it guards the most, and you''ll find its cores." Instructing them, Orion glanced at them on each side. "Fine, there''s no other choice anyway. Hup!" Amelia jumped on Orion''s back, locked her legs around his waist, and obtained Dawn once again. With both Dawn and Dusk now in her hands, she balanced herself and took an offensive posture. "Get in position, Karteira. It''s time to show it what we''re made of." They were ready to fight, while the monster kept on looking at them. Chapter 51: The Wind Corrupted Lord. (Part 1) It was different this time. The foe in front of the group was clearly greater than any of the corrupt beasts before it. The fact that it was alone and strangely flapping its wings serenely showed how much he belittled the three small individuals in front of it. It kept looking, watching every single movement in his warped and colorless field of view. The three had in front of them the largest creature ever seen so far. From one wing to the other, it was estimated to be ten meters wide. With its weird body shape, it was as high as five meters. Even in a room as large as the one they were in and the width of the tunnel, you wouldn''t expect such a creature to be around. It was a mystery how this thing managed to find them. They began their attack against the ''Corrupted Lord''. Karteira advanced further to attract its attention, and the combination of Orion and Amelia stayed behind to move around and slash its body when an opening showed up. This was the rule when fighting a single opponent. Rushing in and hitting randomly would basically be asking to be countered. Ready to receive the enemy''s attack, Karteira, clad in her plate armor, glared at the large monster. Her left eye glowed with the desire to get revenge on the one beast that had hurt her in the past. Orion was preparing himself to move at the slightest sign of movement from the bug. He had his sight completely locked on him. He couldn''t underestimate such a monster now that he was unable to attack. The moment he lost the opportunity to strike stealthily, it became impossible to dispatch it rapidly. He could only rely on Amelia to deal with this one. Gripping Amelia, he gulped, making it easier for her to feel how tense he was. ''If anything turns wrong, I need to release his ''Second Gear''. Taking us far away is a priority.'' Amelia was already thinking about the worst-case scenario, and it was a good thing. She was able to read the multiple ways the fight could end, but ultimately, there were only three endings. The group would win. The group would lose and flee. Or they would all die in here. The result would only change based on their choices during the fight. Now, there was nothing to think about anymore. The battle would start at any moment. Without showing any signs, the first one to attack was the large bug. Three wind blades instantly appeared above its wings before flying in a straight line toward each of them. Karteira, knowing how sharp this attack was, simply side-stepped the attack on her left. "You''re not getting me with this petty trick again!" Furious to see this monster try the same attack on her, her tail glued itself to her back. She was avoiding getting it cut off by a wind blade. Orion and Amelia were thrown the remaining wind blades, but they were easily avoided by his speed. He ran on the left side of the bug, taking it as a sign of the fight beginning. It was time for them to attack relentlessly in the hope of finding the cores. ''The cores cannot be in the legs, nor can they be in the head, right? There should be one in the wings either, but I cannot even confirm that. Should we try ripping its giant wings first?'' While running toward the mosquito legs, Orion asked Amelia. "Amelia, wings or body?" Constantly watching for attacks, she began to think rapidly. ''Does he want to rip the wings to eliminate the beast''s wind magic? No, that''s not how he thinks. It wouldn''t even stop it from using magic.'' The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ''He is most likely thinking about the cores. So to focus on that, we should find where to attack, but since we cannot stay much around it, we have to prioritize a part. Body or wings?'' After thinking and understanding the plan, she gave an answer. "Body. Less area, faster to check, closer." Orion was closing in on the creature, so she had to give a fast answer. After hearing the reason, he agreed. There was indeed less surface to check, and it would be difficult to get to the wings anyway. As he approached the front leg of the bug, more wind blades appeared near its moth wings that were still closed. Tens of blades flew in many directions. Karteira managed to dodge every single attack. Her scorpion tail being her main concern, she avoided directly putting it near attacks. She dodged by side-stepping and even crouched to avoid some of them. There was still a slight fear remaining in her concerning those wind blades. It was to be expected. She was in an awful state at that time. Losing her right eye and having her right leg wounded while defending herself left a trauma in her mind. What was supposed to be a simple elimination mission turned into a nightmare as wind blades traveled through the tunnel and wounded her. She had a bad time returning to the village without dying. The pain of that time lingered in her mind. ''This is bad... I won''t be able to get over this, thinking like this.'' After dodging everything, she watched Orion and Amelia, who were under the giant insect. The rest of the blades moved toward Orion and Amelia, arching over the bug''s entire body to strike them. It was not pleased about those intruders being under its body. The two legs on its left side lifted off the ground as it tried to crush them. Turning its head in a creepy insect manner, it looked below. Orion saw the legs coming at him while also keeping an eye on the crescent blades. He had two choices now. Either retreat and wait for another opportunity, or believe in Amelia and completely focus on the legs. He quickly had his answer. "Amelia, get rid of the blades!" "Yes!" Amelia looked at the dozens of wind blades coming at them. She prepared herself, her right elbow bent backward over her shoulder as her left arm crossed over to her right side. The first blade came. With her right arm, she smashed the first blade downward with Dusk, deflecting it to the ground. She immediately swung Dawn with her left arm to counter the second blade that was coming right behind the first. The next two were further away, but one of the legs came crashing on them. It seemed to avoid throwing blades that could cut its leg, and Orion realized that immediately. While activating ''Calm Analysis'', he searched for a place where he could still stand under it and let Amelia catch the remaining blades. Before she could blink, Amelia found herself on the right side of the bug. Following a standing slide, Orion arrived near its right legs. The leg crashed, throwing a large amount of dust and rock fragments all over. Some even flew so far that they hit Karteira''s plates. Turning its head creepily to the other side, the bug kept its gaze on them. The remaining blades came flying at high speed right after. ''Amelia, you can do this. Amelia, you can do this!'' She pumped herself with strength and began countering the eight remaining blades. "Amelia!" Karteira shouted her name when she imagined the state she would be in if she were to receive such attacks. The third blade came, and Orion braced himself to not get thrown away by the shock that would be created. Amelia sliced the third blade in half with Dawn. ''One.'' The second got deflected sideways by using Dusk. It was unable to cut, as its main ability was piercing, so she could only deflect with it in hand. ''Two. I''ll get back at you, you disgusting bug.'' She continued countering with Dusk for the next two blades. One flew left, one flew right, but higher. With each strike, Orion was slightly pushed back. ''Three. Four. Higher, go higher.'' Amelia had an idea, and she was trying to make it a reality. The fifth blade came right behind, as well as the sixth and seventh. Luckily for them, the bug only attacked them head-on. She kept Dawn firmly in hand in case she was unable to counter one of the blades while moving Dusk back and forth, improving her timing after each counter. With the fifth blade crashing next to Orion''s right leg, the sixth flew across the left side between its legs, and the seventh crashed next to the bug''s right hind leg. They got pushed back so far that they were now close to the middle segment of its body, between its second row of legs. ''Five. Six. Seven! So close! Last three, I have to make it!'' What remained were the last three blades. It was the perfect moment to show her bravery. The eighth blade came, and she redirected it toward the left, but higher than the sixth one. ''Eight! Here it comes!'' The moment of truth for her came; she was now used to countering the wind blades, and the bug was still unsuspecting of her movements. Amelia''s dagger, Dusk, caught the blade as it crashed on her. She tried her best not to keep it from moving further as it slid from the dark blade. In a split second, she moved all her focus toward the direction of the counter. The wind blade came flying high on the right. *Pshiiiii* It sliced the right hind leg of the bug in half, which was skinny to begin with. The sound of blood gushing was heard as it splashed on the ground further away from the duo. ''Nine! Yes, I''ve made it! The last one, the better for last!'' The last blade kept flying toward them. Just before it was in range, Amelia threw Dawn in the air and switched Dusk to her left hand. She grabbed Dusk with both hands and caught the last wind blade. As a result, the wind blade lodged itself inside the butt segment of the insect, ripping it to shreds. ''Ten! How do you like that!'' She was exhausted, but not completely out of strength yet. "Orion... I made... it!" Breathing heavily, she caught the white dagger, Dawn, that fell back toward her. "Well done. I''ll praise you later, so focus back on the fight; it''s not done yet." The bug, now enraged to have its own attack turned against it, opened its wings and flapped them away, pushing Orion and Amelia closer to Karteira. ''He took off. What are we going to do now? Do I go ahead and snipe it? No, we still don''t know where the cores are. Not in this body part, at least.'' As he reflected on the event, a voice caught his attention. "Wait, Orion! Look at that!" Karteira caught his attention, pointing at the bug. The wings of the bug were now fully opened compared to when the beast initially appeared. They could see two round shapes on each wing. "This is where you hid them. Sneaky and wise. By landing, he can hide them out of our sight." This was a great surprise. The cores of the creature were on the wings. The pulsing purple veins on them proved it. ''Now, that gives me ideas.'' Orion was ready to confront the bug and kill it once and for all. Chapter 52: The Wind Corrupted Lord. (Part 2) The Wind Lord''s demeanor changed. They could feel its anger through its movements. ''Hurt by such lowly creatures! And by using my attacks against me!'' If it were able to speak, this would probably be what it would say. The situation was now entirely different. It had its right hind leg cut in half and its lower part slit open, completely messed up. At this point, even if it showed its weakness, there was no way it would lose. It thought it would be able to kill the intruders using only a fraction of its power, but it turned against itself. It was in great pain, so it had to end this fast. On the other side, Orion was having ideas after ideas on how to kill this bug quickly. But eventually, he chose to wait, as rushing in now, not knowing how it would react, could be dangerous. ''I could snipe the two cores. No, I''m pretty sure it can counter it, the same way Amelia stops projectiles with her wind. My only choice is to send both Amelia and Karteira to destroy a core each. But how do I do that?'' With a frown, he stared at the beast. During this moment, the bug began to fly around, watching their movements closely. Without showing anything, the three did the same, and the two sides exchanged places. The exit was now behind them. ''Let''s see what it does, and then I''ll think of something.'' Amelia stared at Orion, who was openly thinking in the middle of a fight. She looked at Karteira, who was tensed in front of them, but still acted as their shield. ''He trusts us a lot. He wouldn''t be so lost in thought if he couldn''t place his life in our hands. If something comes our way, would I be able to counter again?'' She looked at her trembling hands, which were gripping the daggers. She still hadn''t recovered from the ten counters she managed to pull off. For a moment, she did her best to loosen her grip, only to notice that her hands were bleeding. She gripped the hilts so tightly that her skin came off at some point, and blood began to drip from them. Seeing a red liquid drip in the corner of his eyes, Orion stopped thinking and looked at the liquid that caught his attention. After tracing the fluid back to the source, worry began to fill his mind. "Amelia, did you get hurt? Is it bad?" He tried to look, but since she was still on his back, he was unable to clearly see. "It hurt pretty bad. I just gripped the dagger too hard, and my hands now hurt. But I''m fine apart from that, I think." She tried to look over her body for any other injuries, but she got stopped by Karteira. "It''s attacking again! Get ready!" Orion and Amelia immediately switched back to their defensive stance, being reminded that they were still in the middle of an unfinished business. ''What is it going to do now?'' Watching carefully, particles of magic began to be absorbed by the ''Corrupted Lord''. Those particles appeared to come from all the corpses scattered around the room, and they clearly flew toward the bug''s wings. ''This might be bad! We have to avoid this at all costs!'' Karteira''s instinct kicked in, and within a split second, she turned to Orion and wrapped both of them with her tail before running toward the entrance of the room with all her might. Luckily, she made it before the bug unleashed its attack, and she was expecting the two to growl at her for making such a decision by herself. But instead, Orion kept looking inside the room for that attack. He already knew how bad this was going to be. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Karteira was right to flee this time. From the cores on his wings, two green twisters shot in a straight line where they were standing a few seconds ago. The twisters crashed and cracked the ground while bouncing strong winds that could pummel them down across the entire room. All bug corpses were instantly shredded to pieces as a result. "This was a good call, Karteira. If not for you, I''m not sure whether we would have survived such a powerful strike." Her eyes opened wide. "Huh? You''re not going to get angry?" Still focused on watching over the corner of the entrance, he answered her. "Why would I? You trust me in battle, so why wouldn''t I do the same? If you think the situation is too dangerous, we will follow." She was speechless. Knowing that she was a part of the group and being accepted and recognized inside that group were two different things. She still thought they were cooperating with her out of obligation. While letting Karteira bask in her internal turmoil, Orion glanced at the ''Wind Lord''. Its fly head kept looking creepily in every corner of the room for its prey. It needed to see their bodies before letting its guard down. ''We can use the charging phase of its attack against it. I just hope that strategy will work; if not... I don''t want to think about it.'' The end of the battle was near. Orion was about to unleash everything on it, and the bug was going to do the same. ''The one to finish faster will be the victorious.'' He readied himself and began to explain his plan to the others. ... "You do have some crazy ideas, you know that?" Karteira''s reaction was priceless. Her mouth almost dropped to the floor while listening to him. "You get used to it. Alright, let me down." Amelia tried to get down, but Orion stopped her. "Not yet. I need to let you go at the last moment." He grabbed her thighs tighter, embarrassing her. "I get it, so stop gripping my legs!" "Can you stop for a second, you two? You''re making me jealous over here." Darkness appeared in Karteira''s eyes. Her clear intent spoke louder than any word. ''Not now! Do that later.'' With a guilty face, Amelia looked down. "I''m sorry." She stopped squirming as the group entered the room quickly while closing in on the bug. It immediately recognized the intruders and attacked with wind blades while recovering from firing the newly discovered weapon, whirlwinds. "Watch out for the wind blades, and dodge those tornadoes!" Karteira remained close to Orion this time, instead of running further ahead. "Ghh!" A wind blade managed to scrape Karteira''s left leg, ripping off a small part of the plates. This was it for her; she had enough. She was seething with fury. Being hit by the same opponent without a means to retaliate would do that to anyone. "I''m done with your shit! I''ll make you eat your own wind if I have to!" Her anger showed on her plates. The blue-colored plates began to turn crimson-red. Intense heat began to permeate through the room as her rage filled her with momentary strength. The bug looked at them before deciding it was time to end this for once. Power began to accumulate in the cores from the particles it had absorbed earlier. "It''s preparing to shoot those twisters again! Get ready, you two!" Orion screamed, preparing himself physically and mentally. "Yes!" Both yelled at the same time. Amelia jumped off Orion''s back, and Karteira closed the distance between them quickly. Amelia walked in front of his right, and Karteira in front of his left side. "I''m doing it, Orion." The voice of the ''Key'' echoed in their minds. "Unlocking the ''Second Gear'', in addition to the ''Arm Overdrive''." Power began to flow through his muscles. When the flow stabilized, he crouched and picked up Amelia with his right hand. He stood up, placed his right leg and arm behind him, activated Calm Analysis to get the angle, and threw Amelia toward the left core. "First one!" Amelia clenched her daggers, doing her best to resist the pressure at which she got thrown. The moment Orion threw Amelia, he crouched once again and moved his left arm further away in front of him. He placed his right arm on the floor behind him and began to lift his left leg in the air. He did the same as with Amelia, using ''Calm Analysis'' to adjust the trajectory instantaneously. Karteira immediately wrapped her tail around his arm and placed her right foot on his left foot. "LET''S! GO!" She unwrapped her scorpion tail, lifted her left foot from the ground, and got launched toward the right core, the same way as Amelia. All of this roughly took seven seconds. Amelia was flying at high speed, and she closed in on the wing in three seconds after being launched. Karteira was slightly faster, as he did not regulate his power like he did with Amelia. She got there in two seconds. The bug saw two fast projectiles coming straight at its wings, but it couldn''t do anything. It tried to shoot the twisters faster, but it was already too late. Amelia pierced the core perfectly when she closed in. She made a hole with the momentum, throwing her at high speed toward the upper part of the wall behind the ''Wind Lord''. It was almost the same for Karteira, except she used her tail to pierce the core. She grabbed her stinger segment with both hands and kept it in front of her to avoid being ripped by the air and the impact. Karteira flawlessly went through, flying toward the same part as Amelia. ''I''ll make it in time! Just you see!'' Orion, the moment Karteira got launched, stood up and ran using his ''Second Gear'' with every bit of strength he had. ''Even if I have to lose my legs for it, I won''t let those two get hurt!'' Picking up speed each second, he continued to run and arrived at the wall where they would be crashing. He stepped on the inclination of the wall and ascended higher and higher. He caught Amelia with his right arm, as she was slower after passing through the ''Corrupted Lord''. It was another story for Karteira. She went higher, and she was faster. ''Make it! I have to make it! MAKE IT!'' With one last push and with Amelia in his arm, he jumped. His left arm caught Karteira right before she would crash, and with every last bit of his strength, he pushed the ''Arm Overdrive'' to the limit. His face cramped as he got pushed toward the wall with the two in his arms, managing to resist the tremendous force he himself used to throw her. Still, the remaining force that pushed him was reduced by then; he simply bumped his back against the wall with little force. With the two women getting their bearings together from the terrible plan that Orion came up with, they all slid toward the flat ground. It was a good thing the walls were made by insects and not humans. If they were, the walls would be straight and impossible to step on. Orion looked at the enemy to confirm its state. ''It can''t have survived this.'' The bug''s body came crashing forward on the floor, convulsing violently, blood flowing from its cores being destroyed. "We''ve won..." *Sigh* With a sigh, Orion declared their group victorious. Chapter 53: After an arduous fight. At one point, the body stopped convulsing. His companions were still in his arms, and he couldn''t find the strength to move them, as he was the reason they had to do this. What he didn''t know was that they were perfectly fine now. ''I''ll take my time and enjoy his warmth. It''s been so long since I''ve hugged him like this.'' Amelia was in full romance mode. ''He caught me. He didn''t give up on me. He caught me.'' Karteira was like a broken record inside. She couldn''t believe someone would act this way toward her. She believed in strength, and Orion had definitely shown he was a terrifying individual. Who would catch two people plunging toward a wall? She was expecting Orion to save Amelia and abandon her to her fate. At that moment, without knowing it, Orion gained the complete trust of the strongest fairy. This sealed the deal for her, as she was unwilling to part with them anymore. After a few minutes of everyone catching their breath, the first one to move was Karteira. "Thank you. I didn''t think you would make it in time." "I gave my word, didn''t I? I never go back on my words. I said I''d catch both of you, and I did. That''s all that matters." After seemingly getting her dose of his warmth, Amelia finally removed herself too. She turned to look at the corpse she had fiercely fought against. "And there''s two like this... can we make it in two days?" Orion stood up, dusted his back, and spoke. "Don''t think about it too much. From the way I feel it, it should be around 1PM. We still have time." The situation was not so dire anymore. They cleaned a whole section of the underground and managed to defeat one of the powerful ''Corrupted Lord''. In total, they destroyed more than a third of the nest. This was a real achievement to kill well over five thousand enemies in four hours. "There''s something more important. Karteira, remove your armor, and you, Amelia, show me your hands." ''Ah! My hands, I forgot about them.'' She released her grip on the daggers, and the two elements returned to Orion. Amelia opened her hands to show how bad the injuries were. "This looks... fine. I need to clean it, disinfect it, and put the bandage around the rashes." "It shouldn''t open again, as it is only scraping from the hilts." He turned to Karteira, who had removed her ''Cerulean Aegis'' armor. His only reaction was. "It''s bad. Don''t move a muscle. Wait here." Orion walked toward the entrance, where they originally came from. They had left their bags here so they would not be hindered while fighting. He grabbed the two bags and walked back to them, who were waiting for him to return. Orion dropped the small bags to the ground and rummaged through his belongings to find his healing box. He crouched next to Karteira''s leg and began to look closely between the torn fabric of her pants. ''This looks more like a cut than missing flesh. If she had such a bad injury, I wouldn''t be able to do anything.'' "You can thank your armor. If not for it, it would have left you unable to fight again." The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. He took out the spray, carefully spread the ripped fabric away from the cut, and cleaned it. This time, it seemed to hurt more than when he healed her tail, as she grimaced a bit. "Kuh... You''re right." She didn''t know what to say. It was her fault to have let a wind blade graze her. Orion finished by giving her a bandage and straps. "Wrap it yourself. I can''t wrap it over your clothes, and I can''t ask you to strip in front of me, can I? I''m going to take care of Amelia, so do it in the meantime." She nodded and moved further away, then stopped. She looked behind her and watched Orion''s back in silence. ''Is he angry at me for hurting myself in battle?'' Knowing he wasn''t going to look, she pulled down her tight black pants to her ankles, showing her white underwear. She looked at her left leg, which had a deep horizontal cut in her flesh. The blade sliced her leg slightly less than a centimeter deep. ''I hope it doesn''t leave another scar.'' ''Orion''s right, if not for my ability, I would have most likely lost my leg.'' She wrapped the bandage around her leg and pulled her pants back up. As she began to walk back to them, she made up her mind. ''I need to take better care of myself. If I want to continue standing by their side, I have to do something about my reckless actions.'' Now that she had decided to change her ways, she stopped next to Orion, who was disinfecting Amelia''s hands with the spray. "Was catching its attacks hard to the point of creating such injuries? You gripped the daggers'' hilts too strongly." As he wiped her hands with a soft tissue to clean any trace of impurities off her hands, she looked at them. "I was scared." "It would surprise me otherwise." Surprise painted her face, but she continued nevertheless. "When I countered those attacks, my arms kept cramping. It reminded me of when we fought Karteira." "Me?" Karteira pointed at herself. "During the fight, my arm cramped up, and I couldn''t continue to parry her attacks, which led me to lose Dana. The same was happening after each strike, and it was so much worse for the last three counters." Orion remembered Amelia redirecting the trajectories of the wind blade each time she got in contact with one. "It might have been unconsciously, but my hands gripped the daggers to avoid something like it happening again. It wasn''t like against Karteira; if I had made a mistake, we would have died." Her serious expression showed that she wasn''t making any of it up. "When I opened my hands again, my arms were trembling, and blood was already flowing down my wrists." Silence took over after she finished. After a minute of focusing on cleaning her wounds, Orion wrapped the bandage around her hands and stood up. He placed his right hand on her head and caressed her blonde hair. "Being scared is alright. As I said before, it doesn''t surprise me. If I had the choice, I would have avoided taking you with me to let you live the normal life you deserve." "At the end of the day, both of you are normal women. Well, maybe it''s different for Karteira, but it doesn''t change much that even a fairy can be happy." He brought his left hand to Karteira''s head too and caressed her blue hair this time. They both looked at him with fondness. "The only thing I can do for both of you is make sure you don''t get too injured during fights. Without you two, I''ll be dead before long. For that matter, I would have died earlier if not for Karteira''s quick reaction." He laughed and removed his hands from both heads. "Let''s take a break here. I don''t think we''ll see any bugs now. Are you two thirsty?" He took two bottles of water from his bag. They approached him and grabbed the bottles. "Ouch... I had forgotten." Amelia touched her stinging hand with the other. "Well, I hope it doesn''t hinder you too much during the next fight." Orion fell into his thoughts after watching Amelia and Karteira touch their bandages. ''They won''t be able to fight correctly if we''re going like this.'' This was the reality of the battle. Injuries were common, and, usually, they lasted a few weeks, which posed a constant problem. ''Yes, they won''t. That is why it is your role to keep them in shape.'' A voice he recognized entered, mixing with his thoughts. ''Ego, what do you mean? I already healed their wounds; I can''t do better than that.'' ''Of course, you can do better than that.'' Hearing her say this with confidence, as if this were a given for Orion, made him wince. ''In normal circumstances, I shouldn''t give you advice, but I''m done following those arbitrary rules. If it is to keep Amelia from being hurt, I am ready to help you.'' Orion closed his eyes and discretely nodded. ''You have my attention. If I can do something for them, then I will listen to your advice.'' Ego''s words weren''t foolish ones. Only a fool would ignore them. That''s why Orion focused intently on her every word. ''Alright. It is only advice. If you cannot make out what I am going to explain, then it is your own fault.'' The teasing in her voice was unavoidably present, but he ignored it. It was better than hearing the monotone voice Ego had at the very beginning. ''I get it. I won''t blame you if I can''t understand.'' After a small pause and once she sensed Orion''s emotions, ''Ego'' gave a hint. ''I understand you only managed to comprehend your light element attributes the day before, but there are many things you still do not understand about them.'' ''Think deeply about your elements, and you will get your answer. I cannot help you further.'' With his eyes still closed, he took on a thinking posture. Amelia and Karteira were looking at him, intrigued by his current behavior. ''Thank you, Ego. I''ll do just that.'' He thanked the voice. ''Well then, I''ll give you peace of mind by leaving.'' The voice died down, and only his distinctive thoughts remained. ''My elements. I just understood how to wield them correctly yesterday, but I was expecting them to be much more complicated than that. They are not simply weapons. They can be used as enhancements now.'' Pondering everything he knew about his elements, he slowly pictured the whole thing in his head. ''Light can be used to increase the speed of what I choose, and the dark element is perfect to afflict my enemies with various ailments.'' This was what he knew about his elements. It wasn''t the simple understanding he had, compared to the time he trained in Auro''s forest. It was understanding on a fundamental level. In his mind, he was able to separate the two into categories and separate those categories based on what they were actually capable of. ''If what ''Ego'' said is correct, then one of my elements can be used to improve the healing of these two. Obviously, it can''t be the dark element. So it leaves me only with the enhancements of the light element.'' ''But it is only used to speed up things, though... What am I supposed to-'' Amelia and Karteira appeared surprised at his sudden reaction. He opened his eyes suddenly and looked at his hands with shock. "Wait. Speed up things?" If the ''Ego'' could smile, it would be doing so. ''He is a genius. To find the answer so fast. Maybe his care for his partners makes him prone to great understanding?'' There was only one thing left: try his new discovery. Chapter 54: Having wise partners is a blessing. "I see what you meant! The possibility never crossed my mind until now. How did you even think of something like this?" Orion was seemingly losing it in front of his companions. He was talking to himself as he moved a finger of his right hand in a circle in his left palm. He didn''t receive an answer, but he could feel ''Ego'' being happy that he had found the answer instantly. By understanding the elements, he was beginning to turn them ''his'' magic. "Ladies, come closer." He looked at them, making a sign with his left hand. "For once, I don''t want to." "She''s right. I don''t want either. The way you''re moving your hand is scary." With perplexed expressions, the two took a step back. "Why? I''m not doing anything strange. I''m focusing on a new energy. Now come here." They both looked at each other, sharing their thoughts. ''Isn''t he more pushy than usual?'' ''What is he going to do to us?'' Even though they were reluctant to do so, they still walked toward him. Once they were close enough, they stopped and noticed something on the tip of his finger. "I can feel it forming perfectly, so it should be fine. I''ll start with Karteira." Amelia noticed his gaze on Karteira''s injured leg. She couldn''t stop herself from asking. "What are you going to do? You''ve already healed us, right?" "I''m trying something besides medicine. Be patient... If it works, it''s your turn." ''He found a way to heal us? What?'' While Amelia was having an existential crisis because Orion was breaking her reality, he stopped spinning his hand in a circle motion and focused his senses on the tip of his index finger. "Karteira, move your leg closer." "Like this?" She moved closer to his hand. Once he was ready, the tip of his finger glowed a bright white, and his whole hand got covered with a white aura. He touched her thigh and caressed gently up and down, as if he were caressing the back of a baby. ''Why does it feel so gentle?'' She closed her eyes and gave in to the feeling. To maintain his posture, Orion gently grabbed her right leg and focused on healing the cut. After a few minutes, an audible sigh of exhaustion came out of Orion''s mouth. "Fuuuuu~" "It''s terribly exhausting. I won''t be able to use it that many times a day. I can probably do it three or five times at this point." Amelia came back to reality and looked at Karteira. Her reaction took her by surprise. "Orion, how did you do that?!" He looked up and realized Karteira''s beautiful face was glistening with small tears. "What do you mean? I''ve healed your injured leg. Well, I think I did it correctly, at least." Looking at her leg, he could tell he managed to close the cut, but that wasn''t the thing that made her emotional. The one who noticed first was Amelia. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "Karteira! Your scar... It''s gone!" Surprised, Orion looked at her right leg. "Wait, what?" "You''ve healed the scar. I thought I would have to see this shameful mark and live with the pain until the day I die, but you''ve removed it completely. The remaining pain has also left. I can finally move like before." Orion had an expression of utter disbelief. The potency of his healing wasn''t what he was expecting. ''Wait, was she bothered by the remaining pain of the scar? How could I have missed that? Though I wouldn''t be able to help at the time, it would have been better to know beforehand.'' Still, thinking back on the matter, he felt ashamed of forcing her to fight in her previous state. "I understand now why you had a hard time dodging most of the attacks. It''s not that you weren''t able to, but you simply couldn''t. I''m sorry for not realizing before." He apologized while staring at her teary face. "I''m sorry too. I never knew you were still suffering from that scar." Amelia followed his example and apologized along with him, while Karteira wiped her tears away. "When I felt the cut on my left leg heal, I felt another hand on my right leg doing the same. I never expected something like this to happen. Thank you, Orion." She crouched and hugged him, her beautiful blue hair hiding everything in his sight. ''I don''t remember moving my right hand, though. Did I do it unconsciously? That explains why I was so exhausted then.'' He healed an old injury, one that caused tremendous pain. It was no wonder he felt exhausted. "Well, you''re welcome." With a smile, he patted the blue-haired fairy, relieved to see her fine. ''At least, I know it works.'' Confirming the actual effectiveness of his newfound discovery, he internally nodded. "Orion, what did you do again? You keep creating new things that I can''t keep up with." He patted Karteira on the back to allow her to release him, which she did without complaining. He stood up and turned to Amelia a few seconds later. "I''ll explain in a second. Show me your hands first." "Fine. Here, again." She extended her hands toward him without asking any more questions. She knew Orion wouldn''t answer until she felt better. "I won''t let you have those ruined hands any longer." He once again focused on his light magic, and like before, a white aura enveloped his hand. "I''ve explained before what my elements can do, right? Do you remember?" She already knew the answer, as she retained all information concerning him. "Yes, you have the light element that increases the speed of projectiles, and you have the dark element that causes ailments to the one touched by it." Amelia appeared to pride herself on that knowledge as she puffed her chest up slightly. "Currently, you are correct on the dark element, but half right on the light element." In shock, she stared at him. "Huh? Is the light element not working as an enhancing magic anymore?" Amelia entered her thinking mode. Karteira on the side was also listening, but a detail caught her attention faster than it did for Amelia. "You''ve said ''projectiles'', but when he enhances our movement, it''s not a projectile, isn''t it?" Amelia acknowledged her statement and nodded. "Oh, you''re right. Does that mean that it acts as a plain increase in speed?" Orion had a mixed expression. "You are right, but you are still missing something. Think a bit more." "We''re missing something..." Karteira was intensely rummaging through her thoughts. "An increase in speed... An increase in speed?" Amelia was gradually beginning to understand. "But to heal with light magic, it has to be using that speed enhancement." Orion smiled. ''So close!'' He was having fun looking at the two racking their brains to understand him while he was focusing on healing Amelia''s hands. "What did he enhance in that case?" Amelia looked at Karteira. "His hand? That doesn''t make sense." "That was most likely the way to use the energy... What we are looking for is what he applied the magic to-" As Amelia described the process, Karteira pieced everything together. "Amelia! That''s it!" "Yes, I see now." Orion finished healing Amelia and released the white aura from his hand. The two spoke at the same time. "Natural healing!" The feeling of being understood drew a gentle smile on his face. "Good thinking. I knew you would get it, Amelia, but I wasn''t expecting you too, Karteira. Color me surprised." Both laughed shyly. He took this chance to explain clearly. "In the end, it is fairly simple. I focused the ability of the light element, which is the increase in speed of whatever I wish for, on the natural recovery you have." "Since it is not a fair increase, it still takes some time to do it, so I will only use it outside battles." Then, Karteira thought of something else related to that power. "But then, there are so many things you can increase with that type of magic. Are you not going to try them?" He thought for a second before giving an answer to Karteira. "No, I won''t do that. Unless it is a necessity, I won''t increase the quantity of things I have to work on. I already possess the ability to process details and slow my worldview down, so I won''t use magic on my brain." With a serious frown, he explained carefully. "That could be dangerous too. Who knows what could happen if we overuse that ability? Too much processing can''t be a good thing. The same goes for speeding the body." "You felt it, right? The way your body has a hard time following the speed at which you move, the creaking of your bones, and the cramping of your muscles." "That is the reality of this ability. It doesn''t perfectly increase your speed. It also takes things from you. The only way to avoid those problems would obviously be training, but we''ll look at that later." Karteira was stunned. In a very brief moment, he had already thought of the matter she brought up out of curiosity. ''He thought so clearly about how he uses his abilities. Did I ever think as much about my own abilities? Did I ever try to describe how I feel it, how I want to use it, and its limitations?'' She internally shook her head. ''I''ve never done that.'' Grateful for the explanation, she smiled. "You''re right. We''ll have to look at everything later. Thank you. Without you, I wouldn''t have questioned my own strength until now." "You''re welcome, but I didn''t do much. When I use the ''Overdrive'' state, I have no choice but to be reminded of all of that. I might have incredible increases in speed, control, and strength, but ultimately, I still hurt myself when I use it." Amelia instantly turned to him, a frown on her face. "And I can speak for him. There are times when I have to stop him because it takes days for his muscles to stop hurting." "Worse than that, even when injured, he keeps training. I wish you would think of me having to stop you every time." Orion laughed dryly at Amelia''s comments. "I''ll keep that in mind." They began exchanging laughs and enjoyed the quick rest obtained after defeating the first ''Corrupted Lord'' of the underground. Now fully healed, all there was left to do was continue their hunt and release Tiohr-nam from her dying fate. The remaining number of enemies were two legions of corrupt insects and two ''Corrupted Lords''. The day wasn''t over yet. How much would they be able to advance during the few hours before sunset? Chapter 55: Hunting the remaining corrupted. Their break turned out to be over quickly. Orion, accompanied by Amelia and Karteira, turned around and moved back to the first room where they fought, but had to retreat because of the number of corpses blocking their movements. This room clearly disgusted Amelia, and once again, it didn''t miss doing so. "For the love of the world!? What are they doing?" The bugs were eating the corpses of their deceased comrades. "At least they made room for us." Orion joked about this sight, readying himself to piggyback Amelia. She climbed on his back and received Dawn and Dusk from him. Karteira, on their side, activated the ''Cerulean Aegis'' ability to be their shield. She was perfect for her role in a room where bugs weren''t flying. More than anything, she was now at 100% power, having her right leg healed to its most pristine state. "Time to finish this and kill a second ''Corrupted Lord'', don''t you think?" With a tone that showed his eagerness to finish the fighting as fast as possible, he came out of the tunnel and entered the room. The pools of green insect blood seemed to have either vanished, or it was possible they''d been slurped by the bugs still alive. At least there were no more obstacles on their way toward the complete annihilation of the bugs. Their luck was that insects never thought about escaping alone. They all followed the deaths of the others, leaving no one alive in case of an attack. That''s why there weren''t any surviving insects in the other room. Orion believed that there would be four rooms underground, created by the ''Lords'' themselves, with the last one being the center roots of Tiohr-nam and the ring she so fervently protected until now. "Don''t go too hard. I don''t want you to be exhausted now." Karteira threw a jab at Orion and ran in front of them, instantly catching the beasts'' attention. "Don''t worry about me, and worry about yourself." Feeling the power of the ''First Gear'', he ran with Amelia on his back toward the swarm of insects away from Karteira. "This will be easy and quick, Amelia; go wild." "Yes!" The fight was way different from the first time they recklessly moved through the place. Karteira had her senses cleared of fury, as she appeared calmer than ever before. The pain of her scar was a reason for her constant anger while fighting, the other being the enemy that injured her. Now that both were gone, she was back to her senses. She was still having the time of her life fighting. Karteira was still the same battle addict after all. But her smile was different, her moves were different, and the way she relied on them was different. ''I''m thankful to have the strongest fairy with me. Without her, I wouldn''t even win this fight.'' While thinking that, Orion saw her pierce the head of an ant with her tail. Still stuck in its head, she pushed the bug to the floor to push the stinger further in and tried something different. She lifted the ant high above her and leaned sideways. The bug was now in her grasp, and she smashed it down against another bug. Using the dead ant like a hammer to pound her enemies to the ground, Karteira ravaged their ranks with efficiency. ''This hurt quite a lot. I don''t think I''ll use my tail like that unless I find a way to make it painless.'' Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ''Well, at least I tried.'' After smashing a hundred insects, she twisted her body and retracted her stinger, making the beat-up corpse fly across the room in a pile of living insects. ''Not bad.'' Orion watched this scene while Amelia was casually cutting a grasshopper in half. Without even looking at the gory result, she pierced the next bug and moved to her next target. The process repeated itself again and again. ''Those two, they are getting better. Meanwhile, I haven''t done much except fire at a few flying bugs.'' He was feeling a bit sad. He usually liked to hunt, but this time, there was nothing for him to do since he was only carrying Amelia around. When he felt Amelia strengthen her grip on his waist, he realized something he shouldn''t have. ''Wait, I never realized how thick her legs were. Maybe all the training made them tougher?'' He glanced at Karteira and saw the same thing. Even through her plates, he could tell that her thighs were pretty thick. As thick as his, but most likely less. ''Was I a thigh man all along?'' ''Orion! Damn it, what are you thinking in the middle of a fight?! Focus, for crying out loud!'' Realizing his own desires, he switched his thoughts and focused back on the battle, although there wasn''t much to fight anymore. A few more bugs came from the tunnel in front of them, and that was it. They had already killed more than half of the legion previously. "Wait? That''s it? We''re already done?" Everyone felt bad for the bugs, as they didn''t even put up a fight like the last time. What was different this time? An hour has passed with them fighting everything in the room. There were no bugs left alive anymore. The second legion of bugs was defeated, with only the ''Lord'' remaining. "So, do we wait here for their boss? Or do we move further? Because it reeks in here." Green blood was sprayed everywhere, and compared to the flying insects, their blood didn''t smell like roses. "I''m sure we won''t have to wait too long. We can go back to our bags while we wait; at least the smaller beasts shouldn''t bother us over there." The group moved back to the tunnel while keeping an eye on the room in case the ''Lord'' were to appear. After a while, the air began to heat up drastically. "Here it comes. It''s the same feeling as before. Don''t get grossed out again, Amelia." He smirked at his friend. "I can''t do anything about that! Have you heard of a single woman loving gross insects?" Karteira nodded at her remark. "I''m sure there are some that like them, but I agree. I don''t think a woman would like such a disgusting... creature." Orion was now looking at the second ''Corrupted Lord''. Another sickening combination of bugs walked inside the room from another tunnel. It had the head and wings of a hornet, the body of an ant, and the legs of a grasshopper. "Hiiiie! Can''t we just kill this thing already?" Her face turned pale at the sight of this monstrosity. Karteira moved closer to her and patted her back. "Well, this might be easier than you think. Look." Orion pointed at the ''Lord'' that was looking around the room. Seemingly seething in anger at the sight of its dead pawns, it began to breathe fire on its dead subordinates, burning them to a crisp. On its forehead, a massive black orb-like item with countless veins was plainly exposed. The second one was on the last segment of the ant''s body. "I can see the cores, but don''t you think it''s too easily accessible?" This was a fair observation, and Orion agreed with it. This gave him an idea. "It can''t hurt to try, can''t it? Give me Dawn, please." Half understanding what he was planning to do, she gave back his light magic. "Alcyone. Time to pierce this damn thing." The dagger changed to a white crossbow. Inside the groove, a lethal arrow appeared. "Orion! What are you thinking?! You know it won''t end well if you use that!" "What? Are you scared of being buried alive? It won''t happen, since its body seems quite thick. It won''t pierce through." The arrow he was using right now was the triangle-shaped tip, the same that drilled through Kiel''s neck during the ritual. Except this time, he had more strength behind his shots. "Can you-" "Never." "Fine! Alright." Karteira watched as they exchanged comments, completely oblivious to the situation. "Amelia, I''m sorry, but what is he going to do?" With an innocent gaze, Karteira asked her. "Something you won''t believe until you see it. Just watch... You''ll understand." "Aren''t we going to fight it?" Orion turned and looked at her. "After I fire this arrow, you have to attack. Don''t miss the opportunity, alright?" He winked and placed his right knee on the ground. With his crossbow in hand and his view of the target clear and stable, he activated ''Calm Analysis'' to find the right moment. Still hidden out of the massive insect''s view, Orion used his concealment to preemptively strike. "What do you mean by that?" Karteira looked to the side as she got embarrassed by the sudden wink. When he felt it was the right moment, Orion pressed the trigger. *Click* Instantly, a gust of wind lifted the two women''s hair as the arrow pierced through the insect''s head, drilling its way into its brain and its entire body. The arrows churned the inside while blood sprayed all around. It didn''t take long before the arrow stopped. ''As expected, it''s tough on the inside. The arrow was unable to pierce the second core.'' Now understanding and completely in shock, Karteira needed a few seconds to comprehend what happened. ''I saw it. He fired the arrow, and it began to spin at an incredible speed. It made a hole in the core and continued to pierce through right after.'' Amelia, who looked at this scene without blinking, notified him of her observation. "Orion, something is weird." He acknowledged the same thing. "It didn''t die even though I pierced its brain and pulverized its organs. I know, just like the previous ''Lord'' right?" Amelia was staring at the bug that writhed in agony. The time Karteira took to process was the time the bug needed to start healing. A dark purple mist appeared around its head, and slowly, its body began to recover. "Karteira, remember, don''t miss this opportunity." He moved out of her way and urged her to go inside. He didn''t forget to boost her speed at the same time. ''Does he want me to give the finishing blow?'' A large, beastly smile appeared on her face. ''Can I really do this?'' She readied her gauntlets. "Rip and Tear!" The two gauntlets changed to their razor-like form. "Doesn''t that smile scare you, Orion?" Shaking his head, he watched as Karteira walked past them. "It doesn''t. In fact, I quite like it. It is similar to the one you wear when you cook. Less wild, of course. And you?" He laughed and patted Amelia on the back. "I see. I don''t mind it, either, since it''s not directed at me." While Karteira walked further into the room, Orion stared at her back. "Go wild, Karteira." Chapter 56: Fairness, and the Fire Corrupted Lord. "Aren''t we going to help her?" "Does she look like she needs our help?" Orion and Amelia stepped inside the room where Karteira was thrashing the ''Corrupted Lord'' around. "Not really, but is it still fine? Something like this doesn''t look... unfair to you?" Karteira was beating the ''Lord'' senselessly. It was healing at a fast pace, but it couldn''t move an inch. Using her sharp gauntlets, she cut its legs repetitively, slowly working her way toward its last core. She was unable to get a good hold on his back to mount it, so she had to bring it down a different way. "What''s wrong? For a superior insect, you can''t seem to be doing much." The bug kept writhing in pain each time it received an injury. The core on its forehead began to form once again, making it clear to the group that its internal injuries had since healed completely. "Not so fast! I still need you to stay where you are." Karteira jumped back with a few steps and maintained her fighting stance. Once she was ready, she rushed it, and her razor-shape plate went straight for its head. She pierced through the head like Orion''s arrow did, successfully breaking the core a second time. "If we were going for fairness against monsters, it would be our doom. I don''t need to remind you against what we need to fight, right?" Orion had a face showing the severity of the situation for them. "Elliott... He''s the strongest human we have to battle." Recalling the reason for their departure from Auro, Amelia quietly looked down. "Right. I became a hunter for that reason. There is no such thing as fairness when you intentionally take a life." "If I had chosen to be a knight, maybe I could have used the ''fairness'' system in battle, but it doesn''t change the fact that not necessarily everyone holds it close to heart." Orion understood that a way of life was how people showed their might. "When your life is in danger, is being fair going to save you? Or is it using everything around you that is going to protect your life?" He remembered his father''s last strike against Elliott. There was no sign of fairness in this fight, either. It was all or nothing, and miraculously, they won, but at a cost. "I understand. Don''t be angry, alright?" Just remembering Elliott was enough to anger him. "I''m not angry. Why do you say that?" Knowing she was right, Orion kept his gaze forward, preventing her from seeing his expression. "You have a terrifying scowl on your face, and your gaze became colder for a moment." ''Even like this, she noticed it. So much for not letting my emotions take over.'' Amelia approached him and stretched her hand over his dark hair. "It''s alright. I know how much you contain your feelings. I just wish you wouldn''t get sucked into them." Feeling her gently caressing his hair, his composure returned. His face relaxed, and the anger subsided. "I won''t let that happen, so don''t worry." He closed his eyes, feeling her caresses on his hair while listening to the punches Karteira was throwing. Then, he opened his eyes when he noticed a change coming from the enemy. ''Oh, it''s finally doing something. If it becomes too dangerous, I''ll be interrupting your fight, Karteira.'' Just as Orion felt a change from the ''Lord'', Karteira did too. She was completely focused on it, making her susceptible to small details. The ''Lord'' was in an awful state. Its legs were cut again and again, its forehead was destroyed, and many cuts showed on its body. As it was still a larger insect compared to the small insects they had fought, it was difficult to access its rear. It kept lifting it high in the air to protect the last core. Just as he began to get used to the pain, another wave of scorching air could be felt. Its body began to emit a fire that enveloped it. It didn''t look like it was done, so Karteira put some distance between them. ''It''s a bit too late to attack me, don''t you think? I just have to find a way to access the last core, but how can I do that?'' While Karteira was lost in her thoughts, the ''Lord'' began to absorb the magic of all the dead corpses in the room. There were fewer corpses compared to the previous room, so there wasn''t much to absorb. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! She came out of her thoughts and watched as the ''Lord'' accumulated a spiral of fire between its mandibles. The hornet''s eyes regenerated, and it locked onto its target, Karteira. ''This... might be bad, isn''t it?'' With a tensed smile and sweat pouring from her face, she had to think fast. Orion was ready to move at any moment, as he wasn''t going to let her take such a hit. But he still believed in her; he would rather not spoil her enjoyment if he could help it. ''There''s only one way!'' Karteira planted her feet strongly into the ground and pierced the ground behind her with her stinger to stabilize her posture. The two exchanged an intense glare. The ''Lord'' fired a spiraling beam of fire from its mouth straight at her. Karteira braced herself with all her strength. She brought her arms in front of her face and focused everything on her plates. The plates on her back slid upward to transfer the energy. ''If there''s one thing I need to have confidence in, it''s in my abilities!'' The beam made contact with Karteira and dispersed wildly around her. Her blue plates turned red instantly, and steam began to leak from her back. "She''s crazy! Orion, do something! She won''t survive like this!" Urging Orion to move, Amelia was getting anxious. He still didn''t move, as there was no reason for that currently. ''She''s doing the same thing. When she overheats, she releases it. Since the plates seem to isolate heat perfectly, she just has to divert the heat and ignore the flames. Another smart decision.'' He analyzed her current situation with just a glance. ''Even if she had dodged it, I''m sure this monster wouldn''t have let her go freely. This was the best answer. Even I couldn''t imagine her ability to be perfect for this moment.'' Amelia grabbed his sleeve with a worried expression. "Orion!" His eyes were anchored on Karteira as he shook his head. "Don''t worry. Look closely at her. Observe her determination and learn from it." "I- Alright." Amelia calmed down and stared at the back of her friend, who was engulfed in raging flames. The picture of an angel appeared in her retina. Wings of steam seemed to form from the excess energy she was releasing. ''Hot... hot. So hot!'' Karteira was suffering from the heat. It was accumulating faster than it was released, but she was still hanging on. Another row of plates opened near her lower back, releasing more steam. "This is crazy! How much energy does this corrupt beast have for it to fire this long? It''s been a minute now!" As Karteira was holding on for dear life, Amelia began to find the situation to drag on longer than it should have. "It should stop soon enough." After saying that, the beam of fire''s size began to diminish until it completely stopped, leaving the two dealing with the aftermath of the attack. The hornet''s head had completely melted during the attack. It was too powerful to use without a price. On the other side, Karteira was still in her braced posture, steam continuously pouring from the openings on her back. "Karteira! Are you alright?" Amelia tried to run to her side, but Orion grabbed her arm. "Why?" Frustration appeared on her face after being stopped. "The fight is not over. If you get in between an attack, Karteira will have to protect you, potentially putting herself in harm''s way as she does that." Orion was overprotecting, but this was also a very possible outcome. "You don''t have to worry. If she were in real danger, I would have moved a long time ago." Seeing that she wouldn''t run off to her friend, he let go of her. ''He''s right, I shouldn''t lose my composure so easily.'' She walked back next to Orion as he continued to speak. "Use your ability. Watch her and see the small details. If you are unable to do that, for what reason did Keith teach you his ability?" "I don''t like it. Since you can use ''Calm Analysis'' better than me, I don''t feel like using it." Amelia''s brain wasn''t a perfect match for this ability. It worked at around 40% efficiency, and it frustrated her greatly, so she avoided using it. "That''s why you''re stuck with this poor performance. Well, I won''t see you differently for it." "There are things we are innately bad at, and this might be one of them for you." He was understanding of other people''s limitations, as he had a lot of them himself. "Right." Having finished the conversation, Orion hadn''t moved his gaze away from Karteira a single time. ''She''s still smiling. She''s a tough one to have as your enemy, isn''t she?'' He looked at the ''Lord'' agonizing on the floor, its head healing very slowly. ''Looks like the burning takes a while to heal compared to normal attacks.'' Karteira kept smiling wildly, her back still profusely flushing steam from under her plates. Once the steam died down, she freed her tail and let out a long, scorching breath. "Fuuuuuuu~" "It feels so much better now!" Her plates turned from red to blue, with a few having an unusually white taint. After a few seconds, she realized something. "Ah! My hair! How dare you?!" A very tiny part of her front hair got slightly burned when she was guarding. "Damn you!" Using the speed enhancement to its fullest, she tried something Orion had done before. She began to run up the wall. "She''s doing your moves now." "Indeed." Amelia pointed out the obvious with a mocking smile. ''I suppose the fight is done. Good struggle, ''Lord of Fire''. You can now join your friend.'' He kept on watching as Karteira gave the final blow to the enemy. ''It''s harder to do than you''d think! But I''m here!'' Karteia jumped away from the inclined wall, directly toward the last segment of the ant, where the core was. "Get ready! I''m coming through!" And she did exactly that. She crossed the distance from the wall and punched its rear, which supported the last core. She flew so fast that she pierced it and managed to land properly on the ground below. "Karteira, move away. It''s going to fall on you otherwise." Giving quick advice to her, Karteira looked above her. "Oh, right. Thanks, Orion." With a casual run, she approached them. *Crash* The body crashed on the floor lifelessly. Karteira had won the fight. "How did I do? Was that good?" With sparkles in her eyes, she was delighted by the amount of fun she had while fighting. "Good? That was perfect. You''ve learned so much, and you''re now way different from yesterday. I''m pretty sure our next spar will be immensely different." Orion was already planning on fighting her again, which made her even more excited. "I see. Can I keep your words on that? Do you really want to fight me again?" "Of course, fighting experienced fighters is always good practice." She really wanted that to happen. ''Now I''m excited! I haven''t fought him one to one!'' As she clenched her fists in a victorious pose, Orion came closer to her with a worried look on his face. "But let''s think about that later. Remove your armor. I need to check your skin. Also, what are those white scales?" "Oh, right. Those are damaged plates." She grabbed a plate on her left arm and ripped it off. She then did the same for the five others on her body. "Doesn''t it hurt?" Confused as to why she simply cracked them off, Orion blinked. "No, when they''re in this state, they''re just ''dead''. I can''t feel anything. Once I remove them, new ones grow the next day." This was interesting to know. Orion thought that maybe this was a characteristic made by Tiohr-nam herself to help her child grow stronger. "If you say so... Good thing we are going to stop for today because I can''t have you fight with many weak spots." Amelia entered the conversation, as she was eager to leave this place for the day. "Oh, already? What do we do? Do we stay here or do we go outside?" Quickly, Orion chose the most efficient answer to please her. "We''ve done more than enough in a single day, and I can''t let two ladies sleep in this kind of place. I already spoke with the Queens about it, so a few tents should be prepared outside." Delighted by the news, Amelia beamed with joy. "Alright, I''ll look at Karteira''s burns, and then we''ll move out of here. It would be troublesome if we were caught by the remaining ''Corrupted Lord''." "Yes." As both agreed with him, he looked at Karteira''s body, which showed only light overheating that he treated with cold water. Then, they moved outside the underground, welcomed by the tents prepared for them. Chapter 57: A casual morning. During the night, in the camp in front of the underground entrance. Everyone was inside their private tent, getting ready to sleep. The day was particularly exhausting for the group, but there was still a lot to think about. Orion was thinking deeply about the fights and how both companions managed to kill ''Corrupted Lords'' by themselves. Even though he still had a part to play in their demise, he didn''t act more than necessary. ''Amelia has been improving so much since we came in here, or should I say, since she met Karteira?'' Sitting on the bed, Orion pondered. ''For Karteira, the strange thing is how fast she''s made herself a part of our lives. Until yesterday, she wasn''t this important.'' ''There was this weird feeling when I met her. She stood out from the rest because of her ability to fight on another level than those fairies we''ve met since arriving.'' Even though Karteira was the strongest fairy, she still had to train weak fairies to defend the village in case the worst happened. They were incredibly weak, though, as casualties often occurred when the seal weakened. ''She can act as our shield, but she doesn''t miss on the offensive part either. Tiohr-nam did make a great warrior out of that person.'' He kept thinking for a short while before feeling the fatigue of the day catch up to him. ''I''ve been using my elements all day, running around endlessly, and even doing some crazy stuff too. It''s time to rest for today.'' Yawning, he placed his left hand in front of his mouth, turned to the side, and closed his eyes, letting his mind drift in peace. When Orion fell asleep, the same process happened to the two other members of the group. Amelia sat on her mattress and began her reminiscences about the whole day. She did mostly the same as Orion, and before long, she let herself fall asleep too. Karteira was the one with the most to think about. To begin with, all of this began when she fought against Orion and Amelia. If not for the fight, she would have never opened her heart this much. When she realized the two showed no restraints when fighting, she felt a tingly sensation on her back. She gave everything, and they received it without looking away. She was still suffering a great deal the day before. Her scar kept her awake at night, and her eye still itches from time to time. She didn''t have anyone to speak to besides the Queens, and she was letting her rage take over most of her actions so far, which didn''t help. In a single day, she managed to improve so much just by fighting alongside them. She finally understood that her power was not only there to be used. There was so much more to do with it. After taking that fire beam straight on, the trust she never showed toward her ability slowly grew. She couldn''t believe she never took time to look at her abilities or even ask her mother about them. She decided to save her and ask questions once she had recovered. And it was at that point that she, too, let the sleepiness invade her mind. ~ In a house inside Hocride. A man wearing a butler outfit entered a room after knocking three times. After hearing a slight shuffle, he entered the room. "Lady Kamala, I have a report to make." Kamala Genathis, the Lord of the port city of Hocride, was sitting on a chair on the balcony, looking at the glistening sea. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. The man looked at her for a sign to continue, which he received with a nod coming from his master. "Our neighbor, Sir Ivan Borias seems to be preparing something big. I received a few reports from traders that a lot of his soldiers are restless and demand something to fight against." The man froze in place when Kamala threw a cold glare toward him. He managed to regain his composure after a moment and finished the report. "There is a risk that Sir Ivan will attack our city for seemingly no reason. The strange movement of the Apostles recently made it clear something awful was happening." He didn''t give any advice, as it wasn''t his job. He only had to explain the report and leave. After receiving another nod, he exited the room, his face full of sweat. ''I''ve rarely seen Lady Kamala this angry. Last time was when her mother tried to sell her off.'' ''This will not be pretty if Ivan tries to invade our city.'' The butler walked away while wiping the sweat on his forehead with a piece of cloth. Inside the room, Kamala was having a hard time processing the reason for such an act. ''The craziness derived from drinking the cores. That''s the only answer. Just like that mother of mine. Do I have to kill another Apostle?'' She glanced at the port, which was bustling with life. ''The city is most important. Protecting the citizen is a priority.'' ''We just have to wait for their movement.'' ~ The soothing sound of rain could be heard outside. Droplets fell on the tents, falling from the leaves of Tiohr-nam that protected them. A distance away, the rain was crashing strongly where the tree''s reach stopped. This morning was colder than usual, and the sky was darkened by countless dark gray clouds. Amelia opened her eyes, woken up by an unusual sound. *Cling* Since she had just woken up, she couldn''t make any guesses about what these sounds could be. Still half asleep, she removed her blanket and breathed on her cold hands. She got up and, even half awake, instinctively put on her pants and jacket. After readying herself, she opened the tent''s zipper and looked around to locate the source of the sound. She found it relatively quickly. Orion was half naked, his top missing, showing his perfectly sculpted abs under the rain. Something unusual was in his hands¡ª two daggers that seemed to belong to Amelia. Further away from him, Karteira was in complete, full-plated armor, breathing roughly. She was standing clear of the rain. "One more time, sharpen your movements." Orion stepped forward with his left leg and, with a swift impulse, left the place he was at, straight at Karteira. She did the same, although a bit slower, and the sound of metal colliding was heard once again. *Cling* The sharp plates on her hands met the dagger Orion used, creating sparks under the rain. They switched sides, as Karteira now stood in the rain. He looked at his torso, and a red line slowly appeared across it. "Good, that''s the first hit you''ve managed to connect. Try it one last time." He healed the mark with the white aura and readied himself once again. Karteira was completely out. All the while, Amelia was only beginning to awaken fully. ''How long have they been training?'' One last exchange happened, and Karteira dropped to the ground, instantly removing her armor. Orion saw another red mark on his flank, showing she did not lose focus even under extreme lack of energy. "It''s good enough for this morning. What did you think? Did you manage to understand how to better move your hands?" She rolled on her back and looked at him with a tired look. She was unable to speak yet, but she still managed to nod, even though it was quite difficult to do so. "I see. That''s fine, then. I wasn''t sure close quarter was a thing I could help you with, and since I was the one to teach Amelia the daggers'' art..." He shrugged and turned to Amelia. "Good morning, Amelia. Did I wake you up?" Orion smiled at her, his body dripping water. For a second, she couldn''t help but admire his body, which he rarely showed. "Good morning. Don''t worry, it''s already late enough." Her gaze drifted to Karteira. "But how long have you been training for her to be in this state?" She pointed at Karteira, who had her arms crossed over her face, lying on her back. "Maybe thirty minutes? I was training alone an hour ago when Karteira woke up and joined me, asking me to help her improve her hand coordination." "Having mounted blades on your arm is quite different from holding a weapon, so I agreed. I had no reason to refuse anyway." Swiping the wetness off his chest, Orion walked past her, walking in the direction of his tent. "Amelia... Good morning." Karteira managed to catch her breath and sat on the ground. "Good morning. How are you feeling?" Amelia walked to her and extended her hand. Karteira grabbed it and stood up. "I''m fine. I never expected his training sessions to be like this. It''s so much more exhausting than my own training. And he doesn''t mind being a target either... It''s so... ridiculous." The usual smile she showed when fighting appeared, but there was satisfaction mixed in there. Knowing she could do this every morning was making her blood boil. "Anyway, you have to stop for now. You''ve worked hard enough, so take the next hour to refresh yourself." The three moved toward the tents. Orion entered his tent to wear a shirt, and they all sat at the table that was provided with the tents. Orion and Karteira took a bottle of water each and drank a good amount of it. "Alright, time for breakfast, I guess? After that exercise, I can only imagine how angry you two are. Though there''s not much, we received some bread and a jar of jam. I don''t know what flavor yet, though." Karteira pondered for a moment and shared her guesses. "If it''s the Queens, you either get plum flavor from Dramia or you get blueberry flavor from Drania. What color was it?" "Clearly red. We received plum jam then. Orion and I never ate a plum before." Amelia turned around and used everything that could help prepare breakfast. She managed to toast the bread correctly and spread the jam evenly for everyone. "Alright, enjoy." She placed the three plates on the table and sat next to Karteira. *Crunch* ''It''s good!'' While thinking about how good this breakfast was, the three finished their breakfast in peace. ... After packing the essential stuff, they prepared to move back into the underground. "Alright, time to finish what we''ve begun. We are close to the end too, so don''t lose focus now." "We know. Don''t go losing focus, either." "Fine, I''ll be careful." They entered once again, prepared to face the last ''Corrupted Lord'' and its legion. Further inside, where many roots intertwine between each other, forming a round object, a giant insect was staring at the light emitted between its gaps. Chapter 58: A hopeless situation. Walking deeper under the roots of Tiohr-nam, the group arrived in the room where they killed the second ''Corrupted Lord''. "It is still in here. I was sure its corpse would have been eaten by now." This was a surprise for Orion, knowing the ravenous disposition of the corrupt insects as he saw them a day earlier. "In the end, it''s going to rot in here. We should speak with the Queens over what to do with the place once it''s cleaned of insects." Amelia thought it would be best to leave the cleanup to those who didn''t participate in the extermination. "That''s a good idea. I''m not very knowledgeable about the corruption to be decided, but since they managed to clean the entrance without a problem, they should definitely know best what to do." Orion agreed with her before pushing forward. "Alright, let''s not waste more time on a dead thing." They moved past the corpse and tunneled through the opening behind it. ... After walking for what seemed like half an hour, they noticed something. "Orion, isn''t the air suffocating the deeper we go?" "There''s something wrong with the air. It feels charged with energy." They noticed how terrible the air felt, which led them to wonder where that feeling came from. "You''re right. Be careful. If something goes wrong, speak immediately." The mood changed abruptly. They were moving deeper and deeper, but there was no sign of bugs. Only a heavy feeling of charged air. After walking another hour, a pulsing light entered everyone''s vision. They all hid their presence and moved quietly toward the source of the light. Karteira began to whisper to avoid catching any unwanted attention. (This might be the last room. What do we do?) They continued forward, Orion deep in thought. ''If this is truly the last room, this is the worst-case scenario. I''m almost sure we are going to have to fight the remaining legion and the last ''Corrupted Lord'' all at once.'' ''We don''t have enough numbers to deal with all of them together.'' He began to think about the situation. ''First, we have no idea what we are against. Second, I don''t have enough magic to supply all three of us with enhancements and provide Amelia with weapons.'' Everything was against him in such a scenario. ''And I can forget exterminating the place by myself; there''s a limit to how powerful I a-'' A look of disbelief appeared on his face out of nowhere. ''I wonder why I always forget about the ''Second Gear'' and the ''Overdrive''. I should see with Amelia when I should use it.'' ''Let''s have a look inside the room first, then plan after.'' They arrived close to the room, but Orion stopped everyone. "I''ll go have a look by myself; wait here for a second. I''ll answer your question after I''ve had a peek inside, Karteira." The two nodded at his order. "It''s fine. Be careful." They watched as Orion walked slowly, his back grazing the wall to avoid making sounds. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. He arrived close to the entrance and immediately cut his breathing in a rush. ''What the-! What is this!'' Extreme anxiety took over his thoughts. An abundance of corrupt insects slithered around the entrance, on the walls and ceiling, and everywhere his eyes drifted. The situation was way worse than expected, and what he thought would be a rescue on time became a race against death instantly. ''This is bad! Shit! What are we supposed to do in this situation?'' For the first time in his life, Orion panicked. ''Do I just blast through them as fast as possible? Impossible; I''ll get swarmed. There''s no way Karteira will survive this, either.'' The place was crawling with the worst kind of insects possible. They were not only sturdy, but also extremely dangerous. Centipedes, cockroaches, and beetles. If not for the mutations, maybe they could have focused on the centipedes, but the situation was different with corrupt beasts. At the center of the room, piercing the ceiling, Tiohr-nam''s roots formed a massive cone of roots, which formed a sphere around the source of the pulsing light. Wrapped around the ball was a massive centipede with a truly terrifying length and an armored body that seemed impossible to break through. At least, Orion managed to identify the location of its cores. One on the third segment after its head, and one on the forty-fourth. ''Tiohr-nam! Why didn''t you say anything? I thought you had more time!'' Orion screamed in his mind as he watched the giant centipede rip roots after roots with its mandibles. He calmed his mind, and in three seconds, he came up with countless plans using ''Calm Analysis''. ''It won''t work; this won''t work either. Why was making Amelia act as bait even a plan? Scrap that!'' But even after rummaging through all his ideas... ''There''s nothing we can do? What? How is that possible?!'' He came empty-handed. There was no way they would make it out alive or even hold on long enough to kill a third of them. He was by no means underestimating his partners... It was simply impossible. ''This is unfair. How am I going to face them like this?'' When he began to lose faith and felt his strength leave him, one memory suddenly entered his mind. ¡ª "Orion, today I''m going to speak about your father''s ability. He refused to explain it himself, so here I am." Orianne was sitting at a table, smiling at someone off-recording. "Your father uses the rare and second-most powerful lightning element, but even as powerful as it is, this is the toughest to master, and the one that doesn''t show much progress even if you do master it." It was a rare moment where Orianne showed consideration for her husband and seriously explained something. "Reon refused to leave his magic stuck on one point, so he created different ways to use it. Since he doesn''t want you to know about it because, well, he doesn''t want you to waste time learning one specific and time-consuming ability, I''ll just say it like this." "His lightning is terrifying. Combined with the feather on his outfit, it becomes an attack that can decimate an army. The power behind those attacks can even pierce the toughest metals." Making a V-shape sign with her fingers, she smiled brightly. "Isn''t my husband cool? Isn''t your dad awesome?" The voice of a man, Reon, entered the ears of Orion. "Stop it! What are you saying now?" He sounded incredibly flustered. "But it''s true." "Alright! That''s enough about me! This recording is done!" "Wait! I wasn''t do-" ¡ª ''Father... I wish I were able to use just a fraction of your power. If I were able to wield multiple weapons, just like you, would this situation be easier to deal with?'' As he recalled this, a voice broke him out of his depressing thoughts. ''Ten seconds.'' ''What?'' Ego''s voice echoed in his head out of nowhere, and she repeated her words to Orion. ''I said ten seconds.'' Frustration took over Orion. He wasn''t in the mood to play riddles right now. ''Speak your mind completely or stop talking. If you have an idea, just say it.'' Hesitation took over'' Ego''. The situation was too dire for it to stop here, so it still explained the idea. ''This is a one-time use, and you have ten seconds. I''m not joking. Ten seconds, no more. If you drain more energy than you can use, you will kill yourself AND Amelia.'' His eyes opened wide. What was that idea that placed such a burden on both of them that it could lead to death? ''What do you mean? Is it something more powerful than the ''Overdrive'' state?'' ''It is an ability you are far too weak to even use without me tricking your magic vessels. Your body will resist with all its might, causing so much pain you will wish to die instead.'' Listening to the voice, he gulped dryly. ''I just hope your light and dark elements won''t interfere... If so, this would be pointless.'' Orion''s surprised face was unusual. An uncharacteristic amount of sweat was pouring down his face by simply imagining something causing him more pain than the heat of the ''Gears''. ''How bad is it? I''m used to the burning feeling; do I have to endure more of that?'' For the first time, ''Ego'' showed anger and distress. ''Are you joking? I''m talking about your muscles ripping apart and your bones breaking into pieces! There''s no way you''re prepared for that!'' Orion lost his breath. ''And Amelia in all of that? What will happen to her? Will she...?'' The voice in his head shook when he thought of Amelia''s suffering. ''Unlike you, she will have her magic drained at a massive pace. That''s why ten seconds is the maximum amount of time between both of you.'' ''And the worst part is, you most likely will be unable to kill the ''Lord'' with an immature use of this ability. It will be enough to clear the whole room of small fries, though. It is in some way a derived ability from your father.'' The words ''Ego'' spoke sunk into his mind. ''Your actions create your abilities, but this one is locked for now due to the unnecessary amount of energy needed and the way it is. Being envious of your father created it, and using it in this situation is your own damn choice.'' ''Are you ready to suffer the worst pain to save a tree and a faction you''ve never spoken to before? Are you ready to endanger Amelia''s life more than necessary?'' His sweat kept dripping to the ground. He swallowed audibly and hesitated. But he remembered his promise with Tiohr-nam, the Queens, Dramia and Drania, and Karteira. ''I am. Do I have what it takes to do it in ten seconds?'' He made up his mind, showing the determination to fight through great agony. ''You do. I would not have proposed such a plan before knowing it.'' Desperation vanished from his gaze. ''Tell me, what do I have to do then?'' ''Has someone ever told you how stunning you look when you are determined?'' ''Stop joking around; we don''t have much time.'' The voice''s smirking smile could be seen through her words, breaking the tension Orion was feeling. ''Fine. I will be unlocking your sixth level of magic. The ability you will be able to use is called ''Multi-cast Weapon'', combined with an absurd fire rate boost.'' ''Do not waste a single arrow, Orion.'' Chapter 59: Ending six thousands lives in ten seconds. ''Multi-cast Weapon? Isn''t that me just using two crossbows instead of one?'' Confused, Orion questioned ''Ego''. ''You will see, this is not something I can easily explain. I know most of your intricate abilities are still sleeping inside you, and this one is maybe the third most difficult to manipulate.'' ''I see, well, if you say it''s enough to reverse the situation, everything works.'' ''Alright, I will have you run inside that room alone and repeat what you hear from me. You understand?'' ... "What is he doing? He''s been like that for fifteen minutes now. Is it that bad inside?" Karteira was feeling curious about what Orion was so intently focused on. They couldn''t see the details of his expression or the emotions he showed, so they could only wait. ''Something''s weird... He''s going to do something bad, and I can feel it.'' Amelia could catch that feeling quickly. The moment ''Ego'' made contact with Orion, she was alert. Not seeing Orion come back was another red flag. "Karteira, he''ll do something absurd again! We have to get to him quick." Amelia tried to run, but Karteira grabbed her arm. "He said he was coming back, so why do you say that?" Angrily, she turned back. "You don''t know him as well as I do yet! We have to m-" "Damn it!" And she was right. Without hesitation, Orion ran inside the wide room alone. "Karteira, we have to move! NOW!" Her yell brought Karteira back to her senses, as she noticed Orion was gone from his spot. "Right! I''m sorry!" Panic took over them, imagining the worst situation happening to him. They arrived at the spot where he was standing before. They looked inside and saw Orion, surrounded by thousands of bugs. There was no way to save him now. ''Orion! Why did you do that!?'' "Ah- He''s-" Karteira had stopped thinking. Just seeing Orion cornered made her despair so intensely that her brain shut off. But in the middle of the sea of gray, corrupt insects, the same Orion was smiling. "I was born to reverse the Threads of Destiny! For the legend still hasn''t been written!" *Witness the light shine through me!* He spread out his arms on both sides and shouted the words'' Ego'' murmured in his mind. A massive burst of energy exploded from Orion as the center point, pushing every creature further away from him. "What''s happening?! What did he do?!" Amelia grabbed Karteira, and Karteira clung to the wall entrance. The burst was so powerful that it lasted a few seconds. During that moment, the two were struggling to keep their balance. Where Orion was standing, a cocoon of light and dark surrounded him. The cocoon rapidly crumbled, and Orion emerged from it. ''I was serious. Ten seconds. Starting... now!'' The person who was entirely different from the usual Orion clapped his hands, and three arrays of crossbows appeared in front of him, above him, and on each side of him. Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. A total of twelve rows, comprising ten crossbows each, were formed from thin air. The crossbows showed a different shape and color than the ones he usually showed; there were more intricacies to their design, more advanced parts, and surprisingly, the element changed. It wasn''t the usual light or dark element; it was a brand-new element. "Is that... Orion?" Karteira couldn''t believe what she was seeing. Orion never mentioned such an ability, and from the face Amelia was making, she didn''t know either. "What did you become, Orion?" She was looking at the weirdest being she''d ever seen. The short black hair he had was completely replaced by the gold and silver colors. Half of it was gold, and the other half was silver. His clothes were thoroughly changed, too. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt before, but now, numerous intricate details appear on foreign-looking clothes. The clothes looked strangely sophisticated, like those of a prince of a powerful country. On his lower back, he now had two wings. An angel wing of light, twinkling with dark spots, and a demonic wing of darkness with the same effect as sparkles of the light element shined through it. Just when she was catching her breath from the blast, dizziness took over her body. She fell, kneeling on the ground, while grabbing her head. "Amelia! What''s wrong?" Karteira crouched next to her, still looking at what was happening in the room. Orion dropped his hand, which he had lifted above him. The crossbows began their mission to destroy his enemies. Thousands of arrows flew in all directions, piercing each and every corrupt insect that was stuck in the room with Orion. Five seconds passed, and Orion spat a large amount of blood on the floor. He immediately composed himself and kept his sight on the corrupted needing to be fired at after wiping the blood off his mouth. ''She was right... This is painful.'' He was suffering way more than he ought to be, since he was using ''Calm Analysis'' at the same time to efficiently lock onto his targets. No one was free from his onslaught. But with each passing second, his body began to deteriorate drastically too. Blood was pouring from his ears, from his nose, and even from his eyes. ''Nine. Ten! Contract cancelled!'' ''Ego'' cancelled the ''Multi-cast weapon'' ability, and Orion lost the right to wield its power. The crossbows vanished, and his appearance reverted to his original one. His body was a total mess. *Cough* He continued coughing up a large amount of blood on the ground. ''I think my right arm is broken, and I might have a rib broken too. That''s what you meant by my body rejecting the power.'' Feeling the pain inside his body, he winced. ''You are in way better shape than I expected. Good work on surviving and on exterminating all weaker lifeforms.'' Nothing had survived the attack. As ''Ego'' congratulated him, he thought of Amelia. ''Thank you. How is Amelia?'' ''She is still conscious, but she won''t be able to help you further. I am sorry, but the last ''Lord'' is still alive.'' ''I will leave you there, as I have done my possible to offer a path for a future only you can create.'' Orion nodded, his eyes looking at the carnage he brought by himself. In what could be said as mere instants, the legion of six thousand centipedes, cockroaches, and beetles were completely decimated. If it wasn''t bad enough, it was so brutal that corpses were embedded inside the walls and the floor from the strength of the arrows. There was no survivor. Except one. A giant centipede creature dropped like a snake toward the ground. It stopped ripping the roots when it watched all of its underlings die in a matter of seconds. "You forced me to use this, so you better be ready to accept your death. I''ve had quite enough giant insects by now!" Orion was unable to bring a crossbow out. His elements were exhausted. He still managed to make them into daggers, but he changed a few ways about their uses. Dawn and Dusk in hands, and even with a broken arm, he stood up proudly against the final ''Corrupted Lord''. Its mandibles opened, and saliva began to drip on the ground. *HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSS* "Shut up." His face dripping with blood, he spat the small amount he had in his mouth next to him and prepared himself to strike. Amelia and Karteira were looking helplessly as Orion was throwing himself into the worst battle yet. He wasn''t in any condition for such a fight. "We need... to save him!" Amelia tried to stand up, but her strength was entirely gone. "We can''t. Even if we go in, we won''t be able to help." "Even if I go, I can''t promise I will be able to protect you, and you could get injured. I don''t know what to do anymore." Karteira was grabbing her eyepatch. This situation stressed her too much, and blood had begun to flow from it. "Your eye!" "It''s fine. Worry about him instead." They looked at Orion right before he moved. "Your cores, I''ll be destroying them." Orion ran with all his strength on the centipede''s left side and tried to attack the core near its tail. But it was easily blocked. This ''Lord'' had the particularity of being extremely tough. Its shell was unbreakable using standard weapons. The ''Lord'' wrapped its body into a spiral and looked at Orion from a high vantage point. After assessing where his prey was, it spat acid in his direction. "Try again. You won''t hit me with this kind of crap." He simply sidestepped the attacks and perfectly avoided them. Thinking it was taking too long because of his injuries, Orion moved first. He used Dawn and slashed toward the segment under its head. A white slash traveled at high speed and touched the centipede before it could react. The slash cut through a good portion of its segment, but it wasn''t enough to decapitate it. "Damn it. Too shallow." It was enough for the centipede. The beast had stopped underestimating the prey in front of it after this one attack. It began to undulate up and down like a wave, and when its whole body was in synchronicity, it jumped forward, turning into a rolling wheel. A centipede wheel rushed toward Orion at high speed. The ''Lord'' even used its earth element to create another layer of defense and spikes on its shell. "This is bothersome." Orion tried to pierce the ''Lord'' sideways after dodging the rolling attack, but in vain. "Well, there''s only one way, isn''t it?" He waited for the enemy to come back and purposefully allowed the attack to connect. Orion was sent flying high into the air, and the centipede stopped its roll. "Too predictable!" He didn''t take much damage, as he simply used Dusk to pierce the earth around its shell and sent himself flying instead. He grabbed one of the roots of Tiohr-nam, and with three slashes from Dawn, he sent white slashes toward its back core. To be sure, he even threw Dawn and Dusk toward the core. After making sure they would hit the correct spot, he used the ceiling as a platform and launched his body toward the head of the centipede. "I won''t give you time to think about anything!" Orion crashed on its head and began to kick his way through its defense. On the other side, the white slashes managed to break the defense around the core, creating a path for Dawn and Dusk. They both pierced the two cores flawlessly. After kicking its head for a minute, Orion believed it had enough. The ''Lord'' was agonizing on the ground, with its head cracked open from the horrible force of his repetitive kicks. Orion moved to the third segment and cracked open the earthen armor, revealing the last core. "I''m done; I don''t want to see another corrupt beast for at least a month!" He grabbed the core with his left hand and ripped it off its body. He threw it in the air and kicked it away, shattering it on the ground. *Hiiii-* With one last sound, the last ''Corrupted Lord'' perished. Orion breathed roughly on the dead centipede''s back, holding his right arm as a painful sensation took over him. Chapter 60: Injuries and a successful retrieval. "I''m tired, and I injured myself excessively much. I can''t even heal myself now." Orion was on top of the ''Corrupted Lord'' he had just defeated. Karteira, holding Amelia up, entered the room with careful steps. "It''s done? Is everything dead?" She looked around, not understanding a thing. "ORION! Get over here! That wasn''t what we talked about before!" With a faint smile, he looked toward the ground. ''I was expecting that. I guess I won''t avoid another earful from her.'' He shrugged and tried to jump down. Just when he thought his body was fine, he lost his balance and slid on the centipede''s shell. When he touched the ground, his body rolled a few times, and he found himself on his back. "Shi-" *cough* "Shit." He coughed another mouthful of blood when he tried to stand back up, but remained on his back all the same. Out of energy, and as the adrenalin finally washed away from his system, he could only remain powerless. "Wait right there! We''re coming!" His friends began to move faster to be by his side, as they didn''t know how bad he was. Arriving at his side, his state made their breath stop. He was in such a deplorable state that they would even wonder if it was possible for him to remain conscious. He explained calmly that his body was damaged. "Your arm is broken?! Why is there so much blood coming from your face?! What are we supposed to do?!" Amelia was freaking out. "Calm down... It''s not that bad." *Cough* "If you can wait until I get better before shouting at me, I''ll explain what happened." With unusual anger, she glared at him. "Stop speaking! You''ve been coughing blood until now, which means you also have a perforated organ somewhere! What do you mean by ''it''s not that bad''? You''re clearly dying!" Seeing that she wasn''t buying his excuse, he closed his eyes. ''I tried. I didn''t intend to worry them this much, but there was definitely no other way.'' He inhaled and exhaled, feeling his body grow colder from the amount of blood he had lost. ''I might have really pushed myself too hard.'' His thoughts became foggy. "I''m really fine, though. I''m not frail enough to die from something like this. It hurts, obviously, and I need rest to recreate the blood I lost." "Really?" Karteira placed a knee at his side, and Amelia dropped on the other side. "Really, I wouldn''t want you two to be more worried than you already are, and lying wouldn''t even be funny." Karteira smirked at him. "If you say you are fine, then let me say one thing. You don''t look very fresh at all." Grabbing her right eye, which was still dripping blood, she mocked him. "You don''t look that much better. What happened? Did you fight against a corrupt insect I''ve missed?" You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. She shook her head and looked at him with worry. "You made me stress too much, moron!" His eyes opened wide as he expressed a slight shock. "Oh. I see. My bad." He was left speechless. What could he say in this situation. Amelia pinched his cheek from the side. "Ouch, what did I do?" "You don''t know? Seriously?" He turned to look at the other side in shame, but Amelia grabbed his head and turned it back to look at her. Forced to acknowledge his mistake, he spoke. "No, I do. I''ve been reckless again. That''s why you''re angry, right?" She stared at him with a neutral expression. "That''s part of it. You''ve deliberately ignored us and didn''t explain your plan. You''ve almost killed yourself, and you even managed to make me and Karteira worry to such a point." It was a miracle that she wasn''t shouting at him. "There''s a limit to how much you can do alone. Wasn''t that one of your own sayings? So why?" Orion remained silent. He simply couldn''t look her in the eyes. ''This was indeed my own saying. But I won''t regret doing this. If it can give me one more day in this world, it is worth it.'' He looked at both of them and explained briefly. "Look at the roots; you''ll understand immediately." Amelia slammed her fists on her thighs. "Don''t try to dodge the conversation." But Orion was serious. "No, I''m not doing that. Just look." Hesitantly, the two women looked above them. "!" Surprise painted their faces. "This was not what we were told!" Karteira exclaimed at the dreary sight of Tiohr-nam''s roots. "Right? I panicked when I saw the centipede rip the roots from the ceiling." "There was no time to lose, and going back to you might have wasted the precious time remaining for Tiohr-nam. This is how horrific it was at that moment." Indeed, the ball of roots was dangling from the roof, but the supporting roots were almost all ripped off. If all were to be destroyed, Tiohr-nam''s energy would have been completely depleted, effectively killing her in the process. "I see now. I already knew you would only move if it was necessary, but you still did something far too reckless for your own good." Amelia bent over his face and stared into his eyes very closely, pressuring him. "I want three days of rest from you, you understand? I won''t accept any training in this state, even if you can heal your own injuries." With a sigh, Orion gave up before even trying. "Fine, I won''t go out of my way to make you hate me." With a smile, Amelia straightened and dragged her blonde hair behind her ear. ''You know I won''t ever hate you.'' With this thought in mind, she watched over him. Karteira was still looking at the ball of roots. The pulsing light inside was continuously going, but this was not her main focus. ''Mother, we made it. We destroyed all of your pain, and we managed to save your life. I hope you''re fine.'' Her blue eye fell to Orion, and then to Amelia. "Thank you, both of you. With your help, I''ve managed to protect my mother and the village. Something that plagued us for so many centuries finally ceased to exist." She bowed, her head bent over Orion. "It was the plan. I recover the ring, and you protect the tree. I don''t know if I would''ve helped in other circumstances, but here we are." With a satisfied expression, Orion nodded. "Without you, Orion and I wouldn''t even have made it in two days. I''m sure it would already be too late." Amelia also acknowledged Karteira''s prowess during this mission. "Thank you! I''m glad it was you two that came into our realm." She extended her right hand to him, and he grabbed it with his left hand. She stood up, helping him in the process. Once up, he began to wobble, as if he would fall once again to the ground, so Amelia and Karteira both grabbed him by the waist to support him. "Thank you. I don''t know if I''ll be able to walk by myself today." "Don''t worry, you''ve done enough. Moreover, you still need to explain what the stuff you transformed into was." With a perplexed frown, he shook his head. "I don''t know either. If you need a good answer, ''Ego'' is your best bet." "Ego?" Karteira was not told about the ''Key'' and the ''Shackles'' yet, but it was a matter of time since she earned their trust. "We''ll explain later. This is a bit too long of a story to talk about in here." *Rumble* The ground began to shake, alerting the group. "What''s happening? Is the underground collapsing?" Amelia grabbed Orion tighter. He looked around, but there was no trace of any dirt falling. "Let''s wait it out." His crazy request made Amelia panic. "Are you crazy? I don''t want us to be buried alive!" "Even if we move out, with me in this state, it is a matter of time before we die in a tunnel. It''s safer in here." He nodded internally, keeping the next comment to himself. ''Relatively speaking.'' But the reason for this shaking was unexpected. Many roots pierced the ceiling and lodged themselves in the ground. The process kept going even after five minutes. "Mother might have awoken, and she felt the presence of the corrupt beasts having disappeared. She''s trying to find us." One root appeared above Orion and slowly descended from the roof. It touched the ground and gently swiped across the ground toward the group. It touched Karteira''s leg first and moved around it, even wrapping itself around it. The root moved until it arrived at her head, and it patted her head. "Mother!" Tears formed around her only eye. She felt Tiohr-nam congratulating her and thanking her with this small contact. Then, the root moved in the opposite direction away from Orion and completely missed. There was no one in this spot, and that made Orion smirk for some reason. Moving back toward Karteira, the root finally touched Orion''s neck. It gently wrapped itself around his neck and immediately released it, maybe because it noticed where it was wrapped around. She kept on touching parts of his body, and at two points, it showed frantic movement. Exactly when it touched the two broken bones. ''Seems like I''m going to have an earful from Tiohr-nam too.'' Lastly, the root touched Amelia. Since she was slightly smaller than Orion, the root left his neck and wrapped around her eyes. This time again, he laughed. For some reason, this was hilarious to him, possibly because his nerves were free of stress. "Maybe I''m way too tired to stay serious." "Well, don''t die from laughing too much, alright?" "I''ll try." He wiped his tears away and observed as the root patted Amelia''s head as it did with Karteira. The root suddenly pointed at Orion, and then at the root sphere dangling above them. They all looked up and witnessed the roots slowly slide away from each other. More and more layers disappeared, and only a silver ring with a purple jewel remained. The ring lost its support with the last root moving away, and it began to be affected by gravity. It quickly fell to the ground, leaving a small frame of time for Orion to catch it. He extended his left arm forward and opened his hand. The ring fell into it, and lightning sparks erupted around it the instant Orion touched it. As if it were recognizing a trusted person, the lightning stopped, and the ring returned to normal. ''Father, I got your ring back.'' Orion closed his eyes while holding the ring close to his heart. Chapter 61: Reon. (Part 1) Orion opened his eyes. "Wait, where am I?" He turned around, searching for Amelia and Karteira, who were nowhere to be seen. He was in a white-void space, which felt strangely familiar. "And my body seems fine too. The pain isn''t even there." He touched the parts he was supposed to be hurt at, but there were no traces of pain right now. "Of course you''re fine. You''ve only projected your mind in this place." A voice he had heard before approached him from behind¡ª a voice he thought he would never hear again. "Father! Why am I here again?" He turned to see his father, Reon, with a confused but relieved look on his face. "I don''t know. Have you done something that activated the bracelet''s function?" Reon instantly recognized that the bracelet was activated. "I don''t think I''ve done such a thing. I''m still glad to see you once again." Reon smiled at his son and approached him. He patted his back and continued walking forward. "I''m glad to see you, too. Come with me; it seems like you have a few things to say. I can see it on your face." Orion nodded, and both of them walked side by side in the wide white expanse. "Father, why didn''t you explain your abilities in detail? I''ve found the fairies during my travels, and I learned about your achievements in protecting them." "I even figured out most of the quirks of your own skills, so why did you hide it so much?" Orion immediately asked him a question, as he was eager to learn more about his father. "This is the first thing that comes out of your mouth? I thought you''d ask about why your mother isn''t here first." He shook his head at Reon''s remark. "I already have an idea why I''m here, and mother being absent only validates my thought. She''s still sleeping, I imagine. You woke up here by yourself?" Reon smiled warmly. "From whom did you inherit this wit of yours? I wonder." "But you''re right. I haven''t seen Orianne since I opened my eyes. The system might have found a way to focus only on one of us when it''s necessary. I don''t remember such functions, but whatever." Reon looked straight and began to think of the best way to talk about his life. "There is a part of the angel faction I didn''t talk about in the recordings, and I made sure Orianne never remotely brought it upon you." "When we were still alive, I was supposed to be the next leader of the faction, but it wasn''t always supposed to go this way." His voice was soothing Orion''s mind. After all this time, he could finally get to see him again. Still, he was deeply focused on the words he spoke. "Well, the same happened to her, but it''s not my role to explain it. I was weak¡ª far too weak¡ª when I was your age. So much so that the elders refused to even acknowledge me as the son of my father, the leader at the time." With a shrug, Reon continued. "Can you imagine? The only ability I had at the time was the ability to create a small current between my fingers. This was my life. There was nothing I could do, and I had already given up on becoming the next leader." Orion listened to the story quietly as they both continued walking. "But this is where I feel ashamed. One day, I was sent on a delivery to the demon city to deal with some peace formalities." "We weren''t particularly on good terms, but we were done with the open conflicts by now, so I had no trouble entering the demon leader''s house." Orion noticed a warm smile on his father''s face. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "As strange as it sounds, the demon leader was a martial artist teacher, and he received me with a smile. I didn''t really understand all that talk about politics at the time, so he finished it in no time and gave back the scroll like it was no big deal." "I was walking next to him toward the exit when I got stopped in my tracks, caught by the beauty of the person training in the middle of the garden. She had sparkling crimson hair and stunning red eyes, and her form was absolutely gorgeous." The look on his face showed how much love this memory brought him. "But honestly, that wasn''t what had caught me off guard. She was moving like me, a novice. She was using fire magic, but all she could do was create a small ball of fire in her hands." "The leader explained to me that she was his daughter, that she was a lost case, that power refused to gather inside her, and that only basic martial arts would ever be taught to her." Orion rapidly gathered that he was talking about Orianne, his mother. "I felt relieved to find someone like me on this side too, but at the same time, I felt disgusted." "Why was I happy to find someone struggling like me? The point was to avoid birthing as many failures like us as possible. In the end, I asked if it would be possible to observe before leaving, and he agreed." "I stood on the side, and I looked at her struggling to even maintain her magic, my hands tight-fisted. I cursed the world for giving such a hardworking person so little ability." "At one point, she finished her training and fell a knee to the ground, which woke me from my thoughts at the same time." "I took the opportunity to leave, but I wasn''t fast enough, and that girl caught my arm out of nowhere." ¡ª "You... You''ve been watching me for a few hours. Who are you? Do you need something from me?" The young Reon, not knowing what to do, panicked and turned slowly. "Ah- Right. Yes, I have been watching you. I''m Reon, an envoy from the angel faction." "I didn''t need anything from you, particularly; I was simply looking at your efforts." The girl kept his arm in her hand. She gripped it a bit too strongly without even realizing it, but Reon took it upon himself and kept quiet. "So even the angels come here to mock me? That will be a good story for the rest of your faction, isn''t it?" The look on his face wasn''t pretty after she uttered those words. "Why would I do that? I know I''ve been looking, but I''ve never mocked you." "What? I thought the angels were all overachievers who liked to dismiss the weak. Are you not like that?" She looked at him with a gaze full of judgment. (If I were like that, I would have killed myself already.) He whispered this, but she still managed to hear him. "What do you mean?" "I''m weaker than you. I wouldn''t even be able to stop you from breaking my arm if you wanted to." He used the little spark of lightning to attack the girl, and it just zapped her lightly, not causing any damage to her. She looked at him with surprise, and now realizing what she was doing, she released her grip on his arm. The look on her face changed to that of a normal person; there was no contempt or resentment toward him anymore. "I see, there''s someone like me on that side too. Well, I''m still stronger than you physically, but your magic is lacking, just like mine. It''s bad for a faction that mainly fights using magic, isn''t it?" Reon grabbed his arm and rubbed the part that was squeezed. "It is. I''ve been doing everything I could to improve it, but there have been no improvements. I''ve lost hope since then." The defeated expression on his face caught the girl''s attention. "Lost hope? Why? Toward what? Do you have something you want to do badly? Who are you anyway, the son of the angel leader? As if." With a sigh, Reon looked down. "The fact that my father didn''t even announce I was his son only proves how well I am seen, isn''t it?" Realizing that she had inadvertently insulted the son of the other faction, she frowned. "No joke? What about me? You''ve heard about me, right?" "I have no idea who you are. I''ve never heard of the demon leader having a daughter." She was speechless. She had an inkling why she wasn''t announced either, but she felt bitter nevertheless. "I''m Orianne. Well, nice to meet you, Reon." "Yes, Reon. Nice to meet you." The girl grabbed his arm once again and dragged him into the garden where she was training before. "Tell me, what do you think of my fire? I''ve never had the opinion of an angel before." Still in shock, he blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "It''s too wild." "Excuse me?" "Ah-" He quickly placed his hands on his mouth and tried to avoid her glare. "No, I''m sorry. I asked for your opinion... I shouldn''t get angry. What did you mean by that?" Reon looked at her and took it upon himself to correct his mistake. "I''ve watched it, and so far, it is too condensed. You cannot shape your magic as you would want because you seem to input too much power at one point." She tilted her head while putting a finger under her mouth. "That''s complicated. Do you mean I''ve just been releasing too much magic?" Orianne formed a ball of fire in her hand. She played with it and focused more than usual to find the right amount of energy output, but she failed. "This is harder than I thought. I see what you meant. It''s like a faucet filling a balloon. If you don''t cut the water, the balloon just gets filled, and you cannot play with it before it ruptures." Confused, Reon pondered. "I don''t know about that image, but that should be accurate for you." "Show me your lightning magic, and maybe I can give you advice too." Flustered, he shook his hands in front of her. "You don''t have to, really. There''s nothing to see either! I''ve already shown everything earlier." "Wait, that small spark was everything?" "Yes... it was." Reon turned his face in shame. "I doubt that''s all there is. Are you scared of your own magic? I never heard of something like this, but it''s possible it happens, right?" Hearing her speak so confidently about his struggles, something began to click in his head. "I''m scared? Of lightning? Is that even a reason to be this powerless?" They stared at each other before Orianne thought about the miraculous training that would help him. "Why don''t you just shock yourself over and over again until you''re not scared anymore?" Orianne smiled brightly, putting Reon in a bad spot. "What?" ¡ª "Wait, father, you feared your own magic? Is that even possible?" In disbelief, Orion stared at his father with his mouth agape. "It seems like it. She managed to find my problem instantly. This girl gave me valuable advice, which the other adults didn''t even bother to give. She also improved on my advice after I left, which gave us more opportunities to see each other." This was the story of his meeting with Orianne, which brought back fond memories for him. "Each time, we observed each other''s abilities and gave advice to each other, leading to how I and your mother are today. We were still doing it before you were born." With a nod, Orion asked another question. "You still didn''t say why you were ashamed of it, though?" His father stopped walking, and he turned his face to the side. "Isn''t it shameful to have improved so much just to see a woman more often? At one point, I couldn''t care less about being the next leader. I was simply fine being next to her." "We grew to become the strongest in our factions, and we even brought peace to them." Scratching his temple, he smiled bitterly. "But that wasn''t even a thing in my mind. I didn''t want you to think less of me." Chapter 62: Reon. (Part 2) "I would never think of you badly, even after hearing that." Orion abruptly shook his head with a confused look on his face. "She kept telling me that, too, but I simply couldn''t bring myself to speak about it." "The man who could only create a spark of lightning shocked himself millions of times, exploded half a mountain the day he released his blockage, and created plasma. He did all of this because he liked getting complimented by one woman." "Do you get me?" Orion smiled at his father. He now understood him a lot better. Reon worked hard¡ª not to be a great leader, but to be considered the greatest by a single person. "I do. But what about the fairies? How did you single-handedly manage to become their savior and even protect a Remnant?" Reon looked at him with a lack of enthusiasm. "Oh, this story? Even Orianne doesn''t know. Since you''ve found her, I guess I need to explain." By ''her'', he meant the Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam. "Yes, please. If I can have your side of the story, I would be grateful." Thinking back on what Orion had said the first time they met, Reon nodded. "You''re interested in learning our history, right? I can understand its appeal, but every so often, there are things that should only stay in the shadows." The look on his father''s face was darker than before. "What do you mean?" Curiosity was Orion''s worst quality. He was ready to learn even the worst stories in the world. "How can I say it? Can you forgive an accidental murder?" "What kind of question is that?" Orion was left speechless. This was an out-of-pocket question. "I told you earlier that when I broke the bottleneck of my own power, I released so much power that I destroyed a mountain, right?" Orion nodded. "You haven''t explained it, but yes, I remember. What of it?" "On that mountain, well... the tree was there. I reduced it to ashes..." A sense of nervousness appeared on Reon''s face, while Orion just made one terrible face. "I can''t believe it. You brought a Remnant down... Tiohr-nam at that." The stare of disbelief on Orion''s face was priceless. Something Reon printed in his mind to tell Orianne at a later date. "Is that its name? It isn''t the same as the one she had when I replanted it, or maybe it was. This isn''t significant to me." With a nod, Orion focused on the discussion. "Yes, she died multiple times. I''ll explain once you''re done." "Right. I replanted her where there was a lot of nutritious dirt and plenty of beautiful trees. I took it upon myself to protect it and nurture it back to life, but I would never have expected it to create a whole faction by itself." "Still, I was unable to take care of it soon after. War became a problem, and I had a duty to fulfill." His gaze fell down, and he felt guilty about his past mistakes. "Soon after, there were numerous crawling creatures that were birthed by the sprout, which became known as fairies." "But as usual, humans, in their wickedness, came and killed a lot of these members just for their wings and shells." "Because they sold well." The hate he spat at this comment showed that this was one thing Reon couldn''t tolerate. "I could never forgive this, and I most likely never will. It would be the same as us angels hunting humans because their teeth sell well. Truly pathetic." Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Orion recalled Monolavir''s tale about those humans stealing his eggs. They truly were a shameless faction. "I was the only one who knew about the fairies. I''ve never talked about it to anyone, and that was the point. They were well hidden, but at one point, it was out of my hands." "They kept coming, and I was swamped with defending Eogis with Orianne. The rest, well, you get it. We died." "..." A silence fell as they both stood in their spots. Then, Orion nodded and smiled. "Thank you, dad." "You finally stopped calling me like a stranger." Reon smiled in return as his son opened his heart to him. "The tree you''ve managed to protect, whose name is Tiohr-nam, remembers everything after you''ve appeared, and it still considers you the protector of her faction." "It''s funny, isn''t it? That wasn''t my intention. I simply had to take responsibility." Reon was a man who understood the impact his choices made on the world. Even though his mistake was an involuntary one, he knew how to act like a man and own his flaws. "And that''s why you deserve my respect, not only because you are my father, but also because you are someone great. You do the greatest things just by being yourself. Isn''t that what everyone should strive to be?" "Orion." They exchanged a moment of silence between father and son, and Orion took this chance to bring the topic of the ring to the conversation. "Dad, I get the feeling this is the reason you''ve been brought out of sleep." Orion focused on his hand, and he felt the ring in his palm. By sensing it, the ring managed to appear inside the bracelet. "You''ve lost this, haven''t you?" Reon opened his eyes wide and, with a trembling hand, received the precious ring. "My... ring... I thought it had disappeared the day we sealed Elliott. Where did you find it?" Seeing the ring, he contained the raging emotions inside of him. "The tree protected it with her life for two thousand years. She avoided it ending in the hands of corrupt beings." "Ha- Haha. Did I sincerely deserve such kindness after what I''ve done?" Clenching the ring in his hand, Reon felt awkward. "Even after you disappeared, the ring protected her and her faction members. You deserve to get it back." "Thank you. But..." Opening his hand, he extended it to his son. "Keep it with you. I feel something different coming from it. How do I say it? When I had it, it was made to facilitate the creation of plasma matter, but now, it should locate places with massive amounts of corruption." "Something like that¡ª I don''t know exactly what happened to it, but it should be useful to you. Simply knowing you have this ring puts my mind at ease." As he handed out the ring, he asked a question. "What about your mother''s?" "I haven''t found it yet. I''m planning to retrieve it too, but I have no clues yet." Orion answered honestly. This was one of his goals: to retrieve his parents'' belongings. "That''s too bad. Please find it; she cherished it as much as me." "I''ll do my best for that to happen." They then continued to walk forward. "So, how much time has passed this time? I can clearly see how tough you''ve become. You don''t have the same aura or the same face as before. For me, it''s been a few minutes since I''ve seen you." Surprised, Orion hesitated. "Three years. It''s been three years." "After that time, I thought I would never see you two again, but here we are. I also wanted to see mom, but what can I say?" He shrugged. "She would have been delighted. You have the kind of body that would make her drool everywhere. You''ve become so handsome that it''s scary." "Thank you; I got that from you." Reon shook his right hand from left to right in an attempt to ignore Orion''s compliment. "Right, I''m not that handsome." He deflected the conversation immediately. "Anyway, how''s your magic? We''ve managed to free your magic vessels before, but did you manage to properly use them?" "Yes, I''ve trained constantly with the two elements you both awakened." The usual flash of light covered Orion as he focused on his magic, and his hair changed color. "I don''t understand why your hair turns half gold and half silver. Is it because of our blood, or is it because of the seal? Maybe it''s because of multiple reasons, but it''s weird to see my son like this." A white sphere appeared in his right hand, and a dark sphere appeared in the left one. Reon stopped looking at Orion and focused on the two forgotten elements. "I can''t believe it; you really obtained these two elements." "I talked about it with Amelia, and when we realized the previous wielder of both the ''Shackles'' and the ''Key'' possessed every element, it made sense." With a nod, Reon listened. "The only way to be able to use these elements is by having the ''Shackles'', and by having the ''Key'', you can use all natural elements." "Interesting; this is a fine discovery. The one who could describe it perfectly would be the first Hero, but he had already left this world a few hundred years before us." Then, they kept discussing the finer details of Orion''s life for an hour. ... He talked about the training, the ceremony, the Apostles, the dragons, the fairies, Amelia and Karteira, and even his love life. Feeling fortunate to have been able to see his father for such a long time, every topic was good to talk about. As if the place had a sun, the white room began to turn gray with time. Noticing that, Reon had to say goodbye to his son already. "I said it before, but it takes magic to make this place work. It might have used all of its reserves to give us a chance to speak again." "It''s fine. Simply knowing you are fine inside the bracelet is enough for me." Orion felt strange. He didn''t wish to leave his father''s side, but he had to. "Next time, I hope you see Orianne. It''s not going to be pretty when she hears I monopolized you for so long." They laughed one last time. "Well, my son. Stay healthy. And please keep that in mind." "You have to protect your treasures at all costs. Just don''t do it like me and die." Feeling the need to comment on that, Orion walked in front of Reon. "You''re not dead to me yet. Until I say so, what you did wasn''t a sacrifice." "Fine, think how you want. Be careful out there." "See you." He waved at Reon, and his body vanished from the dimly lit room. "Could you send me to Orianne before you shut down?" The room''s light stopped dimming, and it forced its system to stay active for a few minutes. "Thank you." His body disappeared too, and he appeared in a room with a bed and a crimson-haired beauty sleeping on it. Reon touched the bed, hugged his wife, and fell unconscious. The lights lost their shine, and everything turned black. ~ "Don''t shake him. He should wake up soon enough." Amelia was speaking to a panicked Karteira. The moment Orion grabbed the ring, he completely stopped responding to her calls, and he even completely froze. "But it''s strange, isn''t it? He was fine a second ago, and now he''s simply not there anymore? Are you asking me not to worry?" "Yes, because it''s a good thing for him." Amelia knew exactly what was happening, as Orion had explained this event to her before. "How does that make it a good thing for him?" She was having trouble calming Karteira. "Don''t worry, I''m fine." Orion suddenly opened his eyes and stretched his body, which had been frozen for almost ten minutes. "Oh, you''re back. How was it? I thought it would never happen again." "I saw my father. The ring was the reason the system was activated this time. It''s another miracle, so let''s just stop thinking about it." "You saw your father?" Karteira was perplexed. She was sure no one had appeared while Orion was out. "That''s a long story. Like everything else, I''ll explain later. Let''s just get out of here for now. Can I ask you for help?" "Of course!" With a bright smile, Karteira grabbed his waist like Amelia, and they both slowly walked away from the underground. Chapter 63: The feast. After the mission was completed, and the ring was secured, the group managed to exit the underground without problem. It took them two hours to go back, considering they had walked quite deep underground. Orion was also in no shape to walk by himself, so it took a bit more time, but they made it out a few hours after noon. Near the entrance, two green heads were waiting anxiously when they heard from Tiohr-nam that it was done, but there had been one wounded. After waiting for ages behind the tree, finally, the group that was sent to accomplish the most ridiculous task managed to bathe once again in the rays of the sun. The rain had cleared long after they went in, leaving this beautiful and warm weather as a reward for their effort. "Hey, I''m back." Ring in hand, Orion waved to the twins, showing his success even though they already knew about it. Obviously, they also noticed his broken arm and the dried blood on his face. Knowing he had come back alive, they still received him with a smile. Yes, even Dramia, the coldest of the sisters. What Orion had pulled off was more than anyone could have done in these circumstances. Of course, they did not forget to thank Amelia and Karteira, who also played a major part in this success. After discussing and talking for a bit, they decided to continue after Orion had rested, so they made their way back to the manor. Orion returned to his room accompanied by Amelia, while Karteira remained with the Queens to discuss many matters while also checking on her mother''s condition. The day continued while Orion recovered his magic, and before the sun could set, he had already healed his broken body. After healing his broken rib first, he felt relieved knowing that he could breathe correctly afterward, and he sighed in relief a second time when his right arm healed correctly. Amelia, who watched this process once again, was amazed by how powerful this ability was. But Orion didn''t see it like this, as ultimately, he couldn''t rely on it in battle. This was too long of a process. Orion stretched his tired body and stood up. "This is bothersome." "What is?" "The fact that you''ve locked me up, refusing to let me out." "Seriously? You''re mentioning this now? I''m not having this conversation with you right now." He looked at her with a sly smile, but contained his thoughts and just dropped the matter. "You knew I was just joking. So, I''m getting hungry; want to eat something?" "Here, you can eat that." Amelia threw a strange brick on his bed, which he picked up and grimaced upon seeing what it was. "A protein bar? Do you want me to eat that? Where did you even get it?" "Isn''t this great for someone who worked hard?" Orion looked at her with a death glare. This wasn''t remotely funny to him. "Damn, you don''t have to look at me like that... I was joking. Of course, I wouldn''t let you eat that." "Even as a joke, it was brutal of you. How am I supposed to eat something else after tasting your cooking?" He threw the protein bar at her, which she caught effortlessly. "Flattery won''t give you more on your plate, but thank you. What do you want to eat?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. They discussed the dishes they wanted to eat with the ingredients they had, but someone knocked on the door before they could even move to the kitchen. Orion moved to the door and opened it. The one behind it was Karteira, like he expected. "How is your body? It seems like you''ve already been healed, but don''t force yourself." "What are you, my mother? Anyway, come in." With a little jab, he tried to let her in, but she shook her hands. "Oh, don''t worry about that. I''m just here to invite you two to dinner. The Queens prepared a feast after you came back, and it''s ready. They are waiting for you to come, so please go to the main room." The room where Tiohr-nam could be spoken with. He turned to Amelia and smiled sadly; their dinner together would be for another day. "Alright, we''re coming. Thank you for calling us." "It''s not a problem." Karteira waved and walked away, toward the room the feast was taking place in. "I suppose we should get ready too?" "Wait a second? Don''t you have other clothes than that? These are disgusting. Change to something cleaner this instant!" Amelia closed the door in his place and pushed his back further inside the room. "The moment you get that butt out of the room, yes. What are you trying to accomplish by forcing me to undress in front of you?" He turned around and faced her with a frown on his face. He grabbed her arm and pushed her gently outside. "Cheapskate, you showed your body to Karteira this morning." "And you saw it too, so why are you pouting like a child? You see this more than enough when I train. Now, wait here." He closed the door and left Amelia behind it. ''He never gives in. I don''t know how he can control himself so much. If I were him... Better not think about that.'' Amelia was thinking about many unappropriated things for a lady before eating. But, she was right on something. He controlled himself really well. There was a moment in the middle of a fight that he lost his focus, but besides that, he usually maintained his cool. A few minutes later, the door opened, and Orion stepped outside. "Alright, I''ve changed. Is it fine with you?" "Heh?" He took her by surprise, and she slightly flinched when she looked at him. He changed from his black pants and white shirt to a more relaxed outfit. Simple blue jeans and a sleeveless dark gray t-shirt, showing how toned his body was. "I didn''t know you had such an outfit on you." "I don''t wear this typically. I do prefer somber colors when I''m hunting. But now and then, this might not be so bad. I''ll be wearing that for the next three days." Amelia''s face froze in a ridiculous facial expression, half-smiling, half-frowning. ''I''m going to die if you do! A new look!'' "Alright, let''s move, Amelia. We can''t make them wait for us any longer." Ignoring her weird face, Orion walked past her. "Right!" He walked forward, and Amelia followed right after. They walked side by side, ending the usual romance mode Amelia was in at the same moment, unknowing to Orion. ... Once they arrived, they entered the room. Inside were Karteira, Dramia and Drania, and even Motirion. They were around the table, displaying countless and various plates with food, waiting for the last two to sit. "Just come in. Let''s eat! I can''t wait anymore!" Drania was being restrained by her sister. "Sorry, we''re coming." They both took seats in front of the twins, Amelia next to Karteira and Orion next to Motirion. "Well, since everyone is here, feel free to eat! There''s plenty more, so just enjoy!" Motirion stood up and said those words, removing the lid from the plates. Many mouth-watering dishes appeared in front of everyone: chicken, stew, roasted vegetables, and lots of other good delights. "Sis! Let me go now! I can''t wait anymore!" "Don''t you dare act like a child. I swear, if you do it, I''ll just strap you to the chair while I eat." "Demon!" The sisters were having a friendly discussion. "What do you prefer, Karteira? I can get you what''s on my side; just ask." "Is it fine? Well, could you give me a piece of the chicken, please?" "Yes, wait a second." Amelia and Karteira were acting like they usually did, their friendship strengthening with each passing second. "I was thinking about something, Motirion. Why haven''t I seen any of the others like you? You said there were others being assigned to the Queens before." "Ah, that... They got scared of you and refused to come to work anymore. Since the hill incident, to be precise." Orion smiled dryly. "My bad. Do tell them I won''t attack. They just have to be careful not to be disrespectful." "That matter still hurts, you know?" Orion and Motirion were enjoying the evening, laughing and drinking moderately. The night continued with them talking about the exploits the group made, what the realm was going to become now that the threat of the corrupt beasts had disappeared, and many other topics. When the night grew colder, Orion, who was drinking a glass of wine alone in front of Tiohr-nam, felt a call in his soul. ''Here it is.'' He placed the cup next to him and closed his eyes. He opened them, finding himself in the middle of a growing forest. Thousands of saplings had replaced the endless field of withering grass, and Orion realized what it was: the next generation of fairies. "Thank you, Orion." He approached the giant tree like he usually did before, but this time, the Avatar was already waiting for him. "You''ve gotten back a few years of your youth, but I expected something more, like, beautiful? What''s happening?" The Avatar was still greatly weakened. "Even though you have managed to accomplish my inconsiderate request, there was nothing I could do about the damage already done. I am still dying." Orion sighed and approached Tiohr-nam''s Avatar, an old lady with bleached green hair. "You wouldn''t have called me only to congratulate me. There is something you need to ask me about, isn''t it? Have you found a way to heal?" Tiohr-nam nodded. "I do have a way, but I do not feel right depending on you once again." "It has something to do with that seal in your eyes, right?" Silence fell upon the vast expanse. After assessing the situation, Tiohr-nam decided to stop hiding her thoughts. "Yes. The seal is the mark we Remnants possess; it is our brand. Stealing that brand would give you the same power as I. Obviously, it would kill me in the process." Surprised by her sudden honesty, he looked at her with great interest. "You''ve hidden it so well, I could only see it for a split second. But if it kills you if you separate from it, what does it have to do with your survival?" The Avatar shook her head. "You are thinking wrongly, I can tell. I never said I would give you my brand." Closing and opening her eyes slowly, the brand gleamed in full view. It was a symbol of a green leaf with golden outlines. It was quite mystifying. "Oh, assuming is not a good thing to do. But, right, I did think about that. If you can''t give it, what are you supposed to do then?" "I will plant a seed that feeds on your life force." Chapter 64: Feeding on life force. "Explain. You''ve not given me enough information to agree yet. Is it dangerous for me?" Tiohr-nam shook her head. "If it was, I would not have spoken about it. Honestly, it is my last resort." Straightening her back with more ease than before, she continued. "Anyway, allow me to explain in further detail." "When I said it was going to feed on your life, it is not exactly what it means. By forcing an opening inside your soul, I will forge a gate that will transfer your excess life force to me." "I will develop further on what ''excess'' entails." This was a very heavy and important topic for Tiohr-nam. If she were to choose the wrong words, it was possible that Orion would refuse to help her. "A human, like every living being, has a storage of energy in their soul. This place is used to replenish your body with life force when it is injured or sick." "How it works is fairly simple: you cut yourself, and it drains the storage to repair the damage. You get a sickness, and it will drain it to keep you alive." Orion nodded. He supposed that she knew what she was talking about while keeping a level-headed opinion on the matter. "This storage can be depleted and exploited, but any excess is simply cast away once the maximum amount is contained." "It is no miraculous area that can heal any injuries, either. This is a natural pocket whose only purpose is to help avoid instant death. The worse the injury or sickness, the faster your life force depletes and the storage drains. Simple, right?" Orion nodded, standing with his arms crossed in front of the Avatar. "Yes, I can follow so far. But let me ask. What about me? I''m not human to begin with. How does that storage work for me?" "Like any other, except yours is more potent for beings like me. You have a life force bursting with energy and a seemingly inexhaustible storage. For what reason, that is, I can only hypothesize on your light element acting as a catalyst?" Tiohr-nam left a small silence at the end, remembering something. "From reflecting on the injuries I felt when I touched you, it explains why you stood strong when a human would have already lost consciousness." "Recklessness was the cause of the deaths of many great people before you." Orion frowned. ''Why does everyone tell me I''m reckless? I''m not-'' But Tiohr-nam saw through him. "''I''m not doing this because I want to feel like a hero?'' It is not significant to you, maybe, but the people around you are those living with those choices." Seeing that his mood wasn''t improving, she stopped criticizing him. "Anyway, back to the life force explanation. Now that I gave you the gist of this natural process, this is where my own ability comes into place." He noticed how easily she managed to irk him. ''I hate it when she reads my mind. I need to be careful not to let my thoughts escape.'' Orion looked straight into those green eyes that displayed a leaf symbol. "I am slightly tired of speaking. I can see it in your eyes; you already understood what I said so far. Do you mind giving me your thoughts on it?" Tiohr-nam closed her eyes and waited for Orion to make his deductions. Orion removed himself from his previous emotions and answered her. "Well, I don''t mind. First, I was thinking about that symbol in your eyes." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "What of it?" She smiled, not expecting it to be the first thing he brought forward. "That symbol, as you said before, is your mark as a Remnant. It is a symbol that proves that you are one of the strongest beings in this world. What you hinted at before is that it is more than just a symbol; it is also a power by itself. An ability." "You are correct." She nodded. "That said ability is the ability to leech on someone else''s life force. If not, you wouldn''t even mention it." She kept the same smile. "This much is not difficult to deduce. You even said it yourself. I''m not taking credit for that." As her smile vanished, she instinctively reacted. "What a hardened way of thinking." Orion felt awkward after hearing her say that he was stubborn. He coughed and continued. "Let''s move straight to the point. You elaborated on the life force, the ability to create a sort of back door in the storage, and that you would heal yourself with it. It''s self-explanatory, isn''t it?" "It is. That is why I am glad that you said it for me. I am terribly tired after regaining control of my roots." He felt like she was playing with him right now, but he let it slide. She wasn''t mocking him by doing so. "To clarify a few details, I will only receive the excess¡ª the part that your soul has accumulated and cannot do anything with besides erasing it. By receiving it, I will merge it with my own life force and fill my own storage with it." "The reason I almost died is that it is completely depleted." "So what do I do for you to open that door?" Orion approached the Avatar. "You will have to eat this seed." The Avatar opened her mouth and spat a seed the size of a nut on the ground. "No. I''m not eating this. What disgusting person would eat that!?" He recoiled in disgust as the green seed covered in sap rolled toward him. "I am sorry, I do not have hands. This is the only way, though, so simply do it." With the most reluctant look on his face, Orion grabbed the seed and placed it in his palm. "It''s warm. That''s the grossest thing I''ll ever do in my life! It better saves you." "It will." Orion turned around, closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth. ''Would dad do it?'' While thinking that, he opened his mouth and placed the seed in his mouth. He gulped it without thinking. "It tastes like honey..." Tiohr-nam laughed, and the old Avatar bent over slightly. "Thank you very much, Orion. I have a debt of life toward you for a second time." He stayed silent. "Give it a minute, and the seed will create a signal for me to access your soul." They waited until Orion felt a burning sensation somewhere in his body. He didn''t know exactly where it was. "I have created the gate. I am able to receive your life force without any problems." As the heat subsided, he looked at her and asked a question. "So? How much time do you need to fill the storage?" Tiohr-nam looked at him with a strange look. "Why do you want to know? Do not take it the wrong way, as I will answer. I simply thought you would not care." "I do care... You''re taking my energy. I also need to know when you will stop consuming it." Orion needed to know everything, and he will know everything that intrigues him. "With the amount you create, I think a year will fill one storage." "One year for one storage? Wait, do you have more than one?" It was something that even he never thought about. "I have five empty containers. This is the reason I can stay alive even after dying. They act as a second life, and only Remnants possess more than one." "I see. That''s good to know in case we find another Remnant. Knowing it can revive is one of the most important insights to have." Orion noticed that the tree was slowly looking more tired. "Glad to be of help? Well, then, I will not take more of your time. Moreover, please tell Karteira to approach me after you get back. I know I am just receiving your energy, but I have to use some immediately to help that child." "What do you mean?" ~ Orion opened his eyes, finding himself in front of the giant tree. ''Now I understand what makes her the creator of the fairies. She is way more powerful than I give her credit for.'' He touched his chest, feeling a pulsing heat somewhere. He turned around after picking up his glass of wine and scanned the room to find Karteira. Amelia was still speaking with her, and they were having a lot of fun. They stopped when they felt someone look at them. They both left their seats and walked toward him. "Do you need something? You were looking over to us." "Not me personally, but there''s something Karteira should do." "Me?" She wasn''t expecting to be at the center of the conversation. She was sure it would be Amelia. "Yes, if you could go and touch the trunk over there, that would greatly help me." He pointed at Tiohr-nam. "How does doing such a thing help you?" "It will; can you do it?" "I can, yes." While looking at him suspiciously, she still walked toward the trunk. "What was that about?" "Something interesting will happen. Watch what a Remnant is capable of doing." Karteira touched Tiohr-nam and immediately had her consciousness sent to her mother. She stood there, just like Orion. The trunk opened and swallowed Karteira. "Karteira?! Orion, what''s happening?" "Just watch." Orion placed a hand on her head and continued watching while drinking his wine. After a minute, the trunk opened, and it gave Karteira back to the world. "How are you doing?" Karteira opened her eye and touched her eyepatch. "Orion... two times now. You''ve healed my wounds once again." She grabbed the eyepatch and removed it from her face, revealing a beautiful green eye underneath. The green color then vanished and turned to the same color as her other eye, which was a cerulean blue. "I did nothing this time. If not for her power as a progenitor, she wouldn''t have been able to heal you." He rejected being a part of this event. "Liar, she told me about the energy she used. She was unable to do this before because she was lacking the energy to do so, but now, mother is healing thanks to you." "I got my eye back, thanks to you!" She jumped at him and hugged his neck. "It''s fine to accept her thanks, isn''t it?" Amelia said, as Karteira''s scorpion tail was frantically swaying in a circular motion all the while. "Fine, just do whatever you want." Under the warm gazes of the twins, the feast ended, and everyone returned to their room. Chapter 65: The first day of promised rest. Orion opened his eyes. He recognized the room as his usual place to sleep, so he just stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling. ''What am I going to do?'' Remembering the promise he made to Amelia not to train for the next three days, he was trying to figure out what to do with his spare time. ''I''m going to take a shower, and then I''ll think about it.'' He removed the sheets and sat on the bed. He stood up and found out that he was in his underwear. ''I might have drunk a bit too much yesterday? I most likely got too hot to bother sleeping with pants on. Where are they?'' He looked around the room and found them neatly folded on the chair. That made him chuckle, thinking that even drunk, he could act like himself. He walked up to his clothes, picked them up, and inspected them in case they were dirty. Looking clean, he put them on and walked to his bag to pick up the necessities to shower properly. Luckily, these things lasted quite a long time, and they didn''t need to search in the human cities for them. Toiletries such as shampoo and soap were easy to buy, and as long as they weren''t rough with them, towels lasted a long time. With everything in his hands, he walked toward his door and left the room. He walked past Amelia''s room when her voice leaked from it. "Ouch! Stupid hair, stop struggling!" ''She''s awake too. I guess she''s brushing her hair? They are quite long now.'' It has been a month since he cut her hair. ''Her beautiful blonde hair usually stops around her waist, but currently, it is past her butt.'' ''I should ask her if she wants me to trim it closer to her back later.'' Thinking about her hair, he continued walking down the corridor and found himself on the second floor of the big hall of the mansion. He walked down the stairs and continued on his right into a room that was separated by two doors. The left was for men, and the right was for women. This might be shocking, but even fairies enjoy bathing. Orion entered the left door without hesitating. The room was small, as there were only a few bags and drawers to place your clothes inside. He removed the clothes he was wearing, placed them in a bag, and placed the bag inside a drawer. Together with the towel he took along with him around his waist, he entered the last room, the shower, and the bath area. ''What should I do? Should I take a quick shower or soak in the bath?'' He was stuck deciding, but then remembered something. ''Oh, that''s right. I have all the time I want today. In the bath, we go. I''ll still rinse before, though.'' He entered the shower after removing his towel. He thoroughly washed his body to remove the filth that had built up overnight before quickly walking to the bath with his towel in hand. Then, Orion wrapped the towel around his neck and plunged his body into the hot water. "This is good. Occasionally, I forget the simple things in life." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. ... Feeling rested after half an hour inside the bath, he finally decided it was a good time to exit. He dried his body with the towel and walked out of the shower/bath area. He opened his drawer to pick up the bag with his clothes inside and put them on. The same clothes he wore at the feast the day before, except the new underwear and a pair of socks. He wrapped the dirty clothes inside the towel and exited the place. Just outside the changing room, he found two familiar faces already done bathing. "Look over there, Amelia. Here he was." Surprised, Amelia immediately glanced toward him. "I was looking everywhere for you, Orion. I thought you went to train somewhere." Karteira and Amelia were drying their hair on a bench. "You finished bathing quicker than me?" Orion suddenly felt awkward. As a man, was it that strange that he took a long time inside the bath? "How long have you been in there?" "I don''t know. Half an hour maybe?" The girls looked at each other and laughed. "No wonder we had time to finish before you." "We entered fifteen minutes ago. I can''t believe you were in there longer than us." But, he shrugged it off. "I love baths; what can I say? I remembered I had all the time in the world to take one, so I did." Karteira nodded, while Amelia smiled. "That''s true, but you could''ve at least left a note on the table or something." "I had just woken up; that''s not the first thing I think of in the morning." The two ladies stopped at a point when their hair was dry. "Anyway, let''s forget about that. What are you planning to do today, Orion?" Karteira wanted to know his plans for the day. "I have no idea. Since I''m stuck doing nothing, maybe I could explore a bit of the surrounding area or even wander around the village." "This is a pretty good idea. You haven''t really taken time to see the village. There''s not much to see because of the recent attacks, but we''re rebuilding everything. We still have a few shops and places to eat." Something caught his attention. "The fairies have specialties to eat? What could be special enough to be sold by the fairies? How does that even work? You guys don''t sell outside the realm." "Well, it''s true. We don''t go outside this realm. Fairies still exchange some sort of money between each other, though." "We tried going without money before, but nobody understood anything, and it almost led to conflicts." Orion smiled, imagining such a scene. "That''s funny when you say it like that." "I wasn''t born yet, but I''m pretty sure it wasn''t hilarious at the time. It''s the Queens who brought everything back to being this way. They are great, but occasionally, you wonder what they might be thinking." The conversation stopped there, and Orion took the opportunity to go back to his room. "Well then, I''ll be going first." They watched as Orion turned to walk up the stairs. "He fled." "Yes, I guess he lost interest in the conversation." "No, I''m pretty sure he didn''t know what to say anymore." "Should we go too? My hair is dry now." The two left the place not long after Orion, and they returned to Amelia''s room together to talk about many things. ~ The morning ended like this. Orion moved around the mansion and found the library, where he enjoyed a great book until noon, while Amelia and Karteira had a talk about him and what would happen from now on. Like he said, at noon, he came to look for them in Amelia''s room. He knocked on the door and opened it to find them sitting at the table. "I''m going to seek food. You want to come?" "You have money?" "No, I don''t." At least, not the money of this realm. "Then let''s go look for the Queens. They should be able to give you some." "I''m coming too!" Orion left the room with Amelia and Karteira next to him and walked to the room where the feast took place, the first place where the twins could be. And just like that, he found them. After explaining that he wanted to enjoy the food the village had to offer, they happily gave him a few leaves. "That''s your money? Leaves?" His reaction was one of disbelief. "Not just any leaves! Those are from Tiohr!" Drania was trying to sell the greatness of the money they created. "I won''t speak about how dumb I think all of this is; let''s just go." "You just about said it already! Have a good time." Dramia shrugged. With just this, Orion knew who was the one who brought this idea forward in the first place. Orion walked outside the room after thanking them with mixed feelings. He exited the mansion and began exploring the village, with Karteira volunteering as a guide. There really wasn''t much to see, except the fact that the interiors of the houses were different from the dilapidated look they had. They were living more luxuriously than he thought. ''It''s magical to live like this.'' While thinking about that, Karteira led them to a place she had eaten before. It was a grilled meat restaurant. ''Why am I not surprised?'' Karteira loved eating meat. Most fairies liked meat. There was a lot of wild life around them, and they were pretty easy to hunt too. But since the fairies were weak, they simply tamed a few of the biggest creatures and domesticated them so they could be eaten. After eating a mountain of minced meat, the three, now full of energy, decided to explore the outside of the village. There were more unique landscapes to see, but there was a limit. Around sunset, the three arrived at the edge of this realm, the endless sea. Karteira explained that this realm was an island and that, besides the fairies and Tiohr-nam, there was nothing else in this world. There were previously corrupt beasts too, but they never tried moving past the underground area. One of the queens (Drania) once decided to fly from one side to the other, and with her speed, she arrived two days later on the other side, saying that there was nothing else but water all around the island. With this little story done, Orion decided it was time to go back. The first day of rest ended just like this. Seeing that endless sea left a pretty strong impact on him, making him think about the power that a Remnant needs to create a space with nothing inside. Chapter 66: The second day of promised rest. After touring the fairy realm, the group separated near the mansion''s entrance, leaving Orion and Amelia to decide to have dinner together. After dinner, both returned to their rooms and enjoyed their own leisure time. Orion read books he found at the library, and Amelia wrote down the many ideas she had in her cooking book. Before they knew it, it was time to go to sleep. ... The next morning, Orion opened his eyes and did the same as the day before. He picked up his clothes from the chair, changed into them, and walked to the bath area. He was having a hard time relaxing this time because he had too much energy piling up that he didn''t use from training. These three days were hard for someone who always moved around. Training was also a way of relaxing his body. He could sneakily avoid Amelia and manage to train in some way, but he gave his words, and that was something he always followed, except in some cases. So here he was, outside the bath, ten minutes after entering. There was no reason to stay more than necessary, since he couldn''t enjoy it anymore. This time, though, the ones found outside were two women ready to enter their side. The twins, Dramia and Drania, were talking outside the changing area. He thought to avoid being seen, but as expected, that wouldn''t happen. Drania, as usual, used her top speed to appear next to him and ask him questions about the bath, which Orion answered. After watching her sister pester Orion with too many questions, Dramia approached them and grabbed her sister by the neck before dragging her into the changing room. Still hearing Drania shout about being interrupted, Orion decided to move on and leave, as there was nothing to do now that he was alone. Just before arriving at the stairs, he managed to hear a loud slapping wet sound that came from the bathing area and a loud voice. "Shut up now!". He tried to deduce the origin of that sound, but after realizing it was most likely a slap in the back, he left smiling. ... Nothing important happened during the morning, leading Orion to enjoy more books that he could never find outside the fairy realm. At noon, Amelia entered his room to talk about their meal. Since there was not much he wanted, he asked for a simple meal. Amelia moved to the kitchen of the mansion and prepared a few quick-to-eat meals. A vegetable pur¨¦e and a piece of chicken breast. It was after finishing the delicious meal that Orion finally asked Amelia THE question. "Amelia, do you want me to cut your hair?" "Where does this come from?" She looked at him with a scary look. She liked her hair more than anything else. "You don''t have to look at me like that. I was thinking of trimming your bangs and cutting the length closer to your shoulders like usual." "We haven''t cut them for more than a month now, and I don''t want your bangs to hide your eyes again." Her gaze turned neutral again as she gently grabbed her hair and realized that he was right. "They are longer than I remember... I became so used to that length that I didn''t realize until you said it." The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "I know how much you care about your hair, but it needs to be cut." Amelia let go of her hair. After thinking for a moment, she answered him with a smile. "Sure, it''s been a while, like you said. Are we doing that now?" "If you allow me a second to find my scissors, we can do it in a minute." Orion rummaged through his bag and found the scissors he used to cut bandages. He wiped the scissors with a clean cloth and placed them on the table in his room. He looked around for anything to place under a chair when a pile of papers entered his vision. After grabbing a few of them to receive the cut hair, he placed a chair on them. He led Amelia to the chair and began by cutting her bangs that were beginning to hide her brows. "Do you want me to cut them all the way up?" "I would like them to still hide my forehead." "Alright." With audible snipping sounds, Orion carefully trimmed her bangs, leaving a few centimeters of hair to hide her forehead. "Does it look fine to you?" Orion picked up a handheld mirror and gave it to Amelia. "Yes, it''s good like that." Satisfied, she gave the mirror back. After placing the mirror on the table, Orion moved to her back and began to cut. Amelia was 181 centimeters tall, and her hair arrived at her upper thigh, making it quite long. She had around 120 centimeters of hair length. Now, for it to be back to its usual length, Orion had to cut around 30 centimeters. With that done, he asked again if this length was enough, and she said it was fine. "I just realized, but you haven''t been wearing your usual hairstyle since we got back from the underground." "I can''t find my hairband anymore. I don''t know where I put it last." Usually, Amelia made a high ponytail with a part of her long hair, and occasionally, she added a side braid joining that ponytail. "That black elastic? I haven''t found it in this room, so it''s most likely in yours." "I''ll search for it later. Thank you for cutting my hair. Do you need me to cut yours too?" Orion touched his hair and thought for a second, just like Amelia a few minutes ago. His hair wasn''t growing as fast as Amelia''s, so he didn''t need to cut it immediately. The moment his bangs were beginning to hinder his vision, he would cut them immediately. He was going to refuse, but then he touched the back of his head. ''It''s this long?!'' The shock on his face spoke louder. ''That''s right, I''ve only been cutting the front so far.'' When he realized his hair was past his nape, this had to be changed. "If you could cut the back, that would help." He sat on the chair, ignoring the bright smile Amelia had. It was rare that Orion let her play with his hair. ... She took her time. Amelia wasn''t as careful as him, but she still managed to cut it perfectly. His black hair was now perfectly trimmed, too. "Thank you, Amelia." Orion got up from his chair and crouched to pick up the papers full of hair clippings. He threw everything in the bin in his room. He cleaned the scissors, placed them back into the box they came from, and tidied the room back to how it was before. After sitting on his bed, Amelia joined him. "What are you going to do for the rest of the day?" Amelia asked the dreaded question that anyone bored would have a hard time answering, but it was already decided for Orion. "I''m going to read. And you?" "I''ve found a few cooking books when I looked inside the library; can I read them here?" She looked at him with pleading eyes. "I don''t see why not." He stood up and picked up a pile of books about the fairies. He placed them on the bed and began to read with his back against the wall. Amelia ran to her room next to his, grabbed her books, and reentered quickly. She sat perpendicular to him and placed her head on his thighs. Orion looked at her with a strange look. "What are you doing?" "I''m reading?" She stayed her ground and opened her book, beginning to read. ''She''s doing it on purpose. She doesn''t look older than me when she acts like this.'' ''Though, I guess it''s fine. It''s going to be her reward for working so hard during that difficult mission.'' He placed a hand on her head and gently caressed it. "Only this time." She smiled at him and continued her reading. ''He is giving more openings recently. If I push just a bit more...'' Her thoughts hesitated. ''Maybe I shouldn''t be greedy right now. I don''t want him to suffer because of me.'' ''I should wait a bit more. I''ll work my way up his heart slowly.'' What Amelia didn''t know was that his heart had already been breached a long time ago. He was simply focusing on his revenge at this time. That was why, every so often, when everything was calm around him, he let Amelia have her way with small actions like these. She was still his precious partner. ... The afternoon passed with both of them having an enjoyable reading session. Orion closed his last book around sunset and realized Amelia had fallen asleep on his lap. He lightly tapped her left cheek, and she woke up. "Hiii~" "Hi, it''s time to wake up now. Did you sleep well?" With a smile, Amelia moved away and tidied up the books. "Yes. I finished the last book, and I thought it would be great to nap like this. Did I bother you?" "You weren''t a bother; I didn''t even notice you had fallen asleep." But just then, her stomach growled from hunger. Orion smiled at her, looking at her while hugging her stomach in shame. "Maybe I should prepare dinner now!" She hurriedly picked up her books and left the room to prepare food. ''She''s adorable.'' While thinking about that, Orion tidied up his books, waiting for Amelia to call him. With their dinner, the day ended, leaving only one day of rest before Orion could once again train. Chapter 67: The last day of promised rest. Orion opened his eyes, like every morning. Like every morning, he walked to the bath area, and enjoyed a small moment of tranquility. He exited the changing room, but today, no one was there to talk to him, so he returned to his room without a moment''s delay. There was nothing to do besides spend time reading this morning, as, for some reason, Amelia was still sleeping. He hadn''t seen Karteira either, so he lazily picked up another book and began to read it without much focus. There had been something in his mind that he couldn''t stop wondering about. The only person able to answer his questions would be either the twins or the Fairy Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam. He chose Tiohr-nam, as it would lead nowhere, in case the sisters decided to tease him. Then, noon arrived, and a half-asleep Amelia entered with sandwiches on a plate. She apologized for waking up so late, and she returned to her room after eating with him. A brief moment after eating, he decided to go see Tiohr-nam. If he was going to talk to her, there was no better moment than now. So he moved his feet toward the now familiar room where he could speak with her. There was no one inside this time, which was perfect for him. The moment he entered, a voice spoke. "Oh, what could you want from me this time?" The calm voice he only heard once echoed in the room. "I haven''t heard your real voice since the day I came to the realm. Have you regained enough strength already?" The giant trunk of Tiohr-nam opened, and the same Avatar appeared from it, this time looking way better than before. Her hair regained a colorful taint of green, and her skin appeared to have regained its youthful glow. "I thank you once again for sharing your energy. In only two days, I have regained most of my capabilities as the Remnant of Life. I soon should be able to create new fairies." Orion walked inside and sat on one of the chairs closest to the Avatar. "That is a good thing. I didn''t expect to see this form in the flesh, so I''m quite surprised." The Avatar nodded. "This is a puppet I made to speak with my children. I still have to infuse my soul inside of it to make it move, but it has been incredibly useful so far." Seeing the body move, he could only nod. "I can believe that. When I heard about the Remnants, there wasn''t much information except the fact that they could shape-shift and had the power to ravage all civilizations, but now I can see that it is not entirely true." Tiohr-nam stopped talking and looked at him. She looked for the best answer that would prevent Orion from making the wrong choices. "I will be honest with you. I do not know what the other Remnants look like or even where they could be." "But I can say one thing for sure: almost all of them are peaceful beings. It would be in your best interest to make contact first before jumping to any conclusion." Orion frowned at her lack of trust in his actions. "Do you think I would attack any beings in my way?" But, instead of going his way, she made sure he understood. "Most likely. We Remnants do not play in the same space as the rest of the world. We do not follow the same rules, as we are the rules." "So those who never interacted with ''lower'' beings will be irritating to deal with. What would you do if one wanted to capture Amelia because of its curiosity?" Without hesitation, Orion answered, a dark gaze on his face. "I would kill it on the spot... I see what you meant now." Orion returned to normal and placed one hand on his head, exhausted from thinking about the trouble that could happen in the future. Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Just as I said, the most likely result would be your death. Well, this will most likely never happen because they don''t care enough. The only one you really have to be careful of is the World''s Menace, Miasma." "Again with this name. The Remnant that was killed by the previous Hero. If it''s dead, why do I have to be careful of it?" Tiohr-nam answered his question with an intense expression. "It never truly died. We realized too late, but that monster lost his form during the final struggle and became half-sentient, corrupting the animals of the world simply because it wanted everything corrupted." "At least it is what my memories retain of him." Orion fell into deep thought, remembering his battles against the corrupt beasts. ''There was no sense of intelligence from the beasts. The ''Lords'' were only slightly better, but there was not much strategy coming from them either. Which means they are only pawns. Expandable ones at that.'' ''It doesn''t differentiate anymore. Wait a second! That also applies to humans, isn''t it? What happened during the escape during the ''Ceremony'', where the soldiers went berserk? So this was Miasma''s doing?'' Something didn''t feel right. ''But why did it come from the building to begin with?'' Tiohr-nam simply looked at Orion, waiting for him to finish. "I wanted to ask you about what to do from now on, but I got the answer right now thanks to you." Surprised, the Avatar leaned forward. "If that was enough to answer your questions, then I am glad. What are you planning to do, if you do not mind me asking?" Orion stood up from his chair and walked closer to the Avatar. "I will use my father''s ring and hunt down Miasma. By doing so, I will find my mother''s ring somewhere while I kill every corrupt being that infests our world. The fact that it goes in pair with my first mission to kill the Apostles is perfect." She frowned. "More killing... This is not a great path to follow." Still, Orion wasn''t going to back down from his purpose. "You know it better than me. If Miasma is the culprit, there''s nothing else to do but destroy it once again." "Humans have started to show signs of corruption; who knows when the rest of the world will succumb? If the dragons fall to corruption, this world is doomed." With a sigh, Tiohr-nam gave up. "That is true. I simply hoped you wouldn''t have to follow in the footsteps of your predecessor." Orion stayed silent. He didn''t know enough about this ancient Hero to say something. "Well, if you are decided, I cannot say anything to that. When you intend to go outside, take Karteira with you; she has taken quite a liking to the two of you." "Are you sure? We won''t give her back until the very end." This was a serious question, as this implied that Orion wasn''t planning on returning to this realm. "There are no more threats anymore, thanks to you. There is no point in keeping her here. I wanted you to take Dramia and Drania too, but they have already decided on something else." "I don''t think having so many people will be advantageous, either. Anyway, thank you for the talk." Orion began to walk away, but then remembered something. "I just remembered. You''ve lied to me pretty badly the first time we spoke." "What do you mean?" Sweat appeared on the Avatar''s face, and she averted her eyes from looking at him. "That ''Remnant of Protection'' thing. I thought it was weird at first." "You are the Remnant that controls some parts of Life, so how could you also possess the protection trait? Now that I know about the energy storage of the soul, it just sounds like a joke." "You''ve revealed yourself, calling yourself the Remnant of Life." He turned around and opened the door, leaving Tiohr-nam shaken from being found out. "He is incredibly aware of his surroundings. This is terrifying coming from a single man. Was he blessed by some other beings?" "No, this is most likely not the case. I would be able to feel it now that I receive his energy. In any case, this man is going to do great things. If only he didn''t have that title..." After a short silence, the Avatar looked down. "Though... I wasn''t lying." ~ Somewhere near the southern border, in a small village called Logran, a young beastman was having a discussion with an older beastman. "Dad, I still don''t understand. You kept speaking about me having an older brother, but I''ve never seen him. Why isn''t he living with us? Even mom never saw him." The other beastman grabbed a cup on the table and began to sip it. "Nylon, how can you not understand after I''ve said it so many times? He is not my real son. For him to be part of our family, I would have to adopt him. Now is too late, and since he is a year older than you, his life is in his hands at this point." The beastman called Nylon glared at the older beastman. "No, I''m pretty sure you''ve never said he wasn''t your son. Moreover, stop shaking the cup. You''ll spill your coffee." The old beastman coughed and placed the cup back on the table. "How can the great Dylan, the Beastman ''Savior'', be so bad at personal relationships? If you consider him a son, why have you never brought him here? You know how mom is; she will never forgive you if you don''t get him here." Dylan was having a conversation with his son, Nylon, in their house. Nylon was a twenty-year-old young beastman born a year after Dylan placed Orion in the care of Keith, the director of Auro''s orphanage. His body was slightly more slender than Orion''s, and the differences created between them were due to the amount of time they trained. He had the same physical traits as his father: pointy ears, sharp fangs, and a piercing gaze. What he received from his mother was the silky white hair that arrived at his shoulder blades. "I can''t do much about that. Orion left Auro without saying anything to me. All I received was a letter saying that he was going to travel the continent. I''m not some all-knowing beastman. Where he could be now, I have no idea." "That''s the problem! Why didn''t you bring him here BEFORE he left?" Nylon slammed his fist on the table, catching the attention of someone else. "Not again! If one of you breaks the table, I''ll slap you so hard you will regret being born! Understood?" "Yes!" Both men straightened their backs in a rush. The one that popped up from the doorway was Eliza, Dylan''s wife and Nylon''s mother. Eliza was Dylan''s childhood friend and the woman who waited for him until he finally decided to build a family. She had weakened beastman traits and snow-white hair that paired with her blue, sapphire-like eyes. Both she and Dylan were in their forties, so they were still quite young for beastmen who could leave as far as 200 years. "What were you talking about?" She entered the room and sat next to Dylan. "We were talking about the fact that dad missed every opportunity to introduce his other son." "Oh, little Orion? We only have one picture of him. I''m curious to know what that small boy became. If only someone else could bring him home." Dylan shuddered at the dark glare he received from his wife. "You know I can''t do that. He isn''t my son. I didn''t know at the time that he would leave when he reached twenty-one." Sadness appeared on his face. He really regretted not being able to see him anymore. "Maybe one day I''ll be able to see my brother. He is supposed to be stronger than me, right?" Light reappeared in Dylan''s eyes. "He is. He saved a girl from a burning building by himself and managed to survive. The girl received no injuries whatsoever. This is a real achievement for a young man. He is also one of the most skilled hunters I have ever seen." Nylon frowned, feeling a touch of competitiveness. "Better than me?" "I may have trained you, but you learned something different. I don''t know how you turned out to be like this, but you will have a great affinity for his hunting if you ever find him." In fact, it was more than that. Nylon trained with the same abilities as Orion but couldn''t master the crossbow. He had mastered an entirely different branch of hunting ability. Nylon was an assassin, another killer in the darkness. The combination of Orion and Nylon will one day cause the worst catastrophe to ever happen to a human city in history, but that is a story for another time. Chapter 68: New goals, and no more resting. After Orion ended his conversation with Tiohr-nam, he returned to his room. He had new goals, and he acquired a powerful ally, Karteira. What he had to do from now on was straightforward, but still incredibly difficult. Following his father''s advice on the ring''s new purpose, it will be useful for finding the highest amount of corruption closest to his location. With the ring in hand, it will be easier to locate the Apostles and help avoid unnecessary blood from being spilled. He remembered the offer an Apostle named Florian spoke about before. The matter will be resolved the moment Orion gets close to the cities in question. If there were no traces of corruption, maybe he could slightly depend on these people. There was a lot to think about, but after hearing Tiohr-nam speak about not making harsh decisions, he decided to contain his cautiousness. Finding new allies, killing Apostles, and hunting down the corruption that plagued the continent. Finding his mother''s ring, improving his ''Overdrive'' ability, and watching over Amelia''s growth. There were so many things to do. After moving out of the fairies'' realm, Orion still had to move around the continent to find the arachnea and the elemental factions, which he had no idea where to look for this time. During the night, Orion brought the artifact he received from the merchant a few months ago. The branch with the jewels, the silk, and the beetle. After remembering what happened before he entered the realm, he deduced that, perhaps, the only lead he had was this. The beetle was obviously referring to the fairies. The jewels would most likely represent the elementals, and the silk would be the arachnea. But how is it that such an artifact as convenient as this exists in the first place? Why did a middle-aged merchant woman possess such a thing? Why did she give it to Orion out of all people? Who was this person? There were many questions that would remain unanswered. In the end, Orion stopped thinking about them as he carefully placed the branch in its cloth. When doing that, he realized that looking for these hidden factions was in no way related to his hunts. It was only for his own benefit. As a lover of history, he had to find them and learn more about them. With no real destination in mind, once he moved out of the realm, his father''s ring and the artifact would be the two items that would lead his steps. And that was it for his last day of rest. He enjoyed his dinner with Amelia and ended the night talking about his plans with her. ~ The day finally arrived. Orion opened his eyes slowly. He slept well, but there was something that bothered him in his core. His energy was overflowing. He couldn''t wait any longer; he had to move his body. He had to train, try new things, and sweat. Taking a break was great. It gave him the opportunity to acquire more knowledge about the fairy faction, and he enjoyed his time relaxing. But that was enough. Orion stood up, eager to get back to his training session. He put his hunter clothes on, his black pants, his gray shirt, and even his black cape on, and without a sound, he exited the room. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Without waking Amelia, his feet carried him outside the mansion. The sun was slightly over the horizon. This morning was refreshing for Orion. After exiting the mansion and pondering where to go, there was a chance he could find Karteira in the training arena, but he wanted to train alone this morning. Orion tried something he hadn''t done until now because there was no need to. He enhanced his own speed and activated the ''First Gear''. Since Amelia was not with him, he was only able to use his left leg''s ''First Gear''. Nothing crazy would happen this morning. Feeling the light element flowing through his magical veins, he left the place at the same speed the ''Second Gear'' could carry him. He arrived at the rocks a few kilometers away from the village in five minutes, completely drenched in sweat. "Ah..." *Cough* "I might have gone overboard right off the bat." Catching his breath, he wiped the sweat from his forehead and removed his cape. "Using an enhancement and the ''First Gear'' is too much for me right now. That''s something I will have to get used to." With renewed determination, he placed this on the list of many things to improve. After only two minutes, his body was already back in perfect shape. The cold morning cooled his body, and he caught his breath almost instantly. ''What do I do now?'' Orion thought about his morning training. In the end, what he chose was: ''Let''s go for a difficult shooting session today.'' Extending his left hand to the side, a white orb flashed in the palm of his hand. "Alcyone." His dependable crossbow made of light energy appeared in his hands. Orion closed his eyes and imagined having the ''Corrupted Lord of Earth'' as an opponent. Since he fought it using daggers, a type of weapon he wasn''t accustomed to, this training would help him greatly. He remembered the movement of his enemy, its attack patterns, and its characteristics. The rest was his own skill. During the simulated fights, Orion lost four times out of the ten tries. He had no excuses for that, besides the difficulty of fighting a close-quarter enemy with a crossbow. During those simulations, he couldn''t maintain the distance with the centipede, leading to his defeat. "I''m glad I made it out alive. Now that I can reflect on my own performance retrospectively, I realize how scary it might have been for them to see that. I was badly injured too. I don''t understand how I was able to win." Sheer willpower won this fight. He pushed his body to the limit, pressured by death, as he broke down before the fight had even begun. His mind was determined to win, and his body carried him through it. There was no luck involved, only Orion''s resiliency. "I am sure to lose if I were to repeat this fight. If I''m losing 40 percent of my fights against it, I have a lot more to improve. Let''s bring the simulations to a different difficulty." Orion closed his eyes, activated the light enhancement on his body, and used the ''First Gear'' in his next simulation. The ghost centipede stood no chance this time. Orion only lost when his stamina couldn''t follow his use of both abilities. As he crumbled to the ground, exhausted, he fell on his back and looked at the blue sky. *Cough* "How am I supposed to avenge you if I can''t even do that? There''s excessively much to do, but Elliott''s release is upon us." Thoughts of his parents entered his mind. He imagined them smiling at him and saying that it was fine to continue at his own pace. He then thought of Amelia and Karteira. Orion wasn''t the only one pursuing impossible goals. Even if he was a monster in terms of strength and wits, Amelia was able to follow closely behind that same monster, and she was a human. So much potential was as rare as an individual like Orion. Karteira, too, was putting in way more effort than she should in her training. She even improved during her first training session with him. When he realized that, all his depressing thoughts left him, and he continued his training. ''What am I doing thinking like that? I should avoid exhausting myself too much... I don''t like feeling depressed at all.'' ''To begin with, the point of me doing this training is to get better. What am I thinking? Obviously, it''s going to take time.'' He slapped his cheeks and pushed himself until noon. ... "I can''t believe the first thing you''ve done was train as soon as the day started. Though, that''s just like you to do that." Amelia had waited for him to come back when she went to check on him but saw the word ''training'' written on a piece of paper in his room. "It''s what I usually do. It was far too uncomfortable for me to contain that building energy. Now, I feel better and completely refreshed." Orion appeared to have truly enjoyed that morning session. "I can see it. Your smile is proof of that." Training was relaxing for Orion. Unless he completely exhausted himself, it was his hobby. "Did you want something from me?" He sat on the bed while looking at Amelia. "I had no particular reason to bother you. I just wanted to talk about what I should do in my training. You know, I can''t use water or wind right now. Should I work with my earth, lightning, or fire element?" Orion brought his left hand to his chin. "The ones you seem to be lacking control over are lightning and fire, right?" "That''s right. I should work on them then." Following a simple nod, he smiled. "Yes, I''d say that''s the best thing to do for now." "Alright. I need to master their dagger form." She had her training in mind, but Orion stopped her thoughts and proposed something else. "Amelia, I want to try using other elemental crossbows. The moment you master your other two elements, could I ask for that?" Her face cramped up. "Every time you ask me this, I feel like slapping my past self for agreeing once to your absurd requests." "That''s not fair, and you know it. I made you use my elements, but I can''t use yours." Amelia stopped and looked at him with a perplexing stare. "Since when do you act like a child?" "I thought it would work... I guess it won''t." They looked at each other before laughing. "Fine, I have no reason to say no. Just don''t go destroying half the realm with them." "I''ll do my best not to go overboard." With another type of training planned, a long month of training went on for the three companions. Chapter 69: Lightning dagger and steam power. The sun was almost past the horizon, and the day was coming to an end. Two weeks after Orion returned to his usual life, three people were moving frantically all around the village''s training arena. Sounds of clashing could be heard from there. Orion, Amelia, and Karteira were fighting. To be precise, it was a two-versus-one fight. Orion against Amelia and Karteira. For Orion, it was a ridiculous handicap, but he was still overwhelmingly stronger than both of them combined. He even gave them a speed enhancement to make it fair. His movements were sharper than ever, and he easily blocked the attacks coming at him. If there was something hindering his movements, it would only be the exhaustion caused by using his magic. But even that was under his control. During those two weeks, he learned to use his energy more efficiently. There were countless leaks of energy when he used his magic. Slowly, he was beginning to get the hang of it. "Not enough. Come at me as if you wanted to kill me!" Orion was training them to strengthen them. "As if we could do that!" Amelia was clashing blades with Orion using Ceres, her earth dagger. It has gone through some changes since then. After using it over and over during the past two weeks, she found out two new uses for that specific weapon. A layer of metal could be used to form a sharp edge to the dirt dagger, and sand could be used as a projectile. Those were the two things she saw when she observed the earth sphere in her soul before. "That''s what I''ve been doing!" Karteira was using a fraction of her ''Cerulean Aegis''. There was no need to protect her whole body when training, so only her gauntlets in smashing form were used. She tried to punch Orion, but he deflected the punch toward Amelia. "Wa-" Amelia crouched to avoid the punch while she tried to attack Orion''s legs. "Not so fast!" Karteira used her tail to slap Orion. He was now in a difficult position, being attacked below and above. Orion surprised both of them by stopping both attacks. Stepping on Ceres, he stuck it in the ground while grabbing Karteira''s scorpion tail with both hands after letting go of his daggers. "Impossible!" "You will have to do better than that if you want to win against me." He pushed Karteira away and moved further away from Amelia after picking up the iron daggers. "Amelia, you''re not going to use your new dagger? If you don''t use it, you''re lowering your chances against me." "You can taunt me all you want, but I won''t fall for it. I should still try using it, though." "I haven''t fallen for your taunt, you understand?" Orion laughed and made a signal with his hand to come and fight him. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "Leima!" A spherical purple lightning sphere the size of a medium-sized rock appeared in her palm. It cracked loudly and began to change form. The dagger took shape almost instantly, showing her achievement in mastering her lightning element. Orion already knew about it since he was there when she managed to create it, though he didn''t know its name until now. He looked at Amelia as she took her usual stance, and the moment her two daggers crossed, lightning bolts touched the metal blade of Ceres, giving it more power. "Nice, nice. And you, Karteira, that''s all you''re going to do? Don''t you have a way to go faster than that?" He turned to Karteira and began to taunt her too. "How do you even know about that?" She dropped her stance and looked at him with bewilderment. "A feeling. I haven''t seen you train recently, but I can feel it. You''ve discovered a way to be way faster." His keen senses picked up on that easily. Karteira was starting to get used to him by now, so she shrugged. "I can''t hide anything from you, it seems. Fine, it''s the perfect opportunity to show you anyway." The small plates around her ankles began to expand and cover her legs. It continued until it reached her lower back, and then stopped. "Give me a minute to prepare; I can''t use it without preparation." "It''s fine. I''ll entertain Amelia while I wait for you. When you''re ready, come at me." He turned to Amelia after seeing Karteira run left and right as a warm-up. ''It''s bothersome if there is a condition to use it. Once I see it, I''ll have to find a way to help with that. Having to prepare for it is a waste of time during a fight.'' As always, the most important thing for Orion was how efficient it was in battle. ''Wait, what were those two protruding plates on her back-'' *Cling* ''Crap, I was focusing too much on Karteira!'' Swiftly, Amelia closed in on Orion while he was thinking. She managed to take him by surprise, creating a shallow cut on his arm, before he countered her. Amelia began to move faster with each strike. From what Orion was observing, the lightning element was stimulating her muscles to move her arms faster. He laughed again, completely satisfied with the current situation. ''Truly great, she''s once again thinking about how to use her elements to her advantage. She was already using water to slide freely around and her wind to protect her, but I never thought she could go this far.'' They crossed blades again and again, with no one having the upper hand. ''Wait, why does it feel so hot suddenly?'' Orion thought about looking around, but he had to get some distance from Amelia before that. He jumped and kicked Amelia, who defended with both blades. He used that push to create some distance. In midair, he looked at the source of the hot air and saw Karteira emitting a terrible amount of steam from her legs. ''What is she doing?'' Just as he questioned the situation, Karteira placed her right leg in front of her and prepared herself to move forward. Seeing this, Amelia slowly walked away while watching Orion. "I''m ready. I can''t control the power yet, so I''m sorry if I hurt you." The plates on her lower back moved upward, and steam gushed from them, creating a waist cape of scorching steam. Each time Orion saw this ability to create such heat, he wondered if this was a specificity of the fairies or only to Karteira. In reality, her body was creating heat as a byproduct of her ''Cerulean Aegis'' ability. The more she moved around in armor, the more her body created heat, and the only way to avoid burning her skin was to send it out by sliding a few plates. After thinking of what was best for her ability, she began thinking like Orion. Whatever was made by her could be used. Steam was one of the many weapons at her disposal. Until now, it was simply a part of the ability that she needed to get rid of to continue fighting. After thinking and trying many things, she found a way to use that steam to her advantage. "Steam Surge!" The two plates that Orion noticed earlier moved on each side of her waist and curved differently than her other plates did. A burst of steam exploded behind her as she flew straight toward Orion at a speed even he was unable to attain. "Sh-" *Crash* The impact was so strong that it made him fly a few meters away. His body rolled on the ground a few times, but he managed to recover by pushing one of his arms down. He slid into a crouch position for a few more meters and checked his daggers. ''They''re broken. What in the world was that attack? I can still feel its strength in my arms.'' A mixture of confusion and excitement appeared on his face. "Orion, are you alright?" Amelia and Karteira ran to him to check if he wasn''t injured. "I''m sorry, I can''t control how much steam I use yet. I shouldn''t have used all of it now that I think of it." Scratching the back of her head, she smiled dryly. "No, it''s fine. It''s a good thing you used it on me. That was a splendid way of using what you have." "Amelia, too; you''ve managed to cut me a few times during our exchanges. Both of you have been improving." Still worried about him, each of them grabbed an arm and helped him stand up. "Karteira, that attack is deadly. How did you even think of it? Look at the daggers; they cracked the moment you impacted them." During the clash, Karteira only protected her upper body with her gauntlets. When Orion saw her coming at high speed, in the split second he had to react, he protected with his daggers, but they couldn''t endure the raw power behind her attack. "They''re warped... Are you sure you are alright?" "I am. Just so you don''t worry, I''ll heal my arms." With a worried look, both of them looked over as he healed his body. "Alright, let''s stop our training there. Now that I''ve seen what both of you are capable of, I''m satisfied. The sun has set too, so there is no point in continuing." Orion turned around in the direction of the mansion. "You''re eating with us tonight, Karteira?" Both girls looked at each other before nodding. Then, they walked to his side. "Yes, I am. It''s been a while since I''ve eaten Amelia''s cooking." "Well, you''re going to like it because tonight it''s-" The group continued talking even after returning to the mansion, and they enjoyed another great dinner made by Amelia. Thereafter, Karteira returned to her house, while Orion and Amelia prepared themselves to go to sleep. Just before falling asleep, Orion thought about that last hit. ''That was one nasty attack she did on me. I need to find a way to negate the power behind it, or she will always overpower me. There''s no way to move faster than her, either. Though, I don''t have a clue on how to do it.'' While thinking of ways to stop Karteira''s impactful attack, Orion slowly fell into the dream world. Chapter 70: Elemental weapons. (Part 1) The intensity of each training session was diminishing with each passing days. There was a point where nothing could be done to improve anymore, and at that point, only refining the already-acquired abilities became an option. It was at that time, three days after the three fought. "Amelia, could you let me use your elements? Please?" Orion was done with his workout for the day. He had decided that today would be the best time to work on the elemental crossbows he kept dreaming about like a child. So he approached Amelia, who was sitting on a rock. "It''s been a while since you''ve asked me this. Was the last time three weeks ago?" "Something like that? I''ve been containing myself so far, so I really want to see if we can create them." "If memory serves, before we left Auro, I''d only been able to create two elemental arrows, one made with my water element and the other made with my wind element. It''s going to be the first time we''re making a real weapon." Orion remembered the time before they began their journey. So much happened in three months that it made him smile. "You''re right. I also remember you getting angry at me for being too powerful. I''m pretty sure it''s going to happen again." He grinned at her, expecting the usual banter to start, but this time, she remained silent. "What''s happening? Are you worried?" He stopped joking immediately. "How could I not be worried? With the potential those two arrows had, my elements became more deadly in your hands. We don''t even know how they will behave in crossbow form." Orion realized that she was right. Maybe he jumped a few steps ahead and avoided thinking of everything possibly going wrong. His curiosity was strong concerning that matter. But this would not stop him from finding out. "If my elements managed to be stable in your hands, I don''t think they would act differently in mine. Am I wrong?" She looked at him with a worried look, but smiled and shrugged. "You''re right, maybe I''m freaking out over nothing." "Just to be certain, I''ll be extra careful using them. If we see any irregularities, we''re stopping the experiment. Are you fine with that?" Amelia nodded. Karteira was training her plate displacement further away. She realized something was going to happen that was different from usual, so she stopped everything and approached them. "What''s happening? Are you two done for the day?" They both turned to her, one grinning and one looking defeated. "Well, how do I say this? We''re going to destroy common sense." Karteira looked at Amelia as if she were dumb. "Don''t look at me like that! I''m not joking, by the way. He''s really going to break common sense. Just watch!" She regained her neutral expression and stared at Orion. "What are you going to do this time? Is it as stupid as single-handedly fighting a third of the corrupt beasts?" Orion turned his face to the side and scratched his cheek. "Maybe?" "Pff-" Karteira started laughing loudly. "As expected of you, I''m not surprised anymore. Do you mind if I watch too?" "No, I don''t mind. Just... don''t stay in front of me." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Karteira walked toward a tall rock at least two meters high and jumped on top of it, then sat down. "Alright, what do we start with? You still can''t use water and wind, so there''s only earth and lightning, right? Your fire element is still too weak to work with so far." "I wouldn''t say it''s ''too weak''. On the contrary, it''s so powerful that I can''t use it. At least right now." "Let''s leave fire out of today''s experiment. I won''t use the ''Overdrive'' either, that would lead to a massive catastrophe." "Yes, I don''t want to see this place being torn apart by one arrow either... How would you explain that?" A dry laugh escaped Orion''s mouth. Just thinking about the earful he would receive from the twins and Tiohr-nam was enough to calm his eagerness to even try. After a small silence, Amelia closed her eyes, and a ball of earth with multiple components appeared in her hand. An aggregate of dirt, rocks, sand, and metal had been formed. The stone and the sand were rotating around a perfect sphere of dirt and metal. "Here''s the first one. Be careful." Amelia gave the earth element to Orion, who carefully received it with both hands. She walked toward the rock Karteira was sitting on and began to watch silently. Orion focused his senses on the foreign element in his hands. It seemed like it was scared, or maybe just wondering why it was in someone else''s hands instead of its usual master. The next few minutes were used to familiarize himself with the element. It was terribly complex, as all the components were linked together but couldn''t be thoughtlessly merged. He acknowledged once again how strong Amelia was after having improved so much. How would he create a crossbow from all of this? This was the hardest part. Sand and dirt were brittle, so they couldn''t be used to form parts under pressure, but he couldn''t use stone on flexible parts like the string. ''This might be the hardest element to work with.'' Five minutes passed with Orion still focusing on the earth element. Then, ten minutes passed. A total of twenty minutes went by, with Orion sweating more and more as his focus sharpened. ''I can see it. This is the shape it wants to have.'' "Maia!" "Eh?" Out of nowhere, Orion shouted a name, and it surprised both Amelia and Karteira. The sphere began to morph into a crossbow. It appeared to be incredibly unique¡ª something that would be impossible without magic. The form in which the earth element embraced was as follows: The base of the crossbow, comprising the stock, the trigger, and the foregrip was made of smoothed stone. The upper part, comprising the sight, the groove, and the barrel, was made of compacted dirt. The front of the crossbow, comprised of the riser and the limbs supporting the string, was made of pure metal. And the string, surprisingly, was made of sand. Seeing the shape of that crossbow, Amelia gasped. Her element really transformed in the hands of Orion. Only then did she truly realize that he was right. She had the ability to share her elements or receive someone else''s. "Orion, is that string made of sand? Isn''t that dangerous?" Karteira asked him from her seat. He turned around, still looking at Maia and his new crossbow. "It wanted to be like this, so I obliged. It might have a trick up its sleeve if it wanted sand to be used like this." He played with the string to check on its strength and quickly noticed that it could be locked without breaking. "I see. So, where''s the arrow?" Orion closed his eyes again, and a metallic arrow appeared in the groove. It had a simple head, unlike his most-used arrows. "This should be enough. We don''t want to go overboard today." "Coming from you, that sounds doubtful." Amelia laughed at his comment. A crooked smile formed on his lips. "Shut it. Even I can contain my strength. Last time was an accident, and you know it." He turned around and locked his sight on a rock further away. "Oh, he''s focused. Let''s see what it does." *Click* Orion pressed the trigger. The arrow fired successfully, but the sand string dispersed after firing it. He knew this would happen, so he listened to the small voice of the crossbow. ''Magic.'' With this one word, Orion understood. He transferred his own magic power to Maia, and the string repaired itself with a new sand string. Meanwhile, the arrow flew straight at the rock and pierced it. It managed to stick itself a few centimeters inside the rock, and then something unexpected happened. The rock began to crack, slowly, really slowly. And at some point, the cracks gathered. The rock exploded into a pile of smaller rocks. "What in the world happened?!" Karteira watched carefully the result. When the arrow struck the rock, she began to think. ''Well, that''s just a simple arrow in the end.'' The disappointment was starting to grow, as nothing was happening. But the truth was different, this arrow, looking as basic as it could, was empowered by a different power. "I''ll explain what happened, since I seem to have understood it." Orion approached them and gave Maia back to Amelia, who changed to its sphere form instantly and vanished inside of her. "The shape of the crossbow is maintained by me transferring magic to it. It feeds on magic energy to maintain its shape. It is particularly strong for a crossbow because the power at which it fired that arrow was incomparable to my own crossbows." "But what about the arrow itself? How could it burst that rock to pieces without piercing it?" Amelia asked him the question Karteira wanted an answer to. "It''s simple. Pressure." "Pressure? Like the strength of gravity?" "Gravity?" Karteira wasn''t the studious type, so she never really bothered reading books. She was not familiar with how the world worked compared to Amelia, who often listened to Orion''s explanation of everything. "You don''t know? Don''t worry, then, I''ll explain so that you understand." Karteira jumped down from her rock and listened to Orion''s explanation. "This was in a book written by a man called N. Gravity is a force emitted by our planet." "I don''t know the details of it because I didn''t understand all of it, but there is a molten core inside our planet that creates so much energy that it attracts everything toward it." "Why aren''t we crushed on the ground if it attracts everything?" Karteira asked, and just like Amelia, she began to listen seriously. "This is where it began to bother me, too. It''s a strange strength, enough to crush anything the closer you get to it''s center, but lessens greatly when you are placed further from it." "That''s why we can walk on our planet without getting crushed. We are at a perfect distance to fight this force." She frowned, as if Orion had told her lies. "This is a weird power. Don''t you think it could be a bad joke?" But he shook his head with conviction. "I don''t think it is. I''ve read many books written by this ''N'', and everything seemed accurate. This strength coming from the core is called ''gravity'' and the further you move toward the core, the more you feel the force called ''pressure''." Orion placed his hand on his chin as he kept developing. "This arrow worked a bit differently, but close enough for it to be called ''pressure''. Once it clashes with something, it applies a pulling force on all sides and attracts the pierced object toward its tip." "So that''s what happened! Now I get it. This was easier to understand than I thought." Karteira, a battle addict, managed to understand a scientific discovery. Who was that man, N, who was more knowledgeable than any human on this continent? "I know, right? Orion always explains things well." Amelia showed pride where it should have been Orion who expressed it. "Well, we still have another element to try." Chapter 71: Elemental weapons. (Part 2) "The lightning element is next. There''s no need to rush everything, you know? Aren''t you satisfied already?" Amelia tried to stop Orion from exhausting himself. She saw his pained face when he focused everything on the connection between him and the earth element. "Of course, I''m not satisfied. If you had the rest of your elements available, I would have tried all of them in one day." Orion placed his back on the rock and crossed his arms. "This was just mentally exhausting, which is easily recoverable in a few minutes." "Just take your time, alright? The sun is still high." Orion nodded and slowly slid against the rock until he sat on the ground. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. "In a few minutes, he said, but he fell asleep." Karteira walked to him and waved in front of his face. Usually, he would react, but not this time. "He was playing tough, but he still decided to rest. That''s just like him." They both sat together further away and waited for him to wake up. ... "Karteira, what do you think of Orion?" "What kind of question is that?" Amelia took her by surprise. "I haven''t asked yet, so I was curious." Amelia lifted her head and looked at the clouds passing above them. "I don''t know what you expect me to say, but I''ll be honest. He is the strongest person I have ever met, unlike those weaklings that I trained until now." "He is caring, and he hasn''t shown any bias, even though we are from different factions. Of course, it applies to you too." Her mind wandered slightly. "I was surprised when he caught us like he promised during the first ''Lord'' fight. Like he promised, he even managed to catch me, although I was sure to be forsaken the moment he caught you." Amelia dropped her face and showed a really annoyed expression. "Did you seriously think that? I can''t believe it." Karteira looked at the ground in shame. "I''m sorry, alright? How was I supposed to trust the words of someone I barely knew? This was too good to be true." Composing herself, she remembered what Karteira had been through before teaming with them. "No, it''s understandable. I''m sorry, too. You haven''t done anything wrong." Karteira laughed lightly and began to look at the sky alongside Amelia. "After he healed that scar, I felt different." "Before, I was bursting with rage and blood thirst because of the pain. But the moment it disappeared, I felt something heal in me. My head felt clearer, and I began to think a lot." Curious, Amelia asked. "About what?" Karteira brought her right hand to her right thigh and rubbed the place where the scar marked her skin. "Everything I was missing." "I''ve grown considerably during our mission together because of you two, even though my anger was getting the better of me. I''ve improved so much that it sounds ridiculous." With a smile, she nodded. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Who would have thought that so many ideas could pop into your head when you worked with incredible people?" An imperceptible blush appeared on Amelia''s face. She always liked being complimented. With that said, Karteira finally answered the first question she had asked. "The way I see him now, it might be admiration regarding his strength and genius. I respect him as much as he respects me, and I''ve been wanting to help alleviate his burden, even if by a small amount." "I see, he helped you that much?" Amelia was happy to hear that. Hearing Karteira''s thoughts, it was clear that even though Orion was capable of causing great horror to the world, he instead kept a level-headed state and helped others. ... They continued to talk about many things during his nap. Half an hour later, Orion stretched. He recovered his mental strength and was ready to tackle another experiment. "My bad, I fell asleep and left you alone." Both shook their heads. "It''s fine. We had time to deepen our friendship." A smile appeared on his face. "That''s great. Are we ready to continue?" "I''m ready; just wait a second." Amelia did the same as before and closed her eyes, bringing out one of her elements in the form of a sphere. This one was more wild, not staying in a perfect sphere like her other elements. "Be careful... I''m pretty sure it''s going to be harder with this one." Amelia handed her lightning to Orion. The moment the purple lightning made contact with his hands, the sparks turned white. "How do you even manage this one, Amelia? What in the world is this infernal entity?!" Orion was suffering from the lightning striking his skin. The element burned his skin while it refused to bow to Orion. "Orion? Are you alright?" Panic took hold of Amelia. She never imagined her element would react so strongly toward him. "Don''t worry. I''ll heal after dealing with this one." While gritting his teeth, he plunged deep inside his mind and asked his dark element for help. A black spike emerged from the center of his palm and pierced the sphere of lightning, immobilizing it with an ailment. ''Thank you. It''s easier to deal with now.'' After thanking the dark element, Orion turned his attention to the foreign element. ''Now, listen to me. You don''t have to get this mad. I''m trying to find other ways to use you. I''ll give you back to your master once I''m done.'' No voice echoed back, leading Orion to think the element was completely shut off to him. He tried a few more times to listen for its voice, but he couldn''t hear anything. ''No dice, I guess?'' He was thinking of giving the wild lightning element back to Amelia, but before he did that, he began to imagine the lightning crossbow. ''Weapon?'' The voice finally let itself be heard, and Orion took this opportunity. It wasn''t difficult to understand why it made itself known. ''Do you like being a weapon? If so, I''ve been wanting you to take a similar shape, one you would like.'' ''Like? Shape?'' Orion once again focused intensely on his connection with the element, building the crossbow in his mind together with the element. The girls watched as the dark spike retracted inside Orion''s palm. They expected the lightning to once again hurt him, but to their surprise, it became less rowdy and turned blue. A few minutes passed, and Orion suddenly opened his eyes. There was something different in his gaze, as if electricity had coursed through his eyes. "Electra!" Just like with Amelia, the lightning changed shape and took on a clear form. Unlike Maia, the earthen crossbow, Electra''s shape was more streamlined. The edges were smooth, and there were no rough parts. "I don''t see any lightning on the crossbow." Karteira was the first one to closely observe the crossbow. "There''s no string either!" Amelia noticed the second problem. And then everything made sense when they looked into Orion''s eyes. "The element... is in you? What?" He shook his head lightly. "Not quite. It''s in the crossbow, as I''m just a catalyst for its power. It improves my physical abilities while using me to transfer its unbridled power slowly inside the crossbow. Take a look at this." Orion exhaled, and blue lightning slid across his arms toward the crossbow. Like an electrical discharge, the somewhat normal crossbow began to pulse with lightning that appeared and disappeared in instants. The girls backed away when they saw him prepare to fire. Orion jumped a meter back, a trail of light forming from his eyes and following to his new position. Using his index and middle fingers together, he pulled an invisible string that only appeared when it was locked in place. The blue string stayed visible until he shot an arrow of the same type as the string. "This is the lowest power available from this weapon." *Click* The arrow disappeared. They all saw it get fired, but the moment it left the groove, there was nothing in sight. Until Orion pointed in front of him and a cracking sound was heard, that is. "Orion... this is the lowest power? Don''t use the strongest, please!" "I won''t. I''ll probably die if I do." *Crack* *Crash* *Crack* A whole forest disappeared from this single arrow. It was slower than his light arrows, but its destructive power was on another level. The arrow easily pierced through three trees and made them burst into fire. What was truly stupefying was its destructive ability, as shown before. From seemingly nowhere, lightning fell on the forest all around the tree that had the arrow stuck in it. "If you ever use its strongest power, what can you do with it?" Karteira feared hearing the truth. "I could wipe your village and Tiohr-nam with it. I''m pretty sure the entire island would explode, and the realm would be destroyed. I would die in the process because my body is too weak to contain that much raw power. Not even ash would remain." Amelia jumped and hurriedly asked him to return the element to her. "Then give it back to me immediately! Hurry!" "You don''t have to worry about that, since this element refuses to provide me with access to its other powers. Until I''m ready, I won''t use more than necessary. I don''t even know if we''ll ever need that much power anyway." "Still, give it back, please." Amelia had a distressed face. She wasn''t afraid of Orion unleashing the full might of the light element, but of losing him in case it began to damage him. Orion gave the lightning element back to her, and his eyes returned to normal. "It''s yours to begin with; I would not steal it from you." "Thank you." She breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the world and her partner were safer this way. Karteira was still looking at the burning forest, her mouth wide open. ''I''m sorry, but this power did not come from Orion. It''s coming from you, Amelia. What kind of monster are they?'' The next sequence of events was pure comedy. Hearing the ruckus, the twins left the mansion at their top speed and arrived at the forest in a minute. They immediately noticed Orion and flew to him. He got scolded by both Dramia and Drania. Dramia was scolding him because he once again destroyed part of the surrounding area, while Drania simply scolded him because he almost gave her a heart attack. Thereafter, he got dragged by the two and forced to stop his dangerous activities for the day. Chapter 72: Light and Dark? *Knock* *Knock* "Yes?" Karteira entered Amelia''s room after knocking. She found Amelia writing in a notebook. "Have you seen Orion anywhere?" "No, I haven''t seen him today. Did you need something?" She closed the door and walked inside. "I was going to ask for a sparring match, but if he''s not here, I''ll simply train alone." Amelia brought the pen she had in her hand to her cheek, thinking of something. "I can come with you if you wait until I finish writing." "If you''ve proposed, does that mean you are almost done? I can wait." "Thanks." Amelia wrote about the progress she made in her book and left the room to train with Karteira once she was done. ~ In the training arena, Orion was working on something. "Why did he call for us if he''s not going to explain?" Dramia and Drania were watching Orion, who had his eyes closed. His arms were placed as if he were holding something in his palms. "You don''t have to be this angry. If he''s here, that means he won''t blow up half the realm. Let''s wait for him to explain." Dramia was, as always, cold. Drania on the other hand, was excited to see what was going to happen. Since he never called the sisters to watch him train, apart from the time he fought Karteira, they were somewhat intrigued. "It''s only been two days, you know? I can''t trust him anymore after he destroyed a whole forest." "You know Tiohr can repair that damage. Why are you even stuck on that?" As if she had just woken up, Dramia opened her eyes wide. "I had forgotten about that. I''m still used to Tiohr being weakened." "Right? You don''t have to worry so much." The cold sister kept looking at Orion with a worried frown. "Now I''m just scared about what absurdities this man is going to bring to the world." "But that''s the fun!" She sighed at her sister''s excitement. Just then, Orion slightly crouched and made an audible grunt. A terrible mass of magic energy gathered in each of his hands. Two concentrated elemental spheres formed: the light element in his right hand and the dark element in his left hand. The moment they appeared, a pillar of light enveloped Orion, and the usual change happened to his hair. The gold and silver hues separated his bangs. "Drania..." "Yes, this is no joking matter, sis..." Orion finally opened his eyes, looked at the two spheres of monstrous energy, and turned to the sisters. "I''m sorry to have made you wait. I needed your help with something." The sisters reluctantly approached Orion, but he simply smiled at them. "I know what you think; I won''t lose control of it. That''s the maximum amount of magic I can create for both of my elements, and I control it perfectly." This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. He compressed the ball-sized spheres further, making them the size of a pebble. "What do you want from us? I''m not sure if I understand what you expect us to help you with." Orion lost his smile and became serious. "I''m going to try something dangerous. I need one of you to support me while I work. The other needs to protect the area in case I lose control of the magic." "What are you going to do? If you asked us, isn''t it something absurd?" "It will be the first time I''ll try this, so something will definitely go wrong." Life disappeared from Dramia''s eyes. "It''s only been two days, and now you want to destroy the whole village?" "No, I have Tiohr-nam''s help just in case. That''s why I''m here and not far away." "Sis, you support him while I''ll be protecting the village. Are you fine with that?" Drania made her wings buzz, not letting the choice go to her sister. Orion looked at Drania and added. "If I can''t contain my magic, I''ll send it upward. Kick it with everything you have in that case. We need to send it really high." "Understood!" Drania nodded, while her sister simply expressed her discontentment. *Sigh* "I guess I have no choice. Don''t make me regret coming here. I still haven''t heard what you are trying to do, but whatever." Dramia walked behind Orion and placed one hand on his back. Drania disappeared, using her speed to constantly fly around Orion in case something happened. ''These two are reliable. Let''s hope it works out.'' Orion focused on the two spheres in his hands, feeling the flow of magic in his body. He felt how heavy the pressure radiating from the sphere was. "Here I go." Orion approached the spheres together and forcefully tried to merge them. An incredibly heavy aura fell over the surroundings. It felt like all the air had disappeared in the five meters around Orion. Powerful gusts of wind scattered in every direction, and black and white sparks flew from his hands. "Orion! This is stupid!" Dramia grabbed his shoulders from behind to not lose her balance. She could feel the recoil Orion was enduring through his shoulders. The two elements were pushing back with tremendous force, refusing to merge. ''Shit, this is bad! I can''t maintain my grip on them much longer!'' Orion watched as the spheres changed to their original size. They grew between his palms and pushed with more force with each passing second. The air grew heavier and heavier. Something bad was about to happen if Orion stayed in this situation. Feeling the strange happening, Karteira and Amelia came sprinting. "What''s happening?!" Fear appeared on their faces, as nothing of this magnitude had ever happened before. They saw the area darken and brighten rapidly as the air battered everything around them chaotically. It became hard to breathe, and at the center of it all, Orion was fighting against the source. "Orion?!" Amelia immediately began to run toward him, but was stopped by a fairy. "Stay where you are. This is our job, not yours. If you get closer, there is a chance you will get hurt." Drania, sweat on her face, appeared in front of them out of nowhere. The moment she finished her sentence, she returned to fly around Orion at top speed. Amelia stayed in place, unable to do anything besides watch Orion grit his teeth. The air was ruffling their hair back and forth. Even if she wanted to, there was no way to get closer. "Let''s wait for now. It is most likely another one of his wild ideas." Amelia turned to look at Karteira, and she realized she was right. "I shouldn''t have been surprised. We''ll ask him once he''s done." Karteira nodded, but inside, she was still apprehensive of the whole situation. Back to Orion. He was reaching his limit. "What are you waiting for? Release it! NOW!" But Orion continued, refusing to bend to the difficult task. "Not yet. I still have control over it. Every second counts at this point! I''ll wait until the last second if I have to!" ''You stubborn fool!'' Dramia was cursing him with all her heart. She was in a bad situation, too. ''Wait, I haven''t been helping him yet... What am I doing?'' She realized she hadn''t supported him like she was asked to. In this situation, Dramia closed her eyes and let herself feel the flow of his magic. Orion felt it, and he let her tweak with the raging flow inside him. ''!'' This was worse than she expected. His light element clashed violently with his dark element inside his core. His magical vessels were intertwined, and some even snapped apart. ''If I don''t do something, it could create the same situation as Noah! Is it the same thing he tried?'' She began to apply her own energy to appease the raging battle inside of him and repair his broken magical system. This greatly helped Orion, as he began to grip them harder, forcing them to merge slowly. While Dramia was exhausting herself, Drania was looking at all of this circling at high speed. ''There''s no way this will last any longer... He is at his limit.'' And suddenly, Orion''s knees began to weaken. ''Shit!'' He pushed his body further, just not to fall to the ground, and decided it was time to stop. "Drania!" With all his strength, he threw the half-merged sphere high into the air. The force was so great that all the surrounding air got sucked up by it. "Hyaaa!" Dramia appeared under the half-merged sphere and kicked it with everything she had. She managed to push it further in the air, but it wasn''t enough. She wanted to fly higher, but she couldn''t risk getting caught in the resulting blast. Just as Drania retreated toward the ground, a massive root emerged from one side of the village. The root shook off the dirt, and in the blink of an eye, it smashed the sphere from below. Tiohr-nam''s Avatar was able to see the whole situation from the left-side window of her room, so she had no trouble hitting the sphere since Orion was located in a perfect spot for her to support him. The sphere, hit with the full force of a Remnant, flew a few hundred meters high, and when Orion felt it was enough, he cancelled his magic. *BOOM* The sky shook. Air crashed down on everyone on the ground, and the trees bent from the shockwave. The entire realm got plunged into a temporary dark gray light, and millions of glistening stars appeared in the sky. This was the strangest day in the lives of the inhabitants. Orion fell to one knee on the ground, his hair returning to normal. Dramia kept repairing his broken magical vessels in silence, while Drania dropped to the ground. The giant root returned to its original place and, like magic, repaired the damage it had done. "I was... so close to creating it." Amelia and Karteira slowly approached the center of the training area and walked to Orion, who was cross-legged on the ground, being protected by the two sisters. He was looking at his hands as if he understood what happened, yet he looked completely confused. "Sis, how is he?" Dramia opened her eyes and looked at her sister. "Terrible, I''ll have to continue repairing his magical system for a few minutes." "Let me give you a hand then." Both sisters placed their hands on his back, and they began their work. "Orion, what have you done this time?" The sky finally began to return to normal when Karteira asked him this question. Exhausted and hurt, Orion still managed to speak. "I tried to create a new element." Silence fell on the training ground. Chapter 73: Failures only make you stronger. Even the sisters blinked a few times. Amelia broke the silence. "You tried to create a new element? You know it''s not possible, far more than anyone." Feeling his body recover ever so slightly, he placed his face between his hands. "Give me a moment. I don''t have the strength to explain now." As he closed his eyes, Orion sat there, unresponsive. "..." "Did he fall asleep?" Dramia looked over his shoulder and frowned. "Yes, again." The four girls stayed by his side until he woke up. ... Thirty minutes passed before Orion opened his eyes. "What a mess that was. I expected it to work, but I guess I don''t have the stamina necessary to succeed yet." Orion stood up and stretched. "Thank you, both of you. Without your help, I wouldn''t have been able to try this." He turned to the twins and sincerely thanked them for their assistance. "For what that was, I''m glad to have been here." "We''ve repaired your magical circuit, so we''ll be going now." Dramia moved past Orion swiftly. Drania smiled at Orion and waved before following her sister. "Sis, we have to talk about this." "Yes, we have to." The two walked away, leaving Orion, Amelia, and Karteira on the training ground. "So, would you mind explaining what that was? I can''t believe you tried something impossible again." Amelia was angry. She hadn''t heard anything about his new, crazy objective. "Do you remember-" "What?" Orion frowned as Amelia interrupted him. "If you could let me finish, that would be great. Don''t be angry. You''ll understand." Amelia crossed her arms and stared at him. Karteira let out a small giggle while watching her friend act like this. "When I went to finish the last underground room by myself, the ability I used made my whole body change." "Yes, I remember. What does that have to do with creating new elements?" Amelia uncrossed her arms and nodded. "When I thought about it, I realized. I already used an element that didn''t exist. Have you ever seen a weapon being used without being held? Have you ever seen someone use that many long-ranged weapons?" "No..." Amelia and Karteira looked at each other, lost in thought. "Do you mean to say the ability you used that day was all about that new element?" Karteira thought about his form. There were numerous inconsistencies with reality during that moment. "So why can''t you use it then? Is it not something you managed to create at that time?" Orion explained what his thoughts were. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "That was only borrowed power from the ''Key''. It said I could only use a fraction of its power, and only now do I understand why. You are not supposed to use something that doesn''t exist yet." Both girls were stunned. Did he just say that he used a power that didn''t exist yet? "What do you mean? You''ve clearly used that power in there." He explained his thoughts. "It is rather complicated, even for me. This is something only the ''Key'' knows, so I can''t answer with a clear picture of the matter." "But what I know is that it opened many opportunities for us. With plenty of effort, I''m sure we will be able to create new elements. Nobody ever said that it was impossible. They simply never tried." His logic was correct. Nobody had ever tried it, or at least, it had never been recorded in history. "For you, it might be possible." Amelia shrugged. Only Orion would have the idea to break the laws of creation. "Do you realize the mess you created by only trying to fuse two elements? If you begin to do that every time, the world will end in no time." He chuckled lightly. "This was my first try, and I understood a lot just from that." "Nothing of this amplitude will happen again. That''s why I asked the sisters and even Tiohr-nam for help. If it had worked, that would have been great, but it didn''t. And I know why, thanks to that failure." Having obtained his answer, Orion smiled. "I won''t try again for some time, since there''s no point. It requires so much stamina and strength that I cannot forcefully bring them together. The next time should be smoother and faster." "Good for you?" Amelia smiled at the excited Orion. Just knowing it would not be a recurring sight calmed her down. "So, what were you both doing here anyway?" "We were going to train before we noticed something wrong in the training arena." Karteira was the one to answer. "I''m sorry, then. I''ve bothered you by taking some of your time." Orion scratched his cheek in shame. "Well, I was originally looking for you, but since you were nowhere to be seen, I was going to train alone before Amelia said she''d accompany me." After hearing that the two would train, Orion pondered further about training. "I''m going to rest for the day, as that took everything I had. Have fun, both of you." He chose to rest, which was rare. It showed how exhausting this experiment was for his body and mind. "See you later, Orion." The girls waved as Orion walked away, fatigued. ... ''Alright, let''s return home and-'' Just when he stepped outside the training arena, a face he hadn''t seen in months appeared. "Young man, how was my gift?" "What are you doing here?" Orion walked to the middle-aged woman. It was the merchant who gave him the artifact on the way to the ''Ceremony'', the person who listened in on their conversation at the time. "Your little light show managed to catch my attention, so I came to take a look." She smiled with her large bag on her back. "You are... How did you manage to enter this place?" With a smirk, she shook her hand in a dismissive gesture. "I have my ways." The woman grinned. "Anyway, young man. I have another gift for you." She rummaged through the big backpack she had after dropping it to the ground with a large thud. "No, not this one. This one? No. This?" She searched for a minute before finding it. "Oh! There it is! Here you go." An hourglass full of white sand, surrounded by a carved wooden frame, was in her hands. The frame had carvings of a demon and an angel familiar to Orion. "Where... did you find this?" The woman laughed at his questioning gaze. "I made it myself, like most of my items. I would like it if you don''t question it too much and just accept it. For what it does, let me just say that it is your time limit." Orion took the hourglass from the woman and touched the carvings that looked very similar to his parents. "How do you know about them-" When he tried to ask the woman how she knew his parents, she was nowhere to be seen. "Just like last time..." He murmured and walked toward the mansion, continuously watching the white sand flowing down. When he turned it upside down, the sand defied gravity and flowed upward. ''This is interesting. She said it was my time limit.'' As an idea popped into his mind, he immediately went to confirm it. ''Could it be?!'' Orion touched the glass containing the sand, and a number appeared inside. ''137. Are those days? That means four and a half months. The end was further than I thought. In four months, Elliott and I will...'' Orion clenched his free hand and, with a new determination, returned to the mansion to rest. ~ "Lady Kamala, we have received a report from our scouts asking us to prepare our defenses. Lord Ivan is currently sending his whole army toward our city." Kamala placed her elbows on the table in front of her, then placed her face in her hands. The situation in Hocride was turning sour. The Apostle named Ivan Borias had completely lost himself and was sending his army to take over another Apostle''s territory. ''Something like this never happened before. What am I supposed to do?'' Kamala has had time to think since the first report of strange activity from Ivan. From what she knew, she had two weeks before the army arrived at the walls of her city. Two weeks would be enough to notify her ''friends'', but she was reluctant to do so. It would be inappropriate to ask for help when she has just formed friendships with others. This could be considered a way to exploit them, and she wanted to avoid that. Even then, it wouldn''t have been enough to save Hocride. The time necessary for an army to travel the distance from Hocride to Albriar was at least three weeks. ''I have to stop this myself.'' She was ready to defend the port city and its citizens by herself. "The priority of the soldiers is protecting the lives of those living in the city. If you manage to persuade a few boats to board them, that would lead to a better outcome, but there is a price to everything." "I will deal with the army personally." It was time for Kamala to talk. When necessary, she was able to switch from her quiet demeanor to that of a leader. "Lady Kamala?! What do you mean by that? At least take a few elites with you." She slammed her fist on the table. "From the previous reports, I read that the enemy''s soldiers are weirdly aggressive. They cannot control their thirst for blood, and they simply attack like mindless beasts. Do you want me to gamble on the lives of my people?" The servant turned his face away. "No. In no way did I ever ask you that." In fear, the man avoided her gaze. "I understand your worries, but do remember. I am not like our common soldiers." She stood up from her chair while a heavy aura exuded around her. "I am one of the few people in this world capable of using two elements. I won''t allow anyone to belittle me." A quiet wind and grains of sand began to revolve around her. "If that man asks for war, then war he will have. I don''t care if his city is lacking supplies or if he is jealous." "I will have his head for even considering trampling the city I worked so hard to develop." Her servant once again realized why he was following her. Kamala''s charisma was something no one else had. "Yes, milady! I will notify all units about what you said. We will defeat our aggressor and win this war!" The man bowed and left the room. Kamala cancelled her magic and sat back on the chair. ''I''m not good at being a leader.'' She slumped on the table, her head laying on her arms. Chapter 74: Breakthrough. Orion returned to the mansion after encountering the merchant lady. He took a shower, sat in his bed with the hourglass in his hands, and kept looking at the carvings on the frame. ''I can''t say I''m not happy to have this. I will finally be able to show Amelia what they look like.'' He breathed slowly, feeling his muscles aching. ''I''ve been trying too hard recently.'' Everything he was doing recently was excruciating to him. He was pushing himself so hard that his body and mind couldn''t follow. But the situation changed the moment he obtained the hourglass. He knew exactly how much time remained now. ''Maybe I will be able to focus on one task at a time instead of doing everything all at once. Four months¡ª that''s still a long jump from now.'' The situation became slightly more bearable for him. ''This woman, who is she? I''ve tried to ask, but she keeps disappearing before I can say anything. What a pain.'' ''And this artifact¡ª can I truly believe it to be the time remaining before Elliott awakens?'' Of course, he questioned if this could be a lie or if it was simply a funny trinket with the shape of his parents'' carved on it. As he kept pondering if the middle-aged woman was trustworthy, the same question kept appearing. Who was she? ''Well, she gave me another artifact before, even though I understood its use recently.'' ''She''s been... helping me. Why?'' After remembering the first artifact he received from her, he realized that she was really trying to help him in his quest for revenge. But once again, another question. Why? So many questions remained unanswered. ''If I ever get to see her, I won''t let her get away next time.'' *Yawn* Fatigue began to set in his body. He laid on the bed after placing the hourglass on the table. ''I wonder what... Amelia... is doing?'' ~ "Time out! Let me rest for a bit! What are you, a wall?" Amelia lost her balance and had to kneel on the ground. "That''s the point. I need to be able to catch anything thrown at us." Karteira was in full plate armor, but its shape was visibly different from usual. "How did you even think of using it like this? Before, I could manage, but now, I can''t even make a dent on your armor''s surface." Amelia stood up and looked closely at the changes. "I knew you could move the plates around, that you could use steam to boost your speed, and that your tail could be used as a slingshot, but I never expected you to become a real walking fortress." The plates around her elbows up to her shoulders were displaced on her forearm, creating two rectangular shields on her arms. "I''ve been trying many things by moving my plates around. I never knew they could be removed so easily. When I thought of my withered plates, the idea came to me." Amelia walked to her and tapped the left shield with her hand. "This looks similar to an iron shield, but it feels sturdier. Is it still the same ''Cerulean Aegis''?" Karteira stopped her ability, and her plates all returned to their original positions before retracting to her wrists and ankles. "I think I''ve been misled about this ability. This might be the true ''Cerulean Aegis'', while the basic form is just the ''Cerulean Armor''." Karteira checked her clothes for any kind of dirt on them. "Wait, doesn''t that mean that you can be whatever you want with that ability?" "Pretty much. Whatever is possible with the armor, that is. I already have an idea for the armor that uses steam, but it needs more adjustments." Amelia''s jaw dropped. "That''s what someone who managed to push Orion down twice can do." Karteira laughed and placed her right hand on her head. "Anyway, is that everything for today?" Amelia cancelled her magic, and Ceres returned to her. "Yes, thanks to you, I was able to see how resilient this form is against attacks. We should return. You''ve been worried about him this whole time, right?" This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "As if you weren''t worried either." They laughed while preparing to leave the training ground, when suddenly. *Gasp* "Amelia?" ''Something...'' *Cough* "Amelia, are you alright?" Amelia grabbed her throat with one hand and her head with the other. ''I have trouble breathing, and this horrible headache just came with it.'' She dropped to the ground, her legs turning weak. "Do you want me to go get Orion?" Karteira was going to leave before Amelia grabbed her arm. "No, he''s probably resting." *Cough* "We shouldn''t bother him." "Is it the right time to say that? Wait, it''s getting colder." Karteira''s hand was starting to freeze from the place she grabbed Amelia. ''This feeling! No!'' Amelia immediately understood what was happening. She was losing control of her magic again. ''I won''t let that happen!'' "Karteira, move away from me. My magic is running wild. I don''t intend to hurt you." "What do you m-" But before she could ask, a tornado formed around Amelia, forcefully pushing Karteira away. "Amelia!" She could only watch as Amelia grabbed her head in pain. ''This... This... THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN!'' She blacked out at that moment. ~ Amelia opened her eyes inside the void that was her soul. The ''Key'' was floating in the same place as usual, but the spheres that represented her elements were in chaos. "''Ego''! Can you help?" "So you''ve come. Do you know what is happening?" Amelia walked with fury in her steps toward the center of the place. "This is the breakthrough you were referring to, right? Why is it causing me to lose control?" "It is because of the dragon scales. The elements can''t stabilize correctly when magic constantly increases. This was a mistake on my part." ''Ego'' explained clearly. "You don''t seem panicked at all. Do you have a way to stop this mess?" She looked at the water sphere that showed cracks everywhere, with water spouting profusely between those same cracks. Then she looked at the raging wind inside the other sphere. The calm wind that spun inside the sphere changed into a bouncing tornado that threatened to break its vessel. "You have to regulate those two elements while I lead them to the next stage. Can you do that?" With the determination to not repeat an orphanage accident, Amelia extended and crossed her arms in front of her chest and felt the flow of magic inside of her. "Just like that, keep going." The giant ''Key'' began to glow periodically. The same light began to envelop the two spheres. ''Ah! This is bad!'' *Crack* The water sphere crumbled to pieces, releasing the water inside. "Don''t worry! Keep your focus on it." ''Ego'' encouraged Amelia. The water surged in all directions. The dragon scale remained in the center, unaffected by the breaking shell. ''The water! I have to-!'' She frowned and hesitated. ''To what?'' A sudden thought crossed her mind. ''This is my element, isn''t it? My magic? Why do I fear it?'' Amelia uncrossed her arms and pointed her palm toward the falling water. "Good. Feel the flow of magic and stabilize it." A frigid aura formed around the dragon scale, and as Amelia kept focusing everything she had on the water, she felt a thread of energy between the water and the scale. The scale released its power and froze the water, creating a giant stalactite directed toward the ground. "This is better than I expected! Now!" The ''Key'' began to pulse faster and used its power to reforge the sphere with ice. As the ice began to turn into a fine powder, that same powder returned to the scales, and a cocoon made of ice formed. Some dust turned back to water, and the rest kept its ice powder form inside the water. The scale changed form in the process too. Three spikes linked by a small skin layer appeared on its top. This reminded Amelia of the scale of an aquatic creature. Finally, the sphere of ice and water was done with its breakthrough. The next phase of her element was reached, leaving the wind element to be dealt with. On the exterior of the structure, the freezing air stopped, leaving the small tornado as the only remaining disaster to contain. "Amelia, it''s not done yet." She turned to the tornado that was smashing against the walls of the sphere. It was a matter of time before it would break free too. "I know! I''ll focus on this one immediately!" She tried to feel the link between the element and the dragon scale, but she felt nothing. ''Maybe it has to break the sphere first before evolving? That''s why she said it was alright?'' *Crrrrrr* ''It''s starting. Focus Amelia! Focus!'' The sphere fractured, and with one last bounce on its cracked layer, it split open in half. The raging wind escaped. At first, the gale was bearable, but in no time, it turned into a massive storm, battering Amelia, who somehow managed to remain standing. ''I will not be scared of you! You are mine!'' Using everything she had, she felt that thread of energy between the magic and the scale. The wind calmed for just a second. "Now''s the chance!" ''Ego'' used this opportunity to turn this furious wind into a new object. The tornado showed a reaction to the will of the ''Key''. The bottom of the tornado, as if gravity had become inverted, moved toward the green dragon scale. It turned around and led the top of the tornado to do the same. Before long, a new sphere of pure wind was formed. The scale changed form, like the other one. Its shape changed from being flat to curved outward, while a pink-colored horn-type bulge appeared in the middle, pointing downward. "Good job, Amelia. Congratulation on having two intermediate-level elements." "That was intermediate?!" Amelia was shocked. This amount of power was outrageous. "Yes, this was intermediate. I don''t know what mastering an element will bring to you, but it shouldn''t lead to this type of disaster anymore. This was an oversight on my part." ''Ego'' appeared sincerely apologetic. "I am sorry." *Sigh* She sighed and sat on the ground. Looking up at the ''Key'' and at her two newly formed elements. Expectations grew in her heart. "I won''t stay weak; that''s a good thing to know." ''Ego'' appeared to read her mind, just like it did for Orion. "You weren''t weak to begin with. Like everything, it takes time to mature." "Right." Silence fell in the dark, empty blackness. "I should return now. Everything should have calmed down." "Indeed. Don''t forget to check what this evolution brought to your elements." Amelia stood up and walked to the white spot on the ground. "I will do just that. Thank you for the help, ''Ego''." Amelia returned. "You are welcome." ~ "Amelia! Amelia!" Karteira was shaking a collapsed and unresponsive Amelia. Grunting sounds escaped Amelia''s mouth as she opened her eyes. "Amelia? For the love of the world, don''t scare me like that." She felt hot for a second before realizing that Karteira was hugging her. "Sorry, I''ve worried you. I''m fine now." They separated as Karteira helped Amelia stand up. "What was that? Did you really lose control of your elements?" "I did for a moment. It happened before, so I knew immediately. That''s why I told you to move away from me." "The orphanage incident?" "Accident, yes. I was the cause of it." That little detail never sat right with Karteira. Amelia did not hurt anyone during the orphanage fire, even if she was the cause of it. "So, why did it happen again?" She decided to ignore it once again. "The water and the wind elements managed to break through their limits. There was too much magic released in the process, which led to this situation." Blood began to stir inside Karteira. "You''ve progressed? Does that mean you have new tricks up your sleeve?" "I don''t like those eyes. Stop looking at me like a predator." "I can''t do anything about it. Do you want to test them now?" Karteira was ready to fight. Her craziness for battle awakened, even though she was supposed to return home for the day. Amelia showed a smile unusual for her, one full of pride. "Yes, let''s do that. I''ll show you what they can do now!" The sound of clashing weapons was heard until late at night, while Orion had to prepare his own disastrous dinner after noticing Amelia''s absence. Chapter 75: The sisters past. "We''re leaving the realm tomorrow at sunset." Orion spoke in front of the twins and the Tree of Life, Tiohr-nam. "So it is finally time. After the mess you kept creating, it certainly will be quiet without you." Tiohr-nam''s Avatar smiled warmly at him. "I apologize for everything that happened while we were here. Thank you very much for giving us a place to live. We won''t forget your hospitality." Orion and Amelia bowed together to the three people in front of them. "You don''t need to thank us. Instead, we should be thanking you for saving Tiohr before it was too late." "Orion, thank you very much for saving our friend." With a sad smile on her face, Dramia leaned forward, too. "I''ve had so much fun since you''ve come. Thank you, Orion." Used to the habit of Drania appearing behind him, Orion turned his head to look at her. "Likewise, I''ve had a lot of fun learning about you, this realm, and the fairies." She had a bright smile on her face, knowing her feelings were reciprocated. "Orion, I have a question for you." "Yes?" He turned to look at Tiohr-nam''s Avatar this time. "Tell me, what do you intend to do after your goal is reached?" That question took everyone in the room by surprise. He glanced at Amelia, who was by his side. "I have no idea. I don''t know if I will be alive, and I never thought about such a thing until now. My vengeance is all I have to think about currently." This answer displeased Tiohr-nam greatly. "Think for yourself. No one in this world can sustain themselves with vengeance alone. There has to be something you like¡ª a desire deep inside you, a wish you want to fulfill, anything." Orion had no idea why he was asked this question. He understood that only having thoughts of weakening Elliott by killing his Apostles was not healthy, but he had nothing else. Or so he thought, before a few desires surfaced, hidden deep inside his mind. "If..." The words formed by themselves, as if they waited for this very moment to appear. "If possible, I would like to teach what this world is to the next generation. I would like to explore the world and record everything to one day teach it." "And if, after everything is done, I am forgiven for the lives I have taken, I would like to have a family. Like my parents" The memories kept surging in his mind: the smiles of his parents, their apparent love toward him, the warmth of his mother''s hugs He wanted to share all of this with someone else. Amelia turned her face slowly to look at his face, her eyes wide open. She had never heard Orion speak of his deepest desires until now. His expression took her breath away. He was looking at the ground, his fist clenched¡ª the saddest expression he ever made on his face. It was so heartbreaking that Amelia instinctively moved and hugged him. "Amelia?" Orion looked at everyone in the room. Tiohr-nam had her eyes closed with a satisfied expression. Dramia was looking on her right while pursing her lips, and Drania was looking on her left, hiding her tears. The twins had no idea about Orion''s parents, but just the words he shared emphasized that Orion felt intense guilt toward his future. The path he had chosen was one of bloodshed. Tiohr-nam, who knew his father personally, even though they never talked, knew the sacrifice they had to make to save the man in front of them. In their hearts, they were praying that his wishes would be granted. Amelia, strongly hugging Orion, began to cry silently. "Of course you will be forgiven! Even if the world doesn''t, I will!" She removed her face from his wet shirt and looked into his eyes. Her pearl-colored eyes glistened, catching Orion off guard. ''It''s fine for now, I guess.'' He stroked her blonde hair gently, keeping in his heart the rest of his desire. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "You should keep this as your motivation for the future. Never forget your wishes. They will keep you from sacrificing your life needlessly." Tiohr-nam opened her eyes, fulfilled by his answer. "Now I understand why he wanted to find the remaining factions." Dramia spoke to Tiohr-nam. "Indeed, if he wants to record most of the creations of this continent, then he will have to discover what has gone missing." "Orion, I have another piece of information to give you." He stopped caressing Amelia but ignored her, still hugging him. He wasn''t feeling like pushing her away. "And what could it be?" The Avatar''s body, which had her lower body and arms stuck in the trunk of the tree, leaned forward. "There might be new factions that have been created but are hidden, just like us." "..." The perspective of new factions being founded never appeared to him as being possible. "Are you serious?" "Yes. If other Remnants moved to different realms, there is a chance they would have created children too." "I said it before, but most of the factions were created by Remnants, all but the exception being humans and beastmen, as we don''t know where they came from." "Humans were here even before Noah appeared. There is no record of their creation. They could be as old as this world for all we know." Dramia explained. "Noah? Who is that?" That name caught Orion''s attention. Drania was next to explain. "Oh, have we forgotten to tell you? It''s the name of the first Hero. Noah Stralicht was the man who defeated Miasma three thousand years ago." Orion pondered with a hand in front of his mouth. "I knew about him, but there were no specifics whatsoever about him. It''s like he never existed." "The only ones having a relationship with Noah were a few people. The records most likely didn''t survive as the conflicts between angels and demons grew stronger." Dramia dropped a bombshell. Even Amelia turned to look at her. "Sis, we''ve never explained to them, so they don''t know." Drania flew back to her sister, notifying her. "You''re right. This might be in their best interest to know. Tiohr, can we?" Tiohr-nam simply nodded. They were meant to know. Drania was the one to start. "Sis and I were humans to begin with." "What? How is that possible?" Orion and Amelia were confused. "We''ll explain in a bit. For now, just listen." They both nodded, still questioning if what they had heard was a mistake on their part. "We were orphans, like you. We had lost our parents early on from a pack of corrupt beasts that attacked our village." "We managed to survive, thanks to Noah. He exterminated every single corrupt creature in front of our eyes and rescued us from near death." Dramia took over from there. "As we cried in his arms, he decided to take us with him. We were still young at that time, so we agreed to follow him, as we had nowhere to go anymore." "We became his companions for the rest of his journey. We grew up, we learned to use magic to help him, and we fought the corrupt beings by his side." The sisters had a look of melancholy on their faces, which led Tiohr-nam to continue for them. "Since I know the rest, I will take over from here." "After ten years of roaming the continent to locate the source of corruption, Noah found himself facing Miasma." "During his last attack, he unleashed his total power, disintegrating Miasma... and himself at the same time." "From what they explained to me yesterday, he might have tried to do the same as you but failed." Orion recalled himself trying to create a new element. The disastrous explosion that was created when he released his control over the magic could be enough to wipe someone out of existence. "As I possess memories of my past lives, I remember that explosion vividly. And I remember those two girls being flung in my direction by the resulting shockwave, injured to the point where it was a miracle they were still alive." The memories, even though partially missing, were enough for her to frown. "The only reason they are alive is that I transformed them into fairies. By merging the genes of fairies with them, I managed to preserve their lives until they fully recovered." "These two are the very first fairies to have been created." The sisters kept looking away, biting their lips. Recalling the past was always painful for them, and that was the reason they chose to forget until Orion came into the realm. Dramia was the first to switch moods and explain something significant to Orion. "Noah was close to being a Remnant in terms of power. Since he possessed the seven elements, he was able to manipulate everything. By saying that, do you see where I''m coming from?" One thought formed in Orion''s mind. "Life? Was he able to manipulate life too?" Drania laughed. "Not exactly, but close enough. What Noah did was take a considerable number of orphans to a deserted island and infuse them with magic." "He wanted them to be able to grow strong to defend themselves." ''A deserted island? Infusing magic?'' His mind shifted toward the most plausible result. "Eogis? Did he create the angels and demons by infusing magic in the children?!" Drania, who had finally recovered, nodded. "Bingo. Congratulations! You''ve realized who your ancestor is." As if the world fell on his shoulders, the full picture began to appear clearer in his mind. "I see, that''s why the ''Shackles'' and the ''Key'' were in possession of both factions." Dramia crossed her arms. "We don''t know how they fell into the hands of the angels and demons, but it was fortunate." "I''m pretty sure he would have loved to see someone like you. You are both similar in what you do with your power. The way you train is also relatively the same." Amelia wanted to ask one question. "How was he?" Drania was the one to answer. "Noah? He was always making a long face, as if he were missing something. He never explained anything to us." "We don''t know anything about his life except that he was human." Dramia joined in. "He rarely smiled and always focused on his task, as if that were the only thing he had in his life. If he had one thing, it was his kind side." "He saved countless people¡ª beastmen, humans, elementals¡ª no one was discriminated against." With a smile, Drania recalled something else. "Oh, he loved touching the fluffy hair and tails of the beastmen. It was difficult to stop him when he did that." She laughed, remembering the little quirks Noah had. Even Dramia showed a smile. "Do you understand more about Noah now?" Tiohr-nam asked him. "Yes, knowing that he was the reason for my parents'' happiness is enough for me." ''It is thanks to him that I am here today.'' Orion sincerely thanked Noah for being a kind person. He began to greatly respect him for protecting children. "That is great." The Avatar nodded, but she was not done yet. "I have one last question. There is something I did not understand from our last conversation." "Why do you intend to hunt for corruption? Was it not your goal to attack the subordinates of the human named Elliott?" Orion grabbed Amelia''s shoulders and made her move back to his side. He gave a serious expression and explained his complete reasoning. "The corruption might be linked to the Apostles. I have a deep feeling about this being true." "From what I''ve seen during the ''Ceremony'' they performed, they drink a sludge made from corrupt cores once a year." "What did you say?!" The sisters couldn''t contain their surprise. "If what you say is true, then you are right. The corruption has managed to infect the humans after so long. This is not good news." Tiohr-nam thought of the past, and the reason for the world being in chaos. "Maybe Miasma had already corrupted the humans two thousand years ago. It is mindlessly killing everything that is not contaminated, but since it is half-awake..." Her face cramped. "Wait, that might be wrong." "What do you mean by wrong?" Dramia asked Tiohr-nam as she turned around with worry. "I do not know, but here is something off-putting about the whole thing concerning the humans." A rare frown showed on the Avatar''s face. "Orion, be cautious. I have a feeling something bad is going to happen." He shrugged and smiled sarcastically. "We have four months before the seal breaks, so how bad can it get?" Everyone laughed. "If you say it like that, there is nothing more dangerous, indeed." Tiohr-nam returned to her neutral expression. "I still wish for you to be careful. If the need arises, I should be able to help through the gate in your soul." "Even if it is just to replenish a depleted magic storage, just call my name. I will respond to your call." Orion bowed, knowing he had made a powerful ally. "Thank you very much." "Please take care of Karteira for me." The Avatar bowed her head, ending the conversation. All that was left was to wait until the portal leading to Triazils opened. Chapter 76: Leaving the fairy realm. The time to leave the fairy realm was upon them. Orion and Amelia packed their belongings and checked multiple times to see if nothing was missing. Karteira was doing the same. Tiohr-nam already told her that she was to go with them and that seeing the world would be best for her. She also received a blessing from the mother of the fairies, something that would be helpful in her journey. Once they were ready, they walked toward the training arena like they would usually do, but instead, their destination was further: the Realm Connector. It was a massive room that was once again filled to the brim with fairies, similar to their arrival. They were here to protect the opening in case something showed up. Though, they wouldn''t be of much use. Orion arrived first. He asked to remain alone until the time to depart came. He had a lot to think about. ''I''ll be using your ring carefully, dad. Just watch. I''ll find mom''s ring in no time.'' He asked Tiohr-nam before if she remembered the direction of the three remaining lights that separated from the pillar of light two thousand years ago. The only thing she could remember was: One fell directly north, the second fell south-east of Eogis, and the last one followed the second one but flew further. Knowing the map of Triazils, it was easy for him to approximately deduce where they flew from the starting place, Elliott''s seal. The only problem was that Eogis merged with the mainland at this point. There was considerable thinking involved in pinpointing the current locations. ''The first one is the most problematic. It has most likely fallen somewhere close to the Cape of Pearl Waters, at the tip of Eogis.'' ''The second one might have fallen somewhere around Noctelagia, a city ruled by a supposedly friendly Apostle. Or, in the worst-case scenario, directly into the Carmel Sea.'' Since it was on his way, he would definitely look around. ''The last one might have crashed further than expected, but it should be somewhere in the Frigoria Plain.'' The most dangerous place on this continent. There were recurring invading hordes of corrupt beasts coming from this place that had to be dealt with. It was impossible to go to Eogis right now, for many reasons. This was too far, completely opposite to their position, just like Noctelagia, and this was the place where one of the strongest Apostles lived. He remembered the water wall that almost caused his death during the last moments after crashing the ''Ceremony''. Layla was far too strong to be messed with at this time. Four lights fell on the continent after sealing Elliott. If two were the rings of his parents, then what could be the remaining two? He had no ideas. The only thing to do was to check and confirm what they might be. Four months was the time he had to travel across the continent and find as much help as he could to fight back the corruption. ''I will have to trust that man, Florian. If the ring leads us near one of the cities he named, we will make a stop there. We have to replenish many things since Karteira is coming with us too.'' ''I will test if what you said is true. I''ll see for myself, and then I will believe it. If I can avoid killing innocents, then I''m all for it.'' Pondering for a moment, he crossed his arms. ''What was the name of the cities again?'' Orion recalled the part where Florian gave the names of the cities and their rulers. He began to remember while counting on his fingers. ''There was himself, Florian, in Albriar. Olivia in Noctelagia, Eric in Turric, and Kamala in Hocride. These four. Better remember just in case.'' His enemies were the ones ordering atrocities, the ones torturing their people or other factions, and the people trampling on another''s dignity. The corrupt beings were obviously a priority in case he encountered one. These conditions were absolutes for Orion. Anyone causing just one of these decisions was his enemy. "Orion, how long have you been waiting here?" Karteira entered the large building, noticed Orion, and walked to him with a small bag on her shoulder. He stopped thinking about his probable future and smiled at Karteira, who surprisingly arrived before Amelia. The moment he looked at her, he blinked a few times, seemingly stunned. "Karteira, where is your tail? And why are you wearing your eyepatch again? Is your eye hurting again?" The first was surprising, and the second was worrying. "Don''t worry, my eye is fine. Look" She pushed the white eyepatch up, revealing a perfectly fine blue eye. "I''m glad. Then why do you wear it again?" He breathed a sigh of relief. Karteira knew she would be questioned about it. "It will sound weird, but I want to keep it for a few reasons. It helps me train my spatial awareness and can be used to surprise an opponent." Orion knew she was hiding something else, and he could feel it. "And the real reason?" If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Karteira blushed when she understood her bluff had failed to work on him. "I like it. I look better with it." "Does it hinder your vision?" "No, it''s a special cover made by mother. I can see through it." She removed it and gave it to Orion, who wore it on his left eye. "You''re right. That''s genius." He removed it and gave it back to Karteira. "So, what about your tail?" Karteira put the eyepatch back on her right eye and closed her visible eye. "Right there." From the base, as if it were an illusion, the cloaking tail gradually revealed itself. "I see, it''s a way to avoid others finding out that you belong to the fairy faction. Another work of Tiohr-nam, I imagine?" She opened her eyes and remained with her tail in plain sight, like usual. "It''s still there even when it''s hidden, so I need to be careful. Isn''t it another good way to surprise our enemies?" She grinned, just imagining the faces of the people she would fight against in the future. Just then, she noticed the gazes of all the other fairies in the massive room. "They''ve been watching since the moment I entered; don''t mind them too much." Orion shrugged. He couldn''t care less about the fairies that didn''t bother to talk to him. Even greeting him would be enough, but they were simply standing far away. "Well, now that I think about it, they might be nervous around people that look so human. Wasn''t it the same for you? You are the most human-looking fairy in the whole realm." The picture of the twins popped up in his head. ''Besides Dramia and Drania, who were humans to begin with, they don''t count.'' Karteira nodded. "I still don''t understand why mother chose to make me like this." She looked all over herself. "If not for my tail and those small plates on my ankles and wrists, I would look like you." When she said that, the question finally entered his mind. ''I never realized, but I am not human. My blood is split between an angel and a demon. Why did I never question that fact? Why do I look so human?'' Still in thought, Orion began to let his inner thoughts escape. "I might be the same as you. We look so human that we blend in with the rest of the world. I only get it now, but when I use magic, my hair changes color. I haven''t questioned that before." "Was my legacy hidden before I was born somehow?" Karteira remembered his complete transformation in the underground. She also began to think aloud. The conversation began to shift to two people trying to find out more about themselves. "This might be true. Do you remember how your body looked when you fought before? You had two wings of different shapes, and your hair had entirely changed to gold and silver." "I don''t know what other changes happened to your body at that moment, but I''m sure it wasn''t everything." Orion pondered while putting his hand to his mouth. "So what is this form I''ve taken? Is this what I am supposed to look like? My true form? Did my parents know about this side of the magic?" He recalled their words from a few years ago. ''Didn''t they say that they wished for me to live as far away from Elliott as possible? They definitely knew about the spell locking someone''s true form.'' Karteira smiled while nodding. "You are like me, then. You hide your true self to blend in with the humans. The magic might have saved your life until now." Agreeing with her, Orion stopped thinking about it. "You''re right." He thanked his parents in his heart. He wanted to find a way to thank them, but there was nothing he could do. They smiled at each other, having the same thought. "We have good parents." "Indeed." Happy with having another common point, they kept smiling at each other for a second before feeling cold gazes on their backs. ''Get a room, both of you... flirt somewhere else.'' This was the fairies'' consensus after watching their current exchange. "You have a problem?! Want some training before I leave?!" Karteira exploded. She walked with fury toward the fairies and began to scold each one of them. With scary precision, she remembered the ones that looked at them weirdly a moment ago. ''She didn''t change. That''s good. This side of her hadn''t appeared recently.'' "Sorry! Am I late?!" Amelia, huffing and puffing, entered the Realm Connector room. "Wait, what''s happening?" She walked next to Orion, hugging her bag. "There''s still time before the portal opens. You''re not late." Relieved, Amelia placed her bag next to Orion''s and Karteira''s. She looked toward Karteira who grabbed a mantis fairy by the face and threw it toward several other fairies. "Catch this one! Haha!" Orion giggled at this sight. Karteira appeared to be having fun. "As you can see, she''s saying goodbye to everyone. That''s her way of doing it." Amelia smiled after listening to Orion. Karteira was creating a mess. What she didn''t know was that she created a bigger mess that would change some things in the future. The first mantis fairy she grabbed bumped into another mantis fairy, and it appears that they both fell in love instantly. It happened again and again. The more she rampaged, the more couples she created. The fairies were simple. "It''s almost time." "Oh, you came too?" Orion glanced to his right. This time, it was the sisters who entered the place. "We wouldn''t want to miss the goodbyes!" Drania beamed at them and then looked at the piles of people in front of her. "Ah! That looks fun!" "Don''t." "Oww! Hey!" Dramia hit her sister''s head with a chop and grabbed her hand right after to keep her from joining the carnage. "So, how did this happen?" Dramia pointed with her free hand at Karteira who was piling fairies left and right. "She''s saying her goodbyes." Amelia answered her. Dramia placed the hand she used to point forward on her brows. "That''s just like her." "Can I-" "No. What are you, five?" Drania began to pout. She lived to have fun, and this looked incredibly fun. Sadly, Dramia had no plan to let her join them. While the two sisters were having their own heated discussion, the sun began to set. Orion noticed a small layer form on the giant ring located past the stairs. He turned around and walked toward the door leading outside. "Orion? Where are you going?" Amelia asked him. "Give me a second. I''m coming back in a bit." ''Toilet?'' She thought. But that wasn''t what he was going to do. He stopped a few steps away from the door that closed behind him, and he used the ''Eagle Eye'' ability. He looked toward the side of the mansion, directly at a window. Behind that same window, someone was also looking at him. She smiled at him in return. An emotion he never experienced emerged now that he was moving away: the sadness of parting with someone close to him. Auro was his first home, and he knew that he could come back at any moment and see the villagers, Keith, and his fellow orphans again. He left without feeling this emotion. But it was different for Tiohr-nam. He considered her a friend by now. The fact that she was a Remnant didn''t matter. ''You can come back anytime you want, Orion.'' Through the soul link, she understood his emotion and said what he feared to ask before. Holding his emotions back, he took it upon himself to thank her for everything. For protecting his father''s ring, for giving him so many leads, and for teaching him many things. He bowed. Lower than he had done to anyone before. "Thank you for everything." Tiohr-nam nodded right after. Orion straightened, and proudly, he smiled and turned around, entering the Realm Connector building. "Oh, you''re back already?" "Yes, it seems like it''s time to go." Orion looked at the ring, and slowly, an orange sky with few clouds entered their vision. "Karteira, it''s time." She glanced at the portal and stopped harassing her fellow fairies. "I''m leaving, guys. Don''t forget to train, or you will never be able to protect your loved one. Who knows what could happen tomorrow? See you later." She waved to the hundred fairies while walking backwards toward Orion, Amelia, and the sisters. "Are we ready? There is no turning back now." Orion grabbed his bag on the floor and walked toward the stairs. "I am. I''ll follow you until the end." Amelia picked up her bag and ran next to him. "I''m good too. I have no regrets about leaving." Karteira walked next to Amelia. Motirion was waiting for them at the top of the stairs. Once the group arrived near him, he spoke. "It was a pleasure having you. Moreover, please forget our first meeting." He flapped his moth wings, seemingly embarrassed. "As if I would forget that." Orion laughed while poking fun of him. "This way, let me help you avoid the water." Motirion managed to ignore Orion as he walked past the ring first. They all followed closely. Orion walked out first, then Amelia, and finally Karteira. "This air... It''s been a while since I''ve felt it." Nostalgia overwhelmed Orion and Amelia. They stayed a month and a half in the fairy realm. It was Karteira''s first time out of the fairy realm, and she was excited to see a different world. "Be careful on your journey, all of you. Please return safely." "Thank you." Two voices they didn''t expect to hear entered their ears. They turned around, and there were Dramia and Drania. "What?" Both replied at the same time, while Motirion returned inside the fairy realm, the opening closing behind him. As the sun began to set in the distance, Orion and Amelia stepped once again on the continent''s soil, with a new ally by their side: the fairy commander Karteira. Their story was far from over, as the Apostles only increased. Chapter 77: Magic Diffusion. "What are you two doing here?" The sisters surprised the group by being outside of the realm. "Sis, I forgot there was seasons in this place. It''s so cold!" Drania began shivering. There was no changing seasons in the fairy realm, it was always warm although there was weather changes. The current season on Triazils was fall. But because it was closing on winter, the cold was harsher for those not used to it. "Bear with it, it''s not like we''ll stay for a long time." Dramia placed a hand on her sisters head. She then turned to look at the group. "We have an errand to do. If you thought we were going with you, then no, we aren''t." "Cold as usual." Karteira shrugged, having expected such an answer. "If it''s like that, I won''t ask about what you''re planning to do. Be careful though." Orion approached the sisters and looked in his bag. He found two of his warmer clothing, and gave them to the shivering sisters. "Wear this, it''ll be easier to bear the cold wearing these." Dramia thought about refusing, but picked the grey sweater in the end. Drania jumped on the black one, and both wore the baggy sweater. "We can''t fly like this." Drania said while smiling sarcastically. "I don''t plan on getting them back, turn around." She listened and turned around. He took the pair of scissors he always had in a box, and while carefully avoiding the wings, he cut openings into the back of her sweater. "Better?" She flapped her wings a few times, and nodded. "Your turn. Turn around." "Fine." He did the same thing to Dramia''s sweater, creating openings for her wings. "Thank you for the clothes! I am already feeling better." Drania, who was way smaller than Orion, tried to pat his head, but she couldn''t reach. Watching the girl struggling made him laugh, because he knew she had forgotten that she could fly and reach him. He dropped a knee to the ground, tidying the scissors in the box, and at the same time, gave Dramia some time to caress his hair. "Wah! So silky! Sis, come touch it!" "No way. Why do I need to?" "Because it''s your only chance to do so." Dramia caught sight of the sad smile on her sister''s face, which she finally understood. "Fine, but just a second alright?" She walked next to her sister, and placed a hand on his hair. Like her sister, she caressed it. Orion couldn''t see their faces while he was tidying, he simply knew it was their way of saying goodbye. The two sisters stopped stroking his hair, and both moved their faces close to his ears. "Thank you. Be careful." He closed his eyes, and nodded silently. He considered them as his sisters now. They walked past him and walked toward the girls that were watching with a warm smile. "You two, on your knees." "Sis, your way of asking for something is terrible. Don''t mind her, I can reach." But she didn''t. Orion was 192cm (6,3ft), Amelia was 181cm (5,9ft), and Karteira was 185cm (6ft). The two sisters were the same height, 151cm (4,9ft). They were really small, but it was the main reason for their unbelievable speed. Amelia had to bend her knees for Drania to normally reach. Dramia was touching her brows watching her sister act like a teenager. She sighed and caressed Amelia too. "Hehe, this is nice too." "..." They both enjoyed the feeling of Amelia''s hair. "Try not to do more than you can, take your time to grow, and one day, you will have what you desire the most." "Don''t lose hope, there''s always a reward for the most hardworking girls!" The sisters gave her advices. They knew what Amelia wanted the most, just watching the exchanges between her and Orion was proof of it. She blushed in a bright red color. "I will, thank you." She dropped her face, looking at the ground. She tried to hide her face as best as she could. Having finished their goodbye with Amelia, they walked to Karteira. "Do your best, grow stronger, and come back alive. That''s all you need to do." "There are so many things you will have to face, but I know how strong you are! Take care." Karteira bowed her head, while the sisters took the opportunity to caress her blue hair. "Orion, we''re going to talk with the dragons. I heard you''ve been to their nest?" Dramia turned around and asked Orion who was looking at the ring in his hand. "Yes, we did before coming to this forest. If you want to find them, you definitely need the direction right?" Dramia liked when Orion went straight to the point. He was someone that understood fast and didn''t need all that useless talk. Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. "We do in fact. Are you fine with sharing what you know?" Orion didn''t have to think, the answer came by itself. "I would trust you with my life if I had to. Of course I''ll give you the way to them." The sisters looked at him with shock. Trusting them with his life? That was one of the greatest form of trust they could have received from a man as cautious as Orion. "Well... thank you." She didn''t know what to say anymore. Even her cold expression disappeared, leaving only a gentle smile behind. ''Sis finally stopped putting distances between him and herself.'' Drania watched as her sister changed her way of seeing Orion. If before he was the savior of Tiohr-nam, now, he was a friend. "Come here, I''ll show you." Orion put the ring back in his pocket, and took a map out of his bag. Amelia and Karteira walked closer too, following the sisters. "You see this mountain range? That''s the Talviera Mountain Range. We currently are in the Dead White forest, there." Orion showed the Talviera Mountain Range on the map, which was spanning almost all of the northern part of Triazils. It started from the merged Eogis in the west and finished close to the Parsmata Desert all the way east. He then pointed to the Dead White forest, the forest of dead birch trees, where no living being stayed. It was below the mountain range, closer to the desert than Eogis. "What you are looking for is... what was it''s name? Amelia, do you remember?" He looked at Amelia, hoping that she remembered the name of the dragons'' nest. "Wasn''t it something like Ormdivin? Monolavir kept saying it''s name when we arrived." Orion snapped his fingers. "You''re right, thank you." He returned to look at the map, and pointed at the west part of the mountain range. "This is where you''ll find Ormdivin, the dragon''s nest." Dramia and Drania thought about the time it would take them to arrive, and the problems they could encounter. Dramia was the one to ask. "It will most likely take us two days at top speed. This is not what we should focus on. Can we even get close to that place without being attacked?" Orion understood her worries, they never encountered the famed and feared dragons before. "Do you have a way to understand them? If not, it will be difficult." "We don''t. Is that a problem?" Orion simulated the encounter in his mind multiple time to find the best way for them to succeed in conversing with the dragons. "!" "This might work. Knowing Monolavir and Ruminona, they would easily believe you." Orion explained his plan. ~ "Do you think it will work?" Drania asked, absorbing everything Orion explained. "Most likely than not. I could even bet that you will be received and treated correctly afterward." The sisters stood up, and nodded at each other. "Thank you Orion. There''s somewhere we have to go, but we can''t without the help of the dragons." "I see. Don''t go near Eogis. I don''t want you to get hurt." They both smiled. "We''re not going there, you can relax." Orion stared at them to notice anything that would show otherwise, but they seemed to have said the truth. "Fine. In that case, just be careful." "The same to you three." The three stood up at that moment. Orion took his father''s ring out of his pocket once again. ''It hasn''t reacted at all since we returned. Am I missing something?'' As he kept staring at the ring, the four girls understood that something was going on. "Orion?" Amelia walked next to him and looked at the ring that definitely looked like a normal, powerless ring. "I don''t get it. Dad said that it would help locate the strongest peaks of corruption close to us, but the ring is doing nothing. I don''t understand why it doesn''t react." Orion was slowly worrying. He didn''t want to become an headless chicken running around the continent in hope of finding ''something''. "I think it''s magic as been completely depleted when you took it back. If there''s no magic, there''s no reaction." Karteira walked on the opposite side of Amelia, and also looked at the ring. "I don''t feel the magic it had when I touched it the first time. And here I was panicking for nothing." The girls laughed at Orion. He simply smiled. "Though, I don''t know how to give it more magic." Then silence. That was true, there was no way to give magic to an item. The only one that managed to do it was Reon... and Noah. "We might have a solution." Dramia and Drania walked really close to Orion. They looked up and stared in his eyes. "Sis, is he ready for that?" "He should be." They nodded and walked one step back. "Noah showed us how to infuse magic in living beings and items. We can teach you, it shouldn''t take too long." The sun was setting, and the stars began to show their sparkle. The portal to the fairy realm closed completely without them noticing. "Eh? That''s all?" Amelia blurted out unconsciously. "It took many years for him to find this method, I know what you mean. It''s usually the most common method that gives results." Dramia answered. Orion had his eyes wide open, the greatest idea he ever had formed in his head after listening to their explanation. He moved forward and hugged them both. "Hyaa! / What are yo-" "Thank you! You have just gave me hope!" Not understanding anything, they froze in place. They simply gave him a solution to make the ring store magic again, it wasn''t something that needed such an over-reaction. ''He had another idea.'' ''Indeed, we better watch out.'' Karteira and Amelia exchanged a few glances, understanding each others. Orion let go of the sisters and walked away from everyone. He hid the sun by standing in front of it. The orange hue outlined his body, while the stars above him blinked and shined. The four gulped at this sight. "I will reproduce what you said." The panicked face of the sisters, and the shocked face of Karteira and Amelia entered his vision, as he created two massive spheres of elements in his hands. "NOT AGAIN!" Dramia almost ran to stop him, but her sister stopped her. "This is not the same. I know it." Drania continued staring at Orion. She never looked away a single second. "Look at him." The other two returned to their senses, and the four of them simply watched as Orion brought all of his heart into his idea. ''Please work. Please work... please work!'' His two elements spun faster, faster, and faster. They began to suck the air around them as they turned faster. When Orion found the right moment, he released his magic. The spheres began to dissipate differently than normal. Usually, by ending your magic, you cut the feeding power from the element, and it instantly vanishes. What Orion did this time was ending the magic without cutting the magic feeding the elements. It''s a simple process that doesn''t require a lot of focusing. The elements began to disintegrate and send magic particles into the air. Black and white particles began to float in the air as the two sphere continued to dissipate. Once completely vanished, Orion looked at the sight around him. So much magic particles, it would make a normal human sick instantly. Even worse, they could die if they absorbed them, their magic system would abruptly open and burst. This was an effect Noah had to deal with in the past, magic overdose. The good point was that only Orion was able to do this on the continent right now. No one knew about this effect today. "Don''t come closer alright? Let me finish." They all nodded, observing his every moves. He took the ring out of his pocket and placed it on the fourth finger of his left hand. The ring began to glow and react with the floating particles. "Absorb." The ring drew a large amount of particles, and began to emit sparks of lightning. It''s jewel began to glow brighter and brighter, until it''s magic storage was completely full. After a few seconds, the ring returned to look like a normal ring, instead this time, the jewel was lit. "It worked, but there''s still so much particles." Karteira noticed that there was way too much particles remaining. She had no idea what he was planning to do. *Clack* ''Magic Lock Level Three Released: Magic Diffusion. Congratulations.'' Ego''s voice echoes in both Orion and Amelia''s mind. "I''m not done yet." Orion began to lift his left arm in the air. An item on his wrist began to shine from the setting sun''s light. "Don''t tell me!" Amelia brought her hands to her mouth. Tears began to form in her eyes when she realized what his real objective was. "Absorb!" The bracelet his parents created for him began to glow, as it absorbed the large amount of particles in the air. Everything got sucked slowly toward the bracelet. When all the particles got absorbed by the bracelet, Orion continued to stare at it. Suddenly, a notice appeared on the bracelet, where his name was. In a really tiny writings, ''Energy: 0.6% -> 53%'' was written. "It worked." Orion slumped his shoulders while looking at the stars above him. He had no idea if doing this accomplished anything, but he hoped his effort managed to help Reon and Orianne who were stuck inside the bracelet. "Orion. You really are impossible." Amelia was the first to walk toward him. She grabbed his left hand and looked at the bracelet, noticing the small new notification. "I know. The moment I remembered dad say that the bracelet worked with a magic storage too, I had to try it." "What did he do?" The three remaining girls remained in their spots, simply trying to understand what had happen. "He shared his magic with the bracelet. Inside it are the souls of his parents. Without magic, the bracelet shuts down it seems, forcing them to sleep." Dramia made a hard face after Amelia answered her question. "This is horrible." Drania looked at the ground. "I hope what you did helped in some way." "Thank you, I hope so too." Karteira kept staring at him. ''Every time, he finds new ways to make me respect him more. The kindness he shows for his friends and family is something rarely seen. I hope his kindness will not be the end for him.'' Having ominous thoughts, Karteira remained on the spot while everyone swallowed the hard reality about Orion''s parents. Chapter 78: Awakening from their slumber. *groan* "Reon! Reon! Wake up, something weird is happening!" Orianne was shaking Reon in the bed they slept in when the bracelet''s energy became close to none. "Orianne, stop doing that." Reon sat in the bed, fully awake. He looked at the beautiful woman next to him. Golden hair, red eyes, and a perfectly shaped body. Since their factions traits only appear when magic in use, she wasn''t in her demon form. No long red tail, no scales, no sclera, no wings, and no horns. He liked both of her forms equally, but the demonic form had a special place in his heart. He loved her eyes the most. He was also out of his angel form. The angels had less traits then the demons. The wings were the most prominent feature of the angels, mightier and more delicate than the demons. The more they had, the more power that individual possessed. The lighting in the whole space they were in was blinding, and it took him a minute before registering the problem. "The device is active?! What is happening?" "I don''t know, we were supposed to stay asleep. Did something happen to Orion?" Reon calmed down and began to think about the many reasons why this would happen. One in particular struck a cord within him. ''Did Orion find a magical source somewhere, and at some point, it started absorbing it?'' ''No, that''s not possible, the devices was made to absorb small amount of magic from Orion to keep us asleep. Which means it was intentional.'' Reon left the bed, and grabbed Orianne''s hand. "Come with me." She nodded, and they both walked downstairs where the living room was. The place where they received Orion the first time. They sat at the table, still holding hands. "What do you think is happening? You haven''t said a word for a while now." "The device being activated means someone intentionally wanted it. Someone wanted us to be awake." Only one person would desire something like this. "Orion?! Why?" Reon snapped his fingers, making a screen appear on top of the table. He was the one that created the bracelet, of course he knew how to control it. "Is there any recent recordings?" The screen showed many scenes from Orion''s past. "We need to watch all of this at some point. I want to know everything that happened in his life!" Once she found out she could watch the life Orion was living from the bracelet''s point of view, she was excited. That''s a loving mother right there. "Calm down. The most recent was... this one." The scene of Orion hugging two small girls appeared. "Who are they? Girlfriends?" A light flashed in her eyes. "Fairies. These two are fairies, look at their wings. I recognize them, but I don''t know their names." "What?" Reon smiled at his wife. "That''s right, there''s a few things I have to explain to you. I''ll make it simple for now, I knew the Remnant that created the fairy faction. I saved the fairies a few times before... that... happened." Orianne knew better than no one that Reon wasn''t a liar. She questioned him, but never doubted him. There was a big secret concerning Orianne too, so she couldn''t judge her husband for having that kind of secret. "I heard they were struggling to stay alive and that someone was openly helping them. I also remember someone speaking of powerful lightning. So that was you?" Reon turned his face away. "Yes, it was me." ''My husband is so cool, he is a hero!'' She liked this about him. He selflessly help everyone around him. In reality, there always was a reason for Reon to help others. The only exception was Orianne when they were young. "Let''s go back to watching." They returned to watching the recording. - "Thank you! You have just gave me hope!" Orion separated from the fairies, and walked away. When he turned around, the four girls appeared in the field of view of the bracelet. - Orianne immediately recognized Amelia. "Wait, isn''t that Amelia? Blond hair, pearly eyes, and that pretty face! There''s no doubt! So she''s the one Orion chose?" "The Key chose her, or so I''d like to think. He is a lucky man." They ignored Karteira, since they didn''t knew who she was yet. They simply defined her as another beautiful woman with peculiar hair color before focusing again. - "I will reproduce what you said." They had no idea what Orion was about to do. They silently watched as two massive spheres of light and dark element began to form in his hands. - "Our child is another monster. He isn''t at our level yet, but he is on the right track." You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Orianne laughed at Reon''s comment. "Right? I don''t think he is able to create a gaping hole in the sea like you did before." "That was... I was in a hurry that time. You can''t talk either. You''re able to fight equally against multiple dragons." - "NOT AGAIN!" "This is not the same. I know it." "Look at him." - "Did Orion do something bad before? That reaction was not so good." "We''ll look at it later. For now, understanding what happened to the device is our priority." - Reon watched as a familiar process began to talk place. ''Don''t tell me? Did he manage to reproduce a diffusion? I never explained it to him, so how does he know about it. Now I understand why the necessity to have that massive amount of magic.'' The sphere vanished, leaving particles behind, an effect Reon was familiar with. "Absorb." ''So it was to replenish the ring''s magic storage. The weird ability that formed from being near the corruption might only work if the ring is powered. I understand now.'' Reon, who was used to work with complex devices and intricate designs could find the flaws of most things. Nothing escaped his analysis when it concerned his own creations. "Don''t come closer alright? Let me finish." The ring absorbed the magic particles. - "Isn''t that your ring?" Orianne looked at her left hand, where a ring with a red jewel should have been on her fourth finger. "..." Reon thought about how to explain this to her. "I saw Orion when you were sleeping. The device reacted to him finding my ring and only woke me up." And there it was. "THAT''S UNFAIR!" She hit the table with her free hand. ''I knew it.'' "Calm down, you''ll have your time alone with him when he will find your ring." Orianne began to pout. "That''s so unfair." "I know how you feel. But having time alone with him was also one of my wish. You''ll understand later. Just listen for now." Still pouting, she stared at him. "When we sealed Elliot, it seems that our rings and two other objects flew in various directions. My ring flew straight to the fairies'' territory to protect them. From what I know, our strongest desire to protect someone might have led the ring to someone who needed help." "Orion found the fairies, and retrieved my ring that was protected by the Remnant I helped. The corruption was trying to take the ring. For what reason, I have no idea. We''ll watch that later too." Orianne stopped pouting at some point and began to think. "Does that mean that the corruption is actively trying to find us?" "It''s a possibility. Maybe it was simply drawn to the power contained inside, or maybe it wanted it to power itself. There is no way to know for sure." "Let''s continue the recording. There''s not much left." - "It worked, but there''s still so much particles." The blue haired woman said. "I''m not done yet." Orion''s left arm began to move up. "Don''t tell me!" Amelia cried out. - "I don''t even need to watch the rest to understand." Reon let go of Orianne''s hand and left his seat. "I get it too. He deliberately gave his magic to power the bracelet. He did that for us." They were both happy. Reon remembered his son saying that he respected him, while Orianne thanked the world for giving him such a kind son. "It''s his way of asking us to look over him. He wants us to live even in this form." Reon turned to look at the rest of the recording. - "Absorb!" The bracelet draw every particles remaining in the air and absorbed them. They saw the worried face of Orion looking down at the bracelet, when surprise and relief suddenly took over. "It worked." His arms dropped. "Orion. You really are impossible." A few seconds later, someone grabbed his arm to look at the bracelet. Amelia worried face appeared on the screen. A beaming smile appeared on her face when she saw what Orion had noticed. "I know. The moment I remembered dad say that the bracelet worked with a magic storage too, I had to try it." - "So it''s your fault it seems." Orianne giggled while pointing at him. "..." He said nothing, but he was happy that his son listened to his explanations. He felt closer to him. - "What did he do?" One of the two green haired girls that Orion hugged at the start of the recording approached. "He shared his magic with the bracelet. Inside it are the souls of his parents. Without magic, the bracelet shuts down it seems, forcing them to sleep." Amelia explained the situation. - "He even told her about us." Orianne was looking warmly at the girl named Amelia. She could already understand some of her traits just by watching her. "Yes, the fact that he doesn''t treat her as a tool for power is enough to understand how important she is to him." "Stop bringing the Key at every moments. In the end, if you pull that thing out of her body, she remains a normal human girl." "Is that what you really think?" She looked at him with a weird look. "Don''t tell me you do-" "I never said that. What I''m trying to say is, do you think a ''normal'' human is able to contain every elements in their body?" Orianne began to understand. "You''re beginning to remember?" "Sadly, yes." Reon began to remind his wife what happened in the past. "Humans are unable to possess more than two elements in their bodies, their soul is too fragile and unable to support them." "If a human was miraculously able to be born with three elements... they would lose control of their power immediately, destroying everything in the process, themselves comprised." "This is why it is a ''miracle'', even if it only leads to destruction and death. The ones who forced those experiments were sick, isn''t that the reason why we killed them all?" Anger showed in her eyes just remembering the past incidents. "So tell me? What is Amelia?" "..." "She cannot be a normal human. She might believe it with all of her heart, she might even be truly human, but something messed with her soul to make her able to contain those five elements. Orianne, five elements. Do see the problem?" "I get it! I''m sorry. You don''t have to be so intent on proving me wrong." Reon became stunned. And then it came to him. "Ah! I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to be harsh on you. I was really worried about her, that''s why I said all of this." He sat back next to her to hug her. They stayed like this for a minute, before Orianne gently pushed him away. "Apology accepted. So, the Key is not able to be the only factor for Amelia to be able to use the five elements?" Reon sat straight, before holding his wife''s hand again. "From that book, it was said that the Key was the power to unlock the Shackles. There was no explanations about the power it contained, or the power it gave." "So we have no ideas?" Reon shook his head. "No idea." Orianne shrugged and turned to the screen. "So what about Orion? Is it because he is a hybrid of angel and demon that those forgotten elements managed to form in him?" "Most likely, he might have a soul powerful enough to contain those two elements. We are known for having massive magic reservoirs inside of use, so it''s not impossible for him to have inherited both of ours too." "Reon, what have we gave birth to? Was it a mistake?" He looked at her. "What do you mean?" Orianne began to let her emotions take over. "I didn''t want a child for him to live so much hardships!" Reon began to stroke her cheeks. "Look at him, does he look sad? Do you think he his living with rancor toward us?" "No..." "Is he someone that curses every day that he was born? I don''t think so either. He has his own life, experiences, wishes and people to protect, like us. The way I see it, he might even be happy. Look at his face after powering the bracelet." Orianne stared at the screen, seeing her son looking at the stars above him with a smile. "What do you think he was thinking about?" She couldn''t help but ask. But Reon stayed silent. Then, after a moment, she smiled. "He''s always thinking about us, isn''t he? The whole journey he took was for him to avenge us to begin with." "It was his own choice. He chose us instead of fear. He said something to me before he left when I talked to him." She was focused on his every words. "He said that even if we were in this form, until he decided so, we weren''t dead yet." Tears began to fall from her red eyes. ''That''s my Orion.'' "I still don''t fully understand why he think of us so highly." For that matter, the first thing Orion knew of his parents was the recording of them fighting Elliot. The respect he had for those that thought until the end to protect his very life was heavy. No one other than his parents received that much love from him. That''s why they were so important to him. "The next time you see him, don''t forget to ask him that question, I''m sure he will be happy to answer you. He was slightly down not seeing you last time." "I will do just that. I have a lot to learn about him." Reon looked at the screen, and began to switch recordings. "Alright, since we have all the time in the world, why don''t we watch the most important moment of his life?" "Yes!" From the moment he was born, Dylan rescuing him and placing him in Auro. The orphanage incident, Amelia''s awakening, his departure toward Eogis, the ceremony and his first kill. The dragons, the fairies, the Tree of Life, the underground fights, his absurd training session, and the creation of a new element. They watched everything inside this space that had time warping in their favor. Once they watched all recordings, Reon tweaked some parameters inside the bracelet, managing to calibrate the flow of time inside to work the same as outside. "I made it, we should be able to see what happens in real time." He snapped his fingers, a larger screen than previously appearing on top of the table. On the screen, Orion was his right arm raised, the ring glowing powerfully a purple light. Chapter 79: One last night together. It was time to see what the ring was supposed to do, so Orion focused his mind to feel the flow of magic in it. After finding flow, he lifted his right arm high in the air, and activated the new ability that formed in the ring, Corruption Search. The ring began to glow a purple light. A small beam of purple light, almost imperceptible, moved toward the sky. Everyone thought for a second that it was either broken or that the most corrupted place was the sky, but then the beam fell toward their right, to their north-east. Since they were in the forest, there was no way to know which direction it really was. Drania began to point in the same direction as the beam, and with a buzzing sound and incredible speed, flew high in the sky. She looked in the direction of her finger, and returned down after making sure of where she was pointing at. Her feet touched the ground. "The ring seems to be pointing at the desert." Orion, who still had the map opened near him, glanced over it. "There''s only one desert on this continent. It''s the Parsmata Desert." Amelia and Karteira seemed to not like that. "The sand, the heat, the lack of water... I almost don''t want to go." "I''m more concerned about my armor overheating too fast." Those were their concerns, which were legitimate. No one should venture in a desert unprepared. "Drania, was there a village on the horizon before the desert?" Orion asked her since she was the one that saw what could be on their path. "I''m pretty sure I saw some light, so I''d say yes." "Thank you." Orion packed his things, and sat on the ground. "We''re camping here tonight. Tomorrow morning, we''ll leave in direction of the next town. Is that fine with the two of you?" "Why here?" Karteira asked. The one answering was Amelia. "This forest is special, it repels all kinds of animals, which makes it scary for humans. It means we won''t be bothered staying here." "I see, it sure is helpful. I don''t have any problems with it then." She gave her approval, which left only Amelia to agree. Orion looked at her until she answered. "I don''t have a problem with it. I don''t like to move at night to begin with." Since everyone agreed, he glanced at the two sisters that were fidgeting, wanting to ask something but refraining to. Just by seeing them, he thought about what they could want, and went for it. "I know we''ve already said our goodbyes, but, do you want to stay the night with us?" Drania beamed from ear to ear. "Can we?!" "Of course, I wouldn''t want you two to leave like this anyway." Drania sat next to him, and Dramia followed a moments later. When she sat next to her sister, she whispered. "Thanks for having us." He heard it, but stayed silent, gently smiling at her. Amelia walked a bit further away, to the place where the big tree stump was, and used her earth element. Stone walls began to form, creating a place where everyone could sleep peacefully in. She created a small room on the other side for Orion, since he refused to sleep with the girls. Outside, she created her own cooking place. It became more advanced thanks to the earth''s metal component. "Alright, I''m done. If you want to sleep, you can." Orion walked to Amelia. "Thank you. Don''t overexert yourself though, we have a long road ahead of us." He tapped her head gently and walked past her, walking inside the rocky house to place his bag in his room. Everyone stayed outside, talking and enjoying the night, before Orion walked outside the house. "Someone want to train with me for a bit?" "I''ll pass." Dramia and Amelia said at the same time. He understood that they both weren''t all about sweating right now, and Amelia had to prepare food, so he turned to the remaining two, Drania and Karteira. The first was deep in thought, thinking if it was alright to train with him now, the next one smiling wildly. Drania turned to her sister, as if asking for her permission. "Why don''t you fight him? Do it over there though." She pointed opposite to their position, further away on the other side of the lake. "Of course!" Orion walked to the two girls sitting and stretched his hands toward them. He helped them get up, and said with a wild smile. "Two against one?" Karteira nodded, already prepared for it, while Drania nodded, excited to fight Orion for the first time. "We''ll be back the moment you call for us." The three walked away, leaving Amelia and Dramia together after waving. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. ~ "Look at them." Amelia said, watching the three fighting on the other side of the lake. "Even Drania got swept by him." They both sighed and walked together toward the kitchen spot. "Do you cook often?" Amelia asked her, since she never saw her cooking before. To begin with, she didn''t know much about the sisters. "I used to cook for the three of us. Drania can''t cook without burning something, and Noah was a disaster in the kitchen. Whatever he cooked was good looking, but disgusting." She laughed remembering the past, which made Amelia smile too. "This seems pretty similar to what Orion does." "Is he a disaster in the kitchen too?" Amelia picked up the ingredients and condiments from her bags. "Did you know it was possible to burn pastas? Charcoal like burnt pastas." Her jaw slightly dropped. "He can make the most horrible mixtures in existence. At least he doesn''t burn the place down when he cooks, but still." Amelia laughed, remembering all the failed meals he prepared during their three years of training. "I was sure Noah was the sole case of cooking disaster. I guess nobody is perfect." The two laughed together. "So, do you have something in mind for tonight? "I do. Do you want to prepare it with me?" Dramia nodded, opening herself to Amelia during that time. ~ Drania flew away after being deflected by Orion. She found herself flying over the lake''s calm water. Karteira took this opportunity to attack Orion while his posture was disturbed. She spun and tried to slam her tail on his side. While remembering that her tail was actually fragile to any rough movement, Orion thought about grabbing it and throw Karteira away, but instead, he bent backward, and watched as the tail grazed his face. Now, Karteira was the one with her balance broken. He placed his hands on the muddy ground, preparing to kick her by doing a backward wheel motion. Drania arrived just in time to grab Karteira and drag her away from Orion. "Thank you." "Don''t mind it. He''s strong even without using magic, what do we do?" They both looked at Orion stopping his movement. He remained standing on his hands, before throwing his body forward. His feet touched the ground, and just like that, he was back up. He removed the dirt from his hands, and returned to his fighting stance. "Whatever you have, bring it to me." Orion taunted them. He always wanted more experience fighting, while bringing the full potential of his opponents by training with them. After discussing about their strategy while Orion was preparing, they both nodded. Karteira moved first. She only had her gauntlets since this was a simple training session. She ran to him, exchanging hits with Orion for a minute, before Drania plunged on Orion from above. She tried to kick him, but instead, he grabbed her foot and threw her in the lake. She once again found herself on top of the water. But that was her plan. "Orion, do you know what elements I can use?" While exchanging blows with Karteira, he glanced at Drania that called to him. "No, I don''t. I never asked. Are you going to show me?" Drania smiled, placing her hands on the water''s surface. "I didn''t live two thousand years without learning anything!" Karteira took this opportunity to move away. Three water columns began to elevate from the lake''s surface, towering over five meters. She moved one hand in Orion''s direction. The water columns began to shoot an absurd amount of water bullets toward him. "Interesti- Shit!" Orion realized too late. His feet were enveloped in a thick layer of mud and dirt, stopping him from running away. ''She said ''elements'', I''ve underestimated her. I fell right in her trap!'' He gritted his teeth, and used Calm Analysis. ''I won''t let myself be hit by any of those shots!'' With a smile that showed all of his teeth, Orion watched every single water bullets coming at him. Everything was coming straight to his upper body, which was lucky for him. He watched each and every water bullets closely, and moved his body in various angles to dodge. For two minutes straight, Drania and Karteira were witnesses of Orion''s impossible prowess, dodging the water bullets. *Huff* *Huff* That took all of his strength, but he was still standing. "That''s all... *Huff* you have for me?" Drania''s water column crashed back into the lake. Both were shocked, their mouth agape. Even Amelia and Drania watched this from the other side, showing the same reaction as them. "At least you''re tired." Drania shrugged. "I''m done for today, I don''t want to continue after seeing something like this." This display and Orion''s exhaustion made her battle addict trait calm down. "Wait a second." Orion caught his breath, and stop Karteira before she left. "What? I won''t fight you anymore." Drania released the trap on Orion''s feet, which gave him back the freedom to walk to her. "Are you able to defend against this kind of attack?" Drania, a bit tired after using so much of her magic energy, walked to them. "I think I can?" Karteira imagined herself in his place, using the true Cerulean Aegis form. "Drania, are you able to use that ability again? I would like you to try it on Karteira." "Well, I can''t use it as long as I did on you. Is that still fine?" Orion nodded. "Do you mind trying, Karteira?" "If it''s only that, I don''t see a reason to refuse." Drania flew back on top of the water''s surface, and created the three pillars of water again. "Cerulean Aegis." All the plates on Karteira began to move, covering her body. Once everything was in place, the plates on her arms moved to her forearms, creating her two long shields. She placed one arm on top of the other, linking the two shields together to form a bigger one. It was now protecting her whole upper body. If she wanted to protect her legs, she had to crouch. The slightly curved shield was ready to receive the water bullets. "Thirty seconds, that''s all I can do right know. Get ready." "I am ready!" Karteira crouched, sending the signal for them to start. Orion was watching from further away, his back on a tree. ''She managed to hit me.'' He touched his rib, where one water bullet hit. He was sure it was broken from the impact. ''I can''t believe she tried to kill me.'' He laughed in his mind, because he knew that there wasn''t enough power behind the bullets. She didn''t put everything on this attack, he shouldn''t have received such an injury. His faster movements were the cause of it, which is why he hid it. ''She would have panicked and apologize over and over again. I don''t want that for her.'' He glanced at Drania who was breathing heavily on the water''s surface. ''I''m glad that excuse worked. Now I can heal it without anyone finding out.'' He began using his light element to heal his broken rib. Thirty seconds was more than enough for that kind of injury. While Karteira was getting pushed back because of the impacts, the end was getting near. The shots stopped, Drania completely drained of her magic. "I''m done! I can''t continue!" "Good thing, because we''re done with the cooking." Dramia caught her tired sister''s arm, and helped her get back on land. "That hurt!" Karteira released her ability, and looked at her arms. She managed to protect her whole body, but her arms took the blunt of each impact. Even if her plates managed to stop everything, the damage it did from the shock still remained. "That''s some bad bruises, let me heal that quickly." Orion, having healed himself, walked to Karteira and took care of the bruises. "Thank you. Good thing you suggested that, I need to find a way to negate this effect from happening. This is a weakness I can''t have if I want to protect everyone." "Glad you found another thing to work on. Thank you Drania." Orion turned to Drania, who had a tired smile on her face. "I''m hungry. Sis, let''s go back." "Yes, let''s do that. Both of you too, come quickly." The sisters walked away, toward the temporary house, where their dinner was waiting. "How are your arms?" He asked worriedly. "Better thanks to you. I can''t believe I let such a weakness be. The shields work against striking and slicing weapons, but not against projectiles. I think even smashing weapons are a problem for me currently." Orion nodded, he also thought of that when he watched her being pushed back a moment before. "Alright, if you''re good, why don''t we go eat. Thanks for training with me." They walked together, following the sisters. Once they arrived, they ate the food Amelia and Dramia prepared with a smile. To apologize for exhausting her, Orion proposed to massage Drania''s shoulders, which she accepted. This became a terrible experience for her. It felt so good that many things almost leaked from her other than her moans. As her sister watched her sister turning to this sorry state, she immediately separated the two of them while angrily shouting at Orion. He grabbed her and forcefully massaged Dramia too. She became quiet, doing her best not to moan like her sister before her. Then, Amelia became jealous of them, and asked a massage too. She lost herself in bliss, and fell on the ground lifeless after asking for ten minutes of massage. Karteira tried her best to become invisible, but got caught in the end. Everyone ended up finding that she had the cutest moans of the four girls. One after the other, they fell victim to Orion''s fingers. They all fell asleep satisfied, relieved of many stressful emotions. The next day, it was time to finally depart, to the Parsmata Desert. ~ "That''s my boy!" Was the only thing that came from Orianne''s mouth, while Reon simply looked away, his face bright red. They both got front row seats watching the girls melt in his hands before he went to bed. While Orianne thought about asking his son to massage her in the future. The bracelet''s screen turned dark, and they moved to their bed, because the device stopped working when Orion fell asleep. Chapter 80: Leaving Dead White forest. The sun moved higher and higher in the sky, while everyone was still asleep. Orion''s massage seemed to have greatly helped the girls to relax their tired body. Two of them even had three thousand years of stiffness in their muscles. He had woken up earlier than the girls, already training his body to prepare for the day. This morning lead to a different experience than he was used to. Mist formed by the lake''s water blocked his sight. He imagined himself fighting a horde of corrupted inside the mist. For him, there was no better hiding place than the mist. This led to a terrible fate for his imaginary enemies. If they had smell and touch, Orion had his hearing. Smell was once of the greatest sense to track someone, but hearing was especially strong for someone that hid from a vantage point. He finished for the morning, avoiding to strain his body when he himself told Amelia not to overexert herself. He had already avoided being scolded the day before because of his mistake during Drania''s attack. An angry Amelia is never a good thing. The mist began to clear when he arrived at the temporary house. He looked inside, and saw no one. He assumed that they were still sleeping. He looked at the sun''s position. ''Around 8AM?'' He walked to the lake to wash his steaming body. ''I already miss the baths.'' He cleaned himself, then put on another shirt. ~ *crack* Amelia opened her eyes after being woken up by a strange noise. *clack* She looked to her right, where Karteira was supposed to be sleeping in. "Oh, I''m sorry, did I wake you up?" Karteira whispered quietly, as to not wake the two sisters still soundly sleeping in front of them. Amelia, only half-awake, rubbed her eyes. "What are you doing?" She whispered too unconsciously. Karteira, in her underwear, was in weird position. She was on all four, her scorpion tail curved above her back, completely stretched. *CRACK* "Ah!" The base of the tail, on her lower back, shivered and cracked some part of the joint. It seemed to hurt a lot, as she let out a loud cry, who luckily didn''t woke up the sisters. She immediately covered her mouth. Amelia watched this scene for a minute before her brain finally registered what was happening. ''What''s going on with her?'' Karteira was panting at each cracking and clicking sound, enduring a pain similar to having her spine shattered again and again. After five minutes, it stopped. "That damned Orion, what did he do to me?" Removing her hands from her mouth while cursing Orion, then she tried to look over her shoulder to see the place that was hurting for few minutes, unsuccessful. She sat on the bed and touched her back. "What''s this now?" She felt something different than her soft tissues that were there before. It was harder, tougher and heavier. "Amelia, could you look at it for me?" "Sure." Karteira stood up from her bed and turned her back to Amelia. She looked at the joint, and indeed, it was different. "There''s a spiky shell around the base, it''s covering a bit of your skin and a bit of the first segment? Also, you''re bleeding quite a bit." Karteira touched her back, and her looked at her hand. There was definitely blood on it. "It''s not bleeding anymore, but you''d better go see Orion later, just in case." Her eyes twitched when she remembered the massage she was forced to endure last night. "I''m sure he has something to do with it." She was angry at him for multiple reason. The shame of the day before, and the terrible pain she had to endure right after waking up. In reality, it was indeed Orion''s fault, but what he did was simply restart her physical growth. Her body was supposed to continuously grow, but the stress and her past injuries made her unable to push to the next step. By releasing her stress, relaxing her body and mind, while also healing her previously, the mechanism inside her that was supposed to slowly perfect her body entered it''s full throttle, and sent everything she had missed in that small time frame. Amelia thought about it. "He definitely doesn''t know about that, don''t be ridiculous. Isn''t it your own body simply growing?" *sigh* Karteira let it go. This had been the second most exhausting morning she ever lived since that day she trained with Orion under the rain. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "I''ll go see him." Karteira was about to leave the room. "Put your clothes on before you go!" Karteira looked at her state, and turned around toward her folded clothes, a slight blush on her face. ~ "Orion. Morning." Karteira walked to Orion who was waiting at the table outside, a book in hands. "Morning Karteira." He removed his attention for the book, and noticed something weird with her. "Why are you standing so far away?" He didn''t understand. "No reason." She shyly walked toward him, and sat next to him. Just by remembering what happened, she couldn''t contain her blush. "I see. Do you need something? It''s rare for you to sit next to me." "Is it that rare?" With a pink hue on her cheeks, her blue eyes stared inside Orion deep slate colored eyes. "Yes, it is. Anyways, let me repeat, do you need something from me?" He ignored her state, which reminded him of Amelia. ''Did she speak some nonsense to Karteira for her to act like this?'' Orion imagined the two girls speaking about that kind of stuff. "Could you... heal my back please?" "Just that?" Karteira nodded, and turned around. Orion looked at her back. ''I never realized that her clothes had a cut in the lower back for her tail. Wait-'' "Is that blood?! Karteira, what happened?" Without hesitation, he applied his light element on his hand to fasten her natural recovery. He rubbed his hand all around the base, noticing the changes near her the base of her tail. The heaviness she felt before began to fade, which seemed to come from an internal injury under the newly formed shell. While he healed her, she explained what happened when she woke up. "I see, good thing you came to me. Can you still move your tail even with this new layer?" "I haven''t tried yet. It was still hurting before I came to you." ''She''s back to being herself. Did she think I was going to ignore her?'' Karteira stood up, lighter than ever. "This feels weird." She slowly moved her tail like she usually did. The tail moved left, right, stretched, curved, everything was possible to do still. It seemed that the shell was still flexible enough to keep these movements possible. There was no discomfort coming from there anymore. Intrigued, Orion left his seat, and touched her tail. Karteira was used to have her tail being studied by Orion, so she let him be. ''This joint, has it become stronger?'' Gently, he moved the tail in direction that would have hurt her before. He twisted the tail left and right, without receiving any complaints from her. "Your tail is way more flexible than before. Do you feel anything from me doing this?" He carefully pushed down on the tail, making the stinger almost touch the ground with it''s back. "No, it feels normal." ''Her tail developed. I found it weird that she had so much pain just by moving that tail around. It was just a question of growth then. Her body wasn''t in it''s perfect shape so far.'' "Then it''s good. It won''t be a bother in your life anymore. That''s how it was supposed to be." A smile on his face, Orion removed his hands from her tail, and walked back to his seat. "Thank you for healing me again." "Don''t worry, it''s there to be used. I prefer it when you girls come to me more than me finding about it too late." Karteira stayed silent when she thought about Amelia. - "You''d better go see Orion later, just in case." - When she thought that she almost refused to be healed, she could only stay silent. After standing there for a minute, her tail still touching the ground, she returned to herself. She walked to the table and sat next to him. "What are you reading?" She began to show interest in what Orion was reading. He knew a lot of things that could be useful to her in the future. "It''s a book about the world. See the mud around the lake? You can create it by combining the earth and water element by using magic. But it''s still different than the world''s natural mud. Once the magic is released the mud disappears, does that mean our world isn''t magical to begin with, or is it a constant magic? Look at this one-" Orion began to explain like he usually did with Amelia. Karteira carefully listened to Orion speak about his thoughts on the world and the various reactions between the elements until everyone had awaken. ''He certainly like this world. He knows so much about it, more than anyone else in this world.'' She learned about the clouds, the volcanos, the sea, even about the steam she created under her plates armor. All that knowledge slowly took it''s place inside her memories. One day, her knowledge and ingenuity would lead to the most dangerous ability at her disposal. ~ Drania, Dramia and Amelia all walked out of the house. It was around 10AM. The three walked upon Orion teaching Amelia the way of the world. "What''s going on over there? It''s unusual for Orion not to be training." Amelia, having taken a long time to carefully comb her hair and put her ponytail on, said while looking at Karteira nodding at what Orion was pointing at on the book. "The only way to know is to go there!" Before anyone could stop her, Drania was already behind Orion. "She will never change." Dramia shrugged and walked toward them. Amelia kept looking at the scene of Drania laughing, talking to Orion and Karteira. Dramia arrived and sat in front of them. ''Orion. Have you realized?'' Amelia kept staring at him. ''You who thought had no allies, no friends and no family in this world. This is what your actions have gave you.'' She was glad, truly glad that he had more people to care about. Looking at him smiling toward the girls, Amelia felt a bit left out. Just then, Orion turned to look at her. She read on his lips "Good morning." With a smile, she walked toward them and said to him. "Good morning, Orion. ~ The situation was turning sour in Hocride. Multiple attack squads have already been intercepted before they could cause havoc in her city. Kamala herself defended her city. She was tired from fighting continuously. She suffered light injuries, shallow cuts, bruises. She was currently resting in her room, her body covered in bandages. ''This is never going to end like this.'' Ivan was relentless. Each day, he sent a hundred soldiers toward Hocride, just to weaken Kamala. It was working, because Kamala was at her limit. She could stand strong for about a week. ''I have to find a way to stop him from sending these uncontrollable soldiers.'' The problem was that Ivan himself never moved along his own forces. He was a treacherous man that would strike at the best moment to get what he wanted. ''He''s waiting for me to be exhausted, unable to defend myself.'' ''The worst part is, I can''t do anything about that.'' Many thoughts entered her mind. "Is this how I''m going to die? After everything I''ve done, what a pitiful end." She was alone in this. If it was not about defending her city, she would have already went to him, and give a piece of her mind, but this man was decided to destroy her life and take over Hocride. "I don''t know what to do anymore." As she looked at the ceiling, tears began to flow on her face. ~ "So, everything is good? Everyone have their belongings?" Orion looked at his feet, where his, Amelia and Karteira''s bag were. "Wait a bit." Amelia crouched and brought two other small bags from inside her own. She looked at the sisters. "Here''s for you two. I''ve prepared some food for your trip to the dragon''s nest." Surprised appeared on their face. "You said it was two days at top speed yesterday, so there''s two days of dried meat and preserved food. It''s not glorious, but it should be enough until you arrived." Drania, tears in her eyes, jumped and hugged Amelia. "Thank you so much!" "Thank you, Amelia." Dramia bent slightly to show her gratitude. "It''s just food! You don''t have to exaggerate it." They took the bags with the food boxes inside, and with a hard face, finally said. "We have to go. Be careful you three." "Yes, also, don''t forget about us!" The sisters walked away and waved at the three. Orion, Amelia, and Karteira waved at them in return. The flew straight up slowly, and just like that, the two sisters were nowhere to be seen, flying in the direction of Ormdivin, the dragon''s nest. "We have to go too, are you ready?" The two girls nodded. "Alright, then it''s time to leave this forest." The temporary house Amelia created crumbled to dust, and they all left the forest. Everything returned to being quiet, devoid of life. The lake disappeared once again into the deepest darkness of the dead forest of birch tree. After an hour of walking, they managed to get out of Dead White forest. They walked toward the direction Drania kindly pointed at the day before, and they officially returned to their exploration of the world, hunting the Apostle, and the threat that was the corruption. Two days later, Drania and Dramia arrived at Ormrdivin without encountering any trouble, and Orion, Amelia and Karteira managed to find the village they needed to stop at. Chapter 81: Saving a life in the village of Lavira. "So that''s a human village?" Karteira looked around her. The people walking, the strange buildings, and the shops. So many things completely different from what she experienced in the fairy realm. "Not exactly. This is a beastman village." Orion walked next to her, and then explained the situation concerning the beastmen. "They don''t look much different than humans, they have pointy ears, sharper fangs and a beast tail." "They have been discriminated for a long time. These small villages exist so that their population can be regulated. They are in some ways caged." "They are protected by human soldiers, but that stops at this. The villages acts as supply spots for moving armies too." Karteira, who knew nothing about the outside world, showed a disgusted expression. "Who thought about that?" Amelia walked next to her, giving her own thought. "Probably the same people that thought killing fairies for their body parts was a good idea." This time, anger and disgust mixed together completely covered her face. "Let''s forget about that, we have to find a place to sleep at, and we have to buy supplies." She calmed her inner turmoil, and nodded. Once Orion concluded that Karteira had calmed down, he moved forward, passing the gate of the village named Lavira. "Good, then let''s go. Stay close, we''ll try to avoid any suspicious actions. We wouldn''t want the guards to notice us." The girls followed in his steps as they entered the village. After walking and looking around the main road, Orion stopped in his tracks. Two beastmen children were standing in his way. ''We''ve just entered. What''s it going to be, a trap?'' He was on guard. They didn''t look mischievous, or even evil. They were children you would find in any normal household. Orion stared at the siblings. The girl was clearly older than the boy, around ten, she had a yellow one-piece dress stopping at her ankles, brown hair in a ponytail, with brown eyes. She had a pleading look in her eyes. The boy was the youngest as he looked five. He was wearing baggy white pants and a light blue shirt, with similar physical traits to his older sister. He looked extremely lost, and could cry at any moment. Their clothes were overall clean, but a strange detail caught Orion''s attention. There was traces of blood on their clothes, most likely someone else''s. As usual, many possibilities entered his mind. He immediately crossed out the trap, because the moment someone ignored them, that plan would fail. "Orion?" Amelia looked over his shoulder, not knowing why he stopped. The moment she noticed the children, she understood. Orion was unable to ignore, or hurt children. He didn''t particularly love them, but they had an important place in his heart. They were the future, the hopes of many parents. He himself applied his parents way, them who sacrificed their lives to protect their own child. If he could, he would protect every children in this world, just to take over the mantle of his parents. He crouched, one knee to the pavement. "Do you need help?" Without beating around the bush, he asked the oldest sister. She stayed silent, as she stared in his eyes. After a second, she slowly nodded, still looking in his eyes. She was holding her little brother''s hand with her right hand. With her left hand, she pointed in an alley. It was a normal alley, nothing unusual was in sight, which led him to believe that his main idea could be right. "Lead the way." He stood up, and turned to the girls behind him. "You can follow, but this might not be good for your heart. Now''s the time to look for around town if you don''t want to follow me." Karteira stared at the two children, and then at Amelia. The two girls nodded at each other, before speaking at the same time. "We''re coming with you." The oldest girl ran inside the alley with her little brother, with the group following closely behind. After walking for a bit, they arrived in front of a house. It was a perfectly fine house, it was the bigger and highest house of the neighborhood. The children turned to look at Orion, no words coming from their mouth. Only tears began to flow from their faces, seemingly remembering what happened inside. The three walked past them, and opened the door. The smell of blood wafted in the air. Strangely, what Orion thought had happened wasn''t there. No bodies, no signs of struggle, no blood splattered. He was perplexed. This was not what he was expecting. ''This is not a murder scene then. Why are we here in that case?'' He looked around the room. It was a dining area, and a kitchen. Nothing unusual at all. ''There is nothing wrong in th-'' Suddenly, from upstairs, he heard something. *cough* *splash* *cough* "Damn it, this might be worse than a murder scene!" He heard the sound of a liquid hit the wood, which led him to panic. ''Now I understand the fear in their eyes!'' The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. He left Amelia and Karteira on the spot, and ran upstairs. He opened the door furiously, and saw one of the worst scene in his life. A woman, most likely the mother of the two children outside, was laying in her bed, covered in blood. There was so much blood in the room that it was impossible not to step on it. She was extremely worn out, and was gasping for air, her skin white from the lack of blood in her body. "And they saw their mother in that state?!" He walked to the frail woman in bed, who could die at any moment. Amelia and Karteira finally arrived upstairs, and peeked inside the room that smelled horribly. "What is this?! This is terrible!" Amelia brought her hands to her mouth, shocked by the scene. Karteira had her mouth opened, not knowing what to say. She had never saw someone in such a state before. "Hang in there, I''ll help you feel better." Orion placed his hands covered with light magic on her bloodied body without hesitation. This was not the time to think if he had to hide his healing power. He began to massage the woman slowly. From what he observed, she might had a disease, or an injury in her lungs, her stomach, or both. The woman opened her eyes. "Who... are... you?" Orion looked deep into her lifeless eyes. "Someone who''s trying to save your life. Now stay silent, you''ll have all the time in the world to ask questions later." She tiredly nodded, and fell asleep. "Good." Ignoring the woman''s supple parts, he continued to massage her chest for a long time. ''This is worse than it looks, her body isn''t healing as fast as it should. How did she even survive this long?'' ''Did she fought for dear life just to be with her children a little longer? How much hope and resilience do you need to resist such a terrible fate?'' Orion glanced at the girls who were looking inside the room. "Both of you, go get me cleaning tools. We need to clean this house for the children, we can''t let them outside any longer." "I also won''t be able to heal this person in one sitting, we''ll have to stay longer than intended." Grabbing into their senses, they straightened when they remembered the children waiting at the door. "I''ll go find a bucket, Amelia, take care of the children." "Alright!" The two left Orion, running to do their things. An hour later, Orion had used almost all of it''s energy. He was drained of magic power. The woman stopped coughing, which was a good sign, but her body was still in bad shape. She still had an unhealthy color. Amelia and Karteira took care of cleaning the blood splatters, opened the windows to let the stagnant air leave the house, and comforted the siblings that were fearing the worst for their mother. During that time, Amelia managed to talk to the oldest girl. She was Lila, and her brother was Leon. Their mother had a beautiful name, Crystal. Orion was sitting next to the woman named Crystal, watching her state as he recovered his magic. With a grunt, she opened her eyes, that showed life once again, notifying Orion that what he did wasn''t in vain. He stared at her light blue eyes, and spoke first. "Hello, how are you feeling?" She, with difficulty, sat in her bed. "I... I feel better. I don''t have any difficulty to breath anymore." She touched her chest, where the source of the pain was. "There is still a remaining feeling, but... I''m really fine." She placed her hands on her face and began to cry. ''This wasn''t what I expected when I stopped by this village.'' He smiled, and stood up from his chair. He walked outside the room and downstairs, where everyone was. "She''s awake." Before he could say anything else, the children ran past him, and entered their mother''s room after walking upstairs. "Mom!" "Mother!" "Lila! Leon! I''m so sorry." Sounds of crying began to echo in the house, leaving Amelia in tears and Karteira biting her lips. Orion tried his best not to let it affect him. ''It is a good thing they stopped us, if not, these two would have lost their mother.'' Amelia, still in tears looked at Orion. She was able to see through him. "It''s great that we managed to avoid these two from being orphans like us." He walked to her and gave her a tissue, replying with a single word. "Yes." After what half an hour, the children called Orion. The three walked upstairs and entered the room. Crystal was sitting on the edge of her bed, her children at her side. "Thank you very much for saving my life and protecting my children''s future." The three bowed at Orion, grateful for his kindness act. "You don''t have to thank me. Thank your own body for bearing with this pain until now. I just happened to arrive in time to heal you." "But without you, I would have lost my life anyways. Please." Orion placed a hand on the back of his head and looked to the side, not knowing what to say. "You are welcome." While Orion was feeling weird, the small Leon walked to Orion and grabbed his pants. "Mister, what''s your name?" When he looked in Leon''s eyes, he saw himself, and immediately relaxed. Like he did outside, he placed a knee on the now cleaned wooden floor. "I''m Orion. Orion Feales. A traveler?" He said the first thing that came out in his mind. "Pfft!" Karteira couldn''t help but laugh at that. Amelia was simply smiling, but knowing her, she was going to tease him later about it. He glared at them sharply. "Those two are my traveling companions." "My name''s Amelia Diom." "Karteira. Just Karteira." They both politely gave their name. The little Leon had stars in his eyes. The man in front of him had saved his mother, and he was a traveler? How cool was that. It was different for Lila. She wasn''t excited by the man in front of her, but by the two ladies behind him. She was grateful to Orion for saving her mother''s life, that was a given. She just had grown to like the ladies that took care of her earlier more. "What a peculiar group of travelers. You might already know my name, but I am Crystal, the mother of these two." There was only Lila near her, so with some effort, she placed her hand on her daughter''s head. "We had just entered the village when these little ones blocked our path. The moment I noticed the blood on their clothes, I decided to have a look at their situation. The rest lead to this moment." Orion stood up, and explained what happened. "You have to rest for now, as I can''t do anything about your missing blood. If you authorize us to stay a bit longer, I''ll continue healing your body. These two can take care of your children while you recover." Crystal made a hard face. She seemed to be thinking about her options. "Of course, if you want us to leave, we''ll oblige-" "No, it''s not that! I won''t throw the kind people who saved my life out. I don''t want to rely too much on you three, you might have things to do, right? I wouldn''t want to take your time when you are busy." He placed a hand on his chin. ''It''s no problem telling her what we were here for. I guess that wouldn''t hurt.'' "We will have to find a place to sleep at before sunset, and we''ll have to resupply before leaving tomorrow, but that can be done at any moment." Little Leon looked at his mother with a beaming expression. He ran to her and hugged her. "Mom." "I know, I know. You really like him don''t you?" He furiously nodded. "If you need somewhere to stay the night, why don''t you stay with us? Well, we have only two spare beds, is it a problem?" Orion was about to kindly refuse, before Amelia beat him to it. "It is no problem, thank you very much for the offer. It helps us greatly." He turned and glared at her angrily. ''We can''t impose on them! What are you thinking?'' She simply shrugged. For her, it was an opportunity to share a bed with Orion, like they did when they slept in the same room in the past. He quietly sighed, and turned to look at Crystal. "We will have to bother you tonight, is that fine with you?" She nodded while smiling. "I don''t know if I''ll be able to cook for them anyways. Having you around is the best solution for me right now. We''re both helping each others." Orion noticed that her face began to slowly drop lower, her eyelids also closed slower than before. He walked toward Crystal and Lila, and crouched again. "I''m sorry, your mother is getting tired. Do you mind if we let her rest?" She turned to look at her mother, and also noticed the tired smile on her face. The little girl hugged her mother and walked toward her little brother. "Sleep well, mother." Her children waved at her, as she lied in bed. She waved back at them, and before long, she closed her eyes and fell back asleep. ''Just staying up that long might have taken all of her strength away. I''ll be looking after you and your children as promised.'' The group left her room quietly. The children showed the interior of the house, their own rooms, and the room they will be staying in. Orion kept his senses active to notice any change in Crystal''s behavior, but there was no changes. She was slowly healing, as her color began to return closer to a living being. It was still small, but shades of pink reappeared on her face. Karteira and Amelia were talking with Lila, while Leon kept following Orion everywhere. Maybe out of boredom, or because he liked the child, Orion showed a bit of his magic to Leon. He explained that it was a dangerous power, but that if it was used correctly, it could save people, just like he saved Crystal. What Orion showed and told led that little boy to choose a path in life that would have never been possible without meeting Orion. With sparkles in his eyes, he listened to Orion talk until he had to look at his mother''s health. The girls took Lila with them to resupply. They were grateful to have a cute guide like her. The shopping finished relatively faster, and they managed to return before sunset with everything needed. Amelia prepared food for everyone, even for Crystal, who ate when she felt better. They enjoyed dinner together, and left to rest in their room. Yes, the only room that had two spare beds. Tonight will be one of the most hellish night of his life... or not. He fell asleep the moment he touched the pillow, exhausted from overusing his light element. The next morning was, in fact, the true chaos. Chapter 82: The chaos that is love. ''It''s too hot. Heavy.'' Orion had difficulty to breathe. There was something weighting on his chest. He opened his eyes. ''Another unusual ceiling.'' The fact that they stayed at the house of the person he saved the day before, Crystal, returned to him. ''Oh, that''s right. I fell asleep before even checking on the girls.'' He removed the cover he had on him, and stared at chaos personified. ''Now I understand why it was so hot and hard to breathe.'' Amelia was snuggly hugging his chest, in her underwear. That was poison for his mind. It was morning, and he just woke up. Many things were starting their engine at that moment of the day. ''I can''t move. Amelia, for the love of the world, why did you get in my bed?!'' Her pink underwear entered his vision, as he looked at her womanly parts. ''She has grown a lot physically, that I can tell.'' Indeed, her body has matured quite a bit since then. What really caught his eyes was her thigh, locked around his own leg. ''I thought I was over it already?! Calm down Orion!'' He did his best not to awaken something bad inside him. "Hmm-" Someone else caught his attention, turning around in her sleep. ''Why does every women in this room sleep in their underwear?!'' Personified chaos number two, Karteira, was sleeping without her cover, she was on her side, most likely to avoid crushing her currently invisible scorpion tail. Orion stared at her, noticing the blue underwear she was wearing. Her thighs then entered his line of sight, as well as her butt. ''...'' He stopped thinking. This was too much for him. He, who did the best he could not to get aroused by his companions, was in the worst situation he ever had to face. Ingenuity? Useless. Power? useless. Protection? Useless. There was nothing he could do to resist this. ''I''m lucky I still have my tight pants on, if not... I don''t want to think about it.'' He was completely aroused. He usually dealt with it by focusing on training instead, but today, it was not possible. ''What am I supposed to do now? Ignore them and stare at the ceiling until Amelia wakes up?'' He bit his lips, and shut his brain off. This was not the moment to let his desires take over. Not yet. ''Resisting the temptation is one of the worst torture in this world.'' As he thought this, Amelia began to wake up. By removing the cover, the sun directly shined in her face, causing her to react to it. She opened her eyes slowly, and looked at Orion, only half-awake. "Hi." *Yawn* She smiled warmly at him after yawning. ''That will never changed. That half-asleep face is incredibly cute.'' "Morning Amelia." He placed his hand on her head and began to stroke her hair. She snuggled closer to his neck, and closed her eyes, enjoying the caresses. Amelia remained like this for a few minutes before her brain finally awakened. "Eh?" She lifted her face and looked into Orion''s eyes. ''Ah, she has finally realized in what situation she is in.'' "Ah... Um... Sorry?" She removed herself from his chest and hid under the blanket Orion removed earlier. "I was supposed to wake up before you and return to the other bed, but I guess I failed." Her face was bright red. She only realized once she had awakened that she was hugging him in her underwear. ''I want to die.'' She was cursing herself for failing her plan. But in the end, she managed to sleep next to him, so this was a success. "That''s why you were eager to accept her proposition yesterday, right? You are cunning for the wrong things, you know that." Orion finally managed to sit on the edge of the bed, avoiding Amelia, and Karteira''s attracting forms from entering his vision. ''Time to calm down, breathe Orion. Breathe. Calm.'' He hid his own emotions, returning to being in a non-aroused state. "I said it before, I will not begin a relationship with you until I am done with my revenge." He looked at her with a serious face. Amelia looked down. She heard it many times during the last three years. There was only one thing she didn''t understand. She returned his gaze, and asked. "Why? You''ve never told me why you are dead set on not loving me." ''She never asked before. What changed?'' Orion kept his serious look, but inside, he was stunned. ''I have to answer, right? That''s going to be embarrassing.'' He turned his head and looked through the window, absent-mindedly. "I''ve said it before too, I don''t want to be that important to you in case I die." He tried to deflect it. "I know, but it''s too late for that. If you die, I''ll most likely die with you. Even if I survive, there is no point if I am left alone. You know it, I don''t have anyone else other than you in this world." The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. He knew, and yet he couldn''t bring himself to commit and accept her feelings. His hands hid his face. "If at some point I make a child with you, will I ever be able to continue my vengeance? Can I burden my child with a life of running away from Elliot?" ''Is he thinking so far ahead? I never thought about having a child with him yet.'' Amelia realized that what she wanted and what Orion imagined were different. "I just want you to accept my feelings. I know how important this fight is to you, do you really think so little of me that I would force you into having a child?" Still calm, he stared deep inside her eyes. "No, but would I be able to contain myself? That''s not going to happen. I knew from the beginning that you loved me, and I''ve never refused you. Do you know why?" She knew, but remained silent. She wanted to hear him say it himself. It took everything for him to say it. There was no pride stopping him, he was just apprehensive of the consequences that those words would bring. "When we were young, I saw you as a sister. You were always the first one at my side. But after saving you from the fire, and sharing more time during the last three years, I''ve changed." ''Just say it already!'' Amelia was waiting impatiently. He was avoiding the words, but she chose to remain silent again. ''Is it his way of readying himself?'' "I didn''t care that you had the Key, or that you had five elements. The moment I learned that you were forced to be by my side constantly, guilt and happiness formed inside me." "Amelia, I wanted you to have a normal life, to live in Auro, find someone else than me, and be happy. That''s the guilt I have." "But, having you with me was the best thing that happened to me. I... love you too much to let you go. That''s why I never pushed your advances away." An unusual expression of relief appeared on face. As if he finally removed something heavy that weighted on him for so long. Amelia was lost for words, she did not expect it to turn like this. The words finally got out. Happiness grew inside her, to the point that she was unconsciously grinning from ear to ear. ''Well, I knew that the last time you showed me that book, but knowing and hearing it from you is different.'' "Then..." She removed the cover and moved on all-four toward him. Her face closed on his, as she went for her first kiss. "No." He pushed her face away, back to being the usual Orion. He was fast in getting himself together. "Why?!" Amelia began to pout. She sat on the bed, her arms crossed under her pink bra. "Because I don''t want to. At least, not in front of Karteira." *Twitch* ''I was found out! Since when?'' "You can''t fool me, I saw you peak a few times." Orion sent a chilling smile toward her. "She heard everything, good job Amelia." And then he blamed Amelia, who had her face bright red. "Karteira! Since when were you awake?" Amelia stood up from the bed and ran to Karteira''s side. "Don''t blame me! You''re the one who spoke those embarrassing things!" ''What are they doing?'' Orion returned to look through the window, as the two girls began to argue in their underwear. ''There''s nowhere to look.'' ~ "Did you sleep well?" Crystal asked Orion as he entered her room after knocking. He was about to check on her, and apply the last healing massage. "I''ve used a lot of energy healing you yesterday, so I had a good sleep. I fell asleep the moment my head touched the pillow." Crystal thought about apologizing for what happened the day before, but she shook her head and instead, thought that thanking him would be better. "I am glad that you enjoyed your stay. Thank you very much for your kindness, that dinner was one of the tastiest meal I''ve had in a long time." "I''ll be sure to say that to Amelia later. Now, please show me your back." Crystal turned around, her back toward Orion. Now that she was feeling better, Orion had to only apply his light element through her back. He would only massaged her chest the moment it became an emergency. "Alright. I''ll massage your back then." The healing process worked fine, and the remaining pain she had in her chest disappeared completely. "Do you have an idea of what could have happened for you to be in such a state? That didn''t look like a simple disease to me." Crystal plunged into her memories. She remembered the day before she turned sick. "I had left my children at home that day, it was last... week. Nine days ago." ''She was drained for nine days straight? Yes, she is indeed the most resilient person I have ever known.'' Orion didn''t quite get that he himself was extremely resilient. "I was going shopping for dinner, when I looked at a strange soldier wobbling around the main road. He was really strange, like he wasn''t there." "Maybe because his behavior was suspicious, the village''s guards appeared to arrest him." "The moment they grabbed his arm, the strange soldier slashed at the soldier who grabbed him, cutting his arm off. Everyone panicked and fled the place, but not me. I was petrified." ''That would happen to anyone not used to this side of the world.'' Orion wasn''t judging Crystal for that reaction. "After a tough resistance, the guards managed to bring that other strange soldier down. They killed him on the spot." "I think the reason for me being sick was the strange smoke that left his mouth after he died." That grabbed Orion''s attention. "Strange smoke? Can you describe it precisely?" Crystal turned her head, but couldn''t manage to see Orion that was behind her. "It was dark and purple. I can''t describe anything other than that, because the instant I noticed it, it entered my mouth." ''It never stops! This might not be the end of her suffering.'' "If what you said is true, then I will have to heal you differently. You don''t have to move a muscle though. Give me some time, please." Orion stopped his healing. He closed his eyes and tried to find the magic thread in her body. ''As expected, she doesn''t have any magic in her.'' Only a handful of people in this world had magic in their body. He kept searching for that thread of magic inside her. ''Found you!'' The dark purple smoke that she was talking about was encroached inside of her body. By healing, Orion managed to negate most of it''s affliction on her. By following that familiar feeling, he found the place it was hiding. Orion sent his magic to flow inside Crystal''s body and grabbed the smoke using his dark element . ''I won''t let you get away.'' The dark element encased the smoke inside it. Before long, his dark element pushed the smoke out of her body. *Cough* Crystal coughed a small amount of blood in her hands. Inside that blood was a dark spot, way smaller than what entered her body before. "What is this?! The smoke?" Orion immediately opened his eyes after confirming one more time that no other foreign element was hiding in her body, and used his light element with one hand on her back, and the other over the blood using the dark element. He pressured the dark spot, afflicting it with the many ailments Orion was capable of creating, and destroyed it completely. "With this thing destroyed, your life is in no danger anymore." Orion sighed and sat back behind her, continuing his healing on her, just in case his actions would have caused her any problems. ''I can''t believe the corruption does that to people.'' He began to think about what Crystal said. A soldier releasing a dark purple smoke. Most likely the same smoke that was released when Orion attacked the building where the Ceremony took place. Before Monolavir saved him, the soldiers began to act strangely after being wrapped by a dark purple smoke. That soldier might have been one of the few that stayed alive from that time. Considering the distance, and the time, it''s been two months since then. It was possible for the possessed soldier to walk the whole continent and arrive here. "I can''t believe I still had it inside of me! Without you, my health would have deteriorated again, thank you! I can''t thank you enough." ''It''s also my responsibility to heal you. This is partly my fault that you fell in this state.'' Orion began to feel guilt. Him attacking the Apostle during the Ceremony led to this very moment. "No, you don''t have to thank me. I said that you would be healed, and I will stick to my promise." ''I am sorry. Without my mistake, this wouldn''t have happened.'' He kept it inside him, continuously apologizing for almost destroying this family. A few minutes later, he felt someone staring at him. When he turned around, Amelia was smiling at him from the door. - "There are a lot of things in this world that we can''t control. Orion, don''t try to bear all of the faults of this world." "There will be no end to your suffering if you do." - He remembered a lesson he heard in one of the recordings his parents left him. A gentle smile appeared on his face. ''That''s right. I couldn''t know this would happen. All I have to do is correct it, and move on.'' Amelia, satisfied, walked downstairs to check their belongings. "All right, this should help you feel better." Orion removed his hands from her back, a little tired. "Are you leaving already?" Crystal turned to sit face to face with him. "We have to continue our travels. So yes, we are leaving." Crystal bowed. "I cannot thank you enough for saving me, and my children." She straightened. "Know that you will always be welcomed in this house. I will never forget your kindness." She placed her right hand on her heart. "If we ever come back, I hope to see better colors on your face." He warmly smiled as he stood up from his chair. "I will. Please take care on the road. Can you give my thanks to your companions too?" "Gladly, I''ll tell them about our promise too. Well then, stay healthy." He left the room, and closed the door behind him. ''What a strange man. Strange, yet kinder than any man I''ve seen in my life.'' ''Orion. I''ll remember your name.'' Once he walked downstairs, he found himself having to say goodbye to Lila and Leon. The goodbyes were tough, since children couldn''t accept it as easily as adults. Leon promised Orion to work hard on his goal, and Lila promised the girls that she would take good care of her mother in the future. They picked up their bags, and left the house with the children waving at them. With the Lavira village behind them, it was time to walk toward the Parsmata Desert. At the same time, Dramia and Drania arrived at Ormrdivin. Chapter 83: The sisters in Ormrdivin. "Sis, this looks like the right place." A cramped smile formed on Drania''s face, as sweat began to drip from her cheeks. "This is definitely the dragon''s nest." Dramia wasn''t looking better either. "Ha-haha... yes." Drania let out a strained laugh. "This is bad isn''t it, sis?" "Do I have to explain?" "No." The two looked around them. They were surrounded by a lot of dragons. A single dragon was already enough to scare someone to death, but a that many of them? This was no joke for the sisters. "Do you see him anywhere?" Drania asked with a trembling voice. "No, I suppose you don''t either." They were in a bad situation. Just imagining the dragons suddenly attacking them was enough to bring them to tears. ''Orion! Where is that blue dragon!?'' Dramia began to panic, her eyes spinning everywhere to find that dragon. "Sis! Over there, all the way down!" Drania saw a unique dragon that Orion described. Azur colored scales, crown looking horns, and four wings. Her sister immediately took her chance, she stared at the dragon and began to shout. "We are fairies! We came here to ask the dragons for help! We heard from Orion and Amelia that a dragon named Monolavir would be able to help us!" The blue dragon reacted immediately. A roar escaped his mouth, and all the dragons returned inside except the guarding dragons. His four wings began to flap, lifting his long body from the ground. In a few seconds, his head was in front of the sister. He let a grunting sound escape from his nostrils. Drania was frozen, she had decided to stay silent, avoiding to cause any problem for her sister. "Orion asked us to relay one message to you." Dramia began to recall their previous conversation. ~ "The dragons are a passive faction, if you don''t attack them, they won''t attack you." Orion began to explain to the sisters his plan for their success. "I''m sure you will be terrified, but don''t forget. They don''t know you. Start by saying that you are fairies. We told them that looking for the fairies was our current goal, so telling that you''ve met us will definitely ease their mind." The sisters nodded. They understood the risk of approaching the dragons. "What you want is either find a blue dragon. His name is Monolavir. Physically, look for a dragon with azur colored scales, four wings, and six horns forming a crown shape." "Call for him when you see him by using our name. I''m sure he will react and approach you." "After that, simply ask if you could receive the same ability to understand the dragon language. I learned that it wasn''t an exclusive ability to the demons." "Oh, tell him we are doing well. That should make him happy." ~ "That''s what he said to us. He also talked about the blessing you gave to Amelia." The dragon closed his eyes, seemingly thinking. He snorted, and sent his magic toward the girl. Their body began to heat up. After a few seconds, it calmed down. A deep voice echoed in their mind. "So, Orion found the fairies? Can you confirm that?" Drania, with courage, answered the dragon. "He stayed with us for a month, saved our Remnant friend, and left toward the desert afterwards. He told us to thank you for the help." Her hands were trembling, and Monolavir noticed that. "As you are flying, I will believe that you are indeed from the fairy faction. Orion and Amelia''s names aren''t something we can ignore anymore." He flapped his wings and took a different posture, displaying his imposing body, yet no animosity showed in his actions. "My name is Monolavir, current ''savior'' of the dragon faction. In the name of our mutual friends, I welcome you to Ormrdivin. Follow me." He plunged toward the hole in the mountain roof, leaving the sisters in shock in the sky. They both shook their heads to return to normal, and followed him shortly. They entered the same room Orion and Amelia entered before. The nests that had scales as decorations, the sparkling walls, and another dragon. "I forgot to ask, what are your names?" Monolavir dropped to the ground, next to Ruminona. "My name is Dramia, and this is Drania. We are twins." "Dramia and Drania. I''ll remember." Monolavir nodded his big head. The sisters looked to his side, at a smaller green dragon with a split tail. "Are you perhaps Ruminona? Amelia spoke about a beautiful wind dragon, but I never expected it to be to such extent." Dramia was in awe, she never saw such grace from anything in her life. Her scales were shining a green similar to the color of Tiohr-nam''s leaves. Her horns were bent backward, in a wave pattern, and her wings were more defined, graceful and well-maintained than most of the other dragons she saw earlier. "Thank you for the compliment. It is sad that I haven''t heard Amelia say this before she left. Indeed, I am Ruminona." Monolavir silently listened, before switching back to the first topic. "You''ve asked for our help, but what could we do for you? If you are asking to attack a city, I will have to refuse. We do not take part in conflicts." Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. The sisters shook their heads together. "No, we would never ask something like that to the dragon." Dramia said, before her sister took over. "Orion told us that the dragon faction was a peaceful faction. Knowing that, we wouldn''t even step inside knowing we would be ignored." He nodded. "I had my suspicions at first, but it seems like you told the truth, you really met Orion and Amelia. I apologize, knowing the ability the fairies have to read an individual''s identity, I needed to be careful." "We expected it from the beginning. But obtaining the ability to communicate was the most important part. Everything we said at the entrance was Orion''s ideas to help us." Dramia explained, and continued. "We would like your help going north." "North?! Are you serious? What do you even seek in that place?" "Mono, what''s north?" From the dragon faction, only himself knew what was past the Northern Sea. He explored most of the continent, even going as far as finding other lands on the other side of the seas. "There is a giant chasm in the middle of the sea. Around that chasm, the space is completely warped, making it difficult to access by ourselves." Drania gave a simple explanation, far from being complete. "That place was lost in time, only us two knows what is inside, and we need to go in. We came to ask for help concerning that." Monolavir stayed silent, thinking about his options. "Is it a troublesome request?" Ruminona placed her head next to Monolavir. "In reality, yes. It a dangerous request they have asked of us." The sisters looked down, fully expecting a refusal. "But, if we bring most of our members, this should be an easier task than what I expect from it." A bright smile appeared on their faces. "Then?" "Yes, we will help you, for Orion''s sake. I have a feeling your request is linked to him in a way." They chose to stay silent. ''I am right it seems, but there''s something else weighting on them.'' "In any case, I will talk with the other dragons. Is tomorrow a good time for you?" They nodded. Monolavir left the room, leaving the sisters and Ruminona alone. "We will treat you the same as Orion and Amelia when they were here. In exchange, please tell me what they did during the last month." Ruminona placed her head on the ground, relaxed. "Well, the first moment we''ve seen them was shortly after they entered our realm. You see, our realm is hidden away and-" The sisters began to tell what happened during the last month to Ruminona, who listened to their point of view. There was a lot of details only Orion and Amelia could give, but they still managed to give enough explanations on what they did. It took them two hours to go over Orion and Amelia''s achievements, bringing Karteira''s name as their new companion at the same time. "I see, so there was such a thing. A ring. I understand why he was so eager to find the fairies now. That was his first lead." Ruminona remembered the last conversation she had with them about the fairies. "So he avoided speaking about it to you then?" Dramia also remembered how cautious Orion was at first. The moment he entered the room, there was this cautiousness around him that was ever present until recently. "Yes, he always repressed talking about himself when they stayed with us. We knew only the bare minimum about him. How he thought was not clear until you''ve explained it." Ruminona closed her eyes. "Yes, now they''re all moving toward the desert. There seems to be a large amount of corruption over there, and two of his enemies are in the area too." Drania crossed her arms, thinking about all the trouble the three of them will have. "The Apostles... one of the mystery of the humans. Even us do not understand how they managed to be able to rule for two millenium without fading to history." Silence fell in the room. "Anyways, thank you for telling me about them. We''ve been worried about their situation, but as we can still feel our connection to Amelia, we dismissed it." She remained on the spot. A dragon had to consume a large amount of energy just to move around which Ruminona tried to avoid as much as possible. ''Now I feel weird for being scared of them.'' The sisters thought of the same thing. ''They are Orion''s allies, we shouldn''t have thought about them as being scary.'' They looked at each other. It was easy to say that now, but being scared was a normal reaction. Just because they were friends to Orion and Amelia did not mean anything for dragons. If they were more antagonistic, it would have been harder to struck a deal with them. "No, it is normal to share what we know. Orion told us that he was glad to have found his parents allies before anything else." "Allies. Why does he not consider us ''his'' allies?" Dramia looked blank. Only now did she realized the distance Orion kept putting between them. "He still plans of doing everything by himself! That moron!" She was angry. She finally opened her heart to him, and he wasn''t going to rely on her? That was inacceptable. Drania was pouting angrily on the side. ''He made two factions allies, not because he his the child of our heroes, but because he himself make us care about him. He never asked anything of us to begin with.'' Ruminona felt the same way. "What a terrible man. He knows that none of us can actually be of help to him." She knew why he stayed distant. "Could you explain?" She nodded at Dramia''s request. "We are ''hidden'' factions. We usually don''t take part of the events of the continent. The only exception was the factions purge by the humans two thousand years ago." "Orion doesn''t want us to stand with him, in case the consequences end up falling on us." Another silence fell in the room. "It is his fight, that is what you are saying?" Dramia looked dejected. "It''s not fair! He saved us, but we can''t help him?" While Drania was pouting again. "Yes, it is unfair, but what can we do. He fights for himself. This is a vengeance that can only be accomplished by himself. Interfering with his goals will only bring trouble for us later." Ruminona understood his way of thinking better after listening to what happened during the last month. "Then, we just have to wait for a moment where he his overwhelmed by the situation." "Yes! There won''t be any problem if we are there when he needs it the most!" The sister thought about the best approach to help Orion. "Let''s hope this will never happen. If the moment comes when the dragons have to fight, the continent will certainly have fallen in chaos." They shuddered. This was true. Even if the dragons were peaceful at heart, they were powerful beings. Luckily, except Monolavir and Ruminona, no dragon was as destructive as them. That didn''t mean the hundred dragons wouldn''t cause havoc everywhere they passed through. "Indeed, that is true." Drania calmed her excitation. "I don''t want to think about this but let''s say Orion dies in battle and Amelia lost her mind. If she were to summon you two, what would happen?" Ruminona fell in deep though, thinking of a situation like this happening. Before long, the answer came out. "By our blessing, it is our obligation to help her. If she asks us to destroy life on the continent... we will follow her orders. From what I feel, if she summons us, our physical form will be altered, causing a surge of power in Mono and I. I fear the whole continent will disappear in a few days." "If she calls us in a state of rage and madness, we will be linked to her feelings. That is a scary thought indeed." Terror appeared on their faces. ''This continent Noah sacrificed himself to protect. Disappearing just like that?'' ''It''s a good thing we aren''t her enemies.'' Ruminona had a weird feeling in her heart. ''Why do I feel like this hypothetical situation happened multiple times? This feeling is too strong to be just a thought. I will talk with Mono later.'' "In any case, you don''t have to think too much about it. This will most likely not happen. If he keeps his cautiousness, there will be no such end for us." They nodded, returning to their normal mood. "Where can we spend the night?" Dramia asked Ruminona, who turned her head toward two large pile of dirt. "Do you see this place? This is where Amelia created her housing. There is nothing left of it, but feel free to rest over there." They nodded, and walked to the mounds of dirt. "Sis, can I try?" "Of course, do your best." Drania smiled and focused on her earth element. She followed the explanations Amelia gave her. - "How I create the houses?" Amelia looked surprised at the sudden question. "Yes, I would like to try, since we have to rest multiple time during our flights." Drania asked, leading Amelia to think, a finger touching her chin. "How do I explain this? Give me a second, I''ll try to think like Orion does. It''s always easier to understand when he explains." Drania waited patiently for Amelia to gather her thoughts. Once she was ready, Amelia placed a hand in front of her. "Did you ever listen to your element''s voice?" "My element''s voice?" Drania didn''t understand. "Yes, a small, almost inaudible voice. If you don''t pay attention, it is easy to miss it. If you send magic to feed it, it should speak to you. Try it." Drania closed her eyes, creating a sphere of dirt, way smaller than what Amelia was capable of creating. She focused everything on her senses. She sent magic to the earth element slowly. ''Food... magic...'' ''Wah! So cute!'' A cute voice echoed in her head. "I never thought elements had thoughts! That is such an important discovery!" Amelia smiled. She had in her the Key, that had clear thoughts and feelings. It wasn''t hard for her to listen to the voice of her elements today. "I can''t say those are thoughts, I think it is more a mimicking trait of the magic. To have a perfect form, it adapts to make it''s point across? Something like that." "Orion was the first to do that with his crossbows. I also applied the same process when using my daggers, or constructing something. I give my thoughts to the elements, and it changes it to it''s perfect form, what it wants to be." "By doing that, the strength of the magic is multiplied. Like this." A small pile of dirt and rocks formed in front of them. The rocks formed the bottom of the tiny house, and the dirt tightly packed itself on top of it. "I see. So using magic is an exchange of thoughts between you and the element. I''ll try." - A small building, enough to house two people was in front of the sisters. "It''s a bit crude as usual, but it will do. Good job Drania." Dramia patted her sister''s head. "Hehe, thank you. I''ll work on making it better next time." ''Something like this! Whenever they pass by, they teach their knowledge. I wonder what this world will look like in a few years.'' Ruminona had her eyes wide open at the sight in front of her. The sisters entered the house, and slept through the night in a cozy space, thanks to Drania''s hard work. The moment to travel to the Northern Sea Chasm was upon them. Chapter 84: The Northern Sea Anomaly. A new day arrived. The sisters awakened, prepared themselves for the rough day that was to come, and walked outside the roughly made dirt house. They followed Monolavir and Ruminona right after, who led them toward the entrance. Once they arrived, a show they would never forget for the rest of their life happened. Monolavir roared, his loud voice echoing through the tunnels. The dragons began to fly one by one from the tunnels, moving past Monolavir and moving through the roof entrance. The oldest dragons stayed stationary near the entrance, while the youngest dragons flew in circles high in the sky. This display of a hundred dragons moving for them made a huge impact on their mind. They were in awe in front of these mighty beings, and they were moving for them at that. Once all the dragons were outside, Monolavir and Ruminona flapped their wings, following the pack. "Let us go." Monolavir spoke to the sisters, who nodded. They left the ground too, following right behind. Once outside, Monolavir turned toward a bunch of brown colored dragon. "Do it." The dragon all moved in a circle formation over the entrance, and began to inflate their chest. With roars capable of shattering the most resistant pieces of glass ever created, the entrance to the dragon''s nest began to close. The border of the hole began to grow rocks, until it was completely sealed. "Great work. Rest in the back, until we arrive, but don''t fall behind." Lots of ''Yes!'' and ''Thank you!'' echoed in the girls head, enough to give a small headache. Ruminona roared behind Monolavir to catch the attention of all dragons. "Quieter! Your voices are too loud for those two that just managed to understand our language. Do you want Orion to come back and punch your faces again?" One of the most painful silence in the history of the dragons happened. ''What did he do? What did Orion do to the dragons?!'' Dramia was panicking inside. She never heard about Orion fighting dragons! And certainly not about him beating dragons! "You all are rusty, maybe that would be the best outcome." Monolavir jokingly added this, not knowing the terror he inflicted on all the dragons. The ones being less scared were the females, as most were dedicated to hatch their eggs. A few females were actually stronger than the males of the nest. These dragons would be enough to overwhelm Orion, but this was not the focus right now. In any case, it was time to depart. Monolavir looked far in the distance, toward the north. A few kilometers away from the mountains, that cursed place was. He knew better than anyone not to get too close to it, yet he accepted the request. "The moment I stop, you all need to stop. If I see one of you moving in front of me, I won''t protect you. Know better than defying my words." The dragon seemed to nod, as they all dropped their head lower. "Everyone, follow me!" Monolavir created a bubble similar to the one he used on Orion and Amelia, enveloping Dramia and Drania inside. Surprised, they didn''t had time to have another reaction, because Monolavir scooped them up, and flew at top speed, Ruminona next to him, and the full pack of dragons closely behind them. "We could have followed at that speed." Dramia, without disrespecting the dragon for his actions, notified him. "I understand that. It would be best for you two to save your strength. That place is no joking matter, and I don''t plan on having you hurt. Just stay put, we will arrive shortly." The chasm wasn''t that far, but since the moment it was formed, it had drifted away from it''s original place. Now in the middle of the Northern Sea, it was roughly an hour away at top speed. "Thank you." Drania waved at Monolavir from below, a smile on her face. An usual thing to do coming from her. The dragons features were hard to discern, but the smile he showed didn''t escaped Ruminona. ''He''s been showing more expressions since Orion appeared.'' Indeed, maybe talking about his past rampage concerning his stolen children with Orion cleared his guilt, or maybe did he finally decided to enjoy his life again, Monolavir was changing. At the same time, all of the dragons noticed that change. He was less imposing to his kind, and began to share some of his burden to them. ''Fighting, teaching, telling stories of the past, or just talking with them. All of this is new to the others. Even asking for their help yesterday was a shock.'' Ruminona thought about what he told her when he came back after rounding all of the dragons and asking for their help. ''He said that their jaws almost fell to the ground. I would have loved to see that. But if I had, I wouldn''t have learned about these girls.'' She glanced at the sisters. Drania was tapping the bubble in a playful way on all four, while Dramia was sitting hugging her knees, patiently waiting while sometimes sighing at her sister. This sight really reminded her of Orion and Amelia. They acted differently, but for dragons, that wasn''t an important detail. ''Did Amelia progress in making Orion notice her? I remember her saying that she sometimes felt lost in her own feelings. Not being accepted can be hard on someone''s mental.'' This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. She didn''t know it because only them, and now Karteira, knew, but she made tremendous progress. ''We do not share the same view of the world, that is sure. But... perhaps. In the end, the feelings we share are the same, unaffected by our faction affiliation.'' ''She made me think about quite many notion after she left.'' In fact, Ruminona was leaving the notions the dragons were birthed with. She was evolving by questioning everything. ''I wish I could ask him. I have no idea where to even look to find him in the first place. Maybe I''ll ask Mono later to look around.'' While she was thinking that, something stirred all the way east. In the Palafas Sea, further away from the shores were Orion''s group was walking toward, a shadow impossible to measure slid inside the deepest water. It seemed to move north too. ~ The dragons were flying straight above the sea. Nothing was unusual, and nothing was in the horizon. "Mono, are we far, it''s been almost an hour. Didn''t you say it would take around that time?" He remained focused, but his tone expressed anxiousness rather than his usual neutrality. "No, we are close." Not a minute after saying that, out of nowhere, the scenery that was unchanging until now vanished, and became replaced by a darkness even the night couldn''t create. "Monolavir! Where did you bring us!" The dragons began to panic. Their reason shattered the moment they entered the anomaly. "CALM DOWN!" They all stopped moving after hearing Monolavir''s shout. "I said, don''t fly past me. Follow my words, and everything will be fine." "Rumi, don''t move. We''ll access the situation first." "Yes." Before long, the darkness changed to a bright light, almost blinding. The sea was white, the sky was white, the sun was white, nothing was spared the white coloration, except the dragons. "Alright, immediately fly behind me, get close!" The dragons received the orders, and entered a multiple row V-shaped formation. "No one is missing. Good work. When the darkness return, everyone stops. Understood?" "It will return?" Ruminona was shocked. She thought it would be a one time only occurrence. "Yes, this place changes every few minutes from these two states." Dramia and Drania were shuddering, remembering what the place they entered was. "Sis, why did we return here for again?" Drania was almost brought to tears. The memories were hard to bear. "To turn the page, to remember, and to save ourselves. That''s why. We can''t turn back!" Dramia grabbed her sister''s shoulders, and looked deep inside her eyes. This scene was all too familiar to her. - "DRANIA! WE HAVE TO FLEE!" "NO! WE CAN''T!" "DRANIA!!" - Drania nodded, full of fear. "Monolavir, this place changes every four minutes." He brought the bubble between him and Ruminona. "How do you know that?" Dramia explained without hesitation. "Same as you, we''ve tried entering multiple times. After trying again and again, I''ve began to count the seconds. Four minutes and eleven seconds, this is our timer." Monolavir stayed silent. He found this anomaly by mistake in the past, so he knew how terrifying this place was. Just imagining these girls doing the same as him made his change the way he saw them. "I''ll be giving a notice when the light will change. We will move when the light is back, and stop when the darkness blocks our vision." Ruminona didn''t waste a second. "We''re counting on you. Mono, we continue forward. No turning back." "No turning back. Everyone, listen to this girl. When she says it, stop." Ruminona used her wind to help Dramia''s voice travel to every dragons. Two minutes later. "Ten seconds! Stop!" All the dragons heard her notice, and they remained in the V-shape formation. Darkness once again enveloped everything. You couldn''t even see your own nose in this opaque environment. Four minutes later. "Be prepared to move again!" The scenery reappeared. The dragons did not miss this moment. They entered top speed, and traveled the most distance they could before the darkness returned. This repetition took place three times. "There it is. Everyone... prepare yourself. Don''t move too fast. Follow me, same speed." Monolavir dropped his speed tremendously. He was almost stationary. "Mono, why are we flying this slowly?" Ruminona asked the question everyone wanted to ask. She heard Dramia gulp loudly right after. The one who answered her, surprisingly, was Drania. "Because you will die." A lightning bolt zigzagged through the dragons, missing them all. Before they could understand what happened, it was gone. "Do you understand?" Monolavir didn''t even turn his head. He was as tense as the other dragons. "Girls, I''m starting to regret coming here, I will be honest." He gave his honest thoughts to the sisters. "We''re regretting it too. I''m starting to wonder if it was worth it." Sweat dropped from their faces. The tension was heavy. One wrong move, and someone would explode. If one dragon gets it, a chain reaction would take place, so they were all extremely careful. The moment they saw the lightning bolt, no more toughness appeared in their demeanor. The fear f dying was stronger. They knew that lightning wasn''t normal. The white lightning appeared and disappeared faster than a normal bolt from a storm. "We''re not done yet. Listen carefully, and stop when you hear a strange sound, or a ringing in your ears." The lightning bolts grazed one last time. "Prepare for darkness!" "No one moves! I repeat! NO ONE MOVES!" Monolavir had to shout multiple times. The next nightmare was about to begin. "You know everything it seems? How far did you go before?" Drania broke through her own fear and asked Monolavir. It didn''t take a few seconds before he answered. "All the way through. I''ve seen it all. Though, I couldn''t enter the last part, obviously." If they could see him, they would see his full row of teeth. That showed how stressed out he was currently. Ruminona was following closely, doing her best not to enter he terrified state. This situation would be too much for anyone. She listened to everything intently to focus on something else. ''So he came here before. He never said anything about it.'' "Mono, why have you kept it to yourself?" "Because there exist only terror here. Nothing but a dome no one can enter can be found. There is absolutely no reason for me to talk about an anomaly. Curiosity almost killed me multiple times." "For nothing in the world would I have led another being in this place. Do you understand why?" "I do." Something began to touch the dragons. Or to be exact, it began to cover them. They followed the orders to perfection, and remained unshakable. "Light is coming back!" Dramia gave another notice. The light came back, and a sight that would break someone''s mind happened. A black hole in the middle of the sea. Simply, a dark, deep, empty space. "This is the end. It terrifies me every times how it suddenly appears." Monolavir was terrified. The lightning wasn''t enough to scare him, but this anomaly was different. It felt wrong, like terribly wrong. "This is something that shouldn''t exist. I have a strong feeling about it. Feelings like this can''t be ignored." He kept staring at the dark spot. It was massive, five kilometers wide. "Drania, we''ve arrived. Are you ready?" "No. But there''s no other way isn''t it?" Drania''s smile almost broke. "Monolavir, we need you to open it. Even a crack will be enough." He let out a huge sigh. "I know, that''s why we are here." He flapped his wings and turned to the dragons behind him. "Listen to me! I need all of you to send your strongest magic breath toward one precise spot on that black dome! Focus all of your strength on it, show me everything you have!" "YES!" The dragons flew in a straight line, forming a new forming in the shape of a W. "Rumi, the moment a crack forms, break it open with your wind. I need you to create a hole large enough for these two." The bubble broke, releasing Dramia and Drania who instantly used their wings to fly. "Alright." Monolavir looked at the dragons in front of him. "Prepare!" The dragons began to inflate their chest. "Release!" The dragons released various breaths. Water breath from blue dragons, electric breath for purple dragons, stony breath for the brown dragons, fire breath from the red dragons, and wind breath from green dragons. Only Monolavir and Ruminona remained behind, as they had another role to play. Every single breath focused on one single spot. At first, there was no changes. *Crack* "It''s working! Everyone stay strong!" Using a breath for that long was extremely painful and exhausting, but their moral was high! Monolavir asked them for help, so they would give their all! *Crack* *CRACK* A massive fissure formed on the dark dome. Not long after, light shone from the crack. "Rumi! Now!" Ruminona inflated her chest in an instant, and released a high velocity windstorm toward the fissure. The breath touched the crack, creating a big round shape hole on the dome. "It''s closing! Girls, move on!" They both nodded and used the fastest speed they had to fly toward the hole. *ROoOoOAR* Behind them, the loudest roar they have ever heard entered their ears. The next moment they blinked, an ice laser overtook them faster than they were flying. It crashed with the hole, covering it''s border in a thick layer of ice, stopping its closing temporarily. Dramia and Drania closed their eyes, blinded by the light. Before entering, Dramia grabbed her sister and hugged her. They both disappeared, engulfed by the light as they entered the dome. ''We made it!'' Chapter 85: Our memories. Sound of cracking ice was heard. Giant shards of ice fell on the ground, and the hole finally closed. Dramia, falling at high speed, her sister in her arms, tried to recover in midair. She was unsuccessful until the very last moment. Right before touching the ground, she created a burst of air toward the ground to stop her momentum. She avoided crashing and instead rolled multiple times on the ground, protecting Drania in the process. When they finally stopped rolling, she released her grip around her sister. "Sis! Why did you do that? Are you alright." Dramia laughed. "Do I look alright to you?" Her nose was bleeding, and she had multiple cuts on her arms and legs. Drania had less cuts thanks to her sister. "Don''t act like Orion! Tell me! Are you alright?!" Drania was about to burst in tears. "I''m fine. Nothing''s broken." She finally let a sigh out, eased by Dramia''s words. "Never do that again. Why did you protect me?" Dramia remained sprawled on the ground, a smile on her face. "Stop smiling! Ah! Your nose won''t stop bleeding!" ''I just felt like it. Seems like history repeats itself constantly.'' - *BOOOOM* "SIS! NOAH IS-" "FUC-!" - The memory of her hugging her sister in the same way reappeared from the depth of her mind. A memory of a distant past. "Finally! It stopped blinding." Drania let out a sigh of relief. With that, Dramia finally brought herself to stand up. With difficulty, she managed to stand. She wobbled for a second, before Drania grabbed her arm and helped her sister to stand. "Thank you." "..." The sisters finally looked in front of them, then all around. There was nothing. Only a large crater. "We''ve not been here since that day... This is the remaining shard of his existence." Dramia stared at the dome that surrounded them. The place was lighted as if it was daytime, but the sky was dark with many stars. A very mystical place the inside of the dome was. "Let''s go." The two began to walk toward the center of the large crater they were in. They walked past layers of dirt caused by an explosion, getting closer from the center. "Sis, look." Drania pointed at two shadows on the ground, a reminder of the past. "Yes, that''s where we were at that moment." The shape of two beings was painted on the ground. The hugging shadows of the sisters was burned on the ground from the heat of the blast. "Right before we were thrown violently toward the mountains. If not for Tiohr-nam catching us, we would have died." "Sometimes I wish we died that day." Dramia looked at her sister, but she couldn''t see her face. Her green hair was unusually hiding her face. In silence, they walked past the shadows of the past, and continued walking toward the center. A kilometer separated the center from their shadows. They still had some walking to do. Each step was heavier than the other. Their feelings were fighting inside them, and their throat was dry. With three thousand years of regrets, they stepped on the last layer, the center. "Ashes... is... that..." Tears began to drip from Drania''s face. Her mind shattered. They both dropped on their knees. After all this time, the reality they tried so hard to escape finally caught back to them. Even if they came here from their own decision, the fact was that they weren''t prepared enough. "Only ashes remains of him..." Dramia looked at the dark dome, full of stars. "Dramia! We couldn''t even bury him!" Drania shouted, her face planted on the dusty ground. "I KNOW!" They began to release everything sealed inside their heart. The grief they shared was impossible to stop. One crying face down, the other crying face up. They still vividly remembered Noah standing on that very spot moment''s before everything turned sour. "Was it worth it?! Was it worth it to live while he stayed here?! ALONE?" "OF COURSE IT WAS!" Drania grabbed her sister''s shoulders, and they both looked in each other''s eyes. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN!" "CALM DOWN!" This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. "NO! YOU CALM DOWN!" - "Again you two? Can''t you try and agree for once?" "We can''t, we are twins!" "Yes. She just doesn''t understand." "God damn, I never knew twins were this painful to deal with." "What?!/What?" "Now you agree? Haha." - "I''m sorry Drania." "Yes, me too." They hugged each other. "I knew this would be too hard to deal with. Sis, I can''t. I really can''t do this. I can''t let him go." Drania glanced at the ashes spread around the center. "We have to. He is gone. We have to accept it." The tears only fell on the ground, as the sisters stared at the ashes. They needed some time to collect themselves again. Their mind broken, shattered, or even destroyed, they had to stand up again. They came here for one reason, to find solace, and have a new beginning. After a long moment of silence, they stood up. They wiped the tears, before Drania walked further away. She used her earth element to dig a hole. "Sis, help me." Dramia silently used one of her element. She rarely used them, but now was one of those times. Wind began to flow from her fingers. It gently floated downward, and moved toward the ashes. With great control, Dramia moved the ashes in the hole her sister had created. "Thank you." She kept silently moving the ashes. It took less than five minutes to pack the ashes into the hole. Drania covered the ashes with the dirt she dug out, creating a grave. Branches were littering the area, so Drania grabbed a few of them, and managed to craft a plaque with the name ''NOAH'' on it. "I''m sorry, we never managed to come see you until now." Drania sat in front of the grave. "We have to remember everything. By doing that, we will finally be able to move on." Dramia kept standing, but walked closer to the grave. "It was the fight against the Miasma right?" ~ "That face! I just want to step on it and remove it from my sight!" The Miasma, Remnant of Corruption, a mass of purple sludge, had taken physical form in front of Noah. Its red eyes and its deranged smile showing all of it''s sharp teeth was sickening. "If it wasn''t for you, I wouldn''t be standing here. Only because you exist, I got mixed up in this mess." Noah, the Last Hero, was standing a few meters away from the Miasma, annoyance showing on his face. He was tall, and had short hair colored white and black. He was currently thirty five. He had a particular style, wearing a red shirt with long sleeves, and white pants, with brown boots. Multiple straps were attached at his sides, holding pouches, and multiple belts were around his left thigh. Behind him, five spheres floated. In his hands, a peculiar sword was firmly grasped. It had no special features, it looked like a low quality weapon. "Eh! Why should I care? You''ve killed my army of hard working corrupted, you can''t complain if I come after your life personally, right?" They were standing in a forest. The mountains were far on Noah''s left, and on the right side to the Miasma. Dramia and Drania were standing far away, their back toward the mountain. "I don''t understand, the Remnants are all supposed to have a purpose. Why are you like this? You are the only one." The Miasma began to express a disgusted expression. It even began to gag. "Those pieces of shit, you dare to compare me to them? I am in every way super-" *slice* *thump* The arm he was using to exaggerate its words fell on the ground. "Shut that mouth. I do not tolerate that vulgarity, even less if directed at my friends." Noah entered pure anger. The sword crumbled to dust in his hands. If his stare could kill, the Miasma would be pierced all over. The Miasma looked at its arm on the ground, and then at the gushing liquid that the dismemberment caused. "You know, that doesn''t hurt as much as I expected. Are you actually weak?" Noah placed a hand inside one of the pouch, taking out a small piece of iron. "Me? Weak?" *slice* "Huh?" The Miasma had no time to process what happened. All it saw was a new sword forming in the man''s hand, and a flash of light. It''s vision then began to split, as the new sword once again crumbled in Noah''s hand. "No no no. What do you take me for? Seriously?" The sludge it was formed with slowly covered his body, repairing the damage it had taken. "I wouldn''t be a Remnant if I could die this easily." "You and your petty tricks." "Yes, yes. My petty tricks, like this one?" The Miasma stepped on the ground and a spike emerged from the sludge left behind. The spike pierced Noah''s chest. "Ha, that''s a great look you have!" "Yes, those petty tricks. You like making me repeat myself." The spike vanished, Noah unscathed. "Now I don''t understand. What did you do?" "As if I would explain, dumbass." He destroyed the spike with lightning. It was simple. Noah was about to grab another piece of iron from his pouch. "Well, if it''s like that, I''ll just have to kill those little girls over th-" A beam of darkness erased everything in a straight line, Miasma included. "That sentence, let me help you to never finish it." A wild smile on his face, and a really dark look in his eyes, Noah attacked the Miasma with a powerful attack. A second later, purple smoke began to gather in front of him. "You destroyed my body, you fuck!" "Good. You look better like that." Having lost his physical form, the Miasma was left with an alternate form. It could still attack Noah, which was the reason he was still on guard. "You know what, I''m done with you. I thought you would be a real pain to deal with, but not really. After that, I''ll fina- URGH!" Noah grabbed his chest in pain. The five sphere behind him vanished one by one. ''I knew it, I should have avoided destroying its body. That was my mistake.'' "Too late. I''ve corrupted your internal magic system. Now, you will be unable to use any of that." It laughed sadistically at Noah''s state. ''Dramia, Drania, I''m sorry. I guess that''s how it ends?'' Noah was hurting. It''s body was beginning to be corrupted, and he slowly began to lose control over his actions and thoughts. ''No! I can still try this! In any case, I''m dead even if I don''t go for it.'' "Hehe-Hahaha-" "Shut up." Noah, using the least amount of magic possible, managed to grab the smoke form of the Miasma. He grabbed its head and stayed like this. "You''re coming with me. There definitely is a ticket for you in hell!" "FUSION MAGIC!" His hair returned to its original color, light brown. The light and dark element began to turn rapidly above Noah''s head, before friction began to cause them to melt together. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING YOU MADMAN?! LET ME GO!" The Miasma knew. What was happening was impossible to stop, and it wanted to get away immediately. "As if I''ll let you go. I have the strongest grip in this world." "NOOOOOOOO!" Miasma began to struggle, but it couldn''t do anything. The two elements merged together, forming a perfect sphere of matter above him. There was no name to this element, because it was brand new to the world, but, it was completely unstable. Noah turned, his gaze directed to the two girls he protected until now. "I''m sorry." The perfect sphere began to change form. It wildly deformed, and broke. A blinding light covered Noah and the Miasma together. The forest was instantly razed. The sisters received the blunt of the shockwave and injuries from the heat. Then they were pushed high in the air, toward a tree that grew in the mountain. The second after the explosion, two objects precious to Noah arrived in the hands of the sisters. The earth split, separating this part of the continent from the mainland. The dark dome, starting from the center of the blast began to expand, the anomaly formed around, and space warped, sealing the area from the continent. The last thing they saw was... ~ "His smile." "Yes, he smiled at us." They both agreed. After a moment of silence, Drania spoke. "So, what Orion tried to create?" "Yes, I think it was the same element. Why did we miss such an important detail?" Dramia was lost in thought. "The blast Orion created when he released his half-merged new element was weaker than Noah''s blast. Look at the state of this place." Drania looked around once again. There was absolutely nothing, only a five kilometers wide crater. Destroyed trees, pulverized rocks, and dust. This was all that was left. "Yes, it can''t be compared. But it was clearly similar. That pressure he released when he fused them made me tense up instantly at that time." "The stars that appeared after the explosion were similar to this place too, even though we couldn''t know about it before entering the dome. Now I''m sure this was the same process." She stood up. "What do we do? Tell Orion to never try it again?" Dramia shook her head. "We let him try. I have a feeling he will create it. Compared to Noah, it isn''t a last stand strategy." Her sister smiled, and nodded. "You''re right." They turned to the grave. "Noah, we''re leaving. We have to help Orion who ended up taking over your mantle." "Yes, please watch over him. I''m sure you would have liked him a lot." They expressed their last words together. "Bye. Rest well." ~ "I haven''t thought about it, but... how do we get out?" Drania sent a blank stare at her sister. "What? I can''t think about everything, alright?!" They were standing at the edge of the crater. The dome was right in front of them. She tried tapping, pushing, punching. There was no reaction. *Bzzt* "Hey, did you hear?" "Yes, what is this sound?" *Bzt* *Bzzzzt* "It''s getting stronger. It''s coming from over there!" Drania pointed further to their left. *BZZZZZZZT* *CRASH* The dome broke, a laser ripping the top of the dome off. "What was that?!" "I don''t care, let''s get out!" The sisters flapped their wings, and flew high above the dome. "Sis... What is it this time?" "Don''t move." They stopped immediately. A dark, massive shadow was looming over them, watching their every moves with it''s yellow eyes. "I''m really going to die." Drania said with sweat pouring from her cheeks. But what she expected never happened. "Who said I was going to kill you?" The being approached it''s head near the terrified girls. Chapter 86: Velridar, Remnant of Strength. The sisters slowly turned their head after hearing the voice of an old man coming from the giant shadow. Its giant head was next to them, and only it''s yellow eyes, one of a reptile, was looking at them. The size of this creature was gigantic, it covered their vision, and even the horizon of this deformed space. "Let me repeat. Why would I kill you?" An old man''s voice echoed in their mind. It was a gentle yet stern voice that surprised the sisters. Dramia had her eyes wide open in front of this massive beast. Drania was shaking behind her sister. "A-Ah... I-" Her emotions were in shambles in front of this monster. "Don''t pick on them!" A green dragon flew in front of the sisters and the creature. "I simply asked a question. How is that picking on them?" "You''re too close for comfort!" Ruminona let out some steam from her nostrils, protecting the girls. "Hmm. It''s been a long time since I''ve spoken to you, can''t you be gentler to your father?" "Move. Back!" "Fine. This child of mine, sometimes." The space began to shake. The giant body of the beast began to move away from the girls. Now, they were able to clearly see what it was. Or give an approximate guess. ''A reptile? Another dragon?'' The sisters thought at the same time. What was in front of them, having half of it''s body out of the deep sea water, was a white dragon. Its white scales were hard to discern from the pure white of the area, but they were flawless. Shinier than the most beautiful jewel in the world, perfectly smooth on his body. His head was massive. From the top of its head, two horns in a Z shape, the point near it''s mouth, were towering. The sharp yellow eyes, with a reptile sclera in it, intimidated even the dragons related to him. Behind him, a tail closer to a crocodile was seen, only a third of it out of the water. As it was standing on it''s hind leg, this imposing display only made it more terrifying. A wingless dragon. "That''s better. Stay were you are and give them your name?" The white dragon sighed and closed it''s eyes. "I''m-" But at that instant, the space turned black. The darkness covered everyone once again. "No one moves!" Drania grabbed her sister immediately, at which Dramia reacted by hugging her. Ruminona, who knew she was in front of the sisters. Used her wind to locate them. The moment she found them, she protected them with a wind bubble, similar to the water bubble Monolavir used before. The only place darker than here would be a starless void. *Bzzzt* "Again with this noise!" Dramia, not knowing what it was, hugged tighter her sister. *BZZZT* Something broke the darkness of the place. Pure power, akin to a calamity, burst upward toward the sky. A similar beam of energy ripped the darkness, and the space together. From the mainland, that beam became one of the most terrifying event in a long time. Even Orion''s group managed to see it. The beam stopped, everyone back into a stable reality. The dome once again hid inside the anomaly, never to be seen again. Blue sea, blue sky, yellow sun. Everyone looked around them to confirm their position. Luckily, no one was missing. "My name is Velridar, Remnant of Strength. Creator of the dragons, as well as the lamias." He opened its mouth and let a large amount of sparks and steam out. It''s white scales reflected the light of the sun, almost blindingly. The water also reflected itself on the parts close to it. The sisters looked at him with wide eyes, shock painted on their faces. They''ve heard of Velridar before. Tiohr-nam had some connections to him, because of his desire to remain on Triazils. - "I personally know two other Remnants. They are kind-hearted beings. Let''s start with Velridar." Tiohr-nam''s Avatar began to use her leaves and branches to form models. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. "Velridar?" Drania was sitting on a chair, while Dramia was standing behind her. "Yes, the Remnant of Strength, the one that gave the word ''power'', ''strength'', ''determination'' and ''courage'' a meaning in our world." A small model of Velridar appeared in her hands. Dramia began to ask. "You''ve spoken about you before, but why do Remnants possess such concepts?" Tiohr-nam changed the model to herself, and began to play with it while explaining. "I cannot give you a definite answer. Maybe we were here before anything was in place, or maybe we are from a different plane, realm or space altogether, but these concepts helps regulate the world." She continued. "We cannot modify it, as this is the way we are. Just by existing, we bring them to reality. If we die, another being takes our place, inheriting our memories. I died a few times already." ''What I do not want to learn, is what would happen if our storage completely dries, stopping us from reviving. As the Remnant of Life, what would happen to ''Life''?'' Tiohr-nam was the Remnant of Life. She represented the ''life'', ''health'', ''resilience'' and ''energy'' aspects. She was one of the most important beings in the world. Without her, the world would be a lifeless one. Drania asked a question this time. "You said he was a kind Remnant. Why is the one having the concept of power not more aggressive?" Tiohr-nam looked at the girls, and showed something interesting. She created a sword made of leaves in her hands, and pointed at the girls. "What is a sword for?" "Cutting down something or someone?" "This is half-true. Think more." "..." "To protect something or someone?" Tiohr-nam nodded, satisfied by Drania''s answer. "Correct. The way it is used can vary, but its main purpose is to protect. The same thing goes for Velridar." "So he has ''power'', but uses it to protect?" Dramia asked in turn. "And more. His raw power is capable of destroying the world if he ever felt like it." ''It''s a bit of an exaggeration, but they don''t need to know that. At most, the continent of Triazils would be erased from the maps.'' "That''s most of what I know about him. He is a bit big, but he is nice once you know him." - ''A bit big?'' Dramia was still in shock. She had the Remnant of Strength in front of her. "M-My name is Drania." Drania made the most courageous step in this situation. He nodded and looked at Dramia. "I- I am her sister, Dramia." He had a stern expression, common to the dragons. Dramia continued. "We are related to Tiohr-nam, the Remnant of Life." "That old tree? I was wondering how she was doing recently." The tension seemed to slightly lift around them. "If you don''t mind a long story, we can tell you." Dramia nodded at her sisters remark. "That is kind of you, but I think that now wouldn''t be the best of times." Velridar extended it''s neck and looked at the sky. Dark clouds were starting to form, mostly because of his earlier release of power. Monolavir, drained of energy, flew slowly toward the girls. "I will help you get back." With difficulty, he created a bubble of water. ''As usual, he keeps forcing himself.'' Velridar stared at the blue dragon. He was the father of the first generation of dragons. Monolavir was a second generation while Ruminona was part of the first one. He was younger than Ruminona by a few hundred years, and he did his best to prove that he was the right dragon for her. Velridar considered all dragons his children, and he couldn''t accept the current state of Monolavir. So, with his ability as a Remnant, Velridar connected a magical thread from the tip of his claw to Monolavir, unnoticed. He began to replenish the large amount of lost magic that he used when he iced the border of the dome earlier. Monolavir felt immediately better, and finally noticed. He turned to his ''father'', and bowed his head in a sign of respect. Monolavir straightened himself, and turned toward all of the flying dragons. "We are better returning to the mainland immediately. Everyone, we''re moving!" All dragons wanted to go home. This ordeal took a great amount of energy from them, and honestly, they were scared to death. A single mistake and anyone would have lost their precious life. Internally, they were thanking the tiny girls that helped them withstand the stressful situation. If not for them, they would have lost themselves in the darkness, or die from a flashing lightning ball. Compared to Orion who obtained the dragons respect through his own strength, Dramia and Drania obtained it through helping them. Even though at first, they came here to help them. Monolavir grabbed the bubble, Ruminona flew next to him, and all dragons followed closely behind him, toward the mountain range that was their home. Velridar simply stared at them leaving from a distance. After enough distance had been made, it was time for him to follow. The rain began to fall on the Northern Sea, as Velridar dived in the water, releasing massive jets of water on all sides. He followed the dragons from a distance, only his shadow visible as his body slid in the deep water. ~ "Orion, what was that?" Amelia asked, the three of them looking at a white beam of light going straight up, higher than the mountain. "I don''t know. From where it is, there should be nothing but the sea." This was a terrifying sight. ''Something with this much power is either an Apostle, or a Remnant.'' ''I''ll opt of the second one. There''s no reason for an Apostle to go at sea.'' Karteira, in awe from the raw power displayed, opened her mouth. "Is that something related to them?" "To them? Dramia and Drania?" Orion thought for a second. "Hmm, maybe. No, I think you may be right on that. Let''s think of it as them successfully completing their ''errand''." Orion turned around, and continued to walk forward. The bean had already disappeared by now. "Alright, let''s move out. We still have a few days before reaching the first human city." He readjusted the bag on his shoulder. "Hocride, right? The place where a ''friend'' is." Amelia caught up to him. He nodded. "So, what do we do at that point? Do we simply enter and say ''Hi!''?" Karteira walked with large strides until she caught up too. "What other choice do we have? Florian said that they would receive us, so we will enter expecting a warm welcome. If not." Orion smiled. "Well, it''s simple isn''t it?" He looked at Karteira, who understood his point. With a wild smile, she said. "There will be a lot of fighting!" Amelia was looking at this with a look that said ''I can''t believe you two.'' The road to Hocride was still long. Sand was beginning to fill their surroundings, as the temperature began to rise. Behind them, there was the greenery they were used to. Forest, lakes, everything was gone. Only cactuses and, sometimes, a corrupted or two. This was the best moment for Karteira. Until she realized that her armor was heating like crazy, and that the steam stored in was impossible to contain. She decided that she would avoid using full body armor, unless it was an absolute necessary. Amelia was progressing on the way. She did her best to make peace with her fire element. The struggle was present at every try. Orion only focused on his connection to his elements. He wanted to create that new element. He never rushed his research, and instead, was having fun thinking of ways to do it. But, he was missing one important information. One piece of the puzzle that would help him. So, when that point came, he stopped looking for it, and focuses his training on the Second Gear. From the thirty minutes, it extended by two minutes. His progress suddenly stopped there too. He was dejected. Since Amelia refused to let him use the Arm Overdrive, there was nothing else to do beside sparring with them. The days passed with everything repeating. They were close to Hocride. "Blood. I can smell the smell of blood from here." Orion looked up and noticed something else. "There''s smoke. Something is happening in Hocride right now." "What do we do then?" Amelia was worried. "Activate the Second Gear. Karteira, jump on my back." "What did you say?" Karteira stared at him. "I said, jump on my back. Like Amelia did before." She blinked and did what he asked. ''Leg Lock Number 2, Released.'' "Let''s go!" Orion picked up Amelia like a princess, and ran at full speed past the dune of sand. Behind it, the port city of Hocride was on fire. Chapter 87: The battle for Hocride. Orion ran on top of the dune and stopped. The port city of Hocride entered their vision, with the glistening blue sea further behind it. There was still some distance before arriving. "Wait, I thought the city was on fire?" Amelia looked in front of her, in Orion''s arms. "Only a few buildings near the entrance are burning." Orion confirmed her thoughts, looking with Eagle Eye. He continued. "There''s a battle going on. That''s why it smells like blood." Karteira looked over his right shoulder. "I can''t see very well, but it seems to me that there''s two different battles isn''t it?" "!" Orion realized after looking at the entrance, where soldiers from two different group were fighting each other. "Corrupted humans." "What?!" Both girls exclaimed, shocked by Orion''s words. He ignored their shock, and looked further on his left, where magic was being used, signaling the present of powerful humans. ''Those two. Aren''t they Apostles? Why are they fighting each other?'' A balm man with a medieval armor was fighting on a horse. He had a brown mustache, which he was playing with while firing electric sparks with his other hand. His eyes were glowing red, something unusual for a human. The smile on his face was cold, as if everything was according to his plan. Approximately twenty meters in front of him, a woman with brown skin was one knee on the ground, holding her arm while protecting herself from the sparks with a earth wall that was almost completely destroyed. Orion could tell, she was about to die. He turned back to look at the entrance. Many soldiers were fighting the corrupted humans that were fighting like mindless beasts. He looked further into the city and saw other soldiers protecting the citizens. At that moment, Orion noticed something that made his heart decide which action to take. He saw many beastmen being embarked at the same time as other citizens in boats. There was no sign of them beings treated roughly. They had clothes like the human citizens, showing the respect this city had for everyone living here. ''So Florian said the truth. Seeing it for myself now, I need to have a talk with the one ruling Hocride.'' ''Kamala, was it?'' He looked back on the left, and pointed toward the two Apostles. "Karteira, are you able to tell me if the woman other there is named Kamala?" She strained her eyes to notice the two people fighting, but once she saw the magic, she noticed them. Karteira used the fairy ability that let her see the identity of another individual, and stared at them in turn. "The man is Ivan Borias, while the woman is indeed Kamala. Kamala Genathis to be precise." ''Bingo.'' "Thank you, Karteira." Orion prepared to move forward, before Amelia stopped him. "Wait! Before you go, what are you planning to do?" "My bad, I forgot to tell you." Orion nodded. "Grab me tightly, I''ll explain on the run." Both strengthened their hold on Orion. Orion slid down the dune, and once at the bottom, began to sprint toward Hocride. "I want you two to defend the entrance. Destroy every corrupted, no survivor. They lost their humanity at this point, so there is no need to feel guilty." "Do whatever to protect the remaining soldiers. Karteira, keep your tail hidden, just in case." The hot wind was flowing around him. "What about you?" Karteira asked, her head hidden behind his back to avoid feeling the heat. "I''ll go and help Kamala. I can''t have her die right now." Orion''s expression was focused, thinking on how to turn the situation. "Why?" She didn''t understand. ''Wasn''t the Apostles his enemies?'' "I told you before right? Amelia and I had a discussion with an Apostle named Florian. He spoke about three other Apostles that refused to take part in the Ceremony''s ritual. They might be corrupt free." "If they are clean of corruption, they might be potential allies. And this situation is perfect to make her indebted." "Even better, having more informations about the other Apostles is something I cannot ignore." Amelia lifted her head toward him. "What about that other Apostle?" Orion''s face darkened. "I will have him dead." You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. A shiver ran through the girls. The feelings he expressed toward vengeance were terrifying. "I''ll go faster, I feel like we''ll be too late if we take much longer." "Huh?" The girls couldn''t believe his words. Was it that bad? His hair turned gold and silver, as his feet were covered by a layer of light magic, enhancing his own speed, already improved by the Second Gear. ''Five minutes, I don''t have much time to use this combination.'' The burning in his leg began to rapidly take place, as he closed in on the city gate. Orion arrived near the gate in two minutes. "Amelia! Karteira! It''s on you!" Karteira climbed his back and jumped over him, while Orion threw Amelia up, letting her regain her center of gravity in the air. Amelia and Karteira slid on the sand from the momentum, and looked at Orion that continued straight past them. Orion jumped and stepped on the city''s wall. He pushed his body left, toward the fight between Ivan and Kamala. He ran a few meters on the wall, before stepping back on the sand, surrounded by both groups of soldiers. The girls stopped sliding, looked at the fight in front of them and prepared themselves for the carnage. But before leaving, something happened to Orion. ''Urgh!'' He touched his chest, an unpleasant feeling grabbing hold of his senses. ''It doesn''t hurt, but what is this feeling?'' He looked around, still running at full speed. The red eyes of the corrupted soldiers all turned to him. Even the ones that were inside the city turned toward his direction even though they couldn''t see him due to the high walls. ''Why are they looking at me? Why did they stop just to stare at me?'' The corrupted were trying to attack him, unsuccessfully. ''Something''s not right.'' Hocride''s soldiers looked at the man running toward their Lord''s direction, also capturing their current enemies attention. They took this chance to lower the number of corrupted soldiers, hoping in their heart that he wasn''t another enemy striking at her. ''One minute left!'' Kamala was in sight, she was about to be killed by a lightning spear. "Hah! That''s all you are in the end. A weak woman! That''s what you get for not drinking the sweet nectar Lord Elliot created for us!" The man licked his lips. "If becoming a beast like you is the result of drinking that disgusting sludge, then I prefer dying." She spat blood on the ground, a look of anger in her eyes. Large cuts and burns were all over her body. She was covered in bandages, but even that wasn''t sufficient to stop the blood from dripping on the white sand. "Then I''ll gladly do that. I''ll take over your city, and transform it to something more to my taste!" ''Fuck. I don''t want to die.'' Fear began to take over Kamala. She thought about the friends she finally managed to make recently. She thought about the promise to form an alliance. ''I was too weak in the end. I couldn''t keep my promises.'' "Over my dead body!" She screamed her last words, full of spite toward Ivan. Without a single word, Ivan threw the lightning spear in her direction. Kamala braced herself, looking at the spear piercing her last protection. "I respect those words." A voice of man she didn''t knew echoed in her left ear, and before she could understand anything, she was in her arm, away from the spot she was just before. Her earth shield shattered, leaving only dust behind. Orion stared into the light brown eyes of the woman in his arm. She had short curly silver hair stopping at her shoulders. Her silver brows were showing the shock she was feeling from being alive. She was sure to die. She looked at the face of the man smiling at her. She recognized him. "Are you... Orion?" He nodded, straightening his posture while placing her on the hot sand again. He looked at her, and at the peculiar clothes she was wearing. Her golden dress was like a flower. From her waist, it separated into six flowing pieces of cloths, showing her naked legs completely, while still perfectly keeping her underwear out of view. The dress stopped at her cleavage, which would show a great amount of skin if not for the white cloth that seemed to cover her body under the dress, attached with a knot to the back of her neck, and another in her back, which was not visible. She had two earrings. Two diamond shaped rocks, one blue, and one green. On her head, she wore a gold hairband matching her dress. After being dropped by Orion, she looked at herself, but fell both knees to the ground almost immediately, having lost too much blood and magic energy. Her vision began to blur, but she kept her mind working, fighting to not fall unconscious. Orion looked in front of him, and shockingly fast, bent his body backward. A spear of lightning grazed his body, before planting itself far behind him. He returned to his straight position, looking at the man on his horse, Ivan Borias. "I know you! You! The man who killed Kiel during our ritual!" "Can you do something about that loud voice of yours? I remember you not being so loud at that ritual." He provoked Ivan without meaning to, as he was really annoyed about his loud shouting. Sound of teeth grinding could be heard. "Give your name before I pierce your body!" "No." Orion refused. He knew that his presence wasn''t part of the man''s plan. He was even happy to have destroy his opportunity to kill Kamala. The horse began to agitate under Ivan. He kicked it hard on the flank, stopping the horse from moving again. "You little brat!" He threw another lightning spear, another one that didn''t connect, because Orion simply dodged it by turning his body. Orion looked at Kamala on the floor. "You stay here, I''ll take care of this for you." "Wai-" She tried to stop him, but she finally lost consciousness, falling head first on the hot sand. ~ "Do you think he arrived in time?" Amelia slashed one of the corrupted soldier down. His blood was soaking the white sand, turning it red. So many dead bodies littered the area. The more time passed, the redder the sand turned. "Most likely. We''re talking about Orion here." Karteira punched a man with red eyes right in the face, sending him crashing on the ground. She tried not to make too much of a mess with her gauntlets. Amelia stepped back, and her back touched the tail of Karteira, that surprised her. "HIEE! Oh, it''s your tail. Don''t scare me like that!" "It''s not my... fault, alright?" She punched another upcoming corrupted away. "It''s weird to not... see you with a... tail anymore!" Amelia, Ceres and Leima, her earth and lightning daggers in each hands, slashed at the next victims. She wasn''t caring about the carnage she was creating. She dismembered the corrupted without any remorse. In that matter, she was like Orion. Living with him for so long changed her. A corrupted didn''t deserve any compassion. It meant that a part of your heart was already warped with disgusting beliefs. She remembered that a many soldiers remained uncorrupted when Orion was escaping the Ceremony. Coincidentally, those were Florian, Kamala and Eric''s armies that had little to none corrupted members. Olivia had an inherited army, which she wasn''t able to control at the time. A corrupted soldier tried to attack both of them at the same. They both reacted at the same time. Amelia attacked his upper body, while Karteira punched the corrupted right in the guts. The moment her fist connected, a dark purple sphere got ejected from it''s mouth, disintegrating instantly, as it died after having it''s arms cut off and the sphere removed from his body. "Karteira, wasn''t that a dark orb?" "The thing inside a corrupted? The core of the Corrupted Lords? I think it was." They both looked at the dead corpse on the ground. They nodded and both began to run, separating from each other. Karteira punched her way through a high number of corrupted soldiers. For each soldiers, she did the exact same thing as before. Avoiding Hocride''s soldiers, she punched the guts of all the corrupted soldiers with so much force that their core exploded from within their body. ''56! 57! 58!'' As the battle addict she was, she counted every kill she made. She was having a lot of fun. On Amelia''s side, she slashed the stomach of the first soldier she faced. She was used to butchering the dead preys Orion brought, so the sight of guts falling to the ground weren''t as repulsive as she expected. She kicked the corrupted and began to look inside it''s open wound. ''So that''s were the dark cores form. Alright!'' She ran toward the next corrupted, and pierced the spot where she expected the core to be. ''Right in the weak spot! I felt it.'' Slightly up from the navel, the dark purple core seemed to form. So she began to plunge her daggers at the same spot every time. After an hour, there was no remaining corrupted soldiers outside, so they moved inside the city to clean the rest. There wasn''t much left thanks to the great work of the guards. Thirty minutes later, the city was cleaned from all corrupted. Two women walked to each other, preparing for a high-five. "452. How did you do?" Amelia asked Karteira. "423... Fuck. I lost!" They slapped each other''s hand, creating a powerful slap sound. "Lady Kamala! My Lord is she alright?!" Many voices began to enter their ears. "He seems to be back. Let''s go see him." They both walk toward the entrance. The soldiers made space for the women that helped them. During their cleaning inside the city walls, the soldiers took it upon themselves to pile the bodies of the enemies soldiers further away from the entrance. They would deal with it later. Amelia and Karteira moved past the gate, and looked on their right. "Yes, it''s him. But..." "His face. Something went wrong." Orion was slowly walking with woman in his arms. His expression was everything except happiness. He was terribly angry. Chapter 88: Hocride, the port city. The soldiers looked at the state of their Lord from afar. They wanted to run at her side, but instead, they simply looked at the man slowly walking toward the two girls in front of them. The expression on his face was terrifying to them. Amelia and Karteira simply watched in silence as Orion walked to them. The moment he stopped in front of them, Amelia asked him. "Are you alright? What happened?" She had a worried expression. "He got away." Shock appeared on both girls face. Did Orion really said that he let an Apostle get away? "I''m fine by the way. Kamala too." Still in shock, they looked at the woman in his arms, unconscious. She was a real beauty. Brown colored skin, silver hair, and clothes that highlighted her forms. Orion continued. "I''ve healed her on the way, her life is out of danger." The soldiers heard him, and tears of happiness fell from their eyes. They had lost many friends defending the city, so losing their Lord would have lead to the end of the world for them. "You. Walk forward." Orion pointed his chin to a soldier that was standing still, looking at the bodies of the covered corpses of the deceased guards of Hocride. The man looked at Orion and hesitantly walked toward him. "Yes, sir? What do you need?" He kept his composure as a guard, and did his best not to anger the man that saved his Lord. He remembered him running on the wall, and toward Kamala an hour ago. "Lead us to her house, she still needs to rest. My arms are not the best of places for that." The soldier grabbed his spear strongly and planted it in the ground, the tip pointing at the sky. "Gladly, sir! Please follow me." The guard made a gesture of respect, took his spear from the ground, and turned to the gate. The other soldiers all sheathed their weapons, also expressing a bowing gesture to welcome the people who helped them. ''I need to calm down. These people are showing respect, I should do the same.'' He looked at Amelia, then Karteira. He forced his current mood away, and stared at them until his heart felt at peace. "As expected of you two, defending this place was a piece of cake. Good work." He smiled, easing the girls feelings. They both smiled back, happy to be praised. "Yes!" They spoke at the same time. "Let''s go in." The three followed shortly behind the soldier. The man turned around after walking past the gate. "Welcome to Hocride. Without your help, this city wouldn''t be standing anymore." He turned around after thanking the girls that ran everywhere to help earlier. They were considered heroes in the eyes of the guards. "Let me give you a little explanation about Hocride on the way to Lord Kamala''s house." The three nodded behind him. He glanced in their direction to confirm they would listen. Once he saw them nod, he continued. "As you can see, this is a port city. The sea in front of you, the Palafas Sea, is our main way of revenue. What you see in front of you is the port, where we trade with merchants from different city, even continents." ''They even trade with other continents?!'' Orion was intrigued. He wanted to now about the rest of the world. But now was not the time. They were walking a slight incline, which gave them a beautiful view of the port and the many boats returning with the citizens of Hocride. "Lady Kamala was the one to build everything, bringing new knowledge, and making this city prosperous." "The merchants all follows the rules, and anyone not respecting them either find themselves banned from trading, or is asked to pay a fine corresponding to the offense made." "Compared to the previous lord, who treated everyone like slaves, this city grew to become one of the richest and easy to live in city on the continent." Orion asked a question to the soldier. "I have a question, but first, what is your name?" The man seemed to be surprised. "Me? My name is Vincent sir." "Vincent, alright. I''m Orion. At my sides are Amelia and Karteira." The least he could do was to introduce himself, and the girls. "Sir Orion. Lady Amelia, and Lady Karteira. I''ll be sure to remember it. What was your question?" He acknowledged their names, and politely asked Orion. "What about the other factions?" Orion wanted to confirm what he saw before defending the city. "The other... Oh! The beastmen? As per Lord Kamala''s request, anyone wanting to help the community is accepted, and anyone showing prejudices against them is to be excluded from trading at the port. It applies to the residents too." ''That is one tough rule for merchants and citizens to abide to.'' If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "This is something incredible. I haven''t heard of such good treatment until today." Amelia said, entering the conversation. "In all honesty, it is nothing new. There are three other cities that display the same amount of respect to other factions. Leaving like this, it makes you wonder why we oppressed them until now. Once you live with them, you start to realize that they aren''t that much different from us." ''Just like us.'' Amelia looked at Orion, remembering their childhood in Auro. "Then, I will have to discuss this in more detail with your Lord when she wakes up." Vincent stopped and turned to look at Orion. He bowed to a ninety degree angle. "Thank you very much for saving Lord Kamala''s life. Without her, this city would revert to it''s former state. The whole city thank you." Orion was lost for words. Humans rarely showed this much humility. Or that was what he thought, because of the Apostles being the ones dictating what was good or bad. "No need to thank me. I had to save her if I wanted to discuss with her." He straightened his posture and smiled. "This is Lady Kamala''s house." Vincent switched the spear to his other hand and stretched his arm on his right. Orion and the girls looked toward the house pointed by Vincent. ''This is a... pretty house. Simple at that.'' They were looking at a house bigger than the ones around, but not by much. The house was painted yellow, and mostly made of bricks. There seemed to be two floor, with a balcony. "Please, enter. Her aid should take her from your arms and place Lord Kamala in her bed. He should authorize you to stay inside until she wakes up. I''ll be sure to notify the guards about you three when I return." Orion nodded. "Thank you, Vincent." They watched Vincent return the way they came from, toward the entrance. At that moment, they heard voices coming from behind them. They turned around, seeing the citizens returning to their houses, slightly worried. "We should get inside." Karteira said, to which Orion and Amelia agreed. Amelia opened the door, and kept it open for Orion. Once Karteira entered, she closed the door. "Lady Kamala! You are finally bac-" A man walked down the stairs of the house hurriedly, expecting to see Kamala. Indeed, he saw her, but there was also three other people that were with her. "What happened to Lady Kamala? Is she alright?" With anxiety, the man walked slowly down the stairs, looking at the three people to find any kind of trap. "We''ve arrived to Hocride earlier, and we happened to help your soldiers at the entrance, while also saving you Lord from death''s grasp." Orion explained to the cautious man that closed on them. "She lost consciousness at one point, so I took the liberty to bring her to her house to rest. My name is Orion by the way." "Oh! I''m sorry, my name is Timothy! I am Lady Kamala''s aid and financial helper." "I''ve already healed her injuries, so she is out of danger. Could you take her out of my arms?" Timothy looked at his Lord, and shook his head. "I''m afraid it won''t be possible. I don''t have the strength necessary to lift Lady Kamala. Could you follow me please?" ''I forgot humans were weaker than me.'' Having a rare rude thought, Orion silently followed Timothy upstairs. The girls stayed downstairs. They found a place to sit, and waited for him to come down. After two minutes, he came back down. He found the girls sitting on a piece of furniture unknown to him. A couch. ''Humans have so many interesting things that beastmen don''t have.'' He thought will sitting next to Amelia. "Soft." The girls laughed. "We had the same reaction." They joked for a minute, enjoying the softness of the couch. After a minute, they became serious. "So, what happened Orion?" He lifted his head, looking at Karteira. "About Ivan and how he fled from me?" The mood completely changed. Orion was back to his anger, that was only concealed until now. Amelia gulped, she actually never saw him in this state. The only one that saw Orion in this state was Tiohr-nam, when she ask what Orion would do if Amelia was attacked by a Remnant. "Yes. We''ll tell you about our own part once you''re done. Try to stay calm, please." Orion looked at her, a dark look in his eyes. *Sigh* He sighed, easing his emotions. There was no point in staying angry anyway. He placed a hand on her head and stroked her golden hair. "Well." Orion told what happened from the moment he saved Kamala. ~ "You stay here, I''ll take care of this for you." "Wai-" ''She lost consciousness?'' He glanced at her lying on the white sand. Her blood was soaking the sand rapidly. ''I don''t have much time. I need to finish this fast.'' "Ah! That woman is out cold! I should get rid of you, then finish her. An easy task isn''t it?" Orion turned and stared at Ivan with a gaze colder than the Frigoria Plains. ''Alcyone.'' The white crossbow formed in his hands. "That weapon! Are you trying to kill me too? That won''t happen!" Lightning began to crack around Ivan. Purple sparks began to appear, surrounding the man as if to protect him. Orion was ready to shoot, so he did just that. He ran left and aimed at the man''s right arm. The arrow left the crossbow, and with tremendous speed, it hit the lightning shield. *Bzzt* The arrow disappeared. For the first time, Orion was shocked at this display. His power was insufficient? "You don''t know a thing about me do you? I am a pretty cautious man. I am known for my reinforced defense. No one has been able to injure me with ranged weapons so far." He laughed, mocking Orion''s attempt at hurting him. ''Then, I just have to hit you so fast you won''t be able to defend!'' He ran using the remaining strength in his legs around Ivan. Arrows of light began to hit the lightning shield rapidly. ''What is this speed. Am I going to protect against everything he throws at me?'' Ivan was sweating. ''Taygeta!'' Out of nowhere, Orion cancelled Alcyone and switched to his dark crossbow. A slower, dark arrow hit the shield. It disappeared like the others before, but caused a slight problem to the lighning shield. ''That ''Silence'' ailment could be helpful.'' Was what Orion thought. He tried, and indeed, a part of the shield began to open near Ivan''s left leg. Orion took this chance and shot an arrow with a new ailment. One he developed after sharing with Amelia his elements. He applied a bleeding effect to the dark arrow, and aimed at the opening. The arrow passed through the shield. Ivan reacted instantly by creating a lightning spear and stopped the arrow. Ivan expected the arrow to hit the spear, and evaporate like it did for the shield, but the spear only broke it in half. In reality, what happened was that he deflected a piece of the broken arrow, which flew straight to his face. "AGH! IT HURTS!" ''Moron, he injured himself more than I could hope for.'' Orion stopped running and stared at Ivan holding his face. The tip of the arrow grazed his left cheek before hitting the top of the shield, evaporating like all arrows did until now. The bleeding effect still applied, causing tremendous pain to Ivan. He was bleeding profusely from his cheek. "I can''t believe it! Me! Hurt by a weakling!" He tapped the horse and transferred lightning magic to it. Riding the horse, he turned around. "I''ll remember this! I''ll come for your head later!" ''No you won''t!'' Orion tried to stop Ivan. ''FUCK! My leg! Not now!'' His leg refused to move. The burning was too strong. He forced too much on it, and now he had to watch his prey flee from him. Ivan left with his horse with absurd speed akin to lightning, leaving Orion feeling worse than ever. He gritted his teeth in anger. Orion walked to Kamala, wobbling from the pain. He sat at her side, lifted her body and began to heal her injuries. After completely healing her, he tried to heal the burning feeling, but he couldn''t. It simply wouldn''t calm down. His only solution was to return to the gate with Kamala. ''I''ll have your head. I swear I''ll have you dead in front of me!'' With extreme spite, Orion returned to Amelia and Karteira. ~ "So that''s what happened." Orion nodded at Karteira. She had a gentle expression on her face. She continued. "This will sound bad to you, but that is not a bad outcome. Protecting Kamala was already a difficult task. Hoping more is just foolish." *Sigh* Another sigh left Orion''s mouth. "I know. It just left an awful taste in my mouth, that''s all. I was so close to bring another one of them down." Amelia looked at a dejected Orion. The only thing she did was stroke his hair. She did the same thing Orion did to her each time she felt bad. "Thanks." He smiled at her, enjoying her stroking his hair. After a minute, Orion looked at Karteira. "So, what happened on your side?" Amelia, with a pride never seen before, exclaimed. "I won!" Orion looked at her as if the sky had fallen. ''What is she talking about?'' "Not that! What are you bringing out right now?!" Karteira, frustrated by that, stood up from her couch and walked to Amelia, who stood up in turn. They both were face to face, intimidating each other. ''What are they doing now?'' Orion was calmly watching the situation. The starring contest continued in silence, until Amelia began to laugh, and Karteira sigh in defeat. "We made a bet to see who would kill the most. I won." "And I lost. By thirty." Orion blinked a few times. "I... see." He smiled. While he was having anger issues, they were having fun. Killing. "So, what else?" He asked, trying to change the subject. "You were right, they are not humans anymore." Karteira sat back on the couch she was before. "They all possessed a dar purple core like all corrupted have in their body. We''ve confirmed it." "That confirms a lot." An elegant yet weak voice entered the conversation. A weakened Kamala was moving down the stairs with the help of Timothy. "Please continue, I wish to have more details." The three of them waited until Kamala sat on a couch near them, and nodded. Chapter 89: Kamala meets Orion. Orion, Amelia, and Karteira all looked at the woman that sat on the third couch, in front of Orion. "My name''s Kamala Genathis. I have to thank you for saving my life." Kamala bowed her head low toward Orion. "Can I believe that the words that you exchanged with Florian led to your benevolence toward me?" Orion comfortably sat in the couch. This was going to be a long talk. Amelia and Karteira looked at each other, and nodded. They decided to avoid entering the conversation that was about to happen. Whatever Orion decided, they would follow. "You can take it however you want, I simply saved you for my own convenience." She looked at him. This answer was expected. Orion continued. "I am no hero. I do not save people supposed to be killed for no reason. But let me be honest." He took a deep breath. "If I can save a person that is on my side, then it is worth doing. I''ve seen some parts of the city, and I''ve heard how everyone is treated in here." "The people are valued for their work, and not for their faction. Those who do not respect that are shunned, and locked from living peacefully in the city." She nodded. This was known to her, since she was the one who established these rules. "We were led here by a soldier that showed sincerity I have never seen in a human other than my companion." Orion looked at Amelia next to him. "Just the fact of saving you was enough. Seeing their happiness when they knew you were out of danger, the gratitude they showed to these two after they defended the gates." "All of this. This was everything that led us to this moment. So let me ease your mind." "I won''t kill you. In my eyes, you are not an Apostle." Amelia, Karteira, and Kamala all let out a sight of relief. Kamala looked at the girls in turn, surprised by the reactions they showed. ''Why? Were they hoping for him to stay his hand too?'' She smiled at them, to which they returned a smile of their own. Orion had his eyes closed. ''This is the right choice, isn''t it mom, dad?'' "I am glad to have avoided death a second time." She stared at him until he opened his eyes. She continued when they looked into each other''s eyes. "Florian sent letters to each of us, notifying of a possible visit." She turned to Timothy who was standing near the staircase. "Bring me the letters, please." Timothy registered the request and walked upstairs. She returned to look at Orion. "He specifically asked not to antagonize you. As it stands, we would only cause our own death by doing so." She sighed after ending her sentence. Orion smiled, remembering how cautious he was against Florian. It was a good thing to be cautious. These four were, at that point, still enemies. "I have a question. How did you, the Apostles, knew about the alliance between angels and fairies?" Orion asked a question, to which Kamala instantly answered. "In a book that is given to each Apostle, there is a part concerning the fairies where it is said that a single angel killed many humans, defending them. He was so strong that anyone sent to the fairies came back in pouch full of ashes." - Inside the bracelet. "You went overboard, huh?" Orianne was poking Reon on the cheek, a cheeky smile on her face. He was bright red. This was something he didn''t want her to know. - ''That''s definitely dad''s doing. I am still far from being at his level.'' "I see, so that''s why Florian deduced this would be our next stop." Kamala nodded, but cleared something right after. "What you have to keep in mind, is that he was the only one to make this assumption. The other Apostles either didn''t care, or weren''t smart enough to track you." "Florian tracked you down by his own deductions, and took a risk by approaching you. Which I am grateful he did currently." The girls looked at the woman in front of them. She was definitely older than them, maybe around her thirties. She was stunning, but that wasn''t the point. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ''She was scared.'' ''She wants to live.'' Karteira and Amelia both thought this looking at her expression. Timothy walked downstairs with a letter in his hands. He walked to Kamala, and gave her the letter. "Here, Lady Kamala." "Thank you, Timothy." The man return to stand near the staircase, while Kamala opened the letter. She took the last paper, and showed it to Orion. "If you do not mind, could you tell me who is your new companion?" She showed the drawing of Orion and Amelia that Florian drew for each of his new friends. Amelia couldn''t believe how good this was. He perfectly transmitted the way they were at that moment. Cautious. Florian decided to keep the aggressiveness she displayed at their first encounter to himself, and drew a beautiful blonde woman that was standing slightly behind a man that had his hand on her head. Karteira remembered this moment. She had front row seat when this happened. She was looking through the portal, ready to attack at any moment. She haven''t seen Orion wear his cape since then. She thought that maybe it was hindering him. ''I need to confirm something else before.'' "Her name is Karteira, but before I give you more detail, I have another question." Kamala nodded, she understood that the woman named Karteira had something to do with the fairies. She also saw the next question coming at some point. "What happened for two Apostles to fight each others? How did you end up in this sorry state?" She looked at the papers in her hands with a mocking smile. "I am just like you. I don''t know the real reason." She continued, looking outside the window on her right. "It could be many things. Jealousy, lack of ressources further in the desert, thirst for blood, I really don''t know." She returned to look at Orion. She explained everything that happened. "We''ve been receiving multiple reports from scouts about suspicious army movement toward Hocride, beginning around three weeks ago." "Ivan Borias had seemingly decided to attack Hocride from his city, Kaios, north-west from here." "The problem was, in the reports, there was words about the weird movements, almost feral of the soldiers. I had it looked multiple times, but each times, the scout came back with the same answer." "Around two weeks ago, the first wave of the army came near Hocride. I gave words to the soldiers to defend the city in case a straggler decided to move past me, while I personally dealt with it. It was fast and efficient, no one had to lose a life other than the invaders." "The problem began to start the next day. Another army of the same size, roughly five hundred feral soldiers were seen not far from Hocride. Once again, I dealt with it." "For two weeks, I constantly had to defend against a daily instance of invading soldiers. I finally realized what all this had to do in the plans Ivan came up with." Orion cut in, holding his chin. "To exhaust you, and strike you down at the best moment. This is the reason for you defeat." He continued. "You, who played a defensive stance, had to constantly exhaust your strength. He most likely knew you would deal personally with his puppets." Kamala shrugged. "Exactly. The moment I had almost exhausted my magic energy, he appeared with a bigger army and stopped me from protecting the city gates." "With the last of my strength gone, and the many injuries I suffered before that point, I was ready to lose my life... or so I thought." Orion laughed. "''Over my dead body!'' wasn''t it? I could feel your anger in that last shout." A pink blush appeared on her cheeks. ''What kind of last words was that!'' She grabbed her face in shame. On his left side, the girls were making a hard face. They imagined themselves in her place. Karteira was a battle addict, but not a suicidal person. So a situation were she was exhausted but still had to fight was only torture for her. Not being able to properly recover for this long made them sympathize with Kamala. "I plan on attacking him. Not immediately, of course. I want to let him enjoy the pain a little longer." His smile was terrifying. ''He really shows no mercy to his enemies. I am glad this smile is not directed at me anymore.'' "I have heard everything from upstairs, so I won''t ask what happened. I also heard that you''ve healed my injuries. For that too, I am grateful." She once again bowed. "You are welcome. Karteira, you can show her. I am going to trust her from now on." Karteira nodded. She followed his words and got up from the couch. Kamala straightened herself and looked at Karteira, the blue haired woman that joined Orion''s group after Florian''s encounter with him. Karteira closed her visible eye, and focused on the magic Tiohr-nam imbued in her. Her scorpion tail began to reappear behind her. ''I do prefer Karteira with her tail. I wonder why?'' Orion thought, watching the blue tail slowly appear. Kamala had her eyes wide open. "Is she a fairy? She''s different from what was depicted in the book." What she saw in the Apostle book was the usual insect-like form that most common fairies had. "She is special for that matter. Since I will consider you my ally from now on, I will give and share information about us. Do keep it to yourself though. I do not trust the others yet." "You trust me that easily?" Kamala was intrigued. Even if he accepted that she wasn''t an Apostle in his eyes, she could still act like one. "After being attacked by another Apostle, I can''t believe you would side with them. Like I said, I will attack Ivan later, but I never said you wouldn''t help me. This is also your revenge." A light appeared in her eyes at the word ''revenge''. ''The man that tried to steal everything from me, that tried to defile this city I worked hard to create. I think I understand this man for the first time.'' A smile similar to Orion before appeared on her face. "I''ll gladly help you bring him down. Also, you haven''t answered my question about why you hunt them down." ''So she doesn''t know the whole story? Maybe only that woman in blue knows the truth.'' "You know that I am a hybrid right?" She nodded. "Between an angel and a demon. I don''t understand how someone like you could exist in this time." "It''s simple. My parents, the ones who sealed Elliot, used a forbidden magic to save me at the time. It seemed to have taken two millenium for me to be born in a pillar of light." "The pillar of light near Albriar twenty two years ago! It was you?!" He smiled and nodded. "I lived peacefully until an event forced me to learn about my identity and this world." Amelia dropped her face. This was still a hard topic for her. Orion knew that, so he placed a hand on her head like he always did. ''I''ll have to talk seriously with her about that. We haven''t really talked about this event since then.'' "I see. A hybrid of angel and demon, a human (?), and a fairy." She made a questioned face about Amelia. She assumed she was human, because she looked exactly like one, and she was right. "She is human, an orphan that lost her parents around the same time I was born." Kamala showed a dark expression. "The dragons." Orion shook his head. "I''ve already confirmed with the dragons, they are not the culprit. What else happened near the east coast twenty years ago? You should have a clue right?" Amelia''s face darkened. She wanted to know what happened to her parents. "The east coast..." Kamala stood up from the couch, and walked toward the bookshelf behind her. It was a really large bookshelf, with over a hundred books displayed on it. ''This one is before. Not this one.'' She looked in the history section of the bookshelf. They all looked at her back, searching for a book. "The Bandir explosion?" Something awakened in Amelia after hearing this. She was one year old at the time, so her memories were blurred and almost indescriptible, but she remembered something. She was in someone''s arms, who was smiling at her. Her memories switched to a man, standing in the middle of town. Her vision suddenly changed to one of fire and death. The person holding her nowhere to be seen. The next thing she saw was a small child being held by Keith. The flashback suddenly stopped, and she looked at Orion, her gaze lost in confusion. "Orion, I think this is it. I just saw something when she said that name." Kamala turned around with the book in her hands. "Then this is going to be troublesome." She sat back, a serious look on her face. "Bandir was a small human town on the east coast. There was nothing particular to it, except it''s seafood delicacies." "The book tells a different story from reality. It says that a child possessing multiple elements lost control and blew the whole town." Amelia had to cut in right there. "That can''t be true! I remember a man, arms high in the air, a face of anger toward me." "That makes it even worse..." Kamala massaged her brows. What she was about to say was a secret guarded by the Apostles. "The Bandir incident was caused by an Apostle." Chapter 90: Amelias origins. Kamala looked at the book in her hands. "In normal circumstances, I would simply ignore this. But you were kind enough to share a few secrets about you, so I will do the same. I apologize if it causes any grief to you." She bent forward toward Amelia, the one who was impacted by this event. Amelia shook her head. "Please continue, I have finally found a lead concerning my origins, and my parents. Now that I remembered some of the past, I won''t let it stop at that." Kamala straightened, and nodded. Orion and Karteira stayed silent, this moment was important for Amelia. "I still wonder if it is a good idea to tell you about him. To begin with, he his strong." Kamala thought for a second, and then shook her head. ''If anything comes to that, I am sure that man would help her.'' She looked at Orion, who had his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "Alright. What happened that day was no accident, nor an attack from the dragons." "It was closely related to the dragon event in a sense." "The Apostle named Kelvin, one of the strongest in our ranks, was the cause of this." Orion listened to the story, until a name he barely remembered left the mouth of Kamala. ''Wasn''t that man... the one that fought against the lady in blue during the ceremony? I thought he was a good man from their exchange, but everything doesn''t look as it seems.'' "The town of Bandir, even small as it was, was unrelated to the attacks of the Azur Dragon. The problem at that time was that Bandir was directly on the way of the dragon." "No one knew if they would be spared, or if they had to flee their houses." "Only a few remained in the city. In those few people, there was a woman, who had decided to stay too, with her small child." "This woman was named Henrietta. She was an elegant woman, and a widow. Nobody knew who was her partner, but he seemed to have past away before the child''s birth." "There starts the problem. Kelvin fell in love with Henrietta. He tried many times to get her out of town, unsuccessful." "After many tries, he began to lose his patience. He threatened Henrietta. Kelvin was ready to hurt the child at this point. Which... he did." "But in his anger, he lost control of his magic, and blew the whole town with the few people still residing in Bandir." "No traces of the woman named Henrietta were left behind. Only the child she was desperately protecting until that incident." "That child... might be Amelia." Orion opened his eyes and without thinking, hugged Amelia strongly. Her mind was a mess, memories began to surge in her mind. Memories of happiness with her mother. She was only one year old, but those blurred memories still brought great sadness. She embrace him in return, her arms around his sides. She grabbed strongly his back, and silently, her tears flowed on his chest and thighs. Amelia made no sound. She was in Orion''s arms, slowly regaining her composure after sorting her emotions. Karteira watched with sympathy. This kind of story was something recurring for the Apostles. Just looking at the situation with Kamala, she began to clearly understand the threat those self-proclaiming powerful humans were posing to the continent, and the ones living on it. ''I now know what Orion meant. We cannot tolerate the Apostles anymore. The corruption is most likely a part of it, but as he said, the corrupted humans exist because they are wicked people to begin with.'' Her thoughts began to align with Orion. Kamala stared at the book in her hands once again, displaying guilt on her face. Orion noticed her. "Making that face won''t change anything. If you were part of it, I would understand, but you are not. There is no reason for you to be guilty. Belonging to a side doesn''t mean that you can control their actions. Everyone is responsible for their own actions." Kamala stared at him, before smiling. "I have a question, though. How did this story came to be if no one survived? I cannot believe the Apostle named Kelvin bragged about an event like this." She showed a serious expression this time. "There was a few soldiers that accompanied Kelvin. Some of they died, but most survived. Those were the testimony we''ve obtained... before Kelvin killed them all." ''This is worst than I thought. That is certainly a lot to register, and right know, I cannot bother with it.'' Ivan was his priority right know. Amelia unwrapped her arms around his back, and lightly pushed him. He looked at her face, which was soaked in tears. He was also soaked, but he couldn''t care less. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "Did you find your answer?" She nodded, wiping the tears away with her hands. Karteira leaned toward Amelia, a handkerchief in her hand. Amelia looked at her and smiled, taking the piece of tissue. "Orion, revenge is spicy." He blinked a few times. "PFFT! HAHAHA!" This made him burst in laughter. ''I never heard someone say that! That''s too funny!'' "What!? Why are you laughing?" "Ah! Amelia. Sometimes you say the funniest thing ever. You are not wrong though." He stopped laughing, and with a smile, he stared inside her glistening pearl eyes. "It is once of the worst feeling to have, but unless you get drowned in it, it isn''t that bad. Make it a goal, not an obligation. Then everything will come to you when you are ready." "Trust me, rushing doesn''t help that much, it will only lead to your end." Orion realized something after saying that. ''Why did I say that like I learned from experience?'' The battle against Elliot was still far, there was four months remaining. Out of the fourteen Apostles, four were no priority targets (Kamala, Florian, Olivia and Eric), one was dead (Kiel), and the remaining eight had to be dealt with before he was unsealed. "I know. I''ll follow you until the end. I just want that man dead for what he did to my mother. The rest haven''t changed." Orion nodded. Her face was back to being normal, if you ignored the red marks under her eyes. "Then keep that ''spicy'' feeling inside you, and prepare yourself for the day you will unleash that feeling on your target." She nodded. On the side, Kamala was feeling strange. She just sent three monster in a quest to hunt Kelvin down. "Alright, let''s get back to the conversation we had bef-" Orion was going to continue were him and Kamala left before, but something grabbed his attention behind Kamala. He stood up from his chair and walked fast toward the bookshelf. Kamala instinctively thought that he coming for her, so she closed her eyes. Orion moved past her, and stopped in front of the bookshelf. "Is it alright if I borrow one of your book?" Kamala opened her eyes and turned to look at him with a surprised face. "Huh? Ah, yes. Feel free to read whatever you want." "Thank you." Orion grabbed two books on the shelf and walked back the couch. "I cannot believe you possess two of his books too. I''ve been looking around for his books everywhere, but they are rare." The two books were from his favorite writter, a man named N. "Oh, these books. The red book on your left is one I cannot understand. The green one is the one I used as reference to bring Hocride to this state." The red book was named ''The mysteries of space, and the laws behind it.'' while the green one was named ''How to create a place that everyone wants to live in.'' ''This N is clearly a man that knows many things unrelated to each other.'' He sat there, starting with the green book. The three women looked at Orion, completely immersed in his reading. Kamala was dumbfounded, the man known by all Apostles as a threat to their live was a simple bookworm. ''He is just like us. Why have I considered him different?'' She only had the Apostle book to learn about the demons and angels. She had no idea about their lifestyle. What she didn''t knew, is that they all had hobbies, and things they loved to do. Even an hybrid like Orion had the right to have something he liked. Once she realized that, the way she saw him was no different than a human. Which is something she will come to regret later. Amelia and Karteira, not knowing what to do now that Orion had completely forgotten about the place he was in, turned to look at Kamala. "What do we do now?" Amelia asked Kamala. "I can show you around?" She was lost too. Luckily, she wanted to know more about them, about how they came to be this man''s companions. They both agreed, leaving Orion alone in the living room of Kamala''s house. He didn''t notice them leaving, and continued to immerse himself in reading. ''So that''s how she made this city prosperous! I see!'' He was reading about the many ideas on how to control a city, on how to stop problems before they appeared, and on how to make money with a specificity of the area, in this case, the sea. After an hour, in which the girls talked about the many moments they lived through individually, Orion finished the first book. ''That was interesting. Kamala is certainly a genius. Having this book in hand doesn''t mean you will be successful, you have to employ it based around what ''you'' want it to be.'' He placed the green book on his right, and grabbed the red book. ''The mysteries of space, and the laws behind it.'' Something called to Orion when he saw that title. He opened the book, reading about the stars, the way gravity works in greater details, the astral bodies, the variation of heat and cold between elements, everything. ''This is impressive! Is this how the world works?'' He kept reading, until one section, the last one, caught his full attention. ''In space, there is a body that is difficult to observe without knowing what to look for. It is darker than space itself, and deform space around it, to the point where even light cannot escape it''s grasp.'' ''We call them ''Black Holes.'' They are either the remains of a dead star, or a state that we do not know yet. What we know is that their mass directly affect the space around it. The mass they possess is disproportionate to the size they display.'' ''You can imagine it like this: you have a metal sphere on a mattress. What is supposed to happen?'' Orion thought about such a situation. ''The mattress would be squashed by the metal sphere.'' This was the correct answer. ''Now, what happens if the ball is larger?'' He kept thinking. ''The mattress would support more weight, until the sphere rip through the mattress.'' ''At last, imagine the first sphere, but with the weight of the second one.'' Orion opened his eyes wide. ''That''s impossible! That shouldn''t be possible at all!'' ''This is how we describe a ''Black hole''. A powerful ball of matter that weight heavily on the fabric of space, and even time.'' He kept reading. This subject was the most fascinating for him. ''Another useful piece of information is that the only way we have to find them is by looking when they are ''feeding''.'' ''Feeding? Are black holes alive?'' This would be the most crazy outcome if this was the case. In reality, no they weren''t. ''The black hole, like I said, is a ball that do not let escape the light. It means that it doesn''t let matter escape either.'' ''Stars, dust, light, foreign objects, anything that comes close to it disappear in an effect called ''Spaguettification'' or ''Noodle effect''. "Pfft! What is this naming sense!" For the second time today, Orion laughed. Even the girls heard him. ''When space stretchs vertically and compresses horizontally, the matter transform into long and thin shapes toward the center of gravity, in this case, the compacted matter at the core of the black hole.'' ''There are many things we do not know about black holes, so I cannot explain more than this, but there are a lot of new things to learn about them.'' ''Remember that they are called with another name. ''Singularity''. Something we do not under, and that is currently impossible to describe completely.'' ''Never play with a ''Singularity''. I know that they are almost impossible to encounter, but be careful. Do not attempt this at home either.'' Orion closed the book and gazed outside of the window. ''Stretching and compressing... !'' ~ *RUMBLE* The ground shook. All of Hocride shook from a sudden burst of power. Amelia, Karteira, and Kamala, currently upstairs talking about the point where they fought the first Corrupted Lord, stood up in a hurry. "What is happening!" Kamala exclaimed, not knowing why the ground shook. Maybe it was an earthquake. She had to look at the city and look for any damage. Amelia looked at Karteira. ''I have a bad feeling about this.'' ''The usual?'' Amelia nodded at Karteira. The three ran down the stairs. The room was a mess, everything had been flung everywhere. In the middle of the room was Orion, a large smile on his face. "O-O-Orion! What have you done!" Amelia pointed at the sphere in Orion''s hand. A sphere a pure void, with sparkling stars every now and then. Karteira was her mouth agape. "I created a new element just now?" A new element formed inside Orion''s soul. Chapter 91: The eighth element. Yes, a new element was in his hands, and yes, the room was a mess. But here it was, the absurd reality. Kamala looked at her living room, a face of pure shock. ''He was reading! Why did this happen?'' Karteira and Amelia knew what she was thinking. Looking at Orion, they both spoke at the same time. "You will get used to it." She looked at them, blinking a few times from confusion. "..." Nothing came out of her mouth. Kamala was looking like a goldfish right know. They all stared at Orion, who had the brightest smile ever seen since finding his father''s ring. He was staring at the sphere. Something felt great about it, as if he always knew how to use it. Knowledge on how to use some of it''s power flashed in his mind. A voice he hasn''t heard for quite some times echoed inside his head. ''Congratulations, you''ve managed to unlock the Fourth Magic Lock, #*?# Magic?'' Amelia heard it too, but did not bring it up, all of these unlocks were a secrets to her and Orion alone. Orion did not understand what the name of the magic was. ''What did you say? I just heard a weird sound coming from you, Ego.'' A small silence fell in his mind, until Ego spoke again. ''You haven''t named it yet, so its existence hasn''t fully taken shape yet. Even I do not know what it''s name is, until you give it one. All I know is that you unlocked it.'' Ego continued. ''I explained before, but I am able to understand what your power will transform into from your actions. I have a general idea of what you will create, but not the details.'' Orion thought something was weird. ''Then how did you knew about the sixth unlock?'' He heard a sigh in his mind. ''I am not so stupid to not understand what a ''multi-weapon'' ability is.'' A quick chuckle came from his right. He look at the one who tried to hide it. ''Damn you Ego, what did you do this time? Why is Amelia able to hear u- Oh...'' Orion looked at the sphere floating between his hands. It was incredibly silent. There was no perturbations in its round shape. ''Yes, most likely. Perhaps you have an idea what that new element does around you?'' Amelia stared at the sphere, while the women next to her glanced at her with a look that said ''Did she finally lose it?'' ''I do have an idea. Maybe because I read that book, I understand how to use it.'' He clenched both fist, and opened them. He repeated that a few times. At one point, the sphere began to change form, and the sphere slowly moved down, perfectly in-between his hands. He opened his hands, a loudly clapped his hands together, squishing the new element. The room got darker for an instant, displaying stars around his hands that pulsed a fraction of second and disappeared. A thin layers, almost invisible formed around his hands. ''It worked. Stay calm, don''t lose this feeling. Alright.'' Amelia gulped. She was able to understand his thoughts, but it seemed that her own thoughts weren''t shared to him. Orion looked at his hands. He chose to use his left hand to test the new element''s magic. He slowly brought his palm in front of him, as if he was about to push someone. His hand touched an invisible matter. Pushing against it strongly, a crack formed in front of him. He continued to press on the crack. ''Slowly.'' *Crack* The space in front of him kept cracking, until a large noise, resembling a muffled sound of vase breaking was heard. ''I made it...'' Orion looked at the human sized cracked opening in front of him. Like his new element, stars were all other it, pulsing before disappearing, replaced by a new light right after vanishing. He crouched and picked up the red book that was laying next to him. He stared at it for a second, and to everyone''s surprise, he threw it inside the crack. "What is happening? Am I going crazy? In reality, I am dead aren''t I?" Kamala''s eyes were spinning. What was in front of her was everything but normal. "Orion... what in the world." Karteira approached him, curious about the effect of the magic. "Interested?" "Somewhat." Karteira nodded, while approaching her face near the space. She touched it, and realized her finger could go inside. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. She removed it, scared that her finger would have disappeared, but it was still here, to her relief. "Let''s go in? Amelia, could you check the time before entering, please?" Orion nonchalantly walked inside the portal. "Orion?! What the-" "Amelia, what do we do?!" They began to panic. Karteira was the one to decide for both of them. "We follow!" She finished her sentence and jumped inside the portal. Amelia looked at this with a blank look. ''I can''t believe she just chose to follow him before I could even think about it. She''s either crazy, or she believes in him way too much.'' She walked toward the window, and looked at the position of the sun. It was around 3PM right now. She nodded after confirming it, and walked in front of the starry night curtain. She closed her eyes, and walked forward. "Here goes nothing!" Amelia was instantly swallowed by the portal, leaving Kamala alone in her house, with a portal leading to who knows where in the middle of her living room. *sigh* ''I need a break.'' She sighed loudly. ''What calamitous being did I bring into my house?'' She walked to a chair that was pushed further away, and sat on it. "Timothy, could you make some coffee for me?" Kamala''s aid, Timothy, bent forward before leaving for the kitchen area behind him. He saw everything from the staircase, and was as shocked as his Lord. ''Dealing with this man is exhausting.'' Kamala placed her elbows on her thighs and placed her face between her hands. ~ "It''s way brighter than I expected." Orion was inside the space he had created. The red book he previously threw in here was at his feet. He picked it up just before Karteira entered, following him. "Oh, you are the first one to enter?" She stopped next to Orion, looking around. "There''s absolutely nothing in here beside that starry sky." She blinked a few times. Ten seconds later, Amelia entered the space. *click* The moment Amelia walked in, the portal froze. It closed itself, sealing them inside. The only one that knew was Orion. "It''s so bright! It''s completely different from what I expected!" Orion laughed. "I said the same thing." He waited for the girls to get accustomed to the light. While waiting, he looked around. "This is a small space. I''d say around a kilometer wide on all side." "That''s quite a lot of space." Karteira was the first to get accustomed to the bright room. Amelia not long after. "So, we have a bright room, a white floor, and a starry sky. What do we do with this?" Orion thought out loud for the girls. He already had a few plans for it, but having another input is always welcomed. "I already know you plan on training in there." He looked at Amelia with a smile. "You don''t have proof do you?" She walked in front of him and stared at in his eyes. "Do I need proof?" A cheeky smile appeared on her face. Karteira, hearing this, couldn''t contain her joy. "We can fight in here? It''s going to be so different from the rough terrain we are used to!" Her mood was peaking toward happiness. She didn''t like the heat of the desert, or having to clean her shoes and clothes each time she stepped in mud. No risk of rain, no weather conditions. There was a breeze flowing in this space that kept the air cool enough not to make them shiver. "Well, we can only try. Amelia, can you unlock the Arm Overdrive?" Silence. "Please?" "Fine." Orion internally celebrated. He really liked the feeling of power it gave him. Amelia closed her eyes, and let the Key''s power flow in Orion. His strength became exponentially powered up. "You haven''t seen it up close if I remember, right Karteira." Alcyone appeared in his hands, an arrow already ready to be fired in its groove. "I saw it from afar." He nodded, bringing the crossbow closer to his face. "Then enjoy." Power accumulated inside the crossbow after absorbing energy flowing in Orion''s arm. *click* The light arrow flew away at tremendous speed. In the past, Orion used a wooden crossbow that send bolts at a speed of eighty five meters per second (280 feet). After obtaining the ability to fire light arrows, the speed changed to a hundred and ten meters per second (360 feet). The speed now was almost double that. In four seconds, the arrow touched the border of the room. His arrows flew at two hundred meters per second (656 feet) when he used the Arm Overdrive. "Huh? Nothing?" Disappointments showed on his face. There was no explosion like in the past. Amelia laughed at that. "I can''t believe your own element is eating your magic. With that, I can let you use it more often." Orion looked at her with a hard face, but let it go. "You''re right, I shouldn''t complain. Sorry Karteira, no explosion." She turned her face to look at him, sweat pouring from her face. "That''s your full strength, right? Tell me that''s it." He nodded. "For now." Something broke inside her. ''How does he not understand that this is not ''normal''? Even mother would have a hard time dealing with such an attack.'' ''What kind of reaction speed do you need to stop this? And what power do you have to possess to stop a projectile with so much velocity?'' She learned velocity when Orion talked about physics before Dramia and Drania left on their errand. "Orion, I don''t want to say it, but please, never shoot that at me. I don''t think my plates would endure it. My arms wouldn''t at the very least." He shook his head. "This is not something I will train on someone else. Compared to close quarters and blade fights, the only thing I can improve is the number of time I can shoot an arrow before my arm breaks. Currently, I can only fire one time." Alcyone vanished. Orion grabbed his arm and immediately healed it. "The recoil is way too strong." He smiled dryly. ''Even now, I can only use five minutes of Second Gear and speed enhancement combined. There is no progression on that either.'' Karteira breathed a sighed of relief. There was some things she hoped to never face in her life, and Orion''s arrows were one of them. Orion kept healing his arm for five minutes, until the pain disappeared. "Alright, other ideas for this place?" Karteira moved closer, her hand raised below her neck. "I do have an idea. Why don''t we use it to store our things, and even sleep in here if necessary?" Orion and Amelia looked at each other, surprised. "No good?" She made a terribly disappointed face. In fact, it was cute. "Karteira, that is a great idea." Amelia grabbed her hands. "Yes, now we can travel without our bags constantly behind us, or thrown somewhere before we fight. It''s such a pain to retrieve them after everything is done." Orion sighed. That was one of his biggest problem actually. "True!" They all laughed. "Alright, we will use this place to store our bags, and whatever important we come across." Orion agreed to Karteira''s idea. "Then, related to Karteira''s idea, I have one of my own." They both looked at her, waiting for her to speak again. "Why don''t we build a house in here?" "..." Their brain froze for a second. "You''ve finally lost it Amelia? You''ve been laughing by yourself earlier, and now that?" Amelia turned her face to Karteira with a deadly stare directed at her. "That''s rude. I haven''t lost my mind you know." She argued with Karteira. "I''ve supported your idea before, why don''t you support mine?!" Orion was in deep thoughts. ''Building a house. Now that I think about it, if I cancel the portal, whatever is in it might disappear. I have no idea if what happens to this place at that point.'' ''I need a way to maintain it.'' He brought his right hand to his face. "Hmm?" Something caught his attention. "Of course!" Both girls jumped from the sudden shout. Orion removed the ring on his finger. "Amelia, you''re going to have to learn Magic Diffusion too." ''What kind of nonsense did he think about this time?'' Karteira was not shocked this time. She really was getting used to his crazy ideas. "Why?" Amelia moved a step backward, while Orion walked a step forward. "You want to build a house right? How are you going to make it?" "With magic?" "And how do you maintain the house''s shape if you don''t feed the elements?" "..." "Yes. You can''t maintain it. That''s why, if you learn Magic Diffusion, you will imbue half of the ring''s magic storage with your magic." "And the other half?" "I''ll put that new element inside to stabilize this space. I don''t know how the inside will react if I cancel the portal." Amelia thought. "I don''t have a choice it seems." She shrugged. Karteira walked next to Orion, who had moved further away chasing Amelia. "You haven''t given your new element a name yet?" "No, I haven''t." A really tiny pebble sized sphere of new element formed in his left hand. Since most of it was used on this space, there was not much left to use. ''A name. Starry space... the vastness of space... nothing.'' He thought rapidly. In less than a minute, Orion came up with a name. "I know. This is the void element, capable of breaking space, and time." At this moment, the world registered a new element, something that did not happened in three millenium. Chapter 92: Creating a house in the void. "What do you mean by ''space and time''?" Amelia caught that little detail. "Where are we? What do you think is this place?" Orion returned her question with another one. ''That''s true, we haven''t really thought about that.'' They both realized that. "We''re inside some kind of magic right?" Orion nodded to Amelia. "I feel like I''ve seen this somewhere." Karteira placed a hand on her chin, but then looked at Amelia. Amelia looked at her with a questioning look, until she finally understood. "The portal to the fairy realm!" She turned to Orion. "Is this place a new realm?" Orion shook his head and explained. "Yes and no. I don''t know everything about this place, but I know that it isn''t a new realm." He continued. "To begin with, this is not a world I have created. This place exist ''because'' of the void element." He saw on their face that they didn''t understand. "Imagine it like this. The fairy realm was created by the tremendous power of a Remnant. I know Tiohr-nam said she was too young to create one, so she used a proxy, the ring, but it doesn''t change anything." "The difference between this place and a new ''world'', is that this place exist in an empty spot. It wasn''t created from scratch. We are simply walking in a broken part of space. The ''space'' here defines our position in the world." "We are nowhere currently. We are in an empty spot, a void." The girls were shocked. "But how does that work? How does time work in here? How are we able to move, breath and speak if it is supposedly non-existent." Amelia managed to understand what Orion said, but even then, so many questions kept coming. "It is simple, really. Since I manage that element, and that I accessed this place with it''s help, it adapts for me." "That''s way too convenient." Karteira brought a hand to her brows, tired of this. "Magic is convenient in every ways. Imagine sleeping without a roof above your head at night. Imagine the bad food you would be eating without fire. Of course magic adapts around us." She blinked a few times. As someone that couldn''t use magic, it was easy to understand how convenient it was explained like this. "That makes sense. Now that I really think about it, I think only you two use magic for something else than fighting. There shouldn''t be anyone thinking outside the box like you." This time, it was Orion''s turn to look confused. ''Are we that weird? I was sure it was normal to use magic like this. I''ve taught Amelia how to use it how I thought it would be the most useful, but I guess that isn''t normal to begin with?'' Orion remembered that these ideas came from seeing his father''s devices that worked with magic. Perhaps, if Reon had not been born with lightning magic, he would not have created devices that works on electricity, but that would lead to so many problem in history, it was too hard to even grasp how different such a world would be. Amelia stared blankly in the distance. ''I find it terrible to only use our elements for taking lives. We''ve learned more things creating everyday life situations using my elements since leaving Auro.'' A silence fell around them, all thinking about something of their own. Orion broke the silence at one point, changing the mood. "Alright, let''s go find a place to build that house." The girls nodded, and followed him. They walked until the wall of this space appeared in front of them. A sort of haze stopped the ground from walking forward. "How about this spot?" Orion pointed a bit on his left. "We should built it a bit further from the border, but that looks fine." Amelia nodded. "Then, I''m going to scare you for a second." "Why?" Orion closed his eyes, and released ninety percent of the feeding toward the void magic he was using to maintain the place. The space darkened, the air grew still, and a slight rumbling noise was heard around them. Amelia and Karteira stood still, looking around them. Since he noticed them beforehand, there was no panicking in their actions this time. Orion opened his eyes, and a sphere of void element formed above his right hand. He began to diffuse it into the air without wasting a single second. Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Even him didn''t know how long the space had before completely closing on them. Pulsing particles appeared all around Orion. It was denser than the light and dark elements, so it fell faster toward the floor. "Absorb." The ring absorbed the void particles successfully. "Amelia, your turn." Orion explained how to diffuse magic on the way to the edge of this space, and had time to get the hand of it. She nodded, and did something that would normally be impossible. Five spheres of different size appeared in front of her. Water, wind, earth, lightning, and fire. This was their size from largest to smallest. Even though fire was the smallest, you could still understand how powerful it was. It is the most powerful element in the world, and is also the rarest. For that reason, it is almost impossible to control it''s power. Amelia is slowly familiarizing with it''s power by using it each day, but some time is needed before her last dagger can be formed. The five spheres began to dissipate, slower than Orion managed too, but he wasn''t going to criticize her, this was a really difficult process, and she was doing five of them at the same time. He silently waited until all spheres completely disintegrated, and lifted his right hand above his head. "Absorb." Like before, the ring swallowed the particles, and its magical storage became full. "You will become the core of this place for now." The ring was shining brightly. The amethyst crystal embedded on the silver ring began to pulse like it did when Orion first saw it, and it slowly flew higher after sliding off his finger. It stopped ten meters in the air, and a spell activated, releasing a constant flow of elements in the air. A protective shield appeared around the ring, most likely one built in by Reon, as if this was supposedly one of it''s use to begin with. The empty space began to stabilize again. The light returned, the rumble stopped, and the breeze caressed their face. "That is done. I only have to check from time to time, and when it''s getting lower, we would simply need to replenish its storage." He was satisfied with this outcome. Everything worked perfectly so far. He released the small amount of void magic used to stabilize this place. There was no need to manage it personally anymore. "You should be able to build a house without it ever crumbling. That is, unless the magic storage is depleted." Amelia walked away, and began her work. Since there was no wood, and that it wasn''t part of her elemental set, she had to make one from rocks. Or that was the plan. She began to innovate. She wanted a good house, something that wasn''t rough, bad looking, and of low quality. "Orion, come help me, you know a lot more than me about that." He and Karteira walked to her. She had her five elements floating above her hands. "I want to create things, but I don''t know how. You''ve read a lot of books right? I don''t want to use rocks or compacted dirt anymore." Orion began to think, while Karteira gave her the first material that came in her mind. "Why don''t you use bricks? Orion said that it should be possible to create with a variation in the earth element." "And I said that this wasn''t proved. I have no idea if we can even create variations in an element." Amelia turned around. "What do you mean by variation? Is it changing it''s properties or something like that?" Orion nodded. "In a way, yes. Are you able to bring sand out of the earth element?" Amelia looked at the earth element, and sand began to fall on the floor in large quantity. "I can with no trouble." Orion continued. "Can you create gravel now?" ''So that''s what he meant by variations.'' She closed her eyes and focused on the earth element. ''Creating a variation, meaning the different forms of a component forming the earth element.'' ''Does it work the same as my water?'' She imagined the same process that she learned about when her water and wind evolved to their intermediate level. "How do you make bricks?" Having her eyes still closed, Amelia asked. Orion answered her question. "You need to create clay. Don''t worry though, if you can''t make it, we can create bricks with mud too. They are a bit more fragile, that''s all." ''Clay is a type of soil right? Which means that I should be able to link it to dirt. If I change the properties of dirt, to that of clay...'' *splash* A pile of wet grey substance dropped to the floor in front of them. "..." Orion was speechless. Amelia managed to create clay, showing how impressive her control over her element was. "How do I make bricks with that?" He returned to his senses, and walked in front of her. "You want to create a mold of this size." Amelia created a mold like Orion said with rocks. She placed the clay inside the many molds, and waited for Orion''s instructions. "You need to heat it. With a strong flame at that." Sweat formed on her face. ''Do I really have to work with fire?'' Orion noticed her hesitation. "If you don''t want to, you don''t have to. You still have trouble dealing with it isn''t it?" By ''it'', he meant the orphanage fire. She nodded, but still decided to try. "Tell me how much fire I need." Magic began to be fed to the fire element, something that usually happened by small amount, mainly for cooking. This was the first time Amelia was using that much fire. A cloud of fire appeared on top of the molds, heating the clay. "More, heat it up." She focused on bringing more heat out, making the fire hotter. From a bright red cloud, it became yellow. Amelia kept doing this under Orion''s careful observations for ten minutes. "This should be good. You can stop." He crouched and touched the mold. "It''s too hot to manipulate, let''s wait a bit." They waited until the bricks became colder. Orion broke one of the mold and gave the grey block to Amelia. "That''s a brick." She grabbed it, and looked all over the brick. "If it''s just that, can''t I just create it from rock variations?" Orion blinked a few times, and laughed. "If you think you can make it, then try. It would save us effort and time." And just like that, a mountain of grey bricks appeared in the span of thirty minutes, enough to build a house larger than Kamala, with at least three floors. "Amelia, that''s way too much." Karteira was laughing without stopping at an exhausted Amelia. "Stop... laughing!" Because they are so close, and because they are both an important friend to each other, they began to have fun arguing with each other. Of course, they weren''t saying anything harmful or getting in a bad mood. Orion wouldn''t permit that. Earlier, while Amelia was creating the bricks in great number, he took out the hourglass he kept in his pocket. He looked at it the whole time until she was done. ''I know I said that the void element controls time, but that was something I said instinctively. Now that I had time to look at it, it seems to be true.'' The grains of sand were all frozen, or that was what he thought at first. In reality, they were moving at an absurdly slow pace. He realized that time was still moving forward, but they weren''t affected in this space. ''Magic is convenient, she said. She is right about that.'' Orion smiled, remembering Karteira saying that earlier. ''I''ll have to play with it a lot to understand how it works.'' The void element was something even Ego didn''t knew, so only himself could pierce it''s secret. He heard Karteira talking to Amelia, and turned his attention to them. "So what are we going to do with this pile of bricks? How do we build that house?" Amelia turned to Orion. "I just have to imagine what kind of house I want, right? I''ll let my element take over the building, and focus on transmitting it my plan." Orion nodded. This was what he explained to Amelia and Dramia before. Amelia closed her eyes, and began to imagine what house she wanted. Though she had already an idea to begin with, now she had to think of the details. The earth element reacted to her thoughts and began to affect the bricks in front of her. But out of nowhere, another one of her element reacted. She began to feed it magic too, just to see what it wanted. Water began to flow from the water sphere. It formed a rock sized water ball, and stayed like this. Orion and Karteira were silently watching everything. ''She has control over her elements like no one else. She will become extremely powerful in the future, so perhaps it might be best to keep an eye in case she ever loses control.'' Another element reacted, this time, it was completely unexpected. A curtain of fire began to fall from the fire orb. ''I will trust you. You have done so much and yet I keep avoiding you, I''m sorry.'' The fire sphere began to shine brighter and more vividly. But it wasn''t the end, the wind element, followed by the lightning element also began to react. ''What is happening? Are you all looking forward to creating a house?'' They weren''t conscious about it, they simply reacted to Amelia''s strong feeling toward this project. So, after all the elemental spheres moved in various positions, the creation began. Chapter 93: Elemental Mastery. Amelia was standing, her eyes closed, unknowing of what was happening in front of her. What was going to happen was the peak of mastering all elements. Even Orianne and Reon were looking intently at her through the screen. The earth sphere was higher than all of the other ones. The fire sphere, having created an horizontal curtain of fire, was not far below it. The water sphere was separated in two, with the orb of water being below the fire curtain, and the sphere being over the bricks. The wind sphere was next to the water sphere, slowly elevating the bricks. The lightning sphere was waiting in front of Amelia, because it wasn''t its time to act yet. Everything was ready. The flow of magic was stable, the elements all looked ready, and her feelings were fine. If there was one problem, it would be her exhaustion. She had used a lot of her magic storage creating the bricks, and more than likely, she was going to deplete it and more during this process. ''Orion, can I transfer a part of your magic storage to Amelia? I fear she will hurt her soul if she draws too much of it.'' Ego''s voice echoed in Orion''s head. Amelia was too focused to hear them this time. ''Take as much as she needs. I already have a tree taking the excess, so that shouldn''t be a problem. Don''t leave me dry, that''s all.'' Immediately, Orion felt sluggish from the sudden drop of magic in his soul. ''Damn, what kind of monster is she! Does she have a storage wider than mine? She isn''t completely exhausted, but she already took 75% of my storage. It''s a good think I can refill it fast.'' Amelia had five elements, where Orion had two before. The difference in amount stored was that Orion had powerful elements that required an absurd amount of magic to maintain, while Amelia had the necessary amount from having five elements. She began to feel better. Her mind, cleared the fatigue, began to clearly picture the house. ''Let''s start. First, I want a wall, like this.'' The elements all began to react. The earth element began to spit out a variation of stone and metal toward the water sphere, while sand began to fall into the fire curtain. The wind element began to place the bricks in a line, while also sending a strong wind below the fire curtain to fan the flame, while also keeping the sand from falling off before being processed. The water sphere caught the variation, and began to rotate it rapidly inside it. In a minute, it stopped spinning, and spat the result on the first pile of bricks that were layered in a rectangle shape. The first part was an elongated corridor, separated by another wall further inside. ''Did she just create mortar to bind the bricks together? How much her control over her elements extends?'' Orion''s question was answered by Ego. ''She is evolving. Just like you who obtained your fourth unlock, she is progressing. It seems like she finally managed to break from her fears toward her elements, and accepted everything about them.'' ''The joint use of the five element is nothing but a miracle. Only Noah managed to do it before, and when it happens, a new ability is birthed from this. He named it Elemental Mastery, so I will refer it as such.'' Ego stopped speaking, leaving Orion impressed by how much his partner was growing. ''And she said I was creating a gap between us. Does she realize how incredible she is?'' He stared warmly at her for a second, and returned to his usual neutrality before long. He wanted to see her work being completed. While he was listening to Ego, Amelia continued to lead the elements. Even with her eyes closed, she was able to notice what was built, thanks to the elements linked to her feelings. The corridor was done. There was opening for the doors, and the bricks were all placed, leading to a height of two and a half meters. Many things happened at the same time from there. The earth sphere began to throw different type of components and variations toward the fire and water. While the water sphere was focusing on making concrete, the water orb was only catching it''s first new material. ''Glass! She''s a factory by herself!'' Orion was dumbfounded. The materials that humans created with great effort were made by Amelia. Below the water orb, a long mold formed from rocks. The molten material passed through the water, that cooled it slightly. It dropped inside the mold like paste, and began to fill the it. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Now that it had started, a constant flow of molten glass was dripping into the water orb. When a mold was full and the glass completely settled, the wind sphere sent a cutting blade and cut it into perfect shaped rectangles. The second room on the left of the corridor was done. It was a room that extended five meters on the left, and all the way to the back, twenty meters total. At sixteen meters, another wall was built, separating the big room into two. The pile of windows that were waiting on the side were moved by the wind element, and placed were the walls allowed for one. At that moment, the fire sphere began to swell, and it formed a big fire orb further away from the glass molds. The earth sphere created another set of molds under it, larger than the glass ones. It then proceeded to throw another mix of components inside the fire. ''She never stops.'' Orion laughed in his mind. From the amount of magic Ego had to transfer to Amelia, he understood how much concentration and magic she needed. What was thrown into the fire orb was mostly metal. The fire heated up the metal, until it transformed into a metallic paste and dropped into the mold. ''She''s making metal beams now. Most likely to build a first floor.'' This was like a foundry. Amelia was creating glass and metal beams as if she an expert. Once the metal beam had hardened, the water orb sent a jet of water on top of it to cool it. At that point, the lower floor was finished. The room was the widest one so far, with fourteen meters wide, and twenty meters long, stopping at the same back wall. Then, bricks were placed to separate that large room into three smaller room. The last room was four meters wide, like the room opposite to it. The two other room were separated in two rooms of eight meters wide. Amelia breathed a sight of relief. Half of what she had planned was done. What she didn''t know was that it had already been two hours now. The water sphere was floating around, spraying the concrete mix on the bricks on at a time, while the wind sphere kept placing them one by one. Sweat was dropping from her face, she was beginning to lose her concentration. ''I''ll be taking more.'' Orion nodded and prepared himself for the next wave of tiredness at Ego''s words. This one was tougher than the previous, and he felt dizzy. It wasn''t like it was drained, it had been forcefully taken, so the sudden drop of magic only made him sick. ''I don''t think I''ll be able to do another one. Let''s hope she finishes before that point.'' The metal beams began to be lifted by strong winds, and were carefully placed in the four corners of the lower floor, then other beams were placed on top of the corner beams and on the ground to support the corners. It was time for the lightning sphere to act. Orion noticed that, and understood what was going to happen. "Karteira, close your eyes. Don''t look at the flash, understood?" She was caught by surprise, and it showed on her face. "Y-Yes!" Karteira was immersed in the show in front of her. She had never seen someone use their elements so wisely before. Not that she saw many to begin with. Lightning began to crackle, and just before Orion and Karteira closed their eyes, a laser of condensed electrical energy was released on a specific spot of the metal beams. Where the metal beams touched, they were welded together by the powerful condensed lightning laser. Inside the bracelet, Reon was shocked. It wasn''t as strong as his own lightning, but she was getting to his level at an equivalent pace. This level of power was what he subjected himself to build his immunity to it. He thought that in a year or two, she would arrive to the master level. This was still the second hardest element to use on this continent. The first floor was getting there. The metal beams were placed in a cross shape above the walls, welded to the ones at the same height. The layering of bricks began again. They hid the metal beams, and the floor was starting to be created as well. Once there was nothing to weld anymore, the lightning sphere returned in front of Amelia. The process continued, the walls began to form multiple rooms, and just like that, the house was finished in three more hours. The roof took some times to be completed, and more metal beams needed to be placed to support it, but it was finally done. The windows were tightly placed, and everything was perfect. The floor was strongly built, and the details were smoothed. *gasp* *cough* Amelia was looking at her masterpiece, completely drained of energy. All materials that weren''t used where burnt to dust by the fire element. "Good work Amelia." Karteira walked first to her and massaged her back to help her breathe. "Well, that is indeed a good house. Now, we just need to get the furniture and a lot of paint." Orion walked next to her and patted her head. He was feeling a lot more exhausted than he should, but it didn''t show on his face. "I... made it!" She looked at Karteira, then at Orion, a big smile on her face. "Yes, that you did. You''ve done a great job. I am sure that no one on this continent will ever come close to that level of precise manipulation." The house was standing tall, and became the mark of Amelia''s efforts. But, the house was completely naked. It was quite bad inside for that matter, there was no staircase leading upstairs, and there was nothing at all inside. "Leave the painting to me, and the furnishing to Karteira. We''ll take care of that another time. For now, we should go back to the other side. After resting of course." Orion sat on the floor, his gaze directed at the house in front of him. "I can''t believe you''ve managed to create something like this." Karteira kept massaging Amelia until she was better. She watched everything just like Orion, but the reality was hard to process. Since no one was able to wield five elements, currently, Amelia was the only one to create such a prowess. Everything she did was things the humans were able to do, but not alone. Smelting, carving, welding, crafting, creating. Amelia was able to do many thing. She was really lacking in the energy department, but otherwise, what couldn''t she do? She wasn''t able to create wood though, that was the most troublesome thing, so Orion was thinking of asking Kamala a few favors. Another hour past with the three of them discussing on how they would use this house. Once Amelia was better, they moved inside the house, and decided which rooms were what. When you entered, the main corridor was there. On the left, they decided that it would become the living room. Opposite to that room, would be the dining room, and the kitchen. All the way in the back was the last part of the corridor, where the stairs were supposed to be. On the left was the toilet, and on the right the bathroom. She made it extra large for Orion, since he liked taking baths. They couldn''t go upstairs, so that needed to wait. It would be useless anyways, since there was no bed to sleep in right now. Once the tour was done, they all moved away from the house. "Alright, it''s been seven hours since we entered, or at least, that is how I feel it." Orion checked the hourglass one last time, and placed it in his pocket again. "Let''s return." The girls nodded. Orion placed his hand on a wall that didn''t exist, and broke through space, linking that new portal to the one in Kamala''s house. "You can go first." He moved away, and let both of them get through the portal. Karteira entered first. Orion turned one last time to look at the house. "She really did a great job." Amelia was still behind him. She heard him talk to himself, and with a bright smile, entered the portal without being noticed. Orion walked through the portal and arrived in Kamala''s living room. "We''re back." Chapter 94: An eventful day. Kamala was sitting on a chair, alone in a corner of the living room, a cup of coffee in her hands. Orion waved at her after walking out of the portal. The girls were on the side of the portal, with Amelia showing how good her mood was. ''Already?'' Kamala was confused that they came back so fast. "I can guess what you''re thinking. Time works differently on the other side." Orion took out the hourglass. Sand was flowing steadily. She got intrigued by what Orion took out of his pocket. She stood up from her chair, and came next to Orion, looking at the hourglass. "This is an impressive work. It is really beautiful. The sand comes from this desert right?" "Most likely. I received it not long ago from a merchant. It is now precious to me." Without noticing, Kamala''s hair and some parts of her body touched Orion. Orion didn''t say anything, because this was not on purpose. Surprisingly enough, even Amelia had no reaction about this situation. ''Orion''s not the type to care about this kind of appeal. Even I know that she''s not trying to seduce him.'' She shrugged internally. Karteira was next to Amelia, thinking about things completely unrelated. ''I want to train. If not, I''m going to fall asleep.'' She placed a hand on her mouth and began to yawn quietly. Fatigue was slowing getting to them, even though it wasn''t that late. Before long, Kamala moved away, satisfied after seeing the beauty of the hourglass'' carvings. Orion placed it back in his pocket, and asked. "How much time were we away?" Kamala looked at her coffee, and answered. "Less than ten minutes, I would say?" Orion brought a hand to his chin. ''We were on the other side for seven or eight hours. Which means that time flows by a minute here when an hour pass inside.'' ''If it''s like that, wouldn''t the magic storage be completely depleted when we return?'' He thought about it, but realized that it was completely different. ''No, it works differently doesn''t it?'' ''When I''m not inside, that space should stop working, and freeze completely until I enter it again.'' ''Let''s just hope it works like this, or else, Amelia''s hard work would have been for nothing.'' He looked at Kamala, and asked another question. "While time passed in minutes here, it was in hours on the other side. We are tired right now, so could you possibly tell us were we should go to rest? There is an inn in this city right?" Kamala was shocked to hear about the difference of time between the two places. Even in her troubled emotion, she looked at Timothy. "I have a great place for you, so let Timothy give you the details." Timothy approached Orion. The two men discussed about the general direction of the inn, and how much it was. "Thank you." Orion turned around, and walked near Amelia and Karteira. He looked at Karteira. "Better hide your tail now." She nodded, her tail slowly returning to being invisible. He placed a hand on the frozen portal, making it close on itself, leaving no trace of its existence. He walked all over the living room, cleaning the mess he previously created. The couches were placed where they were before, the table that was pushed away returned to its rightful place, the chairs with it. He picked up the books that fell from the bookshelf, and returned the two books he borrowed earlier. ''I made this mess by accident. It would leave a really bad impression if I just left it like that.'' It was really easy for him. He had strength, and he was fast. While the girls were waiting for him near the front door, he was finishing tidying the place. Lastly, he moved the chair that Kamala was sitting on before, and placed the cup of coffee on the table. "You shouldn''t drink in such a lonely place. Instead of a corner, you should be where the sun shines. Seeing the scenery outside the window is more relaxing than staring at the wall." He said what he thought, and walked out the front door, not even waiting for a response from her. The girls followed right after him. Kamala watched all of this, not knowing what to say or what to think. ''He''s the first one to say something like this to me. I should be ''where the sun shines''.'' At that moment, Kamala realized. Orion was a kind person, outside of his plan for vengeance. In this world, there was only despair waiting for anyone if the Apostles kept having control over the factions. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. If there was a ''sun'' capable of illuminating the darkest places, it would be Orion. ''I made up my mind, I''ll be fully supporting him. A world without strife, without oppression, and without the need to cower in fear for our future.'' ''I want to see that!'' As she watched his back being engulfed by the outside light, her determination strengthened. By inadvertently speaking with honesty, Orion managed to bring Kamala fully to his side. The girls closed the door behind them, leaving Kamala to deal with her raging desires to change the world. ~ "That''s the place, isn''t it?" Karteira looked at a big panel in front of a building, saying ''Welcome to the Flying Fish.'' The building looked bigger than most of the houses around, which confirmed that it was an inn. On the side, there was a restaurant that seemed to belong to the inn too. It was painted blue, most likely to resemble the sea, and there was a big fish portrayed above the double doors. "He said that we had to look for a large building named the Flying Fish near the port. I''d say we found it." Orion said, observing the foldable sign. "What are waiting for then? I''m getting tired, so let''s go in already." Amelia walked in front of Orion, and entered the building. He followed a moment later with Karteira. "Welcome!" Two women at the reception spoke at the same time, greeting the people that entered. ''Seems like there is only us in the building.'' He looked at the ladies. They both had black hair, similar to Orion. They had the same long hair stopping slightly below their shoulders. ''Twins.'' He immediately recognized the similarities between them. If there was something distinguishing them from one another, it was the side of their bangs. They all arrived at the front desk, the receptionists still showing their professional smile. "Are you here to stay the night?" "Or are you looking to enjoy some time in our restaurant?" They asked in turn. Karteira looked at Orion. ''Can we?'' He read her mind like it was nothing. "We are going to stay the night." Deception appeared on Karteira''s face. "Is that it?" The left lady asked. "Are we able to have dinner in the restaurant too?" "Of course!" The right girl exclaimed, to Karteira''s joy. The left receptionist showed him a paper with the price of the rooms, while the second waited for him to finish. Once he was done, she caught his attention. "Now, let me explain how our restaurant works." She opened the wooden plank that was meant to stop people from walking behind the desk other then them, and walked toward a door on the right side that led to the restaurant. "Please follow me." She made a respectful gesture with her hand, and opened the door. The three followed, leaving the left receptionist alone at the desk. "Our restaurant is different in that you can eat as much food as you want. It is called a buffet. You can take whatever you customer fancy, and pay a fixed price before leaving." For Karteira, lover of food, this place was paradise. Orion nodded, glad that this wouldn''t cost him a lot, while Amelia was preparing herself to take notes on the food that they were going to eat later. They had the money. A lot of money, thanks to Orion selling all those preys when he was in Auro. He was never a big spender, and had accumulated quite a fortune by himself. To compare, he could buy five of the biggest and luxurious house in Triazils this instant. ''Now that we are able to protect our belongings, I will be able to relax a bit.'' He listened to the receptionist explain what would be on the menu, where to sit depending on their mood, and where to move their emptied plate. ''Since coming here, I''m only seeing polite and respectful humans. Are my views slowly shifting?'' She was extremely professional, to the point where he became impressed. ''I''ll just think that it is only because this is Kamala''s city. I won''t doubt her words.'' Orion decided to trust in Kamala. This lead to Kamala earning his trust and support, something that was not so hard to obtain in the end, if you showed sincerity and respect. "And this is were you need to go with you receipt. Once this is done, we hope that you will enjoy your rest in your rooms." She opened the door back into the reception hall, and she returned next to her sister. "I wanted to ask, but there''s nobody inside?" Amelia asked to the receptionist. "That''s most likely because of the mess outside the city. The citizens are only coming back into their houses aren''t they?" Karteira answered her before the receptionist could. "What you said is the exact reason." The lady on the left talked with smile. "I apologize if it is a strange question, but did you stay inside this building during the conflict?" Orion asked carefully. "We both are the managers of this fine inn. We trusted the words of Lord Kamala, so we simply waited for it to end." The lady on the right answered with the same smile. ''People here really trust Kamala.'' "I see. Thank you very much for showing us around earlier. I believed this would be the work of someone else, but it was well-explained. You two seem to love working in this place." He gently smiled, catching the heart of the two woman by surprise. Orion is tall, well-built, gentle, and slightly distant. His gaze is fierce, yet no one can look away. He isn''t scary, not intimidating. "T-Thank you very much!" The sisters bowed together, confused as to why they reacted like this. They had many years of work behind them, and they saw a lot of different individuals. They straightened, and began to introduce themselves. The one on the right began, followed by her sister on the left. "My name is Chelsea." "And mine is Kelsea." They both showed a mirrored movement. They placed a hand on their chest, and very slightly bent their head downward. "Are you going to stay the night in our inn?" Kelsea asked, bringing a large book, registering the customer that stayed previously and are currently staying. ''That''s a port city for you. Look at the size of this book. Many travelers or merchants seems to stay in here. That shows how great this place is.'' "Of course. Thank you for having us." He nodded in appreciation. "Well then, please write your names there, and the number of days you wish to stay. After that, we will ask you to pay the rooms'' fee." Amelia crouched, and looked inside Orion''s bag. She took out a worn out wallet, and gave it to him. "Here, you need it right?" He took the wallet, and placed it on the front desk while he wrote his name. "Do I write yours too?" They both nodded. He wrote Amelia and Karteira''s names on the registry, and took the wallet, and opened it. "How much would that be?" The sisters stared at the inside of the wallet with shock. There was so much money in it. They looked at each other, discussing in with their gaze only. ''Who is that man? Not only is he stunning, but he is also rich?'' ''I am like you, I have no idea. But we have to avoid offending him. He might even be related to Lord Kamala in some ways.'' They nodded to each other. "Do you want one room, or two separate ones?" "Separate please." He felt relief in his mind. Finally, he was able to keep Amelia far away from his bed. While he thought that, someone was pouting behind him. "You know how it is Amelia. Don''t be too harsh on him." With a forced smile, Karteira placed her hand on Amelia''s shoulder. "Then, this would be-" Orion paid the price requested. Kelsea turned around and opened a drawer. She took out two keys and placed them on the desk. "Those are your room keys. Room 101 for you sir, and room 102 for you ladies." "Thank you very much." Orion took both keys, and handed the key with ''102'' to Amelia. "If you ever need something, feel free to come to us. We will shortly deal with whatever you ask of us." "We pride ourselves in making your stay as agreeable as possible." They bowed, and showed them the stairs. Orion smiled, and followed by Amelia and Karteira, walked upstairs after picking his bag. Room 101 was right at the entrance of the first floor. Room 102 was opposite to his. He opened the door, and was welcomed by a two bed space that was bigger than the rooms he stayed in the previous inns. ''That''s the difference between humans and beastmen I guess.'' That felt wrong to him, because the hospitality was good too in the beastmen inns. They simply hadn''t the right to have anything fancy like this. He place his bag near the bed furthest from the door, and sat on it. He bounced a few times on the bed. *Knock* *Knock* "Orion, we''re going to eat. Are you joining us?" "Of course. I''m coming in a second." He stood up from the bed, and took out the hourglass from his pocket. He placed it on the drawer next to the bed, and looked at the bracelet on his left wrist. ''48%. I''ll replenish it when it will drop lower than 20%.'' He grabbed the room key, and stepped outside, locking the door behind him. With both girls walking hurriedly in front of him, Orion moved with a sweet smile on his face. They entered the restaurant, now having customers inside that returned to the inn. The food was great, and Karteira ate enough to make a normal human full for two days. Orion paid for their dinner, and they all returned to their rooms, with nothing major happening. He took note of everything that he read from the two books in Kamala''s house, while Amelia wrote what happened today in detail in her notebook. Karteira was already sleeping soundly at that point. The fatigue caught Orion and Amelia at the same time, and they both turned their light''s off, signaling the end of another eventful day as they drifted into the dream world. Chapter 95: Girls talk. The sun was slowly making it''s way higher into the sky. A new day began. Orion opened his eyes, and looked at the window. The ray of light coming from between the curtains woke him up. ''It''s going to be a hot day.'' He stayed a few minutes laying in bed, until his brain was fully awake. The temperature in the room was hot, but not unbearable for Orion. He slept with a shirt that was hiding his chiseled abs, and simple underwear. As he sat on his bed, wiping the little sweat he had built in his body while asleep with a towel in his bag, he looked at the same window again. ''It is a beautiful sight.'' The rooms Orion and the girls were staying in showed only a small portion of sea, since it was on the side of the building, but the glistening blue sea was captivating, even for him. On the other side, Karteira was also looking at the blue sea. ''This is not nearly the same as our sea. So much life, so much people, so much activity.'' She was amazed. When she listened to Tiohr-nam saying that she had to see the world for herself, and return with news on the state of the world, at first, she thought that there wasn''t much to see. That most cities were ruled by tyrants, and that nothing beautiful could exist. ''Mother was right, there are beautiful things still in this world. And the food is great too. There might be hope for this continent.'' Her role in all of this was to come back with a definite conclusion. If the continent was impossible to save, the fairies would never return, and stay in their realm. If there was hope, mainly created by Orion, Amelia, and herself, the realm would be broken, and the fairies would return to Triazils. That was what her mother asked of her. But, she also told her to enjoy the time she was going to spend with her friends, because who knows what can happen. The blue sea was reflecting in her blue eye as she thought. Amelia slowly opened her eyes, feeling the breeze coming from the window Karteira had opened. She grunted a bit, and woke up as usual, her mind full of fog. Karteira looked at her without saying anything. She knew Amelia was unresponsive in those moments, even thought it was kind of funny. After ten minutes of lifelessly looking at the wall in front of her, the gears finally began to shift in her head. She looked at Karteira on her right. "Morning Karteira." She smile at her, moving from her bed, to the window. "Morning Amelia." A strong breeze flowed between them, pushing their long air. They enjoyed a bit a calm, before they moved away to prepare for the day. Their hair was a mess like every morning, and they were in their underwear, so they had to get clothed before going out, obviously. This was an usual thing for them. It took roughly fifteen minutes for them to be ready. Today, Amelia decided to go for the high and side-braided ponytail hairstyle. Orion seemed to like it. Karteira chose to keep her hair loose, like she always does. She didn''t particularly care about her hairstyle. But her hair was beginning to get too long. ''Maybe it''s time to trim it. What should I do?'' She was lost. Before, she just randomly cut it here and there, but for a reason she didn''t knew, he didn''t want to be lazy about this anymore. ''I should ask Amelia about it.'' She placed her hairbrush down, and turned to Amelia. "Say, I want to cut my hair, but I don''t know how to go about it." Having caught Amelia''s attention, they began to discuss it. "That''s rare coming from you." "Well, I don''t want it to bother me, and it''s starting to arrive below my thighs, so." Amelia had long hair too, so she knew what she meant. "Do you want to cut a lot of it, or like before?" "Like before?" Amelia nodded at a confused Karteira. "When we first met, your hair was above your hips." "Oh, you''re right. I had forgotten since I''ve never really cared about it that much." "That''s a shame, you have really beautiful light blue hair." This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. The praise hit her full force. Karteira had a little rosy color on her cheeks. "So, what are you asking me? To cut your hair, or help you choose a haircut?" Karteira began to fidget slightly. In a quiet voice, she answered. "Both, if possible." ''What is this cute creature?!'' Amelia almost forgot that she was younger than Karteira, as she was about to pounce at her and hug her. *cough* "I don''t mind. But why the sudden change? If you don''t care, that shouldn''t be too hard to decide right?" Amelia erased those feelings and asked another question. "That''s a good question. I don''t really know why either, but I don''t want to look like a mess when both of you are looking fine." ''So it''s just a question of comparing? There''s something else isn''t it?'' A devious smile appeared on Amelia''s face for a split second. Karteira did not saw it. "That''s all? That shouldn''t bother you, since you have already a great style. Having long hair doesn''t mean that you are not taking great care of it. You look fine already." Karteira looked at her with a blank stare. "Are you trying to get something out of me? Why so many compliments?" Amelia looked away. That didn''t work as expected. She stopped bothering, and just asked her friend. "Sorry. But I really think so, you really do look good. I just thought that there was something else behind those words." Amelia scratched her cheek in embarrassment, to which Karteira simply looked down. "You always find new hairstyle everyday, and manage to look great with it. I got a bit jealous of that." Silence fell in the room. "Did I say something bad?" Karteira looked at Amelia. Her hair were hiding her eyes, showing only darkness behind it. She was waiting to be shout at for saying something like this to her friend. But Amelia began to laugh. "It''s fine to be jealous isn''t it? You should have said so before, I would have helped. I said it before, if you need something from me, just ask." "Finding and having different hairstyles is not secret I keep to myself to begin with." Karteira was shocked. She really did make a great friend. "Thank you." She smiled warmly to Amelia. "Orion would love to see a new hairstyle on you too." *gulp* Karteira looked away instantly. "..." Amelia looked at her with a dry stare. "I knew it. I baited you successfully this time." She knew there was something to do with Orion, so she was waiting for the perfect time to strike. "I don''t care, go for him if you want. I know that he loves me already." Amelia shrugged, she really didn''t care. "No! That''s not the reason why. I just... rarely receive praise from him beside my fighting abilities, so I thought that maybe I was unattractive." "Even I do not receive that much praise, you know? He is like that. It doesn''t show on his face either, and it''s a pain to know if he likes it or not." Karteira nodded, she felt exactly like that. "For you that feel down, I''ll give you one advice on understanding Orion." Tension began to form inside Karteira. "Look at his eyes. If he likes something, he will stare at you for a second, before looking somewhere else. That''s his way of not getting caught." ''I saw him stare at my thighs and breasts quite a lot of times already. At least, he doesn''t act like a beast about it.'' She liked the way he was about it. He enjoyed it for a second, and then returned to his usual mood. Well, Amelia was knowing of Orion''s resolve not to focus on this side of things, but he was still a young man. "That should help you see if he thinks you attractive or not. Though, as a woman, I think that you are extremely beautiful." ''She still show some cute sides sometimes. I shouldn''t forget that even if she is a fairy, she is a girl.'' ''I wonder why Tiohr-nam made her more human looking than fairy? Well, in term of usefulness, it''s better to look like us if she needed to travel the world.'' ''This is most likely a coincidence, but coming from a Remnant, I cannot be completely sure. I doesn''t change anything, even if I think about it though.'' Karteira was feeling strange. She was smiling from the constant praises. "I never imagined in my wildest dreams that one day, I''ll find friends like you and Orion. With him, I can let my emotions go wild and enjoy what I like the most." "But with you, I get to relax and enjoy my time talking about anything. It''s strange." The warm smile she displayed caught Amelia off guard. "I almost doesn''t want to give you to Orion when you say that." Amelia laughed and joked about it. "What do you mean by that?!" But Karteira didn''t receive it like that. She became flustered. "You''re just so cute when you act all girly. It was just a joke though, so don''t worry. I already have Orion anyway." She shrugged, speaking facts about how Karteira was becoming cuter. "Mmh..." While Karteira''s brain completely stopped working from the overload of praises, Amelia switched her mood. "We should go soon. I''ll talk with Orion later to borrow his scissors, and we''ll look at your new look together. If you want, I can even ask Orion, his opinion on hairstyles is pretty solid." Karteira returned to her normal behavior too, and stood up. "You''re right, Orion is definitely awake. I''ll ask him myself, I can''t let you do everything for me." The girls nodded to each other, deciding that it was time to leave the room. They both walked out of the room, and looked at the room in front of theirs, room 101. Amelia was going to knock on the door, but instead, Orion opened it at the same moment, taking all three of them by surprise. "..." A strange silence fell around them. "Pffft-" Orion began to laugh, breaking the silence. "Morning ladies, care to come with me for breakfast?" He return to just a smile, and closed the door behind him. "Of course!/ Yes." They said at the same time, following behind Orion that was walking downstairs. "Good morning, sir, ladies. How did you sleep last night?" One of the manager and receptionist, Chelsea, was alone at the counter. "The bed was really comfy. I fell asleep in not time." Orion gave his honest opinion. "It was the same for us. We haven''t slept in a bed this comfortable in quite some times." Chelsea smiled proudly. "We are glad to have provided you with our best. Are you going for breakfast?" He nodded, with the girls, especially Karteira, showing great enthusiasm to go. "Please enjoy your morning." She bowed her head down in a professional manner. ''I can''t get used to it.'' Orion smiled at her and walked with the girls next to him into the restaurant that provided breakfast. They all sat at a table in the seemingly empty restaurant. "There''s no one yet, is it too early?" Amelia look around her, there was maybe four other early people enjoying their breakfast. "Most likely. People like to sleep, and the feeling of those beds doesn''t really help." Orion made a fast conclusion that satisfied Amelia''s curiosity. "What are we doing today?" Karteira looked at Orion. "We are waiting for a signal to move. Now that we''ve made an enemy out of that man, we might as well wait for the right moment to strike." "How long will it take?" "Not that long. If he is impatient, he should do something today. If not, then tomorrow. We either depart tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow." Orion closed his arms. "For today, we''re going shopping." Amelia''s eyes began to shine. "Can we go together?" She became exited, it has been quite a long time since she walked around town with him. He nodded. ''Yes! Finally a date with Orion!'' She wanted that to happen, but she had forgotten something. ''Oh, there''s Karteira, so that''s not really a date is it?'' "I can stay at the inn while you walk around town you know." "As if, we''re going to find the furniture and the paint for our house. You''re going to buy the stuff in your own room. If you''re not here, you won''t have anything." She wasn''t disappointed. She knew Orion would not leave Karteira alone. "Fine." She lost the argument to help Amelia splendidly, leading to her quiet reply. "Now that we have our plans, we''ll have breakfast, and then we''ll walk around town. Let''s go." Orion stood up, followed by the girls. They ate their breakfast, and returned to their rooms momentarily to take whatever was needed. With the idea of having a great day together, they all walked out of the Flying Fish inn, toward the bustling market place. Chapter 96: Hocrides market. The group walked outside of the inn, under the heat. "It''s so hot." Karteira was the first to make a remark. "Yes, it''s hot. But at least, there''s a slight breeze isn''t it?" Amelia tried to cheer up her friend that hated the heat. "Why don''t you endure it? It is similar to what''s under your armor isn''t it? Build a stronger resistance to the heat, so that what''s happening under your armor becomes more tolerable." She blinked a few times at Orion. ''Sometimes, he can be so insensitive, it is kind of funny.'' "Orion, she''s a girl too. Don''t always speak about training with her." He looked at Amelia with a surprised face. "But I don''t have anything else to talk about?" If there was a sound that could define the emotion of anyone seeing this, it would be the facepalm everyone made. Even Orianne and Reon shared this with the girls. "Well, yes, I know, but still! Do something about it." "Even if you say that to me..." Amelia was in complete disbelief on how shameless about it Orion was. They were walking on the port side of town. The sea was on their left, while the rest of the city was on their right. The market was located about ten minutes of walking from the inn following the shoreline. "You know that I only like a few things in my life." Amelia nodded and began to enumerate them. "You like training, because it helps in distracting you from your problems and it helps your body to stay in shape." "You like reading, because you have an unquenchable need to learn more about our world." "You like baths, because relaxing after a hard day is a must-do." "You like kind and respectful people, because they remind you of your parents." "Of course, you also like, dare I say love your parents, because they are your role models." "And you love me too. That''s what you said a few days ago." Everything was spot on. He was even a little shaken by Amelia''s precise description of what he liked. Even Karteira felt embarrassment hearing all of this. ''I should never taunt Amelia. She reads people so easily that even my darkest secrets are not safe from her.'' But she instantly reminded herself. ''But I don''t have any dark secrets...'' She began to laugh next to Amelia from her own realization. "What''s wrong Karteira, the heat finally took your mind away?" Orion smiled at her, he always preferred it when his friends were in a good mood. "Maybe." "If you need to get hydrated, say it. I have a few water bottle with me." Amelia looked at her with a tinge of worry. "Don''t worry, I''m fine." Karteira was always honest with her feelings and the ones important to her. That''s why she never tried to hide things from her mother. When she was asked if she had a problem with going with Orion and Amelia, she smiled and explained that she liked them both, not for what they had done, but for how they treated her. And here she was, happiest than ever before, with her friends, in a city a bit too hot for her taste. ''Life is full of surprise, isn''t it?'' "Anyways, Orion, I have something to ask." Amelia remembered this morning''s conversation she had with Karteira. "What could it be?" He kept his gaze in front of him, waiting for her to speak. "Karteira asked me if it was possible to help finding different hairstyles for her. I''m thinking of cutting her hair tonight, and I thought that having your opinion on it would be great." He looked at her. "I''m fine with it, but you know I don''t possess the amount of knowledge you have on the subject of hairstyle, you know that?" She nodded. "It''s fine, just be honest about how the result looks. That''s enough." He thought for a moment. "Fine. We''ll do that after ending our shopping. Since we will have to buy a lot of furniture, we will have to go on the other side, so let''s do it at that moment." Amelia nodded. She was in need to know if her house was still standing or not. Karteira was silent on the side. Her simple request for a new hairstyle changed to a meeting around her to find the best ones. ''Better get ready. It''s going to be a long day.'' She looked at the sky as if this was the last time she was going to see it. "Alright, with that out of the way, I have another question for you." This time, Orion felt that this question was going to be a pain to answer. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "What are you going to do about Dylan?" And he was right. He knew that question was coming at some point. "I don''t know." Amelia didn''t let go of the subject. "It''s almost your birthday. Can''t you at least send him a letter, explaining to him what has happened? He took such good care of you, shouldn''t you do at least that for him?" "..." "Why aren''t you saying anything?" Orion stopped walking. "I don''t want to mix him in my fights now that he has a family." Orion remembered the face of pure joy he had when he came to visit Auro, saying that his friend, now wife, accepted his advances, and that he was going to have a baby soon. ''Even if I consider him like a father, in the end, he his not.'' "That''s no reason for ignoring him isn''t it?" Amelia was calm about it. She knew how painful this was for Orion. He left Auro with only the bare minimum of goodbyes, and hasn''t even left a letter for Dylan in Keith''s care. "You know him like I do. The moment I''ll speak about the Apostle, he will try to find me." "And? Don''t you want to hear about his family? About that ''brother'' you have?" Orion reacted to her words. ''He kept saying that too. That he really wanted to bring them with him each time he visited.'' - "If it wasn''t that dangerous out there, I would have taken Eli and Nylon with me, but you know how it is." "Being known as the ''Beastman Protector'' is putting a target on their back." - He remembered his sad and tired face, speaking about the state of the continent at the time. "..." "Speak honestly, do you want to meet them?" Orion looked at the sea, toward the horizon. "I know you rarely listen to your own desires. But just this once, do it. It won''t cost you anything." Karteira watched silently as Amelia slowly made Orion bring his true self out. ''She knows how to deal with him to such an extent. She really only has eyes for him.'' While she thought this, Orion sighed. "You''re relentless, you know that?" "Hehe." She laughed lightly. "That wasn''t a compliment, but anyways." "I already said it, bringing him into this side is not something I desire." "But?" He looked at her with slight frustration. ''She''s a pain sometimes. How can she read my heart so well?'' He sighed again. "Of course I would want to see him and his family." ''Yes! He finally said it! Saying it is the first part before acting.'' "So, are you going to send that letter? You''re going to be twenty-three in a month. Just like me." "And in two months, you''ll be twenty-four." "I''m getting older too..." She sighed, being reminded that indeed, she was getting older. "The time it takes for a letter to arrive to him is roughly three weeks from here right? Better preparing it shortly." She ignored the previous point about getting older, and return to talk about Dylan. "I get it. I''ll do that, so can you stop teasing me already?" He walked forward again. "Ah! Wait for us! I''m sorry!" Amelia ran after him after apologizing. ''I wonder if I''ll find someone one day, someone like Orion, that treasure his friends and his family.'' Karteira looked at these two arguing for a second. "Karteira, what are you waiting for? We have some shopping to do." Orion was half-turned in her direction, waiting for her to join them. "Hurry up!" Amelia waved at her. She closed her eyes and smiled. "I''m coming." ''I''ll think about that some other time.'' ~ "There''s so many people! Are we going to be fine?" Amelia looked at the crown in front of her. There was not much space for them to walk through. There was a lot of things in this place. It was called a market, but it was separated in two distinguishable areas. The outside market, which was the place were fishermen and makers of many things were selling their products, and the stores, where most of the necessities for daily life were. "It''s going to be fine, only if you stay close to me." Orion was tall, taller than everyone around him. He could easily see past most of the moving mass in front of him. "Just to be sure, give me your hands." He extended his hands to the girls at his sides. Amelia took it gladly with a giggle, but Karteira hesitated for a moment. "If you don''t want to, you can grab my shirt instead." Orion was thoughtful, he didn''t want her to feel forced. "No, it''s fine." She grabbed his hand, a red tinge of blush showing on her face. "I''m just not used to this." "I see that. Don''t worry, I''ll release you when we find our store." She shyly nodded, under the careful gaze of Amelia. Orion looked at Karteira, and immediately looked forward. ''I knew it!'' "She''s cute, isn''t she?" "How di-" *cough* Orion stopped himself before speaking. "You''re uncontrollable today. What happened to you? Did the heat fry your brain?" He gave her an embarrassed look. "That''s rude! Of course not, I''m just happy we''re finally doing stuff together. I just asked if you thought she was cute." "Amelia, stop that!" Karteira tried to grab Amelia''s back, but she was too far, and there was too many people around her for that. Orion pushed through the wave of people, and finally arrived at his destination after ignoring the two girls bickering about Karteira''s cuteness. Orion released the girls hands, and they all stared at the sign. "Wood Working - Furnishing and Building." "Yes, we need quite a lot of furniture. How many rooms do we have? Ten, without the corridors?" Orion recalled how their house was built. Amelia nodded at his observation. "We need stairs too. I''ll take care of that, so just have a look and buy anything that catch your attention." He took his wallet out, and removed half of the money inside. He separated this in half again, and gave that to both of them. "Me too?" Karteira was in shock. She had the right to buy what she wanted? "What? You don''t need anything in your room?" "I do need some. Thank you." "Good." He smiled after seeing her warm smile, looking at the money in her hands. She was especially glad to have received the same amount as Amelia. Her and Amelia placed the money in their pockets. "Alright, let''s go find it." "Ah! Wait!" Amelia grabbed Karteira by the wrist, and they entered the building, Orion following behind. They were immediately greeted by a man. "Welcome!" The girls greeted the man, and walked further inside. "Can I help you with something, sir?" "Yes, do you sell wood planks by any chance?" Orion and the worker spoke about the many thing he needed after explaining that he recently built a house, and that there was only the wood parts that were missing. The worker quickly helped him finding what he needed, and before long, he was done. "Are you... taking all of this with you?" The man looked at the lists the girls made, showing all the furniture they wanted. The worker walked around the store, noting the price of each, before returning to Orion. "For this one, it will be-, and for this one-. Let me ask again, are you really taking everything with you?" Orion nodded. "Yes, I have a useful secret that let''s me store my things away." The man was shocked, he never heard anything about something this useful. "If you say so. After you have paid, you can take everything with you." Taking turns, the girls paid for their furniture. Once done, they gave the difference back to Orion. But he refused. "You keep that. If you want something, just buy it. There are still many things to buy right?" They haven''t even used a tenth of what Orion gave them each, but they both were love-struck by his generosity. It was ''his'' money, he had no reason to be this kind. Even the worker looked at him with kind eyes. Both girls nodded, and they happily walked near the entrance. "Alright, let''s take everything we bought." He walked around, looking at the places the man stopped before, confirmed the product with the lists, and used his void magic on them to send them on the other side. The worker was dealing with another customer, so he luckily never saw what Orion did. But when he turned around, half of his products had disappeared. "Thank you very much for your purchase, have a nice day." He said goodbye to the group, and Orion walked out of the building. "There''s a lot less people right now." Orion looked around. He could see the pavement now, where before it was impossible. ''This might be a good time to go look around the market.'' "Let''s go." He grabbed the girls hands, surprising Karteira in the process, and walked toward the sea, where the market was. They arrived a minute later, where many crafts were being sold. Jewelry, ceramic decorations, paintings, flowers. There was a lot of individuals selling personalized items. "I''ll you girls have a look around. If you find something, feel free to buy it. There seems to be many interesting decorations here and there." "Thank you, Orion." Amelia walked away with Karteira, and they began to look at the many products, talking with the person selling their wares. ''Alright, what do I do with myself now?'' He had no particular thing to buy, but since he was here, he had to look around right? The many products around him didn''t catch his attention. He was a simple man, who had no real interest in decorating his room to begin with. This was something Amelia always had to deal with. He walked further inside, when something caught his attention at last. A young boy was sitting, looking at the sea. Orion looked at the wares, they were all bracelets, earrings and pendants. There was a few hairclips too. "Hello." He approached the young boy, and spoke to him. "OH! Hello sir! Are you looking for something?" He smiled at the young boy, who seemed like a good person. "Could I get this pendant, and this hairclip, please?" Orion bought what he wanted, and returned to the girls. But something happened. Something that made Orion angry. ''Who''s that man?'' Someone was talking to Amelia and Karteira. Chapter 97: Jealousy. Orion was walking back to the girls, when he saw another man with them. With emotions he never expected to have, he walked toward the group. "Oh, Orion, you''re back." Amelia saw him coming. ''Huh? What''s wrong with him?'' But she was instead greeted by a gaze that showed a lot of anger. She looked around to see what could have happened, when she realized in which situation she was in currently. ''Is he jealous?! This is bad!'' "Ah- Wai-" She tried to stop him, but Orion had already stopped behind the man, who was slightly lower than him. "Who are you?" With a chilling voice that could deter anyone that didn''t know him, he caught the attention of the man. He slowly turned, pressured by Orion''s strong aura of anger. "Hello, sir Orion." The man stressfully laughed, and Orion realized who it was from his voice. His emotions calmed on the outside, but stayed strong inside him. "It''s me, Vincent. I''m sorry, I don''t wear my guard outfit on my day off." Orion realized that he jumped to conclusion way too fast. "Ah, no. You did nothing wrong. I should apologize for pressuring you like that." Amelia was touching her brows. ''If only you had cheeked who it was first.'' Karteira looked at the scene in front of her eyes. ''What was that for?'' She was pretty clueless about his feelings still. Only Amelia realize that he was obviously going to act like this if someone tried to approach his friends. And since Amelia was really important to him, there was no other result possible. So here he was, doing his best not to offend someone else because of his own conclusion. "I''m sorry Vincent, I honestly thought someone was trying to hit on them. I don''t really know what to do with that excess of emotions I had earlier." Vincent, who was wearing casual clothes, was a man in his thirties. He had short light brown hair, and had eyes of the same color. He had a white shirt with short sleeves, and shorts. This was the casual outfit of most people living in the desert. You could even say that the guard''s outfit was horrible to wear while being under the sun. "Is that so?! I am really sorry about that, I simply saw these ladies and thought about thanking them again for saving our lives yesterday. I wanted to thank you too, but they told me that you went somewhere else in the market." Orion nodded. "Also, I am already married." He showed his alliance on his left hand. "My wife would kill me if she heard you say that, so please. I really did not come here to hit on women." Here was a man scared to death of his wife. ''She might be a scary person.'' "Marriage changes people, sir Orion. Be extremely careful." "Alright...?" ''I don''t understand, but I''ll keep that in mind.'' Orion changed the subject, battling with his inner turmoil of emotions that were unsettled. He had to hide it for now. "So, did you came to buy something? Or simply to relax?" Vincent kindly accepted the change of subject. "I don''t think anyone can relax in this kind of environment. I came to buy a gift for my wife. When I came back alive yesterday, she was in tears, so I need to make it up for worrying her." ''What a good man. Now I feel really bad.'' Orion knew Vincent was a good person to begin with. Their encounter the day before helped Orion change his view on some humans. "I heard from your friends that you''ve been enjoying the city, and that you''ve bought a lot of things. Are you finding enjoyment in sightseeing Hocride?" A commotion began to happen around them, but they were too focused on their conversation to notice. "In fact, we do. We haven''t seen every corners of the city, but we''ve seen the port, and the market so far. This city is the embodiment of Kamala''s wishes, and that I have accepted after seeing for myself." Vincent was happy. He was proud of working for a great Lord, and for the people inside this city. "How was Lord Kamala? We haven''t heard anything else other than her being back to work, even though we all asked that she took a day off." "What about me?" Both men turned to look at the one that interrupted. "L-Lord Kamala! Thank goodness you are healthy again." Vincent showed the greeting of the guards, a hand on his heart, bowing slightly, toward Kamala. "You are one of our guard? You have done well defending our city yesterday. I''ve asked Timothy to give a raise to all surviving soldiers. Obviously, we''ve decided to help the families of the ones we''ve lost." She looked extremely sad about that fact. The truth was that she hadn''t managed to completely defend her citizens, and she regretted that. "Thank you very much for you kindness, but if it weren''t for these three, the numbers of death would have been way higher." Vincent stopped his pose, and looked on his sides to Orion, Amelia and Karteira. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Orion looked at Kamala during her whole discussion with Vincent. She was alone. ''She''s stronger than anyone, so it''s most likely useless to attack her. That''s why she can dare to walk around town unguarded.'' Was what he thought. She was wearing a casual white dress with gold accents on it that showed her legs below the knees. "I have already discussed the matter with the man on your side. Since I haven''t told the guards yet, I''ll tell you, because you seem to be acquainted with them." She placed a hand on her side, and took a prideful pose. "From today onwards, this man and his companions are our allies. With their help, we will strike down Ivan who dared to attack our city." Vincent turned to Orion with awe in his gaze. "Not only did you save our Lord, but your are planning to help us? Thank you very much." "It isn''t much. This needs to be done anyways." Orion shrugged it off, because what he did, his hunt, wasn''t something he did to be praised for. ''Something his off, what is this situation?'' He looked at Kamala intently. ''He knows. He knows!'' She was panicking inside. Technically speaking, she had to use two persona. A prideful one, the ''Lord'' of Hocride, and her true self, when she was alone. ''She acting differently today.'' Orion definitely thought that this was weird, but then let it go. He was not that interested in knowing the ins and outs of someone''s mind. "So, what are you doing here Kamala?" She let out a sighed of relief knowing that Orion wasn''t going to ask about her attitude. "The guards kept sending notices to me. If I didn''t take the day off, they would all refuse to work anymore. What choice did I have?" She shrugged, a stressed smile on her face. "So here I am, doing some shopping." "The great Lord of Hocride, doing some shopping. I''m sorry, this is kind of funny." Orion began to laugh. "You can laugh, even I find it funny." Everyone around them looked at the scene of her Lord and a unknown man laugh together. They were confused, and yet they were glad to see her healthy. "I will take my leave here. Lord Kamala is in good hands with you three." Vincent was going to leave. "Wait." Orion stopped him. "What are you looking for? For your wife." Vincent hadn''t really thought about it, but if he had to choose. "I''m thinking of a nice looking brooch." "I know someone that sells some." Orion told him where to find the young man he bought from before joining with them. "Thank you, sir Orion!" "You are welcome. It is my apology for earlier." "I do not mind it, I would react the same if my wife was bothered by another man. Have a nice day." He excused himself and walked toward the direction Orion told him to. "So, are you done with your shopping?" Kamala asked the group. "Technically yes. We''ve bought the things we needed." Orion was ready to go back to the inn. "Have you bought new clothes too?" "No. Why would I?" Kamala brought her hand to her brows. "Are you seriously walking around in such awful clothing?" ''Is there something wrong with my clothes?'' Orion looked at himself. His shirt was kind of dirty, with many dirt spots visible even on his black shirt. His jeans, the same color as his shirt, was scratched all over, with places having long cuts. "Don''t tell me this is his style?" She turned to Amelia and Karteira. "I don''t think it his, he just doesn''t care is what I think." Karteira agreed with this too. "And both of you, do you have enough clothes? You haven''t changed from yesterday. Garments? Underwear?" They both looked toward the sky. "..." Kamala was boiling. She had in front of her a three people that didn''t care or didn''t even tried to look good. Amelia had a simple pink shirt, with white jeans almost in the state as Orion. There was even blood spots on some parts, and not small ones. Karteira was the better one. She wore black jeans like Orion, but it was in great shape. Her white shirt was the problem. There was blood on it too. Well, since she didn''t cut open the enemy the day before like Amelia, she was in a better position. But overall, their clothes were awful. "I don''t care, you''re all coming with me!" Kamala lost her patience. "Can I do something before that?" Orion cut in, feeling his emotions getting out of control. "Hmm? What?" ~ "...!" Arrows after arrows were being fired inside a white space. Orion was losing himself in frustration. This was the first time it ever happened to him. ''I''m not supposed to be like this. Why can''t I contain this raging emotion?'' Amelia, Karteira, and even Kamala were far behind him, looking at his rampage. "His arrows are deadlier than usual. What happened for him to be like this? Do you know Amelia?" Karteira asked Amelia, the one that knew almost everything concerning him. "He said it himself." Amelia refused to answer, because the answer had already been told. She still continued. "Remember what he said, when he talked to that man." Karteira remembered the conversation that happened a few minutes before, until one particular moment popped up in her head. - "I''m sorry Vincent, I honestly thought someone was trying to hit on them. I don''t really know what to do with that excess of emotions I had earlier." - "Huh?! Was he jealous?" "Seems like it. This was the first time someone else than him approached us. I don''t really know why he''s reacting that much though." They looked at Orion''s expression of frustration on his face. The more he shot, the more his feelings were stabilizing. Kamala was looking at this with her eyes wide opened. First, she was in the space that Orion created the day before, and now she was watching arrows fly at a speed incomparable to the one that killed the first Apostle three months ago. She looked on her side, and there was an absurd amount of furniture laying in the open, and a big house that seemed all but finished. In the air, a ring was free-floating, emitting particles. ''This place, this man, everything is too strange to me. I don''t understand anything.'' She was lost. "Amelia, create a three wall barrier in front of me, please." Orion said without looking back. "Alright." She did as he asked, and three tall and thick rocky wall appeared away from him. He placed his crossbow in front of his face, aligning the sight with his eye. The rare triangle shaped arrow appeared inside the groove. "..." *Click* The arrow began to rotated faster and faster, and made contacted with the first wall. It began to crack, and after two seconds, it broke down. The second wall didn''t not resist either, and the third simply exploded on hit. "So much power..." Kamala blurted out without thinking. "Stronger." Amelia created three metallic walls this time. ''You won''t get threw this. Sorry Orion, but you asked for it.'' He blinked a few times, and dropped his arms, his feelings completely appeased. "You''re joking?" He turned while laughing. "You''ve asked for stronger. What did you expect?" "I don''t know, not metal at least." Alcyone vanished in thin air as he walked toward Amelia. "Feeling better?" "Way better. Thanks for your help." He placed a hand on her head, caressing her hair. "You''re welcome." She accepted his gentle touch with a smile. ''I wanted to see more, but I guess that''s it.'' Kamala was intrigued by his full potential. ''Maybe I''ll ask him to help me with my earth defenses.'' While she was thinking that, Orion reopened the portal. "Alright, let''s get back to the other side." They all nodded, and walked in front of him, crossing one at a time. ''The house is still standing, just like I expected. The ring is still full of magic, which is a good news. I just need to not forget to close the portal.'' He walked through, closing it behind him. Kamala returned to herself after returning in her city. They were in an alley were no one seemed to go through, which helped Orion use his power out of prying eyes. "Follow me now." Kamala walked in front of them, leading them to a store she knew very well. "This is a clothing store I frequently visit. If you want custom made, they can create pretty much anything. Most of my wardrobe was created here." ''Though I would prefer if they didn''t add the gold on my robes.'' They followed Kamala inside, who was immediately recognized by the clerk. Kamala explained that she was looking for new clothes that would fit the three people accompanying her. ~ This whole ordeal took three hours. Orion walked outside of the store. *SIGH* "That''s the biggest sigh I have ever heard coming from you." Amelia was right behind him. "I kind of understand him. I don''t think I''ll ever enjoy staying so long in this kind of store, when you''re being treated like a doll." Karteira almost let out the same sigh as Orion, but she contained it. "I hate those stores. I truly hate them." Orion looked at the bag he was holding with his right hand. It was the outfit Kamala chose for him. Likewise, Amelia and Karteira had one bag each too. "Kamala is a beast when it concerns clothes." Amelia laughed, remembering all of the outfits Orion had to try before she was satisfied. ''I''m happy, I got to see so many various combinations that he would have never tried.'' Kamala exited the store and joined them. "Are we done?" Orion asked her, completely exhausted. Kamala nodded. It was time for her to return to her duty as a Lord. "I''ve enjoyed myself enough. Thank you for today." The three looked at each other, and agreed mentally. "Even though it was tiring, it wasn''t that bad. Thank you for the clothes." Orion said, speaking what everyone thought. With a smile, she turned away and was ready to leave. It was right at that moment. "Lady Kamala! Something bad is happening!" Timothy had finally found Kamala. There was worry on his face. He stopped in front of Kamala. "Breathe Timothy." *Inhale* *Exhale* He did that a few times. "Here, this is the report from our scout near Kaios." "!" Kamala took the letter he had in his hands and began to read it. "This monster!" Orion listened to her, and curiosity took hold of him. "What has happened?" Kamala turned around with sweat on her face. "Ivan as begun killing his own civilians." ''Here it is!'' The sign Orion was waiting had come faster than he expected. Chapter 98: Determination. The tension was weighting on the everyone. Notice of the recent atrocities committed by Ivan came abruptly, when no one expected it. "Orion, I would like to speak with you, right now if possible." ''There''s not much we can do right now.'' He began to analyse the situation in great details. "First, let''s move." He placed his left hand in front of him, and opened a portal to the other side. The girls and Timothy all followed behind him, and the portal closed, leaving the crowd of watchers their mouth opened like goldfishes. Orion stepped on the white floor. He quickly walked to the mess of furniture and picked up five chairs. He gave one to each person. That was to say, Amelia, Karteira, Kamala, Timothy, and himself. "Alright, for now, I''ll be speaking out loud for a minute. Just listen." Orion sat on the chair with his arms crossed. They all stared at him, waiting for his monologue. "First of all, it will take too much time to arrive to his city. His own prowess in the lightning magic is not to be ignored. In what took him around half a day to arrive to his city, we would most likely take two weeks to reach him." "We will arrive way too late to change anything, it is a certainty. There is nothing we can do about that fact." He looked at the starry sky. "Second, even if we arrive, what are we going to do? We cannot save them. The moment Ivan sees us, he will mostly attack immediately. Worse if he sees me." "I gave him a pretty bad scar, that should have definitely placed me on his most wanted person on his kill list." He looked at Kamala. "Third, we don''t have any reinforcement." She nodded at his remark. "We cannot count on the soldiers. They are not our meat shields. The main problem is that, they can''t even follow. It would take too long either way." "And since you are an Apostle, I am pretty sure no one cares about that ''little'' conflict." Kamala thought of Florian, Olivia and Eric, the only one who would think of helping her. ''I thought of calling them, but as he said, that would take too long.'' She thought so intensely that she began to speak them out loud. "I don''t want to see the ones that are not related to our fights lose their lives. Civilians shouldn''t be dealt with such cruelty." What she said was true, but she wasn''t ready for what was happening in Kaios. "I understand, but there is really nothing we can do. Amelia doesn''t have the same ability to use her lightning like him yet, so our only bet would be me, but I cannot run with three people on my back." "Even two is exhausting. I''m not talking about your weight, so don''t look at me like that." Amelia and Karteira stopped looking at him like he said something rude, and continued listening. "In all honesty, I suggest that you forget about saving anyone. You will only suffer, as no one would have survived by the time you will arrive." Orion made his choice clear. ''Understanding that and accepting it are two different results. What are you going to do?'' The one who received his warning was, obviously, Kamala. ''As he said, this is impossible. I know it, I know I should simply ignore that... But!'' She had already chosen what to do. "I still want to save the most I can." Her determination was commendable. "Let me ask you something else now that I saw how determined you are." Kamala wasn''t prepared for what he was going to say. "Do you really think you are able to win against Ivan? Do you have what it takes to kill him?" Her face wasn''t pretty right now. ''Is he mocking me?'' She began to question why he would say that. ''No. I don''t think so. Does it have something to do with my exhaustion and the battle I had with Ivan yesterday?'' Her face returned to normal. "If I said that I was ready, that would be a lie. I still haven''t recovered completely. But if he was in front of me, that would not stop me." She looked straight in his eyes, a gaze Orion recognized instantly as his own. "I would watch has his last breathe escape his mouth." Orion uncrossed his arms and looked at the starry sky, silent. Amelia took this chance to enter the conversation. "I''m going to speak for him right now." She waited until Kamala looked at her. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "If he asked all of this, it''s to make sure of two things." She brought two fingers up. "The first one is your determination to fight by his side." "The last one is... well. He has found a way to get there quickly, and he his asking if you are worthy of that trouble." ''You know me too well Amelia.'' He closed his eyes, with a smile on his face. Her mouth wide open, Kamala didn''t know what to say. ''He has a way to go to Kaios? To save those innocent people?'' She was ready to grovel on the floor if he asked her to, but she knew that wasn''t what Orion wanted. "What do I need to do for you to acknowledge my strength?" He brought his face down slowly, and his gaze fell on her. A strong pressure fell around him, one that showed no refusal to his next words. "Fight me. Show me what makes you so strong." "..." Kamala knew that he was extremely serious. In her core, she was terrified, because he was a monster. But she also knew that unless she exchanged blows with him, she would never protect anyone. "Without your help, many lives will be lost, for nothing." She gritted her teeth. And with her strongest show of determination, she stood up. "I''ll play by your rules. If I have to fight you, so be it." Orion stood up and looked at Amelia. "I''ll be back in a hour or so. Sorry to leave you like that all of a sudden." She shook her head. "I''ll prepare food for you in the meantime. Have fun." He nodded with a smile. "Don''t overdo it." Karteira wanted to go too, but it wasn''t the moment to enjoy fighting, so she held back. "I only overdo it against you. We''ll do that later." He waved and walked toward Kamala leaving Karteira heating up from the sudden promise of training. "Could he stop riling her every time?" Amelia looked at his back with a small smile. "Lady Kamala, be extremely careful. I know you trust him, but please, don''t get hurt." Timothy was next to Kamala, an extremely worried expression painted on his face. "I''ll keep that in mind, but if I don''t go all out, I don''t think I''ll get his approval." She kept her gaze on an approaching Orion, but when she blinked, he was not there anymore. "Let''s go." She heard his voice behind her, and when she turned, her body was being lifted. "Wait! What are y-" Orion walked forward, and he disappeared. They were all dumbfounded. This was a new findings Orion made, closely related to his way to move long distances quickly. "Amelia, did he suddenly teleport behind her?" Karteira was shocked as much as Amelia. "He walked straight forward, and at some point, like he walked in a door, his body disappear, for him to walk behind Kamala this time. After that, he opened a portal and disappeared with her." Orion was already gone, so there was nothing else to do. "Alright, I''ll go prepare some food." She stood up, and walked away. "I''ll go place the furniture inside the house in the meantime." The girls left, leaving Timothy alone. "Be careful, Lady Kamala." He stared at her chair, before realizing that he was left alone. ~ "Wait! What are you doing?" Kamala felt the same sensation she felt when entering the portal mid-sentence. "I didn''t want to push you in, so I kidnapped you." He took Kamala like a sack over his shoulders, her head in his back. Orion placed her feet back on the floor, and moved away. "If you need time to prepare yourself, I can wait. When you are ready, come attack me." He remained bare-handed for the sake of seeing her power, and to having hurting her. He wasn''t weak when he fought without weapons, so this would be easy for her to win against him. "I don''t need that much time." Her fists were tightly closed, and when she felt the element in her stir, she used her magic. She remained straight her arms remaining slightly spaced out from her sides. Rocks began to form around her arms, and slowly glue themselves together to form a weapon. The more the weapon form, the more impressive it looked. ''She wasn''t using this when I saw her yesterday.'' Orion thought about this. This wasn''t a weapon he ever saw in a book. ''Is it even a weapon?'' The weapon had finished taking shape by now. It was nothing like a gauntlets, closer to two hammer heads on a long tube. The tube encased her forearm into a thick layer of smoothed rock, while the tip, where her fist was, displayed a flat surface of solid rocks. Inside, there was a handle for her to grip, improving the strength behind her attacks. "Interesting weapon. So, are you coming?" He was waiting for her to attack, but she remained at her spot. "Aren''t you going to bring your weapon out?" She wanted a fair fight. "I can''t use a crossbow in a close quarter combat." He didn''t speak about his daggers, because these weren''t his main way of fighting. "I see." Kamala looked a bit disappointed. She took her fighting stance anyway. Her legs tightly closed together, her arms in a reversed V-shape, and her gaze completely focused on him. She was ready to fight. Without saying anything, she lunged at him. ''Fast!'' Orion managed to avoid the straight punch thrown at him. Her punches were coming right after the other at a speed normally impossible for someone wielding heavy weapons. ''How is this possible?'' Calming his surprise, Orion analyzed her attacks. "You''re going to take my punches without resisting?" Kamala continued to throw punch after punch. Orion decided that the only way to really know is to let one punch connect. One of her punch flew straight toward his face. It grazed his left cheek, letting him enough time to observe the hit. ''I see now. She is another interesting individual.'' Everyone was using their attributes in their own ways. For someone that wasn''t using magic, this could be called being a genius, but for another magic user, this was their life''s work. Except the Apostles that had their power gifted to them, others worked terribly hard to perfect their magic. And it was more so for Kamala, someone who had to work two times harder than her piers. She had two elements, something rare even today. "Now I can see why you lost against Ivan. The affinity between you two couldn''t be worse." Orion said while sliding on ground after dodging another hit. "What do you mean?" Kamala followed right after, attacking again and again. This time, there was no need to observe anymore, so Orion began to hit back in the form of deviating her punches. "What you do is incredibly interesting, but against his lightning field, your punches do nothing." Kamala stayed silent. She knew it too, since that was the reason for her loss. "You can amplify each punch with your wind element all you want, if your arm gets erased in the process, what''s the point?" "So y-" Kamala stopped him and finished his sentence. "So I had to play defensive, because I lost my opportunity to win the moment he was my enemy. I know." She was bitter about it. She was a woman that used her earth element to flatten her enemies, and enhanced each punch with her wind magic. It was the ''Bullet Punch'' ability that she herself named. Before her punch was thrown, a strong wind pushed a single spot on her elbow, sending the punch with tremendous velocity. For someone other than Orion, they would already be down gasping for air, but he was not normal. He already exchanged hits similar with Karteira, even if they were slower in comparaison. "Knowing that you are in a losing position against him, you still want to do it? You want to sacrifice yourself that much?" Orion dodged another punch. He avoided another that was going for his flank, but instead countered it and sent it toward the floor. Kamala had her arm stuck, while she looked at Orion with slight anger. "Of course I''m not going to sacrifice myself! I''m going to save innocent people!" She removed the magic on her stuck arm, and recreated it right after. "So what is your plan? Do you think of using me?" She lunged at him again. "No, because the moment I''ll be found out, you would either cast me away, or kill me. I saw your eyes when we first met." "When you saved me, even under that false smile, I could see it. The hate you have for us." Orion was surprised. So surprised that he chose to speak the truth. "Indeed, I was weighting over killing you on the spot, or letting you live at that moment. I won''t lie, I do not trust you enough to place my life in your hands." Kamala knew it. This would be weird otherwise. "And I want to change that! I want your trust, and I will prove that you letting me live wasn''t a mistake!" She threw one last punch much slower than the ones before. Orion caught the punch with his hand, and looked at Kamala breathing roughly. ''So that''s why she was so desperate. She wants a reason to why she''s still alive. She needs to prove to ME that she was worth it.'' "That''s so weird." He began to laugh after pushing her arm away. "I understand, I''ll help you." She recovered her balance after being pushed back, and looked at him with a shocked face. "But-" "You want to save people? I''ll let you use me, just this time. In return, you have to save everyone still alive AND kill Ivan." "WHAT?!" Her scream echoed in the empty space. Chapter 99: His first gifts. Orion returned with Kamala after an hour. After saying "Show me the ingenuity you possess and fulfil those objectives.", Orion showed what true training was. He made her suffer for forty-five minutes, training various ways to use magic in order to defend and attack at the same time. "We''re back." Orion waved after crossing the portal, something he was used to do now. He kind of liked waving at people. "Lady Kamala! What a terrible state!" Timothy ran to support Kamala, who was completely exhausted. "You lack stamina, and not a little." He turned with a cold look. She saw it quite a lot, so much that she was used to it by now. "What did you do to her?" Timothy was slightly angered. "I trained her. I needed to know what she excels in and what she lacks of." "She is strong, I''ll give you that. But other than that, there is a serious lack of efforts." Timothy looked at Kamala who was walking toward her chair after passing him. *sigh* She sat on her chair and let out a long sigh of relief. ''It''s feels so good to sit down.'' "Someone that fall on the ground gasping for air after fifty punches is not made for long battles. The moment that happens, be sure that the enemy will not hesitate." Kamala twitched. "Orion, just in time. Amelia is done." He looked at Karteira. "Alright. Let''s go eat. You too. Timothy, you should go back." "Heh?" He made a weird face, because he received an order coming from someone other than Kamala. "I can''t go back without Lady Kamala!" "Timothy, please. You don''t want to stay here. I''ll be back before you know it." He looked at his tired Lord, and made his choice. "Alright. Nothing can happen in here anyway." Orion created a portal in front of him, and lead Timothy back into the other side. "Lady Kamala, I''ll see you later." She nodded as he disappeared in the portal. Orion returned, and the portal closed. "Time to eat." Kamala followed Orion, who himself followed Karteira. "There''s less stuff around, did you tidy everything?" He looked around and saw that the furniture was almost completely removed from the outside. "Yes, I took the time you were away to place them inside. I''ve bothered Amelia quite a bit, but we have a place to eat inside now." "Thank you for doing that. I should have been the one to do it normally." Orion wanted to apologize, but instead chose to thank her. "Don''t worry, I managed to see the result before you, so I''m happier like that." She smirked at him. ''At least she''s happy, compared to the one behind me.'' He glanced at a dejected Kamala. During their training, he told her something that completely broke her will to live. "Oh, the door." Orion smiled when he saw it. He was so used to the house without any door, that now it looked funny. "I''ve installed it. It was tough, but not impossible. There was a guide with it, so I simply followed it." "Good work." He praised Karteira, who really liked it. "Welcome in!" With exhilaration, she opened the door for them. "Thank you." He walked inside and saw a long carpet going from the entrance to the back of the room. "Of course not all doors were placed." Karteira said, returning to reality. "I didn''t expect you to finish the house in an hour. Don''t worry about that." The house wasn''t painted yet, so the bricks were still visible outside and inside. The stairs leading to the first floor wasn''t made yet, and the doors weren''t all placed. There was quite a lot to do still. "To the right please." Karteira led Orion through the door frame on his right. Inside, there was a large table, and many chairs. "The dining room?" "Yes, that''s what Amelia thought. She also said that she made a mistake in the construction." ''A mistake?'' Just when he thought that, Amelia came out of the room linked to the dining room. "Karteira, help me. Orion and Kamala, just sit wherever you want." "I''m coming." Karteira disappeared with Amelia inside the other room. In silence, both Orion and Kamala sat. Orion always liked to sit on the side of table, so he sat there. Kamala sat in front of him. If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. "Take, that. And that too! No, not that. Yes, this one." ''What are they talking about?'' He was curious, until Karteira appeared with tableware in her hands. Amelia was behind her holding a large pot in her hands. They placed everything on the table. "Today''s vegetable broth. There''s also some meat, so eat as much as you want." Amelia said, a huge smile on her face. Everyone was at the table, so Orion took this time to speak about his plan. "Amelia, Karteira, we''re going to spend a month in this space starting today." Silence fell in the room, until Amelia asked the question in her and Karteira''s mind. "Why? You know we haven''t finished buying everything we needed. What are we going to do about our food''s stock? We''ve also left our bags inside the inn. And what about that urgent matter?" Those were definitely valid questions. "After we''ve ate, we''ll go back to the other side and finish whatever needs to be bought. We''ll buy enough food for a month, and we''ll pick up our bags." He continued. "Us staying for a month here is related to the important matter in fact. What I''m going to say might surprise you, but Kamala is way too flawed to fight against Ivan in her current state." Kamala twitched, and Karteira couldn''t help but ask. "Does that have something to do with her lack of stamina?" Orion nodded. "It is part of it. I cannot help her with her elements, but I can help her with building more strength being her punches. And for that, I need a month." "Luckily, staying a month in this place amounts to twelve hours on the other side, so we can use this to our advantage." ''And I can work on this house too. I can''t let these two do everything.'' Both girls fell in deep thoughts. ''Well, it is a month with Orion. We can familiarize ourselves in this home.'' Was what Amelia thought. There was no way she would refuse a moment of peace in her life. ''There''s a few things I want to try, and this looks like a good opportunity.'' Karteira was thinking about training. "I don''t see any problem in doing that." "Me neither." Together, they agreed to his proposal. With that said, they all stopped bothering with this conversation, as it was time to eat. The tiredness Kamala felt was washed away by the delicious food Amelia prepared. For everyone, eating her food was a great relaxing moment, as it was both good, and appeasing. ~ After eating. ''Alright, let''s do some work around here.'' Orion had moved into the corridor, and looked at the inside. ''I should probably start with the stairs, now that I think of it.'' There was indeed no way to go, upstairs. And from what Amelia told everyone, this was were the bedrooms were. ''Good thing I''ve found the planks necessary for that.'' ''But...'' He looked at his hands. ''There''s no tools.'' The lack of tools was indeed a problem. He needed a hammer, something to cut the planks to the right size, metal pieces like nails, and many more things. "What are you doing?" Amelia walked from the dining room, right behind him. He turned around with a bothered look." "I was going to make the stairs, but now I only realized that I don''t have the tools necessary for that." "You want nails? I''ve already gave Karteira the hinges for the doors, so here." She opened her hand, and nails began to appear right after the other. There was so much it began to fall on the floor. "..." "Oops." She giggled after showing another absurd thing to Orion. "You''re better suited at making things than you are to fight." This was his honest opinion. She was indeed strong, but when it came to crafting things and play with variations, this is were she shined the most. "You don''t even need a mold anymore." "No, it only works for small parts. I can''t do anything large. If I had to compare, it''s like forming my daggers." It clicked inside his head. "I never thought like that." He opened his hands, and the light and dark spheres formed slowly. ''I want a hammer and a saw right?'' The spheres began to change shape, while Amelia looked at all of this with an amused look on her face. ''I knew it, I''m not the only one able to picture what I want.'' She was happy that Orion could also create whatever he wanted, even if it was limited by his formless elements. But sadly, it didn''t go that well for him. His elements were hard to manipulate, they were used to two form, crossbows and daggers. Asking them to change was refused the moment he tried. Instead, he received two daggers in his hands. A smile appeared on his face. "They refused." He looked at their current form. It seemed like they like the form of Dawn and Dusk, closely looking like them. "I''ll do it with them. I''m sure I''ll find something." He shrugged and walked past Amelia, outside the house were the planks were waiting. ''Have fun with that.'' She smiled and walked toward the end of the corridor. She placed the nails there, and then returned to the entrance, to enter the room in front of the dining room, where the living room was going to be. Orion stopped in front of the pile of planks and took one. He walked inside and tried to fit it between the wall, and the brick railing. ''I think I can make at least two stairs with one plank.'' He placed his daggers on the floor, and picked the one that was the most useful in cutting, Dawn. ''There right?'' Orion slashed straight while holding the plank, and sliced it perfectly straight. ''I forgot about the wooden beams I need for support. They should be outside too.'' He returned outside and began his hard work. Dawn continued to be used to slice everything, while Dusk, surprisingly, was good in changing forms, so it helped hammering the nails in place. One after the other, Orion began to create a simple, sturdy, and aesthetically pleasing staircase. Placing the wooden beams on the side diagonally, and then placing one linked to both of those diagonal beams to place the stair on it. He did that repeatedly for four hours. "Orion, I heard you hammering for a whi- Wow!" Karteira walked inside the room after training for a few hours. She stopped walking and observed a sweating Orion looking at his masterpiece. "Hey. I''m done. We can go upstairs now." "Wait, already?!" Amelia''s face appeared from the door frame of the living room. She was completely unbothered by the noise he made until now. He made a thumbs up, proud of his hard work. "I''ve tried it multiple time, it shouldn''t break, ever." "That''s great! Let''s go upstairs immediately!" Amelia was so excited that she didn''t wait for them and simply walked upstairs alone. Karteira looked at Orion, and Orion looked back at her. They both shrugged with a smile and followed her, even though they were both tired. The layout of the first floor was slightly different, in that there was only a corridor leading to five rooms. "How do we divide the bedrooms?" Amelia turned around, and asked them. "Let''s see the rooms first, and then we''ll decide. Though, I already have an idea." Orion remembered the layout of the first floor. There was five rooms, one being the only small room of the floor, while the other four were equal in size. "I don''t really care about which one I get, they''re all the same right?" Karteira didn''t mind having any of them. "Alright." Amelia nodded, and they all walked further inside the corridor. There a window at the end, letting light come in. "So, on our left, there the lone room, and on our right, there''s three rooms. I already now how it''s going to end, so let''s make it quick." She continued. "Orion will go on the left, I''ll take the one furthest, and Karteira will take the one in the middle. The last one will stay empty for now, while we build a guest bedroom in the smallest room for Kamala." "Why?" Orion found it slightly unfair to give Kamala a small room. "She''s not going to live here permanently right? She doesn''t have the need to have a lot of space for decoration or whatever. Also, it''s not that small, so don''t look at me like that." In the end, Orion agreed to her points. "In that, case, what we need the most are beds right?" Karteira said, remembering the things that needed to be bought. "Before that." Orion stepped forward. He took out a carefully wrapped item from his pocket. "I have a gift for you two." "..." They stay silent, in shock. ''A gift? It''s the first time I ever received one from him!'' Amelia was excited. ''Eh? Why for me too?'' Karteira was confused why she was going to receive one too. He first walked to Karteira, and touched her hair, above her right ear. Once done, he walked toward Amelia. He wrapped his arms around her neck, and walked away from her. "I hope you like it." A little blush appeared on his serious face, and he walked downstairs without saying anything else. Karteira traced the shape of the item. It was an hairclip with a strange shape. Amelia touched her neck, and felt something new around it. They looked at each other, trying to understand what they received, also trying to stay calm. Amelia was the first to describe Karteira''s gift. "It''s a blue flower." Orion, knowing a lot about flowers from reading, found the perfect flower to represent Karteira. He chose a Zephyranthes flower, symbolizing ''Rebirth''. It was also called a Fairy Lily sometimes. Even though both didn''t knew the meaning of the gift, Karteira felt a need to grab her chest. She turned to Amelia and look at what Orion gave her. "You have a pendant around your neck. I don''t know what that jewel is, but there''s a sort of pearl attached to it." Amelia touched the little ball attached to her pendant. What Orion found was a pearl from the Cape of Pearl Waters. An extremely difficult item to obtain, considering the place it was at. At first, Orion thought that it was fake, but he realized that it was indeed a real pearl. There was magic flowing from it, a sign of it being the real deal. "This is the first gift he ever gave us right?" Amelia said to Karteira while touching her pendant. "Yes, but why me too? Am I that important?" Amelia nodded. "You are. Orion doesn''t have friends besides me. You being someone this close to his own personality only strengthened his feelings, I think." She continued. "You are our friend. Not an ally, or someone we can use. You are more important to us than you think." "And I think that''s why he decided to give you something too. You have been having a hard time with your own feelings, and he''s trying to help you." Karteira stayed silent. They stayed like this for a few minutes, basking in the feelings. "We should go, we still have to buy a lot of things." Karteira broke from her thoughts, and forced Amelia to return to reality. "You''re right, let''s not make him wait longer than we already have." They both walked downstairs, where Orion was discussing with Kamala. "You''re finally here? Alright, let''s return for now." A portal opened, leading to the other side. Chapter 100: Our house. The four of them returned to the other side. "Kamala, you should return and take whatever you want for our time inside. Don''t forget some changes of clothes." Orion looked at the three girls in front of him one at a time. "Amelia, Karteira, and I, we''re going to buy whatever we need." ''We need food mainly. The other things Amelia wanted were couches like Kamala, and a few other utilities.'' "I have no choice." Kamala had lost hope to free herself from this month of torture. She turned around and quickly left. "We''ll come directly to your house, so just wait for us." Orion said before she disappeared back inside the crowded street. "Alright, let''s move out too." The girls followed Orion silently. They entered the same crowded street that Kamala entered but turned to another direction. On the way back to the street, Orion caught sight of Vincent, leaving the market with a huge smile on his face, a small wrapped item in his hands. ''I hope he makes his wife happy with this gift.'' He continued walking with a smile on his face. They entered the market, and bought various things important to their daily life. Amelia reminded Orion that there was no toilet inside the house currently. A face of absolute horror appeared on Karteira''s face. She pressed them to immediately buy one, which they did. At the same time, they bought a large bath, and a shower. More things Orion had to build. After that came the beds. This was important too. And finally, the paint for the inside and outside of the house. Two hours passed by quickly, and now they were making their way back to the inn. When they entered the Flying Fish inn, they were once again received by the two receptionists and managers, Chelsea and Kelsea. Orion walked to the counter while the girl walked upstairs to pick up their bags. "Karteira." She turned at Orion''s sudden call. Something shiny flashed, reflexively catching it. She looked in her hand. ''His room key.'' She nodded to him and followed Amelia. He return to explain the situation to the managers. "We won''t be able to stay the night unfortunately." "Why?" The twins asked at the same time, slightly disappointed. "Something happened related to your Lord that needs to be taken care of. We''re personally involved, so there''s nothing we can do about it." "Oh!" ''I knew he was connected to Lord Kamala!'' ''You were right.'' They talked in their minds, and nodded. "If it is like that, they we will cross your names from the registry. We will also reimburse the night you have paid for." "Alright." He nodded, watching as the managers removed their names from the big book registering all customers. "Here''s your money." Orion opened his hand before Chelsea dropped the money in it. "Thank you." "No, thank you for having stayed with us. It was a pleasure having you." They both bowed. At the same time, Amelia and Karteira were returning with their belongings. "We''ve checked everything to see if we had forgotten anything. We''re good to go." Amelia said closing on the counter. Karteira followed behind and returned the room key to Orion. "Let''s move then. Here''s our room key." Orion and Amelia both placed their key on the counter. The managers picked it up and said their professional goodbye to them. "Have a nice day, and thank you for staying at the Flying Fish." "We hope to see you again in the future." They bowed graciously, and waited for a response. "Maybe someday. Have a nice day too." And just like that, the three customers left the inn. ~ *Knock* *Knock* Timothy opened the door for the one at the door. "Please come in." Orion, Amelia and Karteira entered Kamala''s house, and waited inside. "Lady Kamala will arrive in a minute. She is writing an important directed at the other rebelling Apostles." Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ''Why now of all time?'' "If you are asking yourself ''why now?'', then answer is simple." ''Was it painted on my face?'' "I''ve been reading Lady Kamala''s expression for many years now. I can roughly understand someone''s thoughts." "What do you mean?" Orion asked, curious. "Lady Kamala has been pushing herself quite a lot recently. She is a quiet person by nature, who rarely talks or make long sentences." "Since the start of the reports on Ivan''s weird actions, she had to force herself to act like a true Lord for her people." They silently listened as Timothy explained. "She might be incredibly tired of acting like that. That is why she had finally decided to open up to the others. They called themselves her friends, but she felt that relying on them was wrong." "Maybe you saving her made her feelings on the matter change, or maybe something else led to that, but she had decided to tell what happened in the end." ''I see. That explains a lot of things.'' Orion fell in deep thoughts. "My question is going to sound weird, but why is she powerful in her uses of elements, but lacking other important fighting abilities?" He asked Timothy, but he shook his head. "That is something you should ask Lady Kamala. It is related to her past, and it is not the work of a simple aid to talk on sensitive matters." "I understand. Thank you." Both men agreed on keeping the conversation at that, until Kamala arrived. "I am done." Kamala walked downstairs with three letters in hands. She walked to Timothy and handed them to him. "Please, could you send them after I''m gone?" "Gladly." Timothy bowed slightly. "When are we coming back Orion?" Amelia asked, thinking that it would help Kamala know exactly when she would be back. "What time is it currently? 5PM?" The sun was setting. Since it was fall right now, it was setting earlier each day. In a hour, the sun would have completely moved past the horizon. "Yes, close to that." Amelia confirmed his words. "..." Orion made a quick calculation. "We should be back around 5AM tomorrow." "That is quite early. I''ll be ready to receive you." Timothy said. "Alright, are you ready?" Orion looked at Kamala. "Yes, everything is in this room." She lead the group to an empty, really small room. Inside, there was two bags. One seemed to have clothes, the other necessities. "Then." Orion opened a portal to the other side. "Time for a month of hard work." They all entered the portal, and it closed behind them. ~ The day before, in Kaios. "It hurts! It hurts so bad! Damn it all!" Ivan was screaming at the top of his lungs. "Make it stop! Also that horrible bleeding!" His injury stopped bleeding a long time ago, but he was so taken by rage that he couldn''t realize that only the pain remained. "I need blood! I want blood!" His eyes were red. Redder than when he was fighting Kamala. He touched his cheek and felt the gash that was made the day before. Thanks to his aids, he managed to survive, but the left side of his face was permanently marked by an opening. From the corner of his mouth to the back of his jaw, the arrow cut in a straight line. "Kill! Go kill the civilians! I want their blood! I need their blood!" "But Lor-" "NO BUTS!" The man that tried to speak to his lord exploded, leaving only ashes behind and an impact on the floor. Ivan, having lost all rationality, wasn''t able to tolerate much at the moment. "Yes, Lord Ivan, we will hunt down the civilians." "Good! Bring me their blood!" Everyone left the room, leaving Ivan on his throne. The Borias family was in the past of great renown. They were powerful, but kind to their own people, while waging war to anyone that bothered them. Their might was one of the best on the continent. They built a castle in the north of the desert, thinking that it would help them have an advantage over their enemies, when in fact, this was a huge mistake. The lack of resources, the heat, and the lack of support from other Apostles led them to slowly turn against their citizens. Multiple times, the citizens of Kaios were purged because the ressources weren''t enough for the survival of the Lord. Is it the fault of the Borias family for their prideful behavior? Or is it the wrong choices they made that created this mess? No one will ever know, as it was lost in time forever. Only the man known as Ivan Borias was the remains of a pride long gone. Worse than that, the corruption was eating him, creating a shadow of the man that once tried to save his city. Here he was, sitting alone in his throne room, scratching his scar, shouting and screaming at Orion, the man he didn''t know the name. "That man! I want to see him suffer! I want him dead!" ~ "You can relax now." Orion said to Kamala. "Huh?" She was taken by surprise, not expecting such words to come from his mouth. "I''m not going to train you non-stop, you know? I heard from your aid, Timothy, that you are usually quieter. Why don''t you use this month to relax, while exercising a little with us?" She blinked a few times. This was not what she was prepared for. "Why?" "Because the point is to make you progress, not to break your will to continue." "I see. I will relax then. Tell me if it bothers you." He nodded, and watched as Kamala''s expression slowly changed to an emotionless one. ''Timothy was right, that''s a face I haven''t seen.'' "Orion, can you bring the couches in first? After that, could you bring the beds, please?" Amelia asked, walking toward Kamala. Even if they were far apart in age, they were women. Comrades in a way. Even if she was returning to her usual self, this was still the same Kamala, so they wouldn''t treat her differently. "We just have to get used to her other side, right? It''s an easy task." Karteira walked on Kamala''s other side. "If it''s asked so gently, could I really refuse?" Orion joked about what Amelia asked him, and began to move his body. He stretched, and walked to the couches and the boxes he had to move in. After thirty minutes of going in and out, Orion was done moving the newly bought items inside. He even took care of the bath, the shower, and the toilet. Everything was still in the boxes though. While he was doing that, the girls where helping by unwrapping the items, except Kamala, who was asked to relax. She wanted to help, but she knew it wasn''t her house, so she refrained, silently watching them. ''Wait... shouldn''t we paint the house first before putting the furniture in?'' Only now did Orion realize that important matter. "Amelia, there''s a problem." He walked to her and explained his thought. "You''re right! I wonder why we haven''t thought of that before?" "What do we do then?" He asked, looking at the hundred of paint bucket outside. "..." "I''ll do it. I will finish everything in an hour." Orion blinked and looked at her like she was crazy. But he instantly let it go and left it to Amelia. "If you say that you can, then I won''t stop you. There''s still many things to do around here." He returned to building the furniture, while Karteira was mounting the doors to each rooms. Amelia moved outside, and with the help of her great wind element, began to paint the house. The wind magic took the paint out of the buckets, and gently rubbed it on the walls, until it was done. And just like she said, the first layer of white paint was done in each room in an hour. ''I''ll have to do that two more times, until the walls are completely white. Then we''ll place some colors in.'' ''I''m quite excited about the end result!'' When she was done with the last layer, Karteira was done with the doors. Orion was done building the beds, and most of the furniture. The house was close to be completed. "You want me to break this wall?" Amelia had called Orion to the dining room. She wanted him to break a part of the wall that she built between the kitchen in the back and the dining room. "Yes, I want to place a counter there, with an opening. Don''t you think it will be better?" Orion took out Dawn without waiting and sliced the bricks in a rectangle that Amelia had already marked on the wall. Dawn vanished, and Orion pushed the cut part. *RUMBLE* Everything crashed inside the kitchen that Amelia preemptively emptied before. "Fast!" She was impressed by the speed at which he made her request a reality. "You''re lucky we still have some planks. I can craft your counter with what we still have." Her smile was brighter than the starry sky outside. Orion began to work on the kitchen and dining room counter, while Amelia brought everything back inside the kitchen. Since everything was done in the house, it was time for her to create her kitchen masterpiece. With the help of her earth element, mainly it''s metal component, she made herself the best place to cook. She was ready to create dishes she couldn''t until now. ''I can''t believe it''s real... I finally have a house to myself. And there''s Orion and Karteira too.'' She felt many emotions flooding her. But she was truly happy. As she watched Orion hammer the last nail, she remembered the gift he gave her. She silently approached him, and when she found an opportunity, she lunged at him and kissed him on the cheek. "Whoa! Amelia?" He was so engrossed into his work, he didn''t see her coming. "Thank you. You keep giving me so many things, I don''t know how I will ever repay you." Orion stayed with Amelia hugging his chest. "Stay alive, that''s all I want." "You too, don''t leave me alone, ever." "I''ll do my best." "Thank you for the pendant." He scratched his cheek. "You''re welcome. I thought it would look good on you. And I promised that I would take you to that place." "Hmm." She kept hugging him for a long time. "Amelia, I have to go train now." "Already?" "Yes, I''ve found a new ability, but it needs perfecting." "The one where you disappeared from everyone''s sight?" "Nothing escapes you." He laughed and looked into her eyes. "This will be my trump card in every battle from now on." Chapter 101: Two weeks in. At first, Kamala''s personality change was somehow hard to deal with. She really spoke little, and only in extreme cases where she needed to express something did she talked long sentences. But after a week, they were accustomed. In the end, it was not hard to see her true self amidst the quiet demeanor. Since Orion, Amelia, and even Karteira didn''t care that much for long heated conversations, the occasional small talk was all they could ask for. Kamala had also gotten used to Orion and Karteira''s tough training session. She learned that having Amelia as an opponent would be synonymous with ''easy day''. Orion instructed everyone with one order, exhaust Kamala. Once her stamina was restored ever so slightly, she had to train once again. The training was simple, she had to fight anyone for more than two hours without fainting. He wasn''t a monster. When he said two hours, this was considering one or two breaks. Orion explained the past event of invading the underground tunnels. In there, they fought an entire day inside, with so few breaks in between. This was the amount of stamina he asked for her to have. Other than that, the house had been completely finished. The bathroom, and the toilet as been built. The case of the ''magic'' toilet led to a commotion inside the house. When being used, they had no idea where the content went. The same happened with the bathroom. Used water definitely flowed somewhere, but where was the question. After Orion looked in every nook and cranny of the house, he found the reason for such a thing. Let''s just say that Amelia had no idea of her innate ability to purify anything and everything with her water element. When Orion looked under the sink, he found a really, really, but really small water orb at the end of the piping. That orb drank the water that flowed inside the pipe, without causing any leak. After talking with everyone, the case of the ''magic'' toilet was closed, and they once again said that magic was truly convenient. But let''s not forget, these two aren''t normal by any means. No one on the continent would ever come close to find so many things about their elements, and their magic. Reon, inside the bracelet, was in awe in front of such ingenuity. He thought that only him was interested in the various uses of elemental magic, but seeing Amelia''s work, he really wanted to talk with her. Orianne was more... easygoing. Every time Amelia appeared, she cheered for her to make a move on Orion. Yes, he had wonderful parents. ... So, you might ask what Orion did in his free time, or on what abilities Karteira had to work on, or even if Amelia managed to improve her fighting skills instead of her building skills. Let us start from the beginning. Two weeks in, Orion was in the training area, far from the house. The same place he fought Kamala the first time. Not only him, but Karteira, Kamala, and Amelia were all here. "So, when are you going to explain what that trump card of yours is?" Amelia, daggers in hand, was ready to strike at Orion. "I didn''t?" She lost her posture, and looked straight at him with a face that said ''No you didn''t!''. Karteira took this chance to sneak behind him and slam her tail on his flank. "I guess I should." Karteira blinked when she realized that Orion was next to Amelia, stroking her hair. "Can we even fight you like this?" She was shocked. There was no way she could ever react if Orion decided to attack her. "You can. It might be difficult at first, but I''ll tell you anyway." Kamala, adapting to the training, ran in a boxing pose toward him. He looked to his side, and watched carefully for her next move. ''She''s going for a right punch... No!'' Suddenly, she made a faint. She retracted her punch, and instead went for a low kick toward his knees. "Not so fast." Amelia grabbed Orion''s wrist, and twisted it to make sure he wouldn''t leave. ''What a situation.'' He laughed internally. "I''m coming too!" Karteira launched herself with her tail like a slingshot. Now that her base was reinforced, she could use it without any lasting injuries or pain. ''I''ve dodge Dramia''s bullets before.'' "Do you think you have what it takes to take me down?" He smiled wildly, and activated Calm Analysis. Time slowed down, leaving plenty of opportunities for him to counter. ''Let''s see, the first one to hit is... Karteira. She''s going way too fast.'' ''Fool.'' Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Karteira fists approached faster than Kamala''s kick was. To avoid being hit, he moved his head backward, and grabbed her shirt. He pulled her down in slow motion. The surprised face of Kamala was hidden by the falling Karteira. She was in the middle of a kick, what could she do besides follow the momentum. Her leg barely touched Orion, but she got pushed by Karteira when she fell. He stopped Calm Analysis. The two women fell to the ground, blinking from not understanding what happened. In an instant, they were both defeated. Orion followed by crouching, Amelia still holding his wrist. By doing that, she lost her balance and fell forward, on his back. When she had completely fallen on his back, he grabbed her arm that wasn''t holding his, and pulled her. She did a wheel motion above his back, and fell on the two defeated women. "..." "I''ve overdone it I think." The three were piled up, grunting because of the pain of either catching someone thrown at you, being the person thrown, or being the one under all of the weight. "Let''s stop there for today." He helped the girls getting back up. ~ "The abilities you used against Karteira, that''s your trump card right?" Amelia asked. "Right. I still have to explain." They were all sat on the ground, except Orion who was making turns to heal the girls, one at a time. "That''s kind of unfair. You''re can dodge everything I throw at you." Karteira was a bit sour that every attack she made was countered or avoided. "I have something on that." Orion made his serious face. "You idiot. When are you going to learn that launching yourself at enemies creates opening for them to strike you down?" Karteira stared at him blankly while he was healing Kamala. "Idiot? Me?" She pointed at herself. This was the first time he called her that, but it wasn''t the first time that he told her to stop throwing her body at him. "Yes. Who else? I know you only uses it against me, but that doesn''t change the fact that you will never strike me down doing that." He continued. "Use you abilities. You have a lot, and you can grow stronger. Also, when are you two going to work in tandem?" "I only see you fighting alone. There should be many things that could help both of you against me." He looked at Amelia and Karteira. "Look, I''m not trying to discourage you. You are strong, that''s a fact. Think, come up with deadly tactics, and kill you enemy." "That''s how I think when I fight you. That''s how I think when I use my abilities, or my magic. Why do you think I never use my elements against you?" They remained silent. They simply listened, as this was his way of teaching after training. "I don''t have the five natural elements in me. Yes, you can create things, and you can fight using multiple weapon types. But like I said, you don''t support Karteira in her fighting." "Amelia, I think that supporting her might help both of you." "Karteira, try to lower the level of your battle frenzy. It''s stopping you from finding you fighting style." ''Being a beast on the battlefield is like being compared to a corrupted.'' He finished healing Kamala, who was silently listening to his speech. She remembered what he said after he agreed to help her. - "Show me how ingenious you are. Show me your greatest strategy." "Lead us to victory, and I''ll consider you my ally." - ''I have to take exemple.'' She agreed to his month of training not only because she knew she was lacking. She knew because if she wasn''t, the attack on Hocride wouldn''t have happened like this. Many guards would have kept their lives. She wanted to learn from Orion. His way of thinking that is completely different from a human. If there was a way to learn from that, it could only help her in the future. ''Using our abilities... to kill.'' She looked at her hands. Flashing memories of the past resurfaced. ''Bloody hands, mother, a city on fire, and many corpses.'' ''I had forgotten.'' The past was always catching up, except this time, it wasn''t bringing her down to the nightmarish feeling of dread she once knew, it was helping her decide. Orion moved to Karteira, healing her strained muscles. "I can''t believe you called me an idiot." She was pretty bitter about that. "Sorry, I needed to make you understand how dumb that lunge attack is." "Stop saying I''m dumb!" She angrily moved her tail. "I did not say that. I said ''the attack'' was dumb, not you." "And stop moving around." Orion caught her tail and tightly secured it between his legs to avoid inadvertently being stung. "Hyaa! What are you doing!" "I''m healing you, but I can''t if you keep moving. Show me your right arm." She did just that, slightly embarrassed. Her tail was pretty sensible to the touch, so she felt all kinds of things. "Since when have you decided to hit on him?" Amelia was smirking, enjoying the face of pure confusion Karteira was making. "Not you too! Ouch!" Orion pressed a spot that seemed to have been injured. "I knew it." She was in pain, so they all stopped joking. Her health was more important. "Your legs are fine. You body seems uninjured too." He stood up, releasing the tail from between his legs. "Amelia, your turn. Show me that arm." She dryly laughed. "You can''t hide it, I saw you holding your right arm, which means it''s hurting." He crouched on her right side, and began to heal her. "Now that we''re here, I''ll explain what that ability is." ''Finally!'' Amelia was focused on his words. "I called it "Spatial Shifting". It''s an ability that works only on ''me''." "On you?" Karteira asked. "Yes, nothing else but me can move like this. I create two invisible portals in specific places in my field of view, and move between space." "..." "Huh?" "That''s... quite useful." No one knew what to say. "The problem is, it''s tiring. As much as using the Second Gear and my speed enhancement together." "I do not know why, but opening a portal between spaces doesn''t drain energy. It''s actually not draining any at all, because only the creation costs energy." "But when the invisible portals are used, my energy drains instantly the more time I let it opened." ''Maybe it''s because I''m moving in the same ''space''. That author, N, he called these ''anomalies'', right?'' "Anyway, I only use it to move between places, and that''s why it''s our trump card." "But, the way we use it depends on Kamala." He dropped everything on Kamala''s shoulders instantly. She stayed silent. "Why?" Amelia and Karteira were unknowing of the deal they made two weeks ago. "I asked her to create the strategy from start to finish, and lead us to victory against Ivan. She also has to save the civilians being killed the moment we arrive." "..." Amelia glanced at Kamala, who was making a hard face. ''This is a lot to place on someone else''s shoulder. The fact that she knows that if it was you, you would succeed only makes it harder for her.'' ''She''s going to compare herself to you no matter what.'' Amelia immediately realized stakes at hands. ''If she succeeds, she will gain his trust. If not, he''s moving on.'' "What kind of bullying is that?" Amelia wasn''t exactly happy about that. "Say what you want. She accepted my offer to train her, which means that she isn''t weak minded. Let her think for herself before saying that it''s too hard for her." "The greatest achievements are made with tremendous efforts." Every words he spoke echoed in Kamala''s soul. "Being a human doesn''t equal to being stupid. I learned that the hard way when we got ambushed by that man, Florian." "And remember who our enemy is. Elliot isn''t the stupid kind." "In the end, she needs to prove to herself that she is able create her own story before proving me anything." ''He''s kinder to her than I expected. Her strength is the real thing, and he likes strong individuals, so I guess it''s normal.'' Amelia internally shrugged, accepting that face rather easily. "Alright, I''m done healing you. Let''s get home for today-" Orion stood up abruptly and suddenly turned, looking at a specific spot in the air. ''What was that?'' Something felt strange, as if someone was spying on him. He looked intently and focused on the feeling he felt. "Orion? Did something happened?" Karteira asked, seeing his face. "Someone seemed to have found a way to spy on us. I didn''t feel any malice coming from it though." "What?! In this space?" He nodded. "Anyway, let''s get home. It''s not here anymore." His senses were now heightened, and his caution was at maximum capacity, as they returned home. ~ "That was close!" "How did he find you?" Two women, hidden in the shadows were speaking around a table that had a large pool of water inside. In the water, a reflection of Orion and the group was seen. "I have no idea. His sense are something else." The first woman, who seemed to be the one having created such an artifact, looked at Orion. "I didn''t expect your own power to be this easily found out." The second woman laughed, poking the first one on the cheek. "Stop that. Anyways, with this now we can see what he is doing. It was hard finding his signature magic, since I don''t usually rely on my space ''space'' ability." "''Time'' is more important, right?" The second woman nodded after stopping her teasing. "Well, I need to watch everything unfold. Once again." "Right." The two women silently returned to looking at the groups daily life. Chapter 102: Orions bottleneck. Having a house changed everything. You would have expected a lot of conflicts between the ladies and Orion, but thanks to their trust, and his caution, no accident happened, and will most likely never happen. They were currently at their third week inside the void space. It was morning, as the starry sky slowly became brighter. Orion was drinking coffee inside the dining room while reading one of the books he bought before sealing himself for a month. In front on him was Amelia who was grinning while looking at him, and Karteira, who was cleaning her tail. Kamala was still asleep, enjoying the peace she hadn''t had time to have until now. Forgetting the tough training she endured each day, life was pretty peaceful. While reading, Orion reminisced on the last three weeks. ''Kamala had made large improvements, while Amelia and Karteira improved at a slow pace.'' He was satisfied about the current results, except one thing. ''I''m not improving at all.'' He grasped his cup tighter. ''The Second Gear doesn''t improve, and the Arm Overload is still crippling my fighting after a single use.'' ''And the ''Spatial Shift'' is too hard to use in battle. Everything is consuming my stamina and magic way too fast. What am I supposed to do?'' Frustration was building inside him. "Orion?" Amelia seemed to have notice his changing mood, which worried her. "Hmm?" He stopped looking at the readings inside the book and looked at her. "Are you alright? You know you can take a day if ever feel tired, right?" She was his voice of reason recently. "I think I''ll take your words on that today. I simply don''t feel motivated." Amelia opened her mouth wide and slammed both hands on the table, while Karteira dropped the piece of cloth she was using on her tail. They both looked at him as if he said the most outrageous thing ever. ''Orion, not feeling motivated to train?!'' ''The world is ending!'' Amelia left her seat in a hurry and moved next to him, checking is forehead for any signs of sickness. "Are you really alright? I can''t believe I heard you say something like that." Karteira grabbed the cloth that dropped on top of her tail, and returned to her own business. "She''s right. I''ve never heard of an unmotivated Orion before." He closed his book, letting Amelia check his body however she wanted. "I''m fine, really. I''m stuck currently and I can''t seem to progress in whatever I do, so I''ll just be taking the day off." He placed the book on the table and sipped his coffee. "If you want to train, go without me. The portal is opened in case you decide to go." "As if I''ll go when you''re like this. You could be depressed for everything I know!" He chuckled at the thought of being depressed. "I''m not depressed, I''m simply disappointed at my poor improvements recently." "That''s all." He downed the remaining of his coffee, and stood up. He grabbed Amelia''s arm, pivoted her body, and sat her on his chair. "I''ll go take a bath. If you see Kamala, tell her that today is self-study." He opened the door to the corridor, and walked toward the bathroom that was next to the stairs leading the first floor. Amelia was pouting from him handling her like this. "He could''ve ask-" "No, I''m glad he didn''t." "..." "What?" Karteira had taken the habit to stop Amelia from saying horny sentences. She was receiving a lot of dark gazes from the victim/culprit. "If you don''t want me to cut you mid-sentence, don''t bring it up at all, it''s simple isn''t it?" She smiled at her. *sigh* "Fine." This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "When did you become like this? I miss the gentle and caring Karteira..." "Yes, I know. Sorry, she won''t be coming back anymore. At least not when ''Horny Amelia'' is around." "I''m not that horny. I''m just trying to strengthen my bond with him." "By trying to enter the bathroom with him?" Amelia was losing the argument. "Fuck. I can''t say anything to that." Karteira won. She won absolutely nothing, but she won. Well, this was their small talk. They shared many things now, and this situation sometimes happened. It was a part of their daily life by now. "Wait, he''s coming back. Did he forget something?" Amelia heard Orion''s footsteps, and long after, he opened the door. "I''m going to be straight, which one of you forget their underwear inside the changing room? It''s black, so I''d say Karteira, but I might be wrong." "WHA-" Karteira''s face was bright red, her mouth wide open from the shock and embarrassment. She stood up and ran, passing Orion in a furry. "Who''s horny now?" "Shut up!" She screamed from the corridor in response to Amelia''s taunt. Amelia giggled, before glancing at Orion. "That was tactless, you know that? You''re not supposed to say that a lady had forgotten such a thing." "Wouldn''t it be more embarrassing if she had found out it was still there after I took my bath?" "I mean..." She was right, but he was too. "There is no good answer for such a situation. If you had found it first, it would have been better, but the moment it was me, I decided to be upfront about it." "And it''s not like I haven''t seen her underwear before. She wakes up wearing those, so there''s nothing to hide anymore." He heard angry footsteps behind him. "I can''t believe it! That hasn''t happened until now." Karteira entered the dining room and sat on the chair specifically crafted for her. "That was bound to happen at some point isn''t it? I know it is a big deal for you, I''m sorry for embarrassing you." Orion apologized, and closed the door behind him, returning inside the bathroom. "It''s not yo- Ah!" She couldn''t finish her sentence in time. "It''s not your fault..." She whispered, but loud enough for Amelia to hear her. "He knows, don''t worry about that. He said it, these can happen when you live together. In fact, I had it happen during the three years we''ve spent before leaving Auro." "Honestly, I don''t really care about that." "Wow, meanie. Talk about giving me the cold shoulder all of a sudden." The girls kept exchanging blows at each other for a minute, before stopping. "You want to train with me later?" Karteira asked Amelia. She thought for a second before giving her answer. "I''ll come with you. I might be able to progress further working with you." "Great. We have to work on our combinations more too." Their afternoon was decided. They became like Orion in the end, drawn to improve even if it was by a small margin. At the same time, Orion was enjoying a hot bath. ''It''s already been three weeks. The day and night cycle is pretty useful in this place.'' *badum* *badum* ''Hmm?'' *Badum* *Badum* ''Why is my heart thumping that hard?'' He placed his right hand on his chest, and endured as his heart painfully thump. *THUMP* THUMP* ''Damn it! What''s this pain?'' The pain began to suddenly be unbearable. For a minute, Orion thought that he was going to die, but the pain subsided in an instant, as if it was all but a dream. "What was... that?" He was slightly out of breathe. What was strange was the lack of any remaining pain. ''I expected Ego to say something, but I guess it had nothing to do with magic.'' Ego was always there to speak about his newly obtained abilities and how to use them, but this time, he didn''t feel any different, so he threw that thinking aside. "Is my heart failing me? It shouldn''t be." He healed himself, just in case. The reason for his sudden pain was something happening inside his soul. Tiohr-nam, now having obtained enough energy to influence Orion''s soul in meaningful ways, found something interesting inside him and decided to push it''s development herself. A battle for dominance was happening inside him. Unknowing to this, Orion continued bathing, hoping that his health was not the cause of this sudden pain. ~ After relaxing ever so slightly, Orion left the bath. He changed, and return to the dining room. He saw Amelia and Karteira having a conversation about training, but for once, he wasn''t really interested. ''Today is one of those days I guess.'' Really, there was nothing he wanted to do. Orion walked inside the kitchen, and prepared himself another coffee. He liked it black, with a bit of sugar. Because the taste of pure bitterness was not good, sugar was necessary. After a moment, here was his coffee. He returned to the table, Amelia still sat on his chair. He placed the cup on the table, and looked at her. He pushed his cup in front of her, and sat on the chair next to her, in front of Karteira. ''What am I going to do this afternoon.'' The girls were talking, engrossed in their conversation, while he was pondering. Just then the door opened. "Good morning." Kamala who had woken up a long time ago, was finally out of her room. "Can I have a coffee too please?" She saw Orion drinking one, so she asked. "Of course. Good morning, Kamala." Orion, who had nothing else to do, walked to the kitchen. The girls noticed Kamala and greeted her too. She sat next to Karteira, waiting patiently for her coffee. A few minutes later, Orion arrived with a coffee, a piece of sugar and milk. He placed everything in front of her, and returned to his seat. "Thank you." She smiled happily. "You''re welcome. I brought you the milk too." She nodded, placing the cube of sugar in the cup, and ten drops of milk. "There''s no training today, you can do whatever you want this afternoon." Kamala''s hands shook slightly, almost spilling some of her coffee that she was about to drink. "Why?" "I don''t feel like training today." He made it simple, which wasn''t a lie. "I see." She drank her coffee silently after that. Orion stared at her while thinking. ''Maybe it''s a good time to ask her about her past.'' He really wanted to know, but there was no good moment to ask. "If you have nothing to do like me this afternoon, do you mind coming to my room later?" Time froze around the table. The girls stopped talking, mainly Amelia. But after looking at Orion weirdly for a few seconds, she returned to talk with Karteira. ''This girl, I swear.'' He shrugged in his mind, before looking at Kamala. "I don''t mind." "Alright. What are you girls doing this afternoon?" He asked Amelia and Karteira. The one who answered was Karteira. "I wanted to train, so I asked Amelia to come with me, and she agreed to help. So we''re training." Amelia nodded at her response. "I see. Take care then, and immediately come to me if you get hurt." They both nodded and spoke at the same time. "Yes." ''I hope nothing will happen... I have a bad feeling about today.'' Orion pushed this thought on the side of his mind and sip his coffee. ~ The afternoon came faster than expected. They ate a good meal, and right after, the girls left to exercise. Orion moved to his room to read comfortably, waiting for Kamala. After an hour, someone knocked on his door. *Knock* *Knock* "Enter." Kamala opened the door, and closed it behind her. "Sit wherever you want." There was a table in his room, which made it easy to talk about important things. "What I''m going to ask will most likely bother you, so I apologize in advance." Kamala silently nodded. "Before being stuck in here for a month, I asked your aid, Timothy about your past." She twitched. "He refused to say anything, saying that only you would accept to speak about it, and I agreed on that." He continued. "I know it is none of my business to ask you, but I have been curious." "What happened to you in the past? Why is there no record of anything happening in Hocride during the past twenty years?" "Could you explain it to me? You can refuse obviously, it won''t change my attitude toward. I''m only curious as I said." Kamala stayed silent for a minute. She was debating between telling everything, or refusing. In the end, she decided to share her past. *sigh* "Alright, I''ll tell you." A unforgettable story, erased from the records was about to resurface. Chapter 103: The young girls curiosity. It was twenty-two years ago, during the Azur Dragon''s rampage across Triazils. Everyone was living in fear of being reduced to ashes, with no one being able to help them. Even the Apostles were having trouble with him. The only people able to attack him weren''t weak by any means. Long range attacks were necessary, and it had to be elemental attacks other than water, which limited a lot of Apostles at the time. The situation was dire for humans at that time. Because one Apostles decided to steal a few dragons eggs, he placed the whole faction in a precarious state. This whole ordeal lasted for a week, but this was moment where everyone endured the terror of death. Some went crazy from fear, some lost their patience and committed heinous acts, and some tortured others to appease their fear. The case of Hocride was, in a way, all of the above. Kamala was thirteen, a young girl, the only child of the Apostle ruling at the time. Her hair were black at the time. Her mother, Andila, was a strong woman that was respected by everyone, but not necessarily in good ways. Her body was beautiful. Her skin was the same as her daughter, a light brown that contrasted with the white sand of the desert. She had really short black hair. Kamala was really similar to her mother in many ways, except her behavior. Andila treated all of her citizens like dogs, and Kamala like her servant. She was a strong woman, having perfected the wind element. She had killed Kamala''s father in the past, because of a simple mistake he made, which was always a sore spot for the young girl. Her mother was hateful, but she was strong. At the time, only the strong could speak against her, which meant, other Apostles, who showed no interest in meddling with her. With time, she showed signed of craziness more often than not, and before long, the situation was out of control. That fateful day, where Kamala took over a burning Hocride, she erased its history, for herself, and for all that went through it along her. ~ Two days before. "Kamala! Where is my drink?!" "It''s on the table, mother." "I told you a hundred times to bring it to me, not place it who knows where! Do what I say, or I''ll send you to your father!" "Yes, mother." The young Kamala looked at the ground, tightly grabbing her dress in frustration. "I shouldn''t have made a child. They said they gave happiness, but I only got problems with her." Andila walked to the table and grabbed the glass. They were in their house, near the port. It was a house way larger than the others, with a center garden, and many useless rooms. You would wonder why such a big house was necessary, but that was all Andila''s orders. They were currently in the garden, where many of the servants looked at this scene. Whispering could be heard coming from them. ''I can''t believe the young lady has to endure all of this.'' ''If only she was at the age of freedom, we could send her somewhere far from the Lord.'' Two women were, really quietly, speaking of Kamala. ''She did so much for us, and yet we cannot do anything for her... this is unfair.'' ''Ladies, please keep quiet. You know what will happen if she sees you speaking behind her back.'' A young gentleman walked behind the servants, and warned them. ''Sir Timothy.'' Timothy, in his mid-twenties at that time, walked past them, in the direction of Andila. He walked past Kamala, and flashed a warm smile at the young girl. His expression became severe after passing her. "Lord Andila, news of the dragon''s rampage has arrived." Andila turned, enraged. She drank the content of her drink and threw the glass on the ground, next to Kamala, who remained still. "That damned dragon! When is it going to stop?" Timothy showed a slight anger at this display, but instantly hid it and continued his report. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "The Azur Dragon is on it''s way toward Hocride. We have no idea why, but we have to prepare and evacu-" Andila stopped him. "Evacuate? Where? Why?" Timothy looked at her as if he was looking at an idiot. "What''s that look?" "Nothing. I thought that the Lord had a plan against the dragon, that is all." He returned to his neutral face. The luck was that Andila was so idiotically blind on her own self, that she never understood other people. "Of course I have a plan." She turned around and left the garden, returning inside the house without saying anything else. Timothy walked to Kamala and placed a hand on her head. "I am so sorry. I understand how hard it is to have a mother like her, but please endure it a little longer." "Hmm." The girl nodded, enjoying the caress of her mentor. He educated her instead of her useless mother, so she felt at ease when he was nearby. "Just a little longer." Timothy spoke quietly, before standing up. "You two, please clean this mess, and help Lady Kamala back to her room. Give her some fruit juice too, she has the right to have a drink too." He ordered the servants that were standing still, and walked somewhere outside the garden. Like they were asked to, they cleaned the broken glass and escorted Kamala to her room, with a glass of grape juice. She was now alone in her room, alone to think for herself. ''Once again with father. When is she going to let it go?'' ''When is she going to realize that she is not helping anyone like this?'' ''Why is she like this.'' She was pacing inside her room. Beside her bed, there was a huge bookcase with all of the books Timothy kept bringing to her. There was also a desk where she liked to write the many ideas she had. ''I want to go outside, but mother refuses to let me go.'' ''If not for Timothy, I wouldn''t even know how to use magic.'' She opened her hands, and two spheres appeared. A green one, and a brown one. ''Let''s see.'' With great focus, she created a breeze that flowed around the room, and a spike of stone. ''It''s quite easy.'' The magic disappeared, and the elements vanished. She slumped into her bed, and looked at the juice on the desk. ''How can she treat us like that?'' Remembering the savagery behind her mother''s actions, she could only wonder. She wasn''t like that, so why was her mother different? ''What did I do wrong?'' In the end, she really wanted her mother to accept her, but there was sign of that at all. She stood up and walked to the desk, grabbed the glass and slowly drunk the content. ''It''s delicious.'' She smiled and finished it. ~ Timothy was walking outside, toward a large building on the outskirts of the city. He entered and closed the door shut behind him. The room was completely dark. "Timothy, finally! How was it?" A civilian walked toward him from the shadows. "It is really bad. I fear for the young lady''s life at this point. Andila is losing herself more each passing days." A woman walked next to the man. "Can we even do something for her at this point? Isn''t she going to despise us for going against her mother?" "I don''t think she will." Timothy walked forward and entered the darkness. The two civilians followed behind him. "What about the guards? Aren''t they going to stop us before we advance?" Another voice echoed. "We''ll have to fight our way through. They are as corrupted as the current Lord." "But the young lady in all of that?" Many voices began to echo inside the large building. At that moment, someone flipped a switch, and the lights unraveled hundred of civilians. Timothy''s voice strongly overlapped all of the voices. "We''ll save her ourselves! And then, we''ll find somewhere safe for her to live in!" "Yes!" They were all eager to fight for a young soul. Right after the cries stopped, another civilian approached. "Timothy, another one disappeared this morning. Do you know something about it?" He shook his head. "I''ve been trying to find the one that keeps kidnapping our men, but with no success." ''As if the Azur Dragon''s attack wasn''t enough, we have a kidnapper on our hands. It''s the fourth one now.'' Only men were disappearing recently. But it was a matter of time before someone found the culprit. "I should go back for now. You all stay alert, the moment to strike is near." Timothy walked toward the door, as the lights all turned off, leaving the citizens in the dark. "This is all for the young lady." The door closed. ~ The next day, around 8PM. Kamala was looking through her window. The sky was darker than usual, maybe because of all the dark clouds in the sky. ''Is it going to rain? It''s rare around Hocride.'' Indeed, rain was a rare occurrence in the desert. ''Hmm?'' Something caught her attention. ''What is that?'' She saw a guard with a big wrapped item over his shoulder come in the direction of her house. He was trying to be sneaky. ''Why is there someone coming at this time? It is for mother?'' She became curious. Did her mother had a hobby? Something secret she wanted to keep secret to her own daughter? ''Maybe it will bring us closer?'' She was hopeful, so she quietly left her room. Kamala stayed in the shadows, walking as slowly and quietly as possible. The man entered through the back door, which Kamala anticipated. She remained unnoticed and followed the man around the house. ''Why is he avoiding the places where our servants are?'' This was all too strange. Why would a simple hobby needed to be so secret? The man entered a room she didn''t knew about. Her mother only authorized her to leave her room to go to the dining room, the garden, and the bathroom. Everything else was a mystery to her. Even though it was her own home. "Lord Andila, I brought it like you asked." Kamala watched through the slight opening of the door. "I can see that. What, you want a thank you?" As usual, she was really hateful. ''Mother, can''t you be less aggressive?'' She felt pity for the guard. "Were you followed?" "Of course not. It is not the first time I have been doing this for you." Yes, this man was trying to get her favor. What he didn''t realize is that he was disposable in her eyes. "Here, take you payment. You can leave through the window, I don''t want you to be seen by anyone." "Thank you Lord Andila. Please call for me if you need anything else." "Yes, now get out of my sight." She showed a disgusted face. The man opened the door, and climbed down. Since it was the lowest floor, it was safe. He closed the window and walked away, looking at the large amount of money in his hands. "Ehehe, now I can find a nice woman and enjoy some quality time." He entered an alley, and stopped. "Who would have guessed that delivering kidnapping citizens to Lord Andila would give me so much money!" But then. "Huh?" *Slash* "G-" He touched his throat. He felt a hot liquid drip down, and looked at his hands. ''Why?'' He bled for a moment, and tried to turn around. His body gave up, and all he saw was a dark shadow with a knife. "There is no quality time for people like you." Timothy''s voice echoed inside the dark alley. He looked in the eyes of the guard he injured until his life was extinguished. ''If only I had suspected Andila to begin with, we would never be in this situation.'' He turned around and looked in the distance. An army of civilians with weapons were walking toward the city. He couldn''t see it, but he knew they were coming. The moment they knew the kidnapper was their Lord, anger, rage, and killing intent was unleashed for all to see. At the same time, Kamala witnessed the horrors that her mother tried to hide. Andila took the wrapped item to the room next door, and closed it behind her. Kamala followed without making a sound and opened the slightly. "!" Chapter 104: Rage against disappointment. Through the crack, Kamala saw her mother uncover a silenced man, one of the civilians of her city. ''What is she doing?'' She kept silently watching. "Another fine specimen. I have pretty good eyes." She looked happy, even though her face was everything but happy. The man was shaking horribly. He was a civilian like you would see in every city, living an honest life. ''This room smells weird.'' Kamala brought a hand to her nose, trying to stop the nauseating smell from bothering her. She looked around, and saw four other wrapped items in the room. Poor Kamala still wasn''t able to realize the situation in front of her. "You, on the chair." Andila grabbed the man''s collar and dragged him near a chair with straps. She forced him on it, and attached his arms and legs. Pure terror could be seen in his eyes. He knew that this moment was his last. "What am I going to do with you?" Andila began to think, bringing her fingers to her chin. "Doing the same wouldn''t be interesting. Why do you think of this?" She flipped her black dressed up, showing her legs and underwear to the man. But all he could see was the weapon strapped on her left thigh, glistening in contrast with the dark color of her dress. An unusually long knife was strapped on her leg, which she grabbed and removed from its holder. The man began to get agitated, and suddenly, he stopped. Groaning sounds of pain were only escaping his mouth, plugged with piece of cloth. "This is fun isn''t it?" She retracted her arm, blood gushing from the man''s wound. She pierced his left side, leaving the man slowly suffering. ''What is happening?'' Kamala wasn''t able to see what was happening. Her mother was blocking her sight. "Let''s see..." She walked to the man''s right side, showing the gruesome scene to her daughter. ''What is she doing!'' She wanted to intervene, but knew that she would be gravely punished. She was hesitating. ''I- I!'' ''I can''t save that person.'' Her mother was strong. Impossibly strong to her. That was the reason why she never rebelled against Andila. "You know, I can''t take it anymore." Andila sat on the side of the man, her arm stretched over his shoulders. "I need to unleash my feelings in some way right? Do you understand what it means to be an Apostle?" She talked to him, but his consciousness was fading away much the same as the light of a candle. "Listen to me!" She slashed the man''s arm, separating it cleanly. If the blood flowing to the ground was considered clean that is. The pain woke him up in an instant, his scream muffled by the cloth. ''!'' Kamala turned her gaze away. She was conflicted by emotions she didn''t knew until now. The most prominent emotion was the disgust she had in her mother. Quietly, without even herself noticing, her patience was getting finer. Rage was building inside her. She was the daughter of such a monster. There was something she could do, right? In fact, she thought of many ideas in how to defeat her mother, but none would be able to help her. Her magic was too powerful. She remained there powerless, and enraged. Gritting her teeth, she looked inside the room once again. "Being an Apostle is such a hassle, I swear." She was walking in circles in front of the man, cleaning the knife with the wrapping he was transported in. The man''s head was wobbling left and right. The amount of blood he had lost was too great for his mind to follow anymore. "We have to follow orders, that I don''t mind. But what am I supposed to do against a dragon?! I am not Lord Elliot!" "Hunting corrupted to get their cores is such a hassle too! There''s almost none around here, and when there are, that ass Ivan just straight steals them in front of me!" She stomped on the floor angrily. Unbridled anger could be seen on her face. Her expression, usually cold and somewhat beautiful was all but that at the moment. "I have a child that I never wanted, and that moron died before I could ship him away with her!" Hearing this, Kamala froze in place. Her rage vanished temporarily, replaced by an intense feeling of sadness. ''From the beginning, she never wanted me.'' But before she could shed any tears, the rage returned, stronger than before. This amount of rage was unhealthy for a thirteen years old. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "All I wanted was to have an easy life. Mother had it easy, my ancestors had it easy too! Why me?! Why me only, have to suffer such awful life!" She walked two steps and plunged the knife inside the stomach of the man, who had past away in the middle of her speech. "Damn you all! Never respecting me! Never following me! Always finding something to argue against!" "Just shut your mouth and be used! That''s all you need to do!" Her eyes were glowing a red uncharacteristic to her. She stabbed him multiple times in her madness. *Creak* ''Damn it!'' Kamala inadvertently pushed the door, making her presence known. "I see I have a rat in here!" Kamala quietly walked to the door leading to the corridor. *BLAM* A strong wind pushed the door, with Andila following right after. "You!" "..." The mother and the daughter stared at each other for a moment. "Disgusting child." She spat on the floor. This was the last straw for Kamala. "SHUT UP!" She attacked Andila with her wind element, sending a sharp blade toward her. "Such a pitiful display." Andila remained in her place, protecting herself with her own wind. The shield she had created was strong, easily countering the small wind blade Kamala threw. "If only you had taken time to educate me, maybe I would have followed in your steps!" "And I never wished for you to be my daughter. I would have gladly offered you as bait if it meant getting more cores from the corrupted." Something broke inside Kamala at that moment. The world she was trying to fit in as best as she could, the mother she tried to satisfied, and the power that was inside her. ''This is meaningless.'' Her eyes showed pity toward her mother. "Am I dreaming or you''re mocking, child?!" "No, you''re not dreaming, monster." "That mouth of yours, I''ll be sure to crush it!" Andila attacked Kamala. Like a whip, she used her it to slam Kamala onto the wall next to her. "KAaHa!" Kamala took the hit and remained stuck on the wall for a second. She dropped to her knee right after falling down. The hit was so strong that it damaged some of her organs. ''Did she resist my full strength?!'' Andila was shocked. She saw no movement from Kamala, which means that she was on another level in terms of physical ability. "You''ve... attacked me?" Kamala looked at her hands, with her own blood on it. *Rumble* "What is happening!? Is it the dragon?" The sound of strong wind echoed everywhere. Kamala remained a still on the ground, letting her emotions speak for her. Andila walked to the window while keeping an eye on her. She opened the window, seeing the nightmare that she brought upon her. In a furry, she turned to Kamala and screamed at her. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" Her hands pointed outside, to a gigantic tornado that had formed over the sea a kilometer away. "This is your doing?!" She was a master of the wind element, or so she liked to think so, but even her was unable to manifest such power. In fact, no one should be able to, but the wind element inside Kamala resonated with her despair. Kamala stood up, and her body began to be covered with a thick layer of sand. Her face disappeared under a rocky mask, and wings of winds appeared in her back. "What are... you?" "I don''t care to answer that." She stepped forward, splashing sand at each step. Her mother backed off, until she was against the wall. "Back off! BACK OFF I SAID!" Andila threw whip attacks and wind blades toward Kamala, who remained unfazed by the attacks. She slowly closed in on her mother. When she was close, Andila suddenly grabbed her knife and pierce the mask. "Ah! I was waiting for... that?" A small part of the mask cracked, revealing her left eye. "Disappointing." Kamala punched her mother in the guts. She crumbled to the ground, vomiting. ''Hmm?'' Kamala smelled something strange. ''Fire?'' She starred through the windows behind her mother, the one showing the city instead of the sea. While the tornado was raging, the civilians were rioting. Though they had already escaped after seeing the massive tornado form, they still managed to burn the city down. All the guards siding with Andila were dealt with by Timothy one after the other, leaving the reign of the tyrant close to it''s end. "Mother. No, Lord Andila, this is over for you." "You would dare kill your own mother?" Her expression hidden behind the mask only showed disappointment. She was past her rage, because she only saw a pitiful being in front of her. Andila felt it by looking at her eye, showing from the broken part of the mask. This was the end for her. "I will do the same thing you did to that poor man." "WHAT?!" Andila stood up, and tried to flee. She run past Kamala, and tried to open the door. "I won''t let my own child kill me! I won''t accept this!" "You should." Kamala turned around and opened her palm toward the back of Andila. "Pierce." A terrifyingly fast spike of sand emerged from her hand and pierced her mother. It pierced the door, and travelled through the wall, and ended in the garden. *Cough* Andila was stuck on the wall, powerless. Her back had been pierced, and she was unable to free herself anymore. Kamala followed the destroyed path she had created. "What was it again? Right arm?" Her hand changed to a claw as she approached Andila. "No... NO! *Cough* Don''t! I am sorr- *cough*" "..." She stopped in front of her. "Such a pitiful display. Mother." "KAMALA!" Andila tried to attack one last time, but instead saw her right arm fall to the ground. The fire that propagated across the city finally arrived to their house. Mother and daughter exchanged one last hateful look. "I should have killed *cough* you when you were a baby." "It is too late to regret Lord Andila. You reap what you sow." "Don''t... give me that *cough* line. All I wanted... was to live peacefully." "And you did everything but that." "You will... never... under...stand." Kamala listened to her mother''s last words as her house was on fire. The young girl was lost. Only after looking at her mother''s still face did she understand. ''I killed mother.'' She watched her hands. She couldn''t see anything besides sand. *Crack* A fissure appeared on the mask, making it''s way across her face. The moment it broke, her power vanished. The tornado returned to nothingness, the sand enveloping her body returned to the desert, and the stone mask evaporated in the air. Her hair, previously black, changed to silvery white from strange form she had taken. Andila''s body fell to the ground after the spike vanished. Her hands reappeared bloody, she dropped to her knees, having lost everything. "LADY KAMALA! Where are you?!" Timothy''s voice could be heard. He was looking for Kamala inside the flaming house. "There you ar- Oh..." He stared at the body of his former Lord. There was no emotion other than surprise on his face. ''Did she kill her mother? Why? What happened?'' ''No, not now! We have to get out first!'' With fast steps, Timothy arrived in front of Kamala, crouched, and picked her up. "Let''s go." Without looking back at Andila, he ran outside the house. ~ "After that, well." Kamala looked at her hands explaining the ending of her story. "It took me five years to accept what had happened. I remained mute, and never managed to get over it completely." "Timothy asked me to take over Hocride after it''s destruction. The civilians all reformed the city from scratch, waiting for me to take over." "I wanted to refuse, I wanted to flee. I even wished I had died that day. But Timothy, the civilians, they were all prepared to lose everything anyway that day." "I wasn''t the only one that suffered. I only brought it down with my own hands. Since then, I decided to act alone." "And here I am, in front of you." Orion, having learned of the harsh past behind what she was today, could only sympathize. He brought his hands to his face, and stayed like this for an instant. He sighed, and removed his hands. "Even though our past is different, I... no. Are you alright?" Her hands were shaking. "The blood I have on my hands will never disappear. My mother will always haunt me for what I''ve done." "Did your mother drink that sludge?" "Huh?" Kamala looked at him with a shocked expression. "I think so. I mean, she was hunting them a lot." "Then what you killed wasn''t human anymore. You haven''t killed your mother." "What?" He repeated. "I said that the blood you have on your hand is the blood of a corrupted. Not the blood of your mother." Silent tears flowed on her cheeks, and unto her opened hands. "I- I!" Orion stood up and walked next to her. "I''ll lend you my chest, so let it all out." Kamala slowly extended her hands toward him, and when she grabbed his shirt, she plunged her head into his chest. She cried for a long time. The emotions she held back for so many years finally released, and by hearing that she hadn''t kill her mother, the chains binding her finally broke. ''We don''t share the same past. I can sympathize all I want, we will never be the same. All I can do is that.'' ''Cry, let it all out, and let your worries go away.'' While she was tightly grabbing him, something went through his head. ''I wonder what that form she took was?'' Another mystery Orion had to uncover. Chapter 105: A quick development. Kamala calmed down at last. Her heart, who had endured much, was finally at peace. The past, and the recent event had been weighting on her quite a lot. Orion quietly removed himself. ''I''m soaked.'' He smile, feeling the large amount of tears Kamala let out on his chest. He walked to his wardrobe and took out another shirt and changed in front of her. "I''m sorry." She said, wiping her remaining tears. "You don''t have to apologize. I''m the one that said you could let it all out. It''s just not exacly comfortable for me when my shirt is all wet." He put another black shirt on, and returned to his seat. "I will keep that to myself. If you think those two are worth knowing, they explain it again to them. There are also things some people shouldn''t know, but I''ll let you choose." "Whatever you do, I won''t judge you." Kamala shook her head. "I will not speak of this again. I erased it from history for a reason. Even the Apostles do not know about what happens." "Lord Andila died fighting a corrupted and was never found. Not that her body would ever be found again, she burned with our house." Orion nodded. "This is fine too." ''I never expected humans to also live through such tragedies. Maybe we aren''t so much different when the corruption and the Apostles aren''t around.'' Slowly, his views toward humans was changing. ''A world where all of us can live free from them, that''s what I have been working on, isn''t it, mom, dad?'' ~ Inside the bracelet. "Stop crying." Reon gently rubbed Orianne''s back, who was letting her emotions out after hearing Kamala''s story. "I... I never knew. I thought they were all monsters that looked down on us other factions, but!" She placed her face inside her hands. "No one needs to live through that. This is way too painful for one person to bear." She felt great compassion toward Kamala. Reon looked at the woman on the screen. "Yes, maybe we were too harsh on them to begin with." "The only humans we ever saw were the Apostles, and those that hunted fairies. We actually never talked with a single one of the most normal humans." Reon realized that the chasm between the humans and the other factions appeared because of a lack of interactions between them, and the hate Elliot had toward others. "If not for Elliot, maybe the world would have been a better place." He kept comforting his wife, until she gathered her emotions. "!" "Orianne?" She made a weird noise, between confusion and astonishment. ''He''s moving? Why?'' Something inside her, the deepest secret that not even Reon knew, was stirring inside her soul. On the screen, Kamala''s face turned to shock and worries. They couldn''t see Orion''s face, but from the way he stood up, something seemed to have happened. "What''s happening? Why is she looking this distressed?" Reon and Orianne watched the screen attentively. Orion walked toward the window of his room, and opened it. At that moment, a scene no one would have ever expected was on screen. A pillar of flame flew straight to the end of the starry sky in the distance. It was coming from the training area. ''Fire. Now I understand.'' Orianne placed her right hand on her heart, silencing whatever was causing her previous unease. "What do you think of this Reon?" She looked at him, waiting for an answer. As usual, Reon fell in deep thoughts, leaving her question unanswered for a minute. "Amelia had lost control of her fire, again. That''s the only explanation to such a large pillar of fire." "And if she hadn''t lost control over it, and it''s just her awakening?" "..." Reon stayed quiet, before answering. "Then she will one day either destroy this world, or be the strongest person behind Orion to have ever walked on Triazils." Shivers ran down both of their spines. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "She will never destroy the world unless Orion dies, which hopefully never happens." Orianne was right, unless the worst happened, she was under control. "Her fire seems to be as strong as yours." He commented on the raw feeling he had seeing it through the screen. "Fire was always the most powerful and uncontrollable element. The power you display when using fire is different from any other element." Orianne stood up from her chair and walked a few meters away. She closed her eyes, letting her magic flow inside her. Her features began to change. A tail, similar to a reptile grew on her back. It was a really long tail, around one meter, thick at the base, and thin at the end. Red scales began to grow on the back of her hands, covering her fists like a glove. Horns different from the usual record of demons appeared on her head. She had four horns too, which was quite something for a demon. Two small spiky horns above her ears, and two others, way bigger horns above them. These two horns curved following her head''s shape, while the tip stopped a twenty centimeters above her head. When she opened her eyes, she had a red sclera in both eyes, with reptile pupils. Compared to Reon, she didn''t showed signs of having wings. Even if she had, they were always more decorative than useful, as they couldn''t support the weight of an individual. Even Reon, with his six wings, isn''t able to fly. Because they were not physically linked to their skeleton, there was no way to move them. Her transformation done, she opened her scale covered hands. Fire covered her hands, before forming claws. "I really love that form." Reon was always in awe in front of his wife''s demonic form. "I know." She smiled warmly, before continuing to focus on her fire. "Let''s see. What Amelia raw strength right now should be around..." A tiny ball of condensed fire appeared between the claws, growing at a fast pace. "Here I think." She stopped when the ball was large enough. It was roughly the size of a boulder. "That much?" Reon showed a surprised expression. "Yes. This is definitely close to that." There was a catch though. As she explained earlier, the fire element is the most powerful element in the world, which means that a boulder sized ball of fire was a terrifying amount of power. If not used correctly, only self-destruction would be the result. "Well, she''s far from my level." Orianne lifted her hands above her head, and released all of her magic. "Here I go!" She forced everything inside the boulder sized ball of fire, not letting time for it to grow. Before anything could happen, she lightly pushed it upward, were it ascended with growing speed. The higher it flew, the bigger it got. "It''s been a long time since I''ve seen that other sun." A gigantic ball of fire as in the air, hundreds of meters above them. She snapped her fingers, erasing it from existence. She simply cut the magic feeding doing that. "I see though, she still is far from having mastered it." Reon nodded, understanding why Orianne displayed her power. "You said that she would destroy the world one day, but unless she gets to my level, that will not happen. She needs a bit more for that. I will agree on the fact that her base power is stronger than what I had to work with." She shrugged, remembering her past self. Her magic vanished, along with her faction features, before she sat back next to Reon. ''She is linked to th dragons too, so I understand now.'' "Orion''s moving." Orianne looked at the screen, where Orion was giving orders to Kamala, while a portal was in front of him. "We have to keep watching." "Right." ~ "You wait here! Be ready for anything." "I''m not coming?" "That''s way too dangerous right now. Until I know what happened, you stay safe." Orion was about to move to the training area where Amelia and Karteira were currently sparring at by portal. Kamala nodded, worried. The moment the portal linked to the other one, a wave of heat hit both of them. "Orion?!" "This might be worse than I thought." Orion walked to the other side without hesitation, leaving Kamala alone. On the other side, this was as expected. Amelia was at the center of the fire. Karteira was further away, looking at her with a worried face. She noticed Orion, and ran to him at full speed. "Karteira! What happened? I thought it was supposed to be simple training?" "I''m sorry, she wanted to improve her fire element, and this how it ended." "Explain." "Yes!" - Earlier. "You want to improve your control over the fire element?" Karteira asked Amelia while wiping sweat of her face. "I''ve been working on it for a few months already, but since I''ve been scared of it, I''ve been putting it on hold." "I''ve only began to accept it recently, and that made a huge difference." "It''s the only element that hasn''t improved. It is hard to control too, which is the problem." Amelia explained everything that was on her mind. "But until you can manifest it''s dagger form, you can''t really work on improving control over it?" "Exactly!" She showed excitement at the prospect of creating her last dagger. "So I was thinking of trying that today." "Is it alright to do that without Orion?" Karteira asked because she knew she wouldn''t be able to help much if something bad happened. "He will notice, don''t worry. Though, I''m sure something bad will happen." Amelia smiled. "It always happens with me, so it''s not surprising, right?" She was referring to the last time they trained together in the fairy realm. "Don''t go out of your way to make it a problem. What am I going to do if Orion really appears?" Karteira was stressed out right know. "Just say that it''s normal." Amelia walked away. "Stay far away, alright? I don''t know what will happen." As asked, she distanced herself. "Here goes nothing." Amelia fed magic to the fire element, manifesting a small fire in her hand. ''So far, nothing''s wrong.'' She slowly fed more and more magic to the fire. ''Wait. Wait! WAIT!'' She lost control over the amount she gave in an instant. ''Don''t eat that much!'' She grabbed her hand, trying to resist the increase of power. She was making a pained expression. And then. *BOOM* The pillar of fire was created, with Amelia at the center. - "That moron! Why can''t she wait for me? It''s not the first time it happens!" Orion was quite angry. "She said that it was normal for her to lose control." Karteira tried to calm Orion, unsuccessfully. "Don''t give me that crap, you know how scared she is of her fire?" She nodded. "Then why did you let her..." He calmed down instantly. ''I''m getting angry at her for no reason. There is no one to blame here.'' "Sorry, I lost control of my emotions." He placed a hand on her head, rubbing her hair. "No, I should have stopped her." "Don''t worry about that now. We just have to wait for her to finish, and if it turns worse, or she looks injured, I''ll jump in. That''s all." She felt weird, because she was expecting him to blame her, but he didn''t. He even apologized for getting angry. ''I like that about him.'' ''Wait, no! It''s not the time for that!'' They both looked at Amelia inside the raging fire. ~ This time, Amelia was conscious. The Key was working at a steady pace to maintain everything, and it was working. She was currently inside her own mind, fighting against her most powerful element. ''It''s so hot!'' Amelia felt everything clearly. Her body, her mind, her soul, everything was burning. The fire was engulfing all of her being. ''You''re way too powerful! Can I even master you?'' She was lost in the see of fire. Everywhere she looked, there was only fire. A bright red fire. *Thump* When she looked in one direction, her heart thumped. ''Over here?'' She walked in that direction, enduring the scorching heat. After walking for a long time, she stopped. ''That''s... it?'' She crouched on the ground, looking at the small thing in front of her. A red flame, distinct from the surrounding fire, was swaying left and right. Amelia moved her hand toward it, and it let itself be taken by her. ''It''s not hot anymore.'' She felt cooler than ever. Her body was now accustomed to the heat, or was it something else? ''What is this weird feeling?'' She stared at the little flame, and blinked a few times. After the last blink, Orion and Karteira appeared in front of her, in the distance. Realizing the situation she was in, she tried to move, but couldn''t. ''I have to do something about you first, isn''t it?'' All of the fire began to retract toward Amelia, to the watchers surprise. ''I see now, you also wanted a name.'' "VESTA!" She screamed it''s name, and it reacted. The fire got sucked into her hand, forming a new dagger. Everything calmed down, with Amelia finally being freed from the pillar. ''Amelia... You jump a few walls.'' Ego''s voice echoed in her head. ''What do you mean?'' ''I''ll explain later. You''ll understand after talking with him.'' Orion was completely shocked. His face was unbelievably tensed. "Orion?" She walked to him, and stopped in front of him. "Amelia? What happened to you?" "What do you mean?" Confused, she looked at Karteira. "You are on fire, Amelia." Chapter 106: A sudden jump in mastery. "Amelia..." Orion stared at the strange form Amelia had taken. She was still Amelia, that was for sure. Her beautiful blonde hair were still here, but there was something different to them. Her beautiful eyes showed one little change also, with a new particularity. Her arms were visible but not completely. And there was also something going one with her clothes. "You don''t see anything wrong with you?" Worried, Karteira walk next to her. "I don''t feel different. Well, maybe a little, I feel my magic being drained at a fast pace." She looked at the dagger in her right hand, newly named Vesta. The bright fire it was made of showed how dangerous it was. The compacted flame had changed from a colorful red, to a lighter yellow. They could feel it, its heat was incredible. One slash could be enough to burn right through a tree''s trunk and set it on fire instantly. Its shape was also interesting, the long curved blade look different than the straight blades of her other daggers. It was made for slashes instead of the stabs the other daggers were used for. It was closer to Dawn in that matter. "Wait a second." Orion turned around and entered a portal. After a minute, he came out with something in his hands, followed by Kamala now that the situation was under control. "Wha- This!" The first thing Kamala saw was Amelia''s physical differences. "Orion. This is?" He nodded, thinking the same as her. Ignoring the need to answer her, he stood in front of Amelia with a mirror in his hands. "Have a look." Amelia froze, unable to process what was reflecting on the mirror. "..." "Amelia?" Karteira was really worried at this point. Not only did she let this happen, but she also had to see the aftermath of it. Unless Amelia returned to normal, there was no way she would be able to ease her nerves. "This is... me?" She looked at her arms. Maybe blinded by the happiness of forging the fire element into a weapon at last, she had ignored everything around her. Ego was waiting for this moment patiently, where she could explain everything. ''Orion.'' ''Ego? I see then, this is a normal evolution for her.'' The moment he heard her voice, he understood that it was part of her growth. But he was wrong. ''You are right, but also wrong.'' He remained silent. There was no need to question Ego when she was going to explain. ''Amelia, I said earlier that you''ve progressed. You''ve jumped two phases to arrive there. What you are right now is the form taken by those that have fused themselves with their elements.'' Amelia blinked a few times. She saw her eyes, having a flaming edge around her pupils. Her arms were covered in a layer of almost invisible fire, but it was there, and it was brighter on the arm were Vesta was gripped. The end of her blonde hair changed, taking a crimson red color going from her waist, to her shoulders. Kamala and Karteira looked at a scene were Orion and Amelia exchanged gazes silently while showing various emotions as if they were talking in their mind. Ego was Orion and Amelia''s deepest secret, Karteira knew too, but she wasn''t really concerned so she had forgotten. ''Is it your own feelings that led to this? Is it the fire elements will to be strong? Is it because the fire element is strong to begin with? Or is it everything above, even I cannot answer that.'' ''The fact is, your fire element evolved rapidly, without making a fuss inside your soul. It surprisingly remained under control while I helped stabilize its new strength, and it jumped straight to the first level of mastery.'' This sentence caught Orion''s full attention. ''I thought there was only three stages? Currently, Amelia have all elements at an intermediate level right?'' Ego answered his questions. ''Indeed, except the fire element in this case. It has gone past the first stage, went through the intermediate stage almost instantly, and stopped at what you have there.'' Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''It stopped because Amelia''s body can''t endure more power right now. This is the current wall inside her soul. To answer your very first question, which is linked to that wall, no, a mastery doesn''t stop at the master stage.'' Orion and Amelia opened their eyes wide. ''Ego, why didn''t you tell us about that before?'' Amelia was in shock, she was sure the end was the master level. ''Because I didn''t knew. I told you, I can only speak about what I know. Just because I know Amelia will be able to master all elements at some point, doesn''t mean I know what they will do, and how they will affect her.'' ''It''s the same for you Orion. Remember the Sixth Lock? I only knew it would help in such a situation. The way your body changed is something that even I didn''t knew.'' Surprised, Orion remembered when he became a different being at that moment. ''!'' Ego ignored him, leaving him into his own thoughts, and finished her explanation. ''The mastery of an element is not necessarily its end. For some, it is an incredible burst of power, for some, it is the strengthen link between you, and said element.'' ''You can always improve more. As I said, this is the early stage of the mastery.'' Ego''s voice dissipated after making her last sentence. The link between Orion and Amelia''s mind got cut off at the same time. "I can''t believe it." Amelia stopped feeding the fire element. In an instant, Amelia returned to normal. Nothing was different, and she felt normal inside, other than exhaustion. Karteira was finally relieved. She walked to Amelia and asked her questions about what had happened. Orion walked to Kamala, and spoke in a low voice only she could hear. "That form. It is most likely what had happened to you in the past." She twitched. This was still a sensitive topic, but she endured. She listened to him, knowing that he would not mock her. "From a few informations I gathered, this is the mastery of an element. In your case, it was both of your element at the same time." "I can''t believe you mastered your elements at such a young age. When did your elements manifests anyway?" Kamala realized how crazy this was. She opened her eyes wide. "A year before." "Kamala. You have more strength than you think. You have one week remaining to find the source of your mastery. Give it your best." Orion turned around and was about to leave her to her thinking. "Don''t be scared of your own elements, they are not your enemies. Never forget that, and you will grow stronger." He said that because she was in her core like Amelia. Amelia always had been apprehensive of her fire element because of her trauma. The same could be said for Kamala. The trauma of killing her own mother, and her lose of control led her to forget. She locked her strength behind a wall, forever forgotten to the past. But Orion and Amelia slowly chipped away at that wall, revealing what and who she really was. Not many managed to attain the linked mastery level. Noah was the very first to bring it into the light. After making his point clear, Orion returned to Amelia and Karteira. "Orion. I''m sorry for creating such a mess when you wanted to relax." He shook his head at Amelia''s words. She was really apologetic, and didn''t knew if he would be angry at her. "At first I was worried, so much I almost lashed out at Karteira. The smile he gave Karteira made her heart melt a little more. She was in shambles mentally for the past three weeks. Following Orion''s gift, she looked in his books to learn about the flower''s meaning, and she was surprised at his criteria for picking it. She was lost, not knowing what her emotions were. She respects him greatly, and it should have stopped there, but she was also growing. The time she spent with Orion was poison for her heart. "But I trusted you. I always do in the end." Amelia blushed and nodded shyly. "Also, thanks to you three, I had an idea on how to break my limits again." Jaws dropped to the ground. ''It can''t be?!'' Amelia realized what he meant by that. "All it took was one afternoon?! How stupid!" Karteira instantly returned to herself and looked at him with disbelief. "What can I say? I pride myself for being resourceful." He shrugged and opened a portal. "Let''s go home for today. Knowing Amelia has finally managed to break from her fear and improved in using all elements is something to celebrate." "I''ll even coo-" "Never!/NO!" Orion fell in silence after hearing Amelia and Karteira reject is offer so strongly. "Why?" Kamala walked next to the girls and asked the reason why they were so adamant on not letting Orion cook. "If you want to eat otherworldly meals that taste like nothing or everything at the same time, go for it. I want no part in it." Terror appeared on Kamala''s face as she slowly turned to face Orion. "It''s not as bad as she makes it sound!" The girls remained quiet and entered the portal. Orion looked at the starry sky, a single tear dripping on his cheek. ~ It was finally time. The last week passed relatively fast. The objective Orion placed on Kamala was attained not long after she told her story. She was now able to fight for a few hours without feeling tired. She even developed a few muscles. Firmer thighs from running around, stronger arms from fighting consistently, and a loss of excess fat all over her body. She luckily retained her breast size. Training was a concern for women, as the more they exercised, the more fat they were losing. Their breasts were always at risk. *ahem* There was no real progress toward the mastery of her wind and earth elements, but cracks were forming. She needed more time. Concerning Amelia, she developed a new way of fighting. The fire element was more unruly which led her to be more aggressive in her attacks. She tried many things, some working, others not. Karteira was a great training partner, and together, they worked toward a way to fight and support each other. This was also a work in progress. Each night, Orion left the house for a few hours, saying he was walking around to clear his mind. During that time, he thought, again and again on how to break his limits. The only thing he had in mind was to create a linked mastery with his own elements, excluding the void because it was still impossible to completely understand yet. What was strange about Orion''s forgotten elements was that they had always remained in a mastered state. They began in their mastered state, and never underwent any progress on their own. The few changes that happened were just him using them differently. So the fact that they were difficult to link with was frustrating to him. Once again, he was missing something. This time, it was not knowledge he was missing, it was something else. That ''something'' would not happen yet. Even though he managed to recover from his frustration, it was still encroached in him. But he knew that nothing could be done, and continued to teach Kamala how to fight, and to help Amelia and Karteira improve. He was slowly falling behind their efforts. But that''s what bursts of power were. They were more irregular than constant improvements like Amelia, and their conditions were harder to clear too. No amount of wishes and whining could help that, only efforts. And here they were, ready to finally leave this space after a month. "Are we ready? The moment we get out there, we have to create a plan against Ivan. Kamala, it''s all on you. You give us your order, and we will follow. Right girls?" They nodded, with Kamala showing her determination. "I will." Orion opened the portal back to Triazils, and walked last into it. They arrived as expected at 5AM, in the small room he previously created a portal in. ''I''ll keep it working. It might be best to live her a chance to come back if she wants to.'' He chose to leave a portal in her house that would only activate when he was inside the space. Due to the flowing of time variation between the two places, there was only a small frame of time to enter if Orion was inside without noticing them prior to entering. "Lady Kamala! Are you well? You''ve changed." Timothy smiled when he saw how Kamala was now. She looked ready, in shape, and free of her own feelings. "Yes, Timothy. I''m back." "Please follow me." He opened the door and led everyone to the living room. They sat on the couches while Timothy stayed behind Kamala. "Let''s begin our plan." Chapter 107: Attack on Kaios. It was time. They had a few hours before dawn. Before the sun would be showing its light, Kamala had to find the plan that would lead her to victory. Orion stated that neither him nor the girls would help her. She was on her own. "Orion, I would like to request your help." They weren''t sat for long before Kamala asked Orion. "You already thought of a plan didn''t you?" He smiled at her, while she nodded to confirm his words. "Only the beginning of it though. I plan to use the next hours to fully prepare." She was in Lord mode, but compared the day before (in Triazils), she wasn''t forcing herself to act anymore. "Alright. What do you want from me?" Orion crossed his arms and waited for her order. "This might be an absurd demand, but are you able to move long distances with you portal AND the ''Spatial Shift''?" Amelia and Karteira stared at him as he thought. They didn''t really know either what was the capabilities of the void magic, since he trained this element alone. As if this element was useless in fighting. ''He said that it was to inefficient to use in fights.'' They remembered clearly his words. "If it''s a long distance, it might take me an hour. I''ll have to rest multiple times on the way. Are we talking about Hocride-Kaios distance here?" Kamala nodded. "Yes. I would like you to move alone, toward Kaios. I would need a portal at the entrance of Hocride, that would link to one near Kaios. If that is possible." To say that he wasn''t surprised was an understatement. ''She knows how to use her own cards. Good!'' He smirked. ''Ivan doesn''t know what''s coming to him.'' His smile returned to normal and he look right in her eyes. "I''ll do my part. You will have to tell me the rest of the plan when I return then. Girls, I repeat myself, but be sure to follow her orders carefully." He said, standing up from the couch. "We don''t want to hinder something so interesting." They both nodded once again. ''He''s having fun.'' Karteira thought that it was just like him. ''For him to follow someone else''s orders. If you asked me in the past if I could imagine that, I would shudder in fear.'' Amelia was slightly scared. Orion''s power in someone else''s hand could lead to disastrous situations. ''If Kamala wasn''t a person we could trust, I''m pretty sure he would already...'' She shook her head. "Amelia? You have a something to say?" Orion saw her in the corner of his eye. "No, I was thinking." "I see. If you need something, ask. Same for you Karteira." His eyes and face began to darken, as he looked at them. "Your safety is the most important things. If I see one of you badly hurt, be sure that this mission will be finished with more casualties than expected." Kamala and the girls shuddered. For Kamala, it was fear. She knew he was serious. Without chains, this man would destroyed Kaios, kill every citizens in the city, and even Kamala''s guards if something happened to his friends. For the girls, the way Orion was possessive of them made them happy, and scared at the same time. "Don''t worry, we haven''t forgotten. But the same goes for you." Amelia''s smile wasn''t pretty. Karteira finished Amelia''s train of thought. "You better restrain yourself if you see that Apostle. I don''t want another underground situation happening." He wasn''t the only one to be possessive. These girls were with him from morning to night, they knew him better than anyone could. Obviously, there was a difference between how much Amelia and Karteira knew about him. There was more than twenty years of difference. Orion opened his eyes wide, stunned by the way they read him. "..." "I''ll try my best." "You better try more than your best. Don''t hinder the plan." ''She got me there.'' The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Orion laughed out loud and moved toward the door. "I don''t need an escort, I remember the map. I''ll find my way to Kaios, and come back after creating the portal over there." Kamala nodded, relieved of the previous chaotic emotions she felt. "See you later." Orion waved, opened the door, and found himself outside. ''Let''s move.'' His expression became serious, as he ran uphill toward the gate. Ten minutes later, Orion was outside the gate of Hocride. The guards posted there looked at him strangely through their helmets. He placed a portal in the middle of the entrance. "You guys better be ready, today is going to be a rough day." Orion said to them before he vanished after taking a step forward. "Wha- What happened?!" The guards were shocked like never before in their life. "Did he just disappear?!" "I think so?!" They stared at the empty spot for a few minutes, before returning to their duty. ~ ''It''s been a while since I''ve been completely alone.'' Orion was breathing roughly after using the Space Shift ability for an hour. It was his fourth break so far. ''This really his exhausting though. I haven''t had a clue on how draining this new element could be.'' He sat on the cold white sand, looking at the disappearing stars in the sky. ''It looks so similar to the sky in that place.'' ''That place... it is bothersome not to have a name for it.'' Orion looked in front of him. There was only sand wherever his eyes stopped at. ''The horizon. Horizon.'' He instantly grabbed this fleeting idea before forgetting. ''I''ll tell the girls later. That other space will be called ''Horizon'' from now on.'' He stood up, and returned to walk across the desert, appearing and disappearing toward Kaios. ~ ''I''m here.'' Orion was looking at a city that looked perfectly normal, except the small castle in the middle. He was far away, were no one would be able to see him. ''I don''t want to, but let''s see what''s happening in there.'' He used ''Eagle Eye''. Instantly, what he expected was happening. He closed his eyes and looked away. *sigh* ''Even I cannot tolerate such atrocities.'' He turned away and opened a portal, linking it to the one he created at the gate. After entering the gate, he made sure to hide it. "Orion!" Amelia threw herself at him with a lot of strength. "Woah there!" He always fell over from the sudden impact, but managed to catch his balance. "What happened?" Karteira walked toward them. "She was worried because it''s the first time you''ve gone away from us." "Oh." She was right. He even commented on it himself on the way to Kaios. ''I was too, but how can I say that?'' Karteira was refraining from speaking her mind. She was relieved to see him as much as Amelia. "Well, I''m back. I haven''t attacked the city yet, just so you know." Someone laughed, catching his attention. "I sure hope so." Kamala, in her battle dress, approached the group. She was wearing the white and gold dress Orion saw when he saved her. "Yes, but the city, or should I say the citizens, are in a really bad situation." "I feared as much." Kamala made a painful expression. "We''ll have to move fast, but is everything ready?" Amelia removed herself from Orion and returned next to Karteira. The three ladies nodded in unison. "Orion, you don''t have to do much. I want you to do two things." Kamala brought two fingers up. "I want you to shoot your strongest arrow on Kaios, and I want you to help me fight Ivan." Orion made a difficult expression. "I know. Let me explain." "I suspect the city to be surrounded by a barrier of lightning. Most likely made by Ivan or his ancestors." "I want to blast it away." Her expression was serious. She knew how treacherous the enemy was, and there was definitely something going on. "The second part is only helping me. I remember clearly, I have to kill him myself. But you never said that I couldn''t ask for help. Am I wrong?" His expression changed multiple times, to questioning, remembering, agreeing, and finally accepting. "No you''re not wrong. I''ll play support this time. Sending you alone against him would be suicidal anyway." "Thank you." She showed a warm smile. Her life was once again in his hands. ''I don''t want to waste his goodwill toward me.'' This was her main reason for doing all of this now. She wanted to help him achieve his goal, and if by aiding him, she could get revenge on Ivan too, then where was the problem? She made a circle with her right thumb and her index. She took a deep breath and whistled. Orion was surprised at first, but then he saw the greatest show of power coming from the woman in front of her. From inside the city, on the sides of the gate, guards came out in waves. Two minutes later, a thousand men and women were arranged behind Kamala. He looked at her with surprise during those two minutes, and when it was done, he smiled. "That''s one display I wasn''t expecting." "It''s to show how serious I- no, we are." The guards were all proud of being behind their Lord. Especially since they would finally be of help. "I tasked Amelia and Karteira in helping the guards whenever they would be in a tough spot." The girls at her side both nodded with determination. "Sounds good. Don''t go too far though." "Same to you." They laughed together. ''It''s time.'' Orion and Kamala looked at each other and nodded, thinking the same thing. "Time to invade Kaios. Orion opened the portal behind the soldiers and walked between them, Amelia, Karteira, and Kamala by his side. "Everyone! Follow me!" Orion shouted for everyone behind him. "We''re saving the poor souls of Kaios from being unjustly killed. Save your brethren and return alive and well." Kamala added. "YES!" The well-mannered army responded, and followed closely behind them. The portal grew in size to let the guards cross. Before long, an army was formed right in front of Kaios. ~ "MY LORD!" Ivan''s aid, a black haired man named Paul, ran to him and immediately bowed. "What is it?!" Ivan growled from anger. "The Apostle Kamala is at our doorstep with an army!" The right handle of his throne broke in pieces. "Repeat that again." Paul lifted his head in surprise. ''Why is he so calm?! I thought he would be shouting at me?'' He was questioning what was happening. "I am waiting." "My apologies. The Apostle Kamala is invading Kaios with an army of her own." Ivan''s eyes glowed brighter with an intense crimson red. "How could she have made it in two days?" ''Did his sanity came back?'' Paul was lost for words. Ivan was acting like himself again. Originally, Ivan was a cold and calculating person, not a savage beast. For some reason, now, his previous personality returned to challenge the threat. "What do we do?" Paul asked, waiting for his orders. "Nothing. The shield will take care of th-" *BZZZZZT*/*DRIIIIIIIL* "What was that?!" The sound of spark and drilling was heard from inside the throne room. ~ Outside, Orion had shot his strongest arrow, enhanced by the Arm Overdrive. The arrow flew straight toward the castle, and like Kamala expected, there was a shield protecting the city. Powerful shockwaves created by the arrow hitting the shield were released at regular intervals, until both of them began to crack. Both broke at the same time. The magic used to create the shield vanished as particles fell in the city. "You made it." Kamala and her army were impressed by his power capable of breaking such a strong shield. "I''m really glad you are an ally and not an enemy. Hocride would have been flattened already if not." Orion shook his head. "I only killed the corrupted. Not the civilians." The moment he understood that the Corruption was behind the Apostles actions, his goal shifted. Yes, to begin with, these people were bad. Their greed for power led them to drink the corrupted sludge. But without it, all they could do was become aggressive. They would have become like that soldier that attacked Lavira and infected Crystal. Crystal was a good person at heart, so she couldn''t be corrupted. Because of that, she suffered greatly. "I know." Kamala just said that because he could if he wanted to. Having principles was how you placed limits on your own strength. That made Orion more incredible than a man like Ivan that went to attack his own citizens in her eyes. Focusing on the task at hand, Kamala turned to her army. "Everyone, save as much lives as you can!" She brought her hand high and the sky. "ATTACK!" She shouted with all of her being, and dropped her arm, pointing at Kaios. Ivan, the cautious Apostle against Kamala, the strategic Kamala. The bloody battle of Kaios was about to begin. Chapter 108: What madness creates. A thousand men and women ran and slide down the white sand dunes, toward Kaios. At the forefront, two women were rushing in. They were Amelia and Karteira. With the task to protect the guards of Hocride, they proudly led them. In the back, Kamala and Orion stayed watching over them. "Don''t we have to move too?" Orion asked, curious as to why Kamala stayed still. "No, We''ll move only when Ivan comes out. I don''t want you or me to lose our strength." He looked at the back of his two close friends. "You trust them a lot, to give them control over your army." Kamala nodded. "I do. I had plenty of time to understand how these two thought and felt." "I see. But if anything strange happen, I''ll move anyway. Are we clear on that?" His expression was dead serious. "I know. Do you trust them?" His face lightened, and he smiled. "I do too. If not I wouldn''t have taken them with me during this mission to kill Ivan." Kamala smiled too. She somehow felt jealous of their relationship. "Wait a second." Orion opened another portal and entered it. He instantly came out of it before Kamala could understand where he went. "It''s going to be quite hot, staying in the sun. Have some water while we wait for movement." He handed her a glass of water he took from the house inside ''Horizon''. "Thank you." She gratefully took the glass of water and sipped some of it. "Well, I want you to do something else, if that''s possible." The next order was one that he wasn''t expecting. ~ Amelia and Karteira stopped in front of Kaios'' gate. "What do we do? Orion broke the lightning shield, right?" Karteira asked with a wondering tone, looking at the metal doors blocking everyone''s advances inside the city. "Whatever." Amelia shrugged, before positioning herself. She placed her right leg in front of her, and crouched slightly. Her left hand, placed at the opposite side at her waist as if she was going to unsheathe a sword, began to emit fire. "Vesta." Her fire dagger, who was the more appropriate in this situation, slashed the metal door with a clean cut. The doors now opened, everyone rushed inside to save as many people as they could. "Well, that was clean." Karteira smiled. Amelia was now able to do many things people could only dream about. "Thank you." Amelia made a fist and moved it next to Karteira. Karteira made a fist too, and bumped Amelia''s fist. "The one who kills the most?" Amelia asked, knowing there was going to be another competition between them. "The one who saves the most." The surprised face of Amelia forced a little chuckle out of Karteira''s mouth. "For Kamala." She understood what she meant, and agreed. "For Kamala. Let''s go in." "Yes!" Both of them ran past the cut doors, and already encountered the first problem. "That''s a lot of corpses..." As they ran past the various bodies of civilians and soldiers alike, Amelia saw how bad it really was. "The streets are full of bodies. Everywhere we look at there''s a dead body." Karteira observed every nook and cranny of the streets in instants. At one point, she stopped running. "I''m going this way. If you don''t find anyone, help the guards. That''s also one of our many tasks." Amelia nodded, remembering all that was asked of them. "Don''t overdo it, protect the guards, save as many civilians as you can, and don''t get hurt." "That''s a lot alright." The two laughed together, before splitting in two directions. Karteira went into the alleys, while Amelia went where all Kaios soldiers would be. If there was a good place to find captives, it would be where the enemies were. The first one to find survivors was Karteira. She saw someone running away and hide in the shadows earlier and followed her rational thinking. ''The only one that hides are the oppressed. I know it, we are the same.'' With hasten steps, she arrived where the shadow she saw stopped. Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "I am part of a rescue army coming from Hocride. Would you be willing to come out?" With a soft voice, she asked whoever was hiding. "P-Please, we''ve had enough." A sobbing, heartbreaking voice was all the answer she needed. "I will not hurt you. Lord Kamala came personally to save as many of Kaios'' civilians after hearing after what had happened here." "I understand if you refuse to trust me." She made it clear that she wasn''t a threat to them. The shadow slowly moved toward her. A young boy, maybe fifteen, holding a baby in his hands. "Could you... help us?" The young boy was a mess, his clothes were ripped apart, and he had lost of cuts on his body. Sadly, the baby he was holding in his hands was... already lost. Seeing the lifeless newborn, intense anger and distress took over Karteira. *Grit* Her teeth made a loud sound as her face hid under a layer of darkness. "I am sorry for you loss." "Me also." The sudden voice of Orion surprised Karteira and made her recover from her violent emotions. He walked outside of the portal and placed a hand on her head. Orion looked at the baby. "!" "Follow me, quickly." Orion turned around and forced them to follow. "Orion, why are you here?" He ignored Karteira and walked toward the boy. "Can I hold them?" The young boy was extremely cautious of Orion, and his abilities. But in the end, he was still troubled, and there was nothing he could do for the life in his hands. He eventually gave up his resistance, and handed the baby to him. "Thank you." Orion immediately turned around and began his magic. ''I knew it, this child is still alive!'' The small thread of life was still holding on. ''What is it with these individuals with strong will to live? Why does this baby still breathe?'' He kept questioning, but still applied his healing to them. Similar to when he healed the beastwoman Crystal, he did the same for the human baby. It took only a second to heal such a small body. He tapped softly on the baby''s back, and in front of the bewildered Karteira, the baby began to cough, before crying. Orion was proud of himself. He was proud of being able to save lives, as much as he was proud of hunting down the corrupted. "You... saved him?" The young boy fell on the sand, his knees having given up. He placed his hands to his face and began to cry. "Thank you! Thank you very much!" "Here." Orion crouched in front of him and handed the baby over to the young boy. "Do your best to live on. Always remember what happened in that city, so it never happens again." He stood back up and left the boy alone. "Orion." "Sorry for ignoring you. His life had higher priority." "I don''t resent you for that." On the contrary. He eased her emotions, and saved a life, again. These displays of kindness made huge impacts on her. "To answer you, Kamala gave me another job. An exhausting one, but what can I do?" "Is it to rescue the citizens when me or Amelia find them?" He nodded. "To be precise-" Another portal opened, making a soldier holding the hand of a woman come through. "I need to see the state of the city from here, and open a portal when you two, or a guard find a civilian." "There are many blind spot I can''t really see, so I''m using many sub-portal that I opened on everyone''s back." "Like that, I can hear what everyone is doing." She was shocked, but also worried. "Are you alright? Isn''t it causing you a lot of pain?" "Honestly, it does. I have a growing headache from listening to so many things, and my magic is depleting at an alarming rate. I might have to depend on Tiohr-nam for this one." "The magic storage replenishment?" He nodded. The moment he would intently call for her, she would share a good amount of her own stored magic energy to him. This was the deal they made. In exchange for Tiohr-nam being alive, she had to sometimes share her own energy to him. "And she said that I need to conserve my strength. What a woman, she''s really making me work." He laughed, while also holding his head. The portal weren''t the exhausting part, it was the sub-portals that were problematic. They were the same as his ''Space Shift'' ability, except only sound was coming out. "Amelia''s found something. You should go back to it, no?" He opened another portal to her previous location. She agreed with him and walked through the portal. "Thank you." ''You don''t have to.'' ~ Amelia was hiding behind a building, watching multiple soldiers dragging women by their hair. ''What the actual fuck is going on in here? Who in their right mind could accept something like this?'' Cries, pleading, and sudden shouts of pain were heard in the building. ''There''s at least twenty soldiers in there.'' ''What should I do?'' "Stop! Let me go!" Another soldier came dragging a woman on the pavement. The moment Amelia saw her, she saw herself in the woman. ''That''s it, I don''t care anymore!'' She moved out of her hiding spot and rushed toward the soldier. ''Aura.'' Her wind dagger appeared in her right hand, a dagger she haven''t used since it''s intermediate level awakening. It''s shape was slightly different than before. It looked sharper than before, with a wing decorated on the handle. It''s blade was also slightly curved. Not as much as Vesta though. "Hey! There''s one other here running toward me! Guys, capture her and add her to the pile!" ''You wish!'' Amelia was still ten meters away from the soldier, but she slashed at him anyway with Aura. The dagger leave a trail behind her movement, and that trail continued straight ahead, and cut the man''s arm. ''I''m sorry.'' She apologize toward the blonde woman that got covered in blood and not the soldier. The man cried in pain while holding his arm. "Move! Now!" Amelia shouted to the blonde girl. Without waiting a second, she ran behind Amelia. "Fuck! Everyone, stop her!" ''Like I said, you wish! Dana.'' The other dagger she haven''t used in a while was her water dagger, Dana. It''s shape was completely different too. Another component was added to the dagger, something that came straight from her link with Monolavir. The handle was now made of transparent, glassy, smoothed ice. There was small imperfections on it, but it was beautiful nonetheless. It''s blade was made of water that could morph into various shape and change how sharp it was. It had also various properties that it didn''t have before. ''Freeze!'' She slide on the ground using the ''Water Coat'' ability she created before moving out of Auro, and splashed water toward the soldiers coming out of the building. The water solidified instantly, solidifying their legs on the spot. "I can''t move! Hey, do something!" One of the soldier asked the other next to him to hit his legs to break the ice. The other soldier tried, but to everyone''s surprise, it didn''t end well. Indeed, the man broke the ice. But he also broke his friend''s legs to pieces. Not only that, he also died painfully as his upper body burst open from the sudden removal of his legs. To say that terror took over them all was an understatement. The look they gave to Amelia was pitiful. ''They are sickening. How can they do that to these women and think they would still live?'' No mercy was given to them. To avoid any reinforcement, she froze the soldiers face too. With no way to scream, or breathe, they died a slow, painful death. "We are not your toys. Remember that. Or don''t, you will die anyway." She moved past all of the frozen soldiers, and opened the door to the building. *GRIT* "Forget it. Vesta." Her anger took over and she unleashed an inferno on the soldiers. They all became ashes in seconds. "What is this madness? What is happening to our world?!" Amelia gazed inside the building. To say that this was horrible would bring shame to the word. Inside the large room, many bathtubs were placed all around. Inside of them, the bodies of various women were floating in what could be called ''an absurd amount of blood''. "I have to burn this place down! There''s no way I can let anyone see this!" "Too late." Orion appeared like he did with Karteira. "I know everything. You did well dealing with them." He caressed her hair, looking inside the sickening display in front of him. ''No survivor this time.'' Amelia managed to save only one woman, the other twelve women died before she could do anything. "Orion." "Hmm?" "Why?" "Because of the corruption, most likely. There seems to be a pattern where the ones corrupted seeks to either damage the ones around them, or straight murder others." He continued. "But this kind of atrocities. This is on another level. What is the point in all of this is all I can wonder currently." Amelia nodded, her face hidden in darkness. "The girl over there. Follow us, we will lead you to safety." The blonde woman poke her head from the corner of a building further away. She shyly came out and approached the duo. "I''ll lead her to Kamala first, destroy this place. Leave nothing behind. Purge it from your head too." "You know I can''t!" "Amelia, don''t linger on what''s here. Weren''t you prepared for these situations? If your mind his weak, it''s straight back to Auro." At that moment, she realized the mistake she made. Of course she would feel wrong seeing this, she was a fellow human. ''What am I doing? I did not follow Orion to side with the humans!'' Her emotions calmed down, and she was finally able to rationalize everything again. "Sorry. I''ve lost sight of why we are here." "It''s fine. I understand. I also can lose track of our objectives." He walked toward the girl that was walking toward them, and led her through the portal without adding anything. ''Sorry I couldn''t be faster.'' "Vesta, burn everything." She let the fire eat the building, as she retreated inside the portal. Chapter 109: Fighting their way through the city. "How many did we manage to save?" Orion asked Kamala, who chose to look after the rescued citizens of Kaios. She was attending an older man who had been injured in his face, rendering him partially blind. "Too few. These soldiers sure worked fast. They killed seventy percent of the residents during the night." She sighed, knowing how pitiful it was to try and save the remaining survivors, but this was her idea to begin with, so she had to do everything in her power to protect as many lives as she could. "I''ll be honest, I did not expect this amount of death." Orion turned around and opened another portal. A woman came out of the portal, seemingly pushed by someone. "Get somewhere safe! Quick!" A guard walked through it right after. But he was fighting a soldier, who managed to cross over too. "?" He looked around and saw the survivors everywhere. He questioned his sanity, before realizing were he was. "The enemy''s bas-" The soldier couldn''t finish his sentence. Blood began to pour from his slashed throat. "Your mistake is my win!" The guard slashed him and kicked him back into the portal, before Orion closed it completely. "For simple guards, they are well trained." Orion was in awe in front of the strength of the guards. Until now, there was no casualties, as they avoided fights they couldn''t win, prioritizing grouped attacks. "You can thank Timothy for that. He personally trained these people to be able to defend Hocride in times of need." She continued. "But, they are only humans. Against threats like corrupted, there has always been casualties. They fare way better against other humans. What a joke." She was openly saying that her army was made to kill other humans. "As a matter of fact, if your guards were able to single-handedly fight Apostles, I''d be pretty worried." He laughed it out, easing Kamala''s emotions. "You''re right." She stood up after wrapping a bandage around the man''s eyes. ''I''m sorry, but I won''t be helping all of you.'' Orion looked at the hundred or so survivors, all hurt in some ways. The only ones he personally saved were the people closest to death. The others, well, they would have to heal with time. He opened another portal. ''My headache is slowly diminishing. It''s getting easier to deal with.'' Slowly, his magic use was beginning to lower. The constant use of large amount of energy caused his body to create more magic in return. But to say that he wasn''t exhausting would be a lie. He still had to be in good shape if he wanted to fight against Ivan. True, he didn''t have to fight alone, or even be the center of the fight, but he refused to look useless. ''I''ll keep my fatigue level in mind, in case I suddenly need her help.'' ''I don''t really want to depend on her though. Once you start to rely on someone, it becomes harder to not return for more.'' He was in deep thoughts. "Any informations about Ivan?" Kamala brought him out of his thinking. "No, so far, even the soldiers have no idea why their Lord doesn''t move." "That is great. Knowing that he hasn''t come out is still good news for us. We have to save as many citizens as possible before our attention is diverted to him." Orion nodded, knowing that the moment Ivan showed up, he wouldn''t be able to create portals for the rescuers anymore, and Kamala would be unable to take care of the survivors either. ''I''ll have to bring Amelia and Karteira back at some point. How are they doing?'' He focused his senses on the portals that were on their back. ~ ''I haven''t found anyone. Maybe there''s no other survivor to be rescued?'' Amelia walked through the rubbles of an house, watching out not to walk on a corpse. *Crack* A sound surprised her that came from her right side. "Someone''s here?" "Amelia?" Karteira popped her head from the other side of the destroyed house. "Karteira? How did you arrive here?" "I walked around?" The two girls finally regrouped after rummaging through the city in search of life. "Amelia, you need to be saved?" "Of course not." Karteira joked for a second, while Amelia shrugged, a smile on her face. Stolen story; please report. "Are you alright? Orion told me that you two saw something pretty horrible." "I am fine. I''ll explain while we move, we can''t stay in one place for too long." Karteira nodded, before they walked out of the house into the main road. Amelia explained what she saw and did, and how inhuman these soldiers were. "I see. I also almost lost control." Karteira explained next her first encounter. "Thanks to Orion, I was able to calm down." "It''s the same for both of us it seems." They looked at each other and smiled warmly. "How many did you rescue?" Since they were technically in a competition, Amelia asked the result so far. "Three. I haven''t found anyone since." "I saved three too. I think we''ve done everything we could." "You''re right. I''d say it''s a draw, but..." "Yes, let''s forget about that part." As they continued walking on the main road, they suddenly came to a stop. "Looks like we have company." "Good, I was feeling bored, I haven''t fought anyone since coming here." Karteira slammed her fist together, looking at the platoon of soldiers that barred the road. "Cerulean Storm!" Karteira''s new ability that she worked on during the whole month of training, and that bore fruit epecially during the last week was finally being used. ''This is the perfect opportunity to try it out.'' Her plates began to move and place themselves all over her body, covering everything under a thick layer of protection. But she wasn''t ready yet. There was no real changes except the openings on her back, and the two large container like plates on her thighs. The ability wasn''t complete. "Amelia, support please." She nodded and brought her fire element out. As all the soldiers were running toward them, Amelia threw a ray of fire toward Karteira''s back, heating her whole body. The heat accumulated. More and more pressure was exerted inside her. *PSSSSSSH* Steam exploded through the slight openings on her back. As if to repeat the fight against the Fire Corrupted Lord, she had almost the same look. A cape of steam began to continuously form behind her. "Thanks Amelia. I''ll return if I need more." "Go get them." Amelia cheered her friend, as she prepared to lunge at the enemies. "I''m going." Karteira placed one hand on the ground and crouched a little bit. The two storage units on her thighs opened and released a burst of steam that pushed her forward. In a second, she was in front of the soldiers. "Were did she-" The man couldn''t finish, as a good amount of them were thrown in the air or pushed back by the force at which she hit them. She was slightly repelled by the strength of the impact, which a soldier who was not staggered saw as a chance. "I''ll bring you down!" Karteira didn''t even blinked. The storage unit on her right side opened and pushed her out of the way of the attack. She moved with a small burst, just enough to counter the soldier attacking her. A kick was thrown at him on his right side. *Cough* The man breathed for air, but couldn''t endure it and fell to the ground. ''Weak. Orion would have already dispatched you in a single breath.'' She was determined to finish this quickly. Wanting to be closer to Orion''s strength was her goal. When she saw most of the soldiers stand up from her previous attack, the steam pushed her backward. Her right leg moved forward, and she disappeared once again. One by one, she attacked each soldiers with devastating punches and kicks. Some resisted, but some weren''t that lucky. She connected each strike after the other, moving freely between them as if she was air itself. ''I''m running out of steam. I''ll retreat for now.'' She turned to kick a soldier in the face and used his falling body to jump in the air. With the remaining steam she had, she threw her body toward Amelia. Her feet touched the pavement and slide for a few meters, passing Amelia. "I still have a hard time controlling big bursts." "I saw that." She did great moving around, doing precise movement, and gauging the amount of released steam to move around, but the further she needed to go, the harder she found it to gauge. "Are you staying in this form? Or do I empower you again?" Karteira thought about her proposition. She looked at the remaining soldiers. Out of the fifty people, only thirteen remained. One was looking especially fine. "Amelia! Behind me!" Confused, she still ran behind her. "Cerulean Eagis!" Her plates changed rapidly, and two shields appeared on her forearms. She crouched with Amelia. *Bang* *Cling* *Bang* *Cling* The soldier that was in a better shape took out a gun and shot at Karteira. She defended perfectly the bullets. Metal, even at high speed, wasn''t able to damage her strongest defense. The work she did after Dramia injured her arm during their past training made her realize how important protecting her arms was. Instead of remaining powerless, she thought of many possibilities. And what she found was that she didn''t need the plates on her back. Every plates on her back were moved to protect her legs, arms, and front. She even placed a protective plate on her head, just in case. "Thanks, Karteira. Always quick to see those details." "Don''t worry about that. Are you alright?" "I''m fine. And you?" "I''m enduring it. It doesn''t hurt like before at least." *Bang* *Cling* The impacts of the bullets made her slightly move her arms up and down, but she remained still. "I''ll wait until his cartridge is empty, then I''ll do something about him." "If we don''t do anything quickly, the remaining soldiers will surround us." "Don''t worry, I have an idea." Karteira nodded, and they both waited for the man to unload everything at her. *Click* "Now!" She screamed to notify Amelia. "Ceres!" The earth dagger, Ceres, formed in Amelia''s left hand. She jumped over Karteira, and threw the dagger toward the man''s feet. As he was reloading, he didn''t see it coming. The dagger pierced the pavement. "Now!" The dagger disappeared, leaving behind it a sudden rumble. A two meters high rocky wall appeared in front of him where the dagger touched the ground, blocking his sight instantly. Ceres reformed in her hands, before being thrown again, but this time on the wall. It hit the wall, and disappeared once again. "ARG!" The man screamed behind the wall as blood began to flow on both side of the wall. "Leima!" With her lightning dagger, Amelia ran with the "Swift Wind" ability, enhancing her movements, toward the remaining soldiers. One by one, they fell lifeless to the ground. After dodging one swing, she cut them without mercy. ''They don''t look corrupted. Why are they doing this?'' She questioned the sanity of the soldiers that were dying in front of her. ''Orion said that everyone had their vices, transforming them into corrupted.'' The question was hard to answer. ''Oh, maybe these were the ones that maintained their sanity. The ones having losing it were the ones sent toward Hocride.'' To try her theory, she did what Karteira did before. She smashed the last soldiers belly, were the core should be if he was corrupted. She tried at least, because his armor was too hard for her. She wasn''t a super-human. "I''ll do it." Karteira seemingly understood what Amelia wanted to do, so she removed all of her plates, and only formed a gauntlet on her right arm. Amelia looked at the poor soldier that was on the ground, losing blood rapidly for having his arm cut. There was no pity in her eyes. "Right... there!" "A-" The man couldn''t even scream in pain, because a black stone clogged his throat, before being ejected of his mouth. The black stone instantly evaporated, killing the man in the process. "I knew it." "These guys are perfect corrupted humans. They have retained their senses." Amelia spoke to Karteira, and by extension, to Orion. She knew he was listening. "What does that mean for us? That we have to be more careful?" "Definitely. Remember, the Apostles are supposed to have drunk a large amount of corruption. What would happen if they regained their senses?" And just when she finished saying that. *BZZZZZZZT* A lightning spear flew out of the castle''s window, toward the girls. "Shit!" Karteira was going to protect both of them, but she would be too late. Two hands appeared behind them and grabbed their arms, dragging them backward. "I won''t let that happen." Orion dragged them through a portal, and closed it before the spear touched the spot where the girls were standing at. *BOOOM* From their headquarter, Orion saw a lightning strike hit. "Thanks Orion!" Amelia hugged him. "That was close. I guess we have to move now." He looked at Kamala, who was ready to fight. "Yes. We have a debt to settle with him." Lightning began to crash all over the city. There was no other survivor, the city was empty, or being emptied. The remaining soldiers still alive were reduced to ashes by the lightning, leaving no one behind. Before long, the city was completely destroyed, leaving only Ivan sitting on his throne. "He really flattened his whole city." Karteira was shocked. This was the power of a corrupted Apostle. "Amelia, Karteira. We leave this place to you." Orion said, walking forward. "Yes./Of course!" He nodded. Kamala arrived next to him and stopped. "It''s our time now." "Yes. It''s our fight from this point." Under the blazing sun, three people were about to unleash everything. Chapter 110: Exhausting the enemy. "Let''s go." Orion decided to walk toward Ivan instead of using a portal. There was multiple reasons for that choice. He needed to recover some of his energy before fully focusing his attention on the fight. There was also the fact that anything could happen by appearing in front of your enemy. Unless you were prepared for whatever attack could be thrown at you, he chose the safest option. Kamala was also with him, he couldn''t risk her safety at this point. The last reason was concerning Kamala. She was frightened after the last display of strength that flatten the whole city. Even though Orion thought that there was no way he could use such attack multiple times, neither him nor Kamala were sure of that possibility. So he chose to let Kamala calm down on the way. Amelia, Karteira and Kamala looked at his back as he advanced. Not long after, Kamala followed him. The girls left behind were incredibly worried, but they believed in him. As much as he believed in them earlier taking care of the survivors and the soldiers, now was their time to have trust in him. ''Be careful.'' The same thought kept repeating in their head. After walking twenty minutes on the hot sand, they arrived on the ashes of what was previously the city of Kaios. Orion and Kamala never exchanged a single word along the way, and Ivan never made a move either. ''His he condescending toward us? I don''t like his expression.'' He kept his gaze on Ivan all the time, noticing no changes in his behavior or movement. Ivan simply stayed sat on a throne, alone, looking toward them. Anger wasn''t the best of emotions to describe his current state. He looked calm, but internally, he was furious, enraged, and out for blood. They heard the sound of lightning crackling as soon as they walked closer. "Orion, are you sure we can win this?" "Do you consider us weaker than him?" Kamala began to question her motivation. "Don''t forget, even if he has no army anymore, he''ll do to Hocride what he just did to his own city. You are not safe until he his gone." His words sunk into her mind. ''What am I doing?'' ''Why am I here?'' She was worried. The more she looked at Ivan, the more she felt uneasy. ''He reminds me of mother.'' ''!'' Orion let her think, since there was at least five minutes of walking before they would arrive in front of him. "It is fine to be scared, even I fear death in this situation. Remember, I am not supposed to fight in the open like this." Looking right in front of her to avoid being taken by surprise, she listened to his words carefully. "Who isn''t afraid of dying? But who else is going to correct the world in its current state?" "Now, we learned that the Apostles can be corrupted. They are no longer human in that case." "We cannot let them take over, or else, even the human faction will disappear in flames." "Did you learn nothing from your own past? Are you going to reject it, or are you going to embrace it?" "An Apostle should be someone like you. Someone that strive to make the lives of everyone better. Look around you. Is that something you would do?" She shook her head. Her determination didn''t falter, but doubt were still lingering in her mind. "Let me tell you this then." He lifted his hand and placed it on her silky white hair. "Hang in there." Kamala blinked, and felt her hair being caressed. His voice calmed her inner turmoil, and his hand threw away the doubts that she had. ''I said I''d do it for him! Why am I getting scared for?'' Her heart was ready, and her mind cleared. Orion managed to empower her before arriving ten meters away of Ivan. "..." "..." The two men exchanged a disdainful glare. "That injury you inflicted upon my face, I''ll be sure to give it back." Ivan started the conversation first. Well, what seemed to be a conversation anyway. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "You brought this upon yourself, do you think I will let you?" "Of course I will. Your puny resistance will be met with complete annihilation in front of me." The hate he had for him was unfiltered, but the disdain he had for Kamala was stronger. "And you, weak woman. I cannot believe you dared to invade my city. You dared to steal my own citizens and attack my soldiers!" "Who do you take me for? Am I a fool in your eyes?!" He uncontrollably shouted toward Kamala. She did not bat an eyelash at his outburst of rage, and instead provoked him. "You were the first to attack my city. Your pitiful attempts to trample Hocride with your puppets was met with failures, and even your attempt to kill me was stopped. How does it feel to be on the losing side?" ''Not bad.'' Orion liked her tone. Everyone knew that the first one to lose their temper in a fight were prone to make more mistakes. "I do not feel anything at all, you see? I don''t care. Why should I care, when my victory is assured?" ''What is this conviction? Did he already lose his mind? I thought he had changed in some ways, but besides not shouting anymore, he hasn''t really changed.'' ''The only thing different is the brightness of his eyes. That red is unnatural.'' Orion noticed it, just like Kamala. They kept it for themselves, knowing that this wouldn''t affect the coming fight in any ways. "Don''t get too crazy about that, did you think that we came to let you kill us?" "Of course, I will just have to squash your small resistance, but it''s already decided. I will kill you both here." ''Moron.'' "Moron." Orion was shocked. The words did not came from his mouth, but from the woman next to him. ''She''s bold. Well, I did thought about it, but I didn''t expect her to think the same as me.'' He was amused by it. On the contrary, Ivan was not. *GRIT* "I will not let that insult unpunished. Who do you think you are?!" "I don''t have anything to say to you anymore. Get off you high horses, and lift your ass from your chair." She completely disrespected him. His face wasn''t pretty. "Alright. Alright, I get it now. You did not just came to insult me, right? I''ll give you what you want." Ivan stood up from his throne, also known as the ''chair'' by Kamala. "My face as being disgraced, and my city has been ravaged!" ''That''s your own doing... both of them.'' Orion fought hard against his mind not to blurt that out. Both of them entered their fighting stance. *CRASH* The moment Ivan walked forward, a blast of lightning pulverized the throne he was sitting on. "Let me show you the difference between a chosen Apostle and a fake one that requires the help of a pitiful hybrid." "Stop talking and get to it, we don''t have all day." Orion wanted to quickly finish this fight. For some reason, his instincts were telling him to kill him fast. ''Taygeta. Today is full support.'' The dark crossbow formed in his hands, while Kamala''s smashing weapons were created around her forearms. "I won against you one time, who said you would win this time?" They stopped answering him, ready to strike at the first movement. "Fine." The air crackled multiple time around Ivan. His shield was activated. Ivan formed multiple spears one by one and threw them toward Orion. ''He''s starting with me?'' This wasn''t really problematic, but that was unexpected. Orion ran to his left, and Kamala ran to the right. - "What do we do against his shield?" Orion asked Kamala when they were taking care of the rescued citizens. "Since we haven''t really strategized, we should do it know." Kamala nodded. "You''re right. Let''s do that." "About his shield, you said that you were able to neutralize it for a few seconds." "That''s what I said, yes." "Previously, I would have said that it would have been better if you had fought him alone, but now, I want you to simply erased as much of his shield as possible." - And this is what he did. While running in circles around Ivan, Orion ate at his shield with muting arrows. He destroyed the magical connection between the shield and Ivan. Each arrow was able to open the shield for five seconds. That time was used by Kamala to attack. "That again? I will not let it hurt me." Ivan watched as they were running around him. He was waiting for Orion to shoot another arrow through the gap like he did during their previous encounter. ''That''s what you think.'' Kamala stopped in front of one of the opening and punched through. "!" Ivan noticed it at the last second and moved out of the way. Kamala retracted her arm fast before the shield touched it. "I see." He noticed their strategy, and was ready to counter everything thrown at him. One spear after the other, Ivan kept missing them. He was frustrated to no end. Kamala crossed Orion path counter-clockwise. "Low shot. Right." He heard the next order, and did exactly that. The next arrow flew toward Ivan''s right leg. The shield disappeared, and Kamala attacked. "Urgh!" Ivan noticed a sudden pain in his leg. "What did you do?!" He looked at his leg and noticed a rock at his feet that wasn''t there before. Kamala smirked at him, still running. ''This is going somewhere. Let''s whittle his stamina first.'' Her plan was going to work, and she was going to make sure of that. Orion kept creating holes in his defense, and Kamala kept attacking. Ivan kept his eyes on Kamala and tried to attack her, but she began to run the other way, which Orion followed instantly. After enduring three more rocks, two at his legs, and one at his right arm, he finally understood what was happening. Kamala had previously attacked with a punch to lure his sense into thinking that she was going for a close quarter fight. Instead, she was attacking by creating rocks in front of her and punching them in the direction of the openings. ''His defense is not that great once you learn how to get through it.'' Orion realized that Ivan was too proud of his ability when in fact, it wasn''t that great. Yes, it was good against any attacks, but the moment the shield would be out, he was done for. But once Ivan understood what was happening, his stance changed. He threw less spears at them, and kept one at his side. The thrown spears were meant to distract them, while he defended. He thought that they would be getting tired at some point, and waited it out. ~ "Amelia, it''s already been forty minutes since they began to fight. Are they alright?" "I hope so." From afar, the girls were watching the battle. They couldn''t see much, but they were able to see the lightning spear and the dark arrow of Orion being shot. "He''s still moving, which means that everything''s fine. For now at least." "Are you sure we cannot do anything?" Karteira wanted to run into the fight and help Orion, but she knew she would only be a burden at this point. "There''s not much we can do." They kept looking, hoping that both of them would be alright. ~ ''It''s been a long time, but we''re not damaging him anymore. We need to change our tactic, and fast.'' Orion was analyzing the fight, but since he gave full control to Kamala, he simply observed. A minute later, Kamala finally gave her next order. "Tired. Change." This was enough for him to know that the next part of the plan was going to happen. Ivan was breathing roughly, contrary to Orion and Kamala who were only mentally tired. The next time they crossed, Kamala gave Orion something. "Throw." And everything fell in place. ''Alright.'' Orion attacked faster, creating more opening. "He can go faster?! Shit!" Ivan began to panic, knowing he had to defend faster. Kamala created two rocks, and punched one toward Ivan. She waited for someone to appear in in her sight. The moment she saw Orion, she punched the other rock in his direction. Orion shot an arrow behind Ivan''s back as he was countering the rock Kamala created. The rock, coming at incredible speed, arrived near Orion. He jumped and kicked it, sending it toward the back of Ivan''s head. "Wh-" Ivan felt a sudden pain, and almost fell to the ground. He was bleeding from the powerful impact. "I''m done with you both. I can''t bother with you." "I''m done playing defensively." The area began to rumble loudly. Sparks erupted all around. "Kamala!" Orion called her and caught to her rapidly. He grabbed her, lifted her in his arms, and activated Calm Analysis. A lightning shower was about to fall on them. Chapter 111: The Apostle of Relentless Thunder, Ivan Borias. The situation changed in an instant. An incredible pressure had fell on their surrounding, as Orion sweated, understanding what was going to happen. ''That''s why I wanted to finish fast. Now I have to avoid all of the lightning strikes. Can I even do that?'' With Kamala in his arms, who didn''t look good either, they prepared for the strongest attack Ivan had. The one that destroyed the whole city. "How much time can you hold under my Relentless Thunder? Struggle as much as you can, I''ll make you a pile of fuming ashes!" The air grew still, and heavy. Lightning sparks jutted from the ground everywhere around Ivan. ''This is bad, really bad.'' Orion gulped. All he wanted was to get away from him immediately. ~ ''Amelia, you might want to activate the Second Gear.'' Ego''s voice echoed in her mind suddenly. ''Does it have something to do with the pressure around here?'' ''Yes, Ivan is going to let out the same ability he used to erase the city.'' ''Fuck!'' Amelia immediately closed her eyes and removed Orion''s lock. ''Be safe, Orion!'' She prayed with everything she had, that nothing would happen to him. ~ Orion released the First Gear he refrained to use until now. While feeling the flow of magic inside his body, he felt a stronger wave of magic empower him. ''Amelia.'' He smiled, feeling the Second Gear activate. ''Even though I haven''t requested it, she still unlocked it. I''ll be sure to use it fully.'' ''How long can he use it against how long I can use mine.'' "Kamala, get ready. This is going to shake a lot." She nodded, and hugged his neck after releasing her magic. As if uncontrollable, lightning began to fall at various places of the area. Orion, still seeing the world in slow-motion thanks to Calm Analysis, prepared to move the moment a strike was preparing to fall on them. The ground sparked under him, signaling an attack where they were. He ran out of the way, and began to speed through the place, dodging attacks one after the other. The momentum he had was incredible, but one single mistake and they were done. Ivan looked at him running at an impossible speed for humans. "My turn." Ivan grinned and formed a lightning spear in his hand. ''I won''t be able to dodge everything!'' Orion watched in front of him and glanced at Ivan, who was preparing to throw his spear. The moment he heard Ivan throw the spear, a lightning strike was going to fall in front of him at the same time. ''What do I do? I can dodge the spear, but we''ll be hit by the lightning. If I avoid the lightning, this time the spear will pierce us.'' He analyzed everything carefully. ''The only thing to do, is that!'' Orion instantly enhanced his speed temporarily with his light magic. He gradually ran faster, moved past the lightning strike, also avoiding the spear. Since using everything together was dangerous in the long run, he deactivated the enhancement immediately after. But Ivan wasn''t done, there was more coming their way. One spear after the other, they were showered by spears coming from multiple directions. ''Up, front...'' Orion slid on the ground to avoid the spear. After watching the spear graze his face, he returned to run at full speed. ''He won''t be able to do that every time. I have to do something too!'' Kamala was worried. She watched the whole thing, and didn''t liked how useless she as right now. ''What can I do?'' Her sight changed suddenly when Orion turned around to avoid another strike. But she saw the big, twisted smile of Ivan at that moment. At the same time, Orion and Kamala thought of the same thing. ''Fuck! We''re trapped.'' "I got you this time!" "Orion, jump!" He ignored everything happening and followed Kamala''s order. He jumped as told. ''Let''s do it! I can help!'' She focused on her two elements. An rocky platform formed under Orion. He looked surprised for a second, but then the same idea as her came to him. "I''m counting on you." Those words and his smile were enough for her to give everything. She nodded and continued what she was doing. "Left!" Orion jumped to the left of the platform. "Wherever you go, I''ll still strike you down!" Ivan threw his spear, stronger and faster than before. He was sure to hit them this time. When Orion jumped, Kamala created another platform, diagonally. Orion placed his foot on it, and right before jumping, he felt a strong push underneath him. The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Kamala''s wind magic was about to push him away. He bent his knee, seeing the spear closing on them slowly, before being pushed away. They found themselves five meters above the ground. This was especially danger as lightning tended to hit things that were high, and since there wasn''t many tall things left around, they were prime targets for the lightning strikes. "You jumped to your own death." Ivan looked in disbelief at the stupid choice they made. "Not really." Orion made a snarky comment. They both saw the beginning of the lightning strike form under them. It was going to be a strong one. Kamala created another platform, but this time going the opposite direction, sending them downward. Orion stepped on it just before the lightning fell on them, and launched himself. He left behind one drop of sweat that got disintegrated to nothingness by the tremendous amount of electricity. The same process repeated multiple time, jumping around closer to the ground in a zigzag pattern, avoiding each lightning strike by trusting Kamala''s judgment of timing. "Impossible! How are you avoiding everything I throw at you?! Who are you?!" Ivan finally realized who he had in front of him. Before arriving to the ground, Orion and Kamala exchanged a gaze, and prepared to attack. A platform formed, were Orion could stand. Another one formed behind him, and Kamala let go of Orion''s neck, dropping down from his arm. Before Ivan could understand what had happened, Orion alone was closing on him. "I am your enemy." Ivan''s lighting shield had disappeared during the powerful ''Ruthless Thunder'', so this moment was perfect to hurt him. He kicked him in the stomach, sending him flying a few meters backward. But Kamala was already waiting there, having used the same tactics of moving by using her platforms. With a kick empowered by her wind magic, she damaged Ivan''s back, almost breaking him in half from the impact. Ivan was sent back to Orion, who simply dodged him and returned to grab Kamala, because the ability wasn''t done yet. "Good job, we''ve managed to injure him gravely." "No, it''s thanks to you. Without you, I wouldn''t have made it." They celebrated their success lightly, avoiding the lightning strikes. *BOOM* Both of them looked toward the amount of rubble that was sent flying. Ivan walked toward them, looking quite different from before. He exhaled a large amount of heat from his mouth. *HUFF* "You two, you are the first to bring me to such a state." Ivan looked at himself. His armor and clothes were destroyed, revealing his muscular body. "Time for round two?" Ivan created two lightning spear in both hands, and ran toward them. "Orion, his lightning shield is out, now''s our chance to kill him. Avoid the lightning as much as you can." He nodded, ready to follow her orders. Orion waited for a moment were he could drop Kamala before Ivan made it to them. ''I didn''t want to use more energy than necessary, but there''s no other way.'' He opened a portal next to him, and one further behind Ivan. "Kamala, sorry about that." "Huh?" Before she could understand, Orion had thrown her inside the portal, and she landed behind Ivan. "What trick did you use?" Ivan stopped, glancing at Kamala behind him. "You don''t have to know." "You really never say anything about you, huh?" Ivan was frustrated. He learned absolutely nothing about the man in front of him since the beginning of the fight. He learned that he was fast, yes. His strength was real, yes. But other than that, he was a complete mystery. Even if he managed to share information about him to the other Apostles, he would have nothing to say at all. "Why would I?" Orion smirked at him, making Ivan slightly angrier. "Never mind that, I''ll come for you anyway!" Ivan ran toward Orion. His plan was to finish him before killing Kamala after that. Kamala realized that Orion had created an opportunity for her by using his own energy. ''Thank you, I''ll make it count!'' She was back in action. The lightning strikes had finally stopped, giving more breathing room to them. Orion realized that it was going to be a close quarter fight from this point, so he took out Dawn and Dusk, the dagger form of his elements. He closed his eyes, and remembered how Amelia moved when fighting. The stance he took was the same as Amelia. Crossed arms, and a knee bent in front. Ivan arrived in front of Orion, and their first clash happened. A high speed exchange of blows happened, leaving Kamala wondering what was going to happen. After a few seconds, they both stepped back and looked at each other. ''How can he move this fast with two spears in his hands?'' Orion was impressed, even if it was from his enemy. He looked intensely at his enemies during the small time frame before the next attack. ''His arms. They are enhanced by lightning?'' This was the moment Orion understood. Ivan boosted his ability by letting lightning flow inside his muscles. Long thread of purple light flowed in his arms, unnoticeable if not for Orion''s aptitude in seeing details. The next fight happened immediately after that. Ivan rushed to Orion and once again, the exchange of blows continued. Orion deflected his attacks and dodged the ones he couldn''t perfectly deflect. Ivan did the same. ''This is going nowhere.'' Orion thought in between strikes. The situation was not particularly bad for any of them, as not a single strike managed to hit the other one. "Stop struggling!" Ivan said after moving away. "..." Orion kept silent. He composed himself, and opted to continue imitating Amelia. She would be proud if she could see him. "It''s starting to become boring." Ivan turned around and blocked a large rock coming his way. "It won''t work again. I already said that before." But he talked in the wind, because Kamala had already cleared his sight. Another rock flew from his blind spot. "Not again..." He sighed and pierced the rock in half. The next one, and the next one. Nothing Kamala threw at him was working. "Are you alright?" Kamala returned to her original spot. ''I thought at least one would work. I''m sorry, Orion.'' She wanted to divert Ivan''s attention a bit more, but this was useless. Ivan prepared to attack Orion once again, but an idea came to him. Orion didn''t ignore the distorted smile on his face. ''Something his going to happen. I''ll have to be prepared for anything, and fast!'' He prepared many things, and hoped that he didn''t have to use them. The spears hit Orion''s daggers one more time, but Ivan pushed way stronger and managed to push him back a few meters. "Now!" He turned around and immediately threw a spear toward Kamala. "Shit!" Orion realized too late his plan. Kamala watched as the spear arrived close to her. But she wasn''t the same as before, she wasn''t scared of dying anymore. And the reason why was the man in front of him. Orion had previously created a portal near Kamala in case she was suddenly attacked, and he was right to do so. He extended his arm in front of him, catching the lightning spear. "DAMN IT!" Orion screamed as he began to be pushed back further and further, until his back touched Kamala. She tried to alleviate his burden, but even herself began to be pushed back. Looking in front of her, she looked at Orion''s hand. ''That! His using the rock I gave him earlier!'' To avoid injuring his hand, and have something to stop the spear, Orion used the rock he received when Kamala and him crossed path circling around Ivan. Ivan was clapping in the back, a huge smile on his face. He could have thrown the last spear, but he underestimated his enemies greatly and simply stuck it in the ground next to him. The spear began to crack the rock, adding to his stress. ''The only way is this!'' ''Orion! That won''t work!'' Ego''s voice echoed in his head, knowing what he was about to do. ''Magic doesn''t work like that! You''re just going to hurt yourself more!'' She tried to prevent him from being hurt, but he refused. "THEN I WILL MAKE IT WORK!" The rock exploded in his hands, and the lightning spear made contact with his bare hand. Orion endured the pain, and looked at Ivan. "Orion!" Kamala called his named behind him, but he was unable to hear her. His mind was focused, even through the pain. Void magic focused on his hand, and disappeared. ''Again!'' He tried once again. ''AGAIN!'' Multiple time, void magic tried to form around his hand. Before finally managing to make it. The void magic opened two portals, one that engulfed Orion''s hand, and one that engulfed the spear. A third portal appeared in front of Ivan. *Cough* Ivan looked at his chest, where his lightning spear was now. It had cleanly pierced his chest. ''He really made it...'' Ego was shocked. In normal circonstances, magic cannot be impacted by other magic. And this was someone else''s magic, so this was less likely to happen. But Orion broke another rule with his new element. ''I guess it''s alright then?'' Ego didn''t knew what to say anymore, and simply accepted that fact, before returning to silence. Orion recovered his hand from the portal, and began to heal it immediately. It was in bad shape. Blood was pouring from the opening the spear made in his palm, and the burn had propagated to half of his forearm. "..." Kamala silently looked at him gritting his teeth. "Thank you." "You''re welcome." He looked at her with a pained smile, and continued. "You can finish him, he''s still not dead." She watched as Ivan fell to his knees, trying to bring the spear out of his chest. "I can- *cough* can''t die here!" Kamala left Orion''s side, and walked toward Ivan. "Not like this?! I won''t accept that!" He looked at Kamala with a rage that no one should have. She stopped in front of him, her face hidden by darkness. Her earth magic formed around her forearms, and she silently punched the spear with all of her strength. She injured herself in the process, but she pushed the spear further with each strike. "No! *cough* Stop! AaRgh!" Ivan''s strength slowly vanished, as his life force left him. The light in his red eyes began to blink, and suddenly disappeared. *Cough* With one last cough, Ivan''s died. Kamala walked away from Ivan''s corpses, and returned next to Orion. "It''s done." She said it has if it was a natural outcome. The memory of her mother''s last breath came to her. ''This feels the same...'' She wasn''t happy, but she wasn''t sad either. "Yes, good work." Orion looked at his healed hand, and congratulated Kamala. *Rumble* "What''s happening?" Kamala looked around, trying to find the reason for the sudden burst of magic energy. "This might not be the end." Orion looked toward Ivan''s corpse, as it stood up. Ivan was dead, that was a fact. What was in front of them was something different. "He''s body as been corrupted and taken over...'' They watched as Ivan''s body began to change to a more inhuman shape. Chapter 112: The former shell of an Apostle. Ivan''s body rose up from the ground, wobbling from left to right as it tried to remain standing. "What is this Orion? Corrupted?" Kamala was in shock. She saw Ivan die right in front of her. "How can this be?" She looked at Orion as if this situation was unexpected, and indeed, it was, even for Orion. "I expected this. Since I saw the soldiers attacking your city, I had that thought stuck in my head." "That they were corrupted? We already knew from the beginning, isn''t it?" "Yes, you are right. But there''s something else. Tell me, what were they before being corrupted?" "Humans?" "..." Kamala remained silent when she heard her own answer. Her emotions calmed down, as she looked at Orion and understood the situation. "Do you want to say that the soldiers were already dead when they attacked us?" "I suppose they were. Compared to the ones that Amelia and Karteira fought earlier that still had their will intact, the ''feral'' soldiers that invaded were definitely different." "That''s true." Kamala nodded. It made sense that the defect products of corruption would be sacrificed by Ivan. They were pawns for him, to be discarded however he wanted. "But it seems that even him couldn''t escape the aftermath of the corruption." Orion stared at the moving corpse with focus. "It''s changing shape." Cracking sounds of bones were heard, as time passed. "Why are we watching, wouldn''t it be wiser to attack immediately?" Kamala was right, it would be wiser to simply ignore the change and finish before it was done with it''s transformation. "That''s not going to be possible. You haven''t notice? There''s a layer of lightning around him. And I only realized now, but he still has his spear next to him." "It should have vanished when you killed him." This was a mistake she shouldn''t have made. She was so lost in her own memories that she had forgotten to look around after ending his life. Orion was too preoccupied by his injury to notice it either. "It''s ending anyway, it''s already too late." The last cracking sound echoed among the empty rubble. Four spots on his body opened, expulsing a lot of blood from them. Those four places revealed each a black core, darker than the ones Orion saw before. If the Corrupted Lords core were dark with purplish nuances, these ones were pure darkness. "This... might be worst than what we expected." He stared at the empty shell of Ivan. His red crimson eyes were fixated on Orion. ''Two on the back of his hands, one on his chest, and one somewhere in his back.'' They would have to move behind him to see the last core. ''Why do I have this uneasy feeling under his gaze? I didn''t feel that before his death.'' He ignored it, as it reminded him of the time he ran past the corrupted soldiers when they arrived near Hocride. "I''ll tell you before we get into the fight. His weaknesses are the black cores that appeared on his body." "But we''ll have to be fast, because they regenerate over time. We have to crush them in a relatively short time frame." Kamala blinked a few times. ''What is this bad joke? We have to do what now?'' "Don''t compare the former Ivan and this thing. You might-!" Orion jumped toward Kamala and caught her before sliding away from their previous spot. The place they were standing at was gone. A fuming trail was all that was there. The corrupted Ivan attacked with a beam of lightning from his palm. "You might die. Do you understand now?" She nodded, switching to her fighting stance. "His shield is gone. Let''s see what happens before aggressively attacking." Orion and Kamala decided to split up and look for a way to efficiently dispatch him, again. They both looked at him, while his gaze stayed on Orion the whole time. Only his head moved. After a short period of time, the shield around Ivan reappeared. ''Thirty seconds. Let''s see what you do right now.'' He stopped walking, and looked straight to see any movement. And if not for the Calm Analysis ability, he would have certainly died at that point. Ivan lifted his arm at an inhuman speed, and released another beam of lightning toward him, completely ignoring Kamala. Orion managed to dodge it by stepping away, and continued to analyze his enemy. ''Seems like he has to recharge after each lightning beam. We have thirty seconds before his shield reactivate.'' ''Rinse and Repeat tactic. We hit, we move away, we dodge, and that until he goes down. That would be great if it were this easy.'' A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. He laughed in his mind, knowing that nothing was easy against a corrupted. Orion looked at Kamala on the other side. After confirming she was looking at him, he lifted three fingers of his right and and made a ''0'' sign with his left hand next to it. ''3...0? 30? Thirty seconds?'' She understood the message. ''We have thirty seconds before his shield comes back? There''s only one way to fight then.'' The same tactic came to her mind. They were both on the same page most of the time. ''I''ll act accordingly. The deal was that she killed Ivan, and she did. The corrupted part is for me!'' Orion was determined to fight this one, alone if he needed to. And it seemed that the corrupted Ivan was only focusing on him. But he knew that Kamala wouldn''t go back now. ''Alright, let''s go!'' His body reacted to the magic once again, his hair turning gold and silver. "Alcyone." His most powerful crossbow in hand, Orion prepared himself. The battle began when Orion dodged the next beam. He immediately threw a few arrows toward Ivan. The arrows almost touched his weak points, but he easily dodged the arrows. His moving speed was incredible. ''I knew it wouldn''t be easy.'' Kamala watched as Orion shot arrows after arrows, each one being avoided by Ivan. She had to move away to avoid being hit, though Orion made sure that none would hit her. He shot at various angle, he jumped, slid, attacked lower and higher body parts, there was no mistakes in his enemy''s movements. ''What do you think of this then?'' Orion switched his crossbow with Taygeta, and shot multiple crippling arrows of various effects. Bleed, Mute, Blindness... but none worked, as Ivan crushed them with his free hand. ''Well, shit.'' He smiled wildly, his hunting instincts completely awakened. They continued to fight for ten minutes, without anyone of them managing to injure the other. ''This is once again going nowhere.'' The corrupted Ivan finally broke eye contact with Orion, as he looked at the spear stuck on the ground next to him. He grabbed it, and took a stance that indicated that he was done with ranged attacks. ''You want to get closer?'' Orion stopped using his crossbow and formed the daggers in his hands. Ivan crouched with both his legs, and leaped at high speed toward Orion. Orion tried to stop the sudden attack by crossing the dagger, in vain. He gritted his teeth as he felt his arms fail him. The corrupted was stronger than him. His raw strength overpowered Orion. *BOOM* He flew away from the impact, rolling among the rubble. For a moment, he thought he was dead, but his body was in better shape than expected. There was only a slight pain in his arms. ''Good thing I deflected most of the force behind the impact.'' But he couldn''t think anymore, Ivan was already rushing to him. ''Let me breathe, damn it!'' Orion braced himself, but this time, he managed to only be pushed back a few meters away. ''He is way stronger than me, I won''t be able to attack if I only play defensively.'' But as he thought that, a shadow appeared behind Ivan. *Crack* It was Kamala, who strike the dark core on his back. The face of the corrupted Ivan crumbled in pain, as he touched his back. ''I almost forgot about her.'' They both looked at each other in trust. She had his back. ''I''ll defend and she attacks. Let''s go for that.'' But when Kamala was about to attack, the shield reappeared. He would use this to heal himself, as if nothing happened. ''No, you won''t have that pleasure!'' Orion brought Taygeta out, and pointed down, looking at Karteira. He made an half-circle motion, expecting her to understand. She immediately got to created a rocky platform in front of Orion. He jumped on it, and with the push of the wind element, he jumped over Ivan, firing ''Mute'' arrows rapidly to break the shield. Orion landed on the other side and shot the last arrow. Kamala took that moment to pass between the opening and kick the back of Ivan, where the core was. His body flew a few meters away, rolling on the floor. Ivan stood up and ran toward Orion once again, ignoring the healing of his core. The corrupted felt that defending was not a good option right now. The fight continued with Orion enduring the powerful blows of the corrupted. Kamala used the fact that she wasn''t the focus of attack to watch for opportunities to break the cores. After Orion blocked a downward strike, Kamala slithered under Orion''s arms and punched upward toward the chest of Ivan. The second cores exploded, with Ivan being sent backward from the impact. ''We can make it!'' She was rejoicing inside, thinking that it would end faster than expected. But what happened next made her regret that thought. As Ivan slid away, he grabbed the spear tighter. More and more magic were infused into it. The spear grew in size, and changed color, from purple to bright white. "Hum... this is bad isn''t it?" Orion looked at Kamala as if she was dumb. "Of course it is." ''Orion! Catch!'' Amelia''s voice echoed in his head, and he looked toward the camp all the way on his right. Something was coming toward him extremely fast. "Kamala, make me a platform sending me straight up!" Not understanding, she still made it. He jumped on it and found himself a few meters in the air, extending his arm to catch the thrown item. The moment he caught it, he saw what it was. "This is! Nice one Amelia!" ~ Moments before. Ego told what was happening to Amelia, who herself explained it to Karteira. "We should have gone with him! I knew it." Karteira was losing her patience. She wanted to join Orion and fight. "No, you know this is not our fight. And this whole ordeal was not part of the plan." Amelia tried her best to calm her friend. "Damn it Amelia. What are we supposed to do? Wait until Orion gets exhausted? It will be too late at that point, and you know it." Amelia sighed. She understood her feelings. If she wasn''t holding herself, she would already be by his side. ''The Apostle once again changed his tactic. It seems that a bigger attack is coming.'' Ego told everything to Amelia once again. ''More than those beams we keep seeing?'' ''Definitely. Even Orion said that this was trouble.'' "..." Karteira noticed the worried face Amelia was making. "What happened this time?" "A big attack is coming." "Then we don''t have much time! Let''s go!" Karteira was about to run away. "Wait!" She stopped in her tracks. "Even if you go, it will be too late." "Then what can we do?" Amelia used Calm Analysis, breaking into a cold sweat as she worked harder to find a way to help Orion. "I may have a solution, but I need your help." "Then speak fast. What do I do?" "Get ready to hit this with all your strength toward Orion." Amelia brought her lighting element out. The sphere of lightning formed in her hands. "Alright!" Karteira''s hands were instantly covered by her plates. The gauntlets were ready to use. "One. Two. Three!" Amelia threw the sphere in the air, toward Karteira. "HEIIII!" She punched with all her strength, lifting herself from the ground from the momentum she had. She fell her butt on the sand, before looking at the orb flying at high speed toward Orion. ''Orion! Catch!'' Ego linked Amelia to Orion, sending her thoughts to him. ~ Orion, still in the air, looked at the familiar lightning sphere in his hands. "Let''s see who''s better! My friend''s lightning, or yours!" "Electra!" Orion let his excitement take over. The sudden help was welcome. The lightning crossbow, Electra, instantly took shape from the sphere. He pulled the lightning string and let the crossbow use as much magic as possible. ''Show him your power, take whatever you need, and blast him away.'' Ivan was about to throw his charged spear at Orion who was about to fall to the ground after reaching the peak of the jump. *Click* Orion shot the strongest lightning arrow permitted to him, leaving him almost dry of magic. Ivan threw the spear at the same moment. The two attacks joined together in the middle, creating a powerful blast that was felt all the way to the camp were Amelia and Karteira were. The ball of plasma created by the two lightning attack colliding with each other fried everything under it. Orion was pushed back from the blast, as was Kamala. Ivan wasn''t, forcing himself to stand in place. This would lead to his defeat. When Orion fell to the ground, he looked at the struggle of forces. ''Amelia''s element is stronger than yours. Remember that.'' The ball of plasma began to fall toward Ivan''s corrupted shell of an Apostle, and before long his body was engulfed by it. "..." Orion and Kamala looked in silence until the sizzling noise stopped, and the plasma vanished. Ivan''s body was still there, his knees on the ground, his red eyes looking intently at Orion. "He''s not dead yet." "Fast! Let''s destroy his cores." Kamala ran first toward Ivan. She was going for the right hand core. "Right." Orion followed, exhausted and out of magic. He still had to finish the fight. Kamala threw an uppercut to make him stand, and followed by a punch to his right hand, exploding the core. Trying to stabilize his broken body, Ivan stumbled around, before Orion appeared next to him. With one last exchange of glare, Orion crushed his arm, kicked him in the back and stomped on the core on his left hand. The Corrupted Apostle, Ivan Borias''s empty shell, fell on his back, looked one last time at Orion with a glare of pure animosity. His crimson red eyes lost their light, his body slowly disintegrated to the wind. His cores all destroyed, this was his end. "This time for sure. He''s gone." Orion turned to Kamala, before sitting on the ground. Chapter 113: One step closer. Orion and Kamala returned to the camp through a portal. To Amelia and Karteira''s surprise, they finally returned thirty minutes after winning the fight. The reason was, they were exhausted. There was also the need to verify if this was truly their victory or not. Even if Ivan''s body was destroyed after losing the cores that made him a corrupted, there was no certainty at all. Until they were sure he wouldn''t come back. "Thank the world! You''re alright!" Amelia jumped at his chest. He caught her with one hand and caressed her back. "I said it, there was no need to be worried." Karteira heaved a long sigh of relief. ''He really made it. This man is impossible.'' "Thank you for the assist, it was the key to our victory. Here, you can have it back." His other hand lowered to Amelia''s face, as she looked at her lightning element. She smiled while recovering it. The lightning element traded hands, and vanished, returning to Amelia. "I have to say, that was a really good timing." "It''s thanks to Karteira. Without her strength, I wouldn''t have been able to help at all." Orion turned to Karteira, not surprised at all. ''It''s just like her.'' "Sorry I didn''t brought you with me. I know you love to fight." "Yes, well..." She scratched her cheek embarrassed. "Wait! It''s not that!" Now he was surprised. ''A maiden''s heart is an enigma. It''s what that book said.'' That''s what he read inside a book named ''How to treat a lady.'' by the mysterious N. He used some of the words written inside on Amelia before, but that didn''t seem to work for him, so he instead remained natural. Thinking he had known Karteira well enough by now, he was once again reminded that there was always new things to discover about the ones you cared about. ''I pity you Ivan Borias. You had nothing at all. The same goes for the other Apostle.'' He hid his thoughts, and smiled to Karteira. Even if he wanted to caress her hair, Amelia was blocking him with her hug. So instead, he made a movement with his free hand and told her to come closer. "Huh?" She walked to him, unsuspecting of anything. "Thanks for the help." He caught her off-guard once again and placed his hand on her head, stroking her beautiful cerulean hair. In one his left hand, he had the silky blonde hair of Amelia, and in his right hand, he had the lustrous blue hair of Karteira. Enjoying the moment for a minute, they all stayed silent. Kamala watched this with a small tinge of jealousy, but she ignored it. She had not obtained the trust of the man like these two did. In fact, she was thinking that she failed the task she was given. ''He killed Ivan at the end. I failed magnificently. I-'' "Good work Kamala. You did better than I could have expected, and the way your attacks flowed after mine was incredible." He began to praise her out of nowhere. She was previously about to cry from losing hope, so why was he so kind? "I didn''t kill Ivan though?" Her voice trembled. "The corrupted part was out of our expectations. I was going to fight it alone if I had to." "You definitely gave him the last blow." His tone wasn''t letting any doubt out. For him, she succeeded with flying colors. "I couldn''t manage to save many civilians." The expression on her face began to crumble. "Are you blaming yourself? Can you repeat that to those people? Can you, one by one, say that you regret not saving more?" "What is it going to bring you?" A blank expression on her face, she looked inside his grey eyes. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing will come out of it." "Those people will have this tragedy on their mind for the rest of their lives." "Is your job going to apologize again and again? Don''t tell me you were this weak?" Seeing the horrible look he gave her, she recovered herself from falling into despair. "Of course not!" She made it clear that she wasn''t. "Then isn''t it fine? I understand your concerns. Or maybe not, I''m not human to begin with, I don''t have many people to protect." Amelia and Karteira blushed when they felt his caress began gentler. Even Orianne and Reon felt the care in his voice inside the bracelet. They were proud of their child. "You had a specific number of people you had to save?" He kept asking, removing her doubt one after the other. "No. I came to save as many as I could." "Then here''s your answer." Orion tapped on the girls head, asking them to move away. After they stepped away from him, he approached Kamala. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. He stopped in front of her, and extended his hand. "We''ve managed to erase a great threat on our continent, isn''t it a great thing?" Kamala looked at his hand and smiled. "Indeed. I can''t believe a man younger than me managed to change me so much." She grabbed his hand and looked at him straight in the eyes, freed of doubts. "Even if that were true, people don''t change randomly. They strive to change for many reasons, that being self-interest, or not. Pushing someone in the right direction doesn''t mean that they will follow that path." "Maybe you will regret siding with me in the future, maybe you will lose everything because of what I made you do today. But know that this path is not yours alone anymore." "I will consider you not as a Lord or an Apostle, but as a friend from now on. This is the least I can do for the few that shared my ambitions, and accepted me not for my factions belongings, but for being who I am." He released her hand, and turned around, showing his back. "Now, you maybe should take care of those people." Pointing at the thousand people waiting for her, she finally noticed the many soldiers helping the hundred of rescued people. ''Right, I still am the Lord of Hocride. Be proud of yourself, and in what you did today!'' She slapped her cheeks, and walked with pride further into the camp. Taking a deep breath, she spoke loud for everyone to hear. "Guards of Hocride, you did well today." "You''ve managed to rescue as many as you could, under terrible stress and continuous attacks." "What you did is going to be remembered, by myself, everyone of you, and the people you saved!" "Be proud in yourself, because, I, your Lord, couldn''t be more proud of you! You have my deepest gratitude!" Her words sunk into the deepest part of her guards. They knew how hard this mission was. They knew their life would be at risk. But they never faltered, because they trusted her. And those words were more than they could have ever hoped for. Many began to cry, others silently looked at the sky, or hugged one another. But Kamala wasn''t done. "To those that survived the carnage that the past Lord Ivan Borias caused, I sincerely apologize to you." "I know that my words will not help you recover you lost ones, or ease your pain. To you, I might be the same as him, another Lord that could turn against you." Many of the survivors shuddered from remembering the murdering that happened. "But please, hear my words." "Live!" That single word made them sob. This was the opposite of the order Ivan made. "I want you, no! I need you to live! To tell this story, or not. Because this is part of the history of our kind." "I will be on your side, I will support you, and make your life as comfortable as possible, not because it is my duty, but because it is what makes us humans!" "We have lost our roots, and it is finally time to stop treating others as inferior beings, when events like this happens to our kind." "If you are willing to accept other factions without discrimination, then we will welcome you to Hocride. If not, there are multiple alternatives for you. There are many places outside of this continent that have a peaceful environment." Her speech echoed inside the survivors mind. Recovering their roots, accepting the various factions. Why did this felt so natural for them to accept her facts are truth? Maybe the murdering of their people led them to grab any kind of hope they could, or she had changed into a beacon of hope for these people. In any case, no one felt that she was lying. "I will... live!" A young boy stood up from the crowd of survivors, a baby in his hands. "Me too! For my late husband!" "I want to see Hocride. Can we mama?" "Of course. We have to." People began to exchanged between them, and unanimously decided to follow Kamala, their new Lord. They would never forget the atrocities that they saw that day, but they also will never forget the honesty the woman named as Kamala Genathis displayed. ''If you remove my ability to use magic, I am no different from one of you. The only difference between us now, is how I can make you life better with my magic.'' And with her inner thoughts, the battle of Kaios ended. ~ "The result of this battle was: - 12 deceased guards of Hocride out of 1272 dispatched. - 527 soldiers guarding Kaios. - 1028 civilians killed and 296 civilians saved. - One Apostle, Ivan Borias." "That is what we were expecting, right?" The shadows of two women were watching at statistics displayed inside a pool of water in the middle of a large table. "In fact, the number changed a little." "Oh? How so?" The woman on the right tapped on the reflection of the water, showing another set of stats. "What was expecting was more death on the guards side, ranging from one hundred to three hundred." Tilting her head, the second woman looked at the reflection, impressed. "It is quite a feet, isn''t it? The fact that so few died is to be celebrated." "That''s not all." "Huh? Now that''s unusual. Two large changes?" "Three." "HUH?!" The woman on the left stood up and slammed her hands on the table. "That''s impossible! You know how hard it was to arrive to this point? And you''re saying that it moved so much out of our control?!" She ignored her companion and continued explaining. "Seven. That was supposed to be the amount of survivors expected during this event." Her friend sat on her chair, seemingly shocked. It was too dark to make out anything of them. "Haha- And that''s not all?" "No. The woman named Kamala. She was supposed to die." "..." Only silence. "That''s... how is it going to affect history from now on?" "Knowing that this woman is the most charismatic and kind hearted in the whole human faction, we can only expect important changes." "That Orion! He worked too hard." "Indeed, he worked way too hard. He managed not only to save many people thanks to him creating a new element beforehand, but he also managed to use it to save Kamala." "If not for that impromptu discovery, the result would be more like this one." The woman on the right tapped on the higher death number record. "And you said it was a ''little'' change." The place darkened once more, engulfing the woman completely. ~ Orion listened to Kamala''s speech from beginning to end. ''She really is a great speaker. If I didn''t knew about her true self, I could believe that she is one of the greatest Lord.'' He laughed audibly. "Why are you laughing?" Karteira walked next to him first, not really caring about the situation in front of her. "I just thought of how different she usually is when she''s alone." "Right. She doesn''t speak much originally." "Hmm." Amelia walked on his other side. "Are you going to miss her?" "If I say no, then I would be lying. As I said, she is another person I consider important now." He continued. "Even though we''ve lived only a month together, can you say that she was boring to be with? I personally enjoyed her silent company more than expected." Amelia and Karteira smiled at his words, because they felt the same. "That''s why, I planned on letting a portal inside of her home to join us when we stay inside our home." ''Our home.'' They both liked the sound of that. It was their home, a place to return to. "We''ll have to build another residence next to our home then." Amelia was already thinking of building another house. "Go for it, it doesn''t eat that much more magic energy." Orion decided that it was time to talk about it, so he went for it. "About that." He caught their attention before finishing. "I decided to name that place. I was done with calling it ''that place''." "Oh! What name did you find?" Amelia was excited, and Kamala had stars in her eyes. "That''s a lot of expectations. I''m sorry if it is not great." He laughed. "Horizon." The girls absorbed the new word. Amelia opened her mouth wide, and Karteira''s stars disappeared from her eyes. Instead, both of them imagined the horizon. ''A line, beautiful and distant.'' ''Where the sun distance itself from our sight, or reappear before us.'' They both grabbed his hands. "I love it." Amelia had a really bright smile that even surprised him. "There''s no better name for it." Karteira blinked in admiration to his naming sense. He was stuck being praised, when he expected them to laugh at him. "Thank you." The most bright and grateful smile ever appeared on Orion''s face. The girls stopped breathing. Their brain froze completely, leaving them unable to understand anything anymore. This was how brutal his genuine, ultra rare happy smile was. ''This is a weapon of mass destruction.'' Karteira looked at Amelia after turning her head slowly. ''We have to protect the others from this smile.'' They both secretly agreed on that. "Girls? Are you alright?" He waved in front of their face, making them return to reality. *ahem* Amelia cleared her throat in shame. "We''re fine, don''t worry. But anyway, what do we do from now on? We have no other objectives currently. I mean, we still have to hunt the other Apostles, so are we going to depend on the ring again?" Orion looked at Kamala, who was surrounded by her people. "Let''s forget about that for now. I want to relax for a few days." "WH- I''m sorry, what did you say?" Karteira almost choked from laughing because of Amelia''s reaction. "I''m tired, so I want to take it easy. We''ll think about what to do later." Amelia was shocked. ''Where is my training addict Orion?! Where did he go?'' Though, she was half serious. Her real thoughts were closer to this. ''YES! More time with Orion!'' "I''ll make it put with you both in Horizon. I''ll give you a lot of my time both. Whateve-" He made a tough face, remembering one other saying of the book. ''Never promise to ''Everything, Whatever or Anything'' to a woman. They will take it to heart and make you do things you would probably regret.'' "We''ll do things that are in the range of what I can provide." They both understood why he changed his sentence, but that didn''t bother them. ''He is a cautious man.'' ''Yes, he is a very cautious person.'' They thought of the same thing, at the same time. "Orion, good work on getting closer to your goal." Karteira took this chance to finally congratulate him. "Ah..." It finally sunk in. Orion killed another Apostle. The second one. "Yes, thanks to you both." He walked past them, and glanced at them. "Kamala seem to be done, let''s return to Hocride now." They followed behind him after nodding. Orion arrived next to Kamala, and opened the big portal that led them here earlier. The guards all returned to Hocride with the twelve deceased brothers, followed by the survivors of Kaios. Kamala and the girls walked through, leaving Orion alone in the middle of the desert. "I can''t shake that weird feeling." Orion turned and walked through his portal, closing it completely behind him. Chapter 114: Cooking disaster... or is it? Amelia opened her eyes. She stretched her body and looked around. It was currently morning in Horizon. She stayed in her bed for a bit longer before her brain switched on. "Oh." Remembering what happened the day before, she sat on the edge of the bed. After returning to Hocride, the group broke from Kamala. She had a lot to do to accommodate the survivors. *YAWN* Placing a hand in front of her mouth, she stood up and walked toward her clothes neatly folded on her chair. "Hmm." ''I don''t want to wear the clothes I wore yesterday. Let''s change these.'' She walked to her wardrobe and opened it. As she was standing in her white underwear, her gaze fell on a simple white shirt and a grey pair of jeans. Now, only her hair needed to be worked on. The entangled mess that was her head had to be removed. While brushing her hair, something caught her attention. "What''s this smell?" She began to sniff the air, wondering what it could be, before suddenly jolting up. "Something''s burning?!" Her hairbrush fell on the desk, before she slammed her door open. The speed at which she ran down the corridor and down the stairs was astounding. She opened the door to the dining room, and looked inside the kitchen. "Damn it. I still can make it. Let''s try again." Noticing Orion, she quickly walked inside the kitchen. "Orion? What are you doing?" "Hi, Amelia. I''m cooking. Or at least I''m trying." Holding a pan in his right hand and a spatula on his left, it looked different to his usual appearance. To make it worse (or better for some), he was wearing the black apron that Amelia used when she cooked. He looked pretty... good with it? "Well, yes, that I can see. Why are you cooking?" With a smile on his face, he explained. "I felt like improving my cooking skills. I wanted to do something else for once." Amelia blinked a few times and forgot her train of thought. ''Orion? Cooking? What is happening?'' Watching him scrape the burnt food off the pan, she looked around. ''That''s a lot of failed dishes. There''s at least twenty of them.'' Indeed, the plates were scattered on the table next to her, and on the counter on her other side. While looking at the counter, she noticed Karteira sitting at the table in the dining room. "You were here Karteira? Why didn''t you stop him?" "Not even a hello today?" Karteira seemed to complain at Amelia''s bad attitude today. She ignored it after that and answered. "As if I will stop Orion from doing something he wants." "You know how bad his cooking is, right?" "Yes, and? He has the right to improve. What, are you scared that he will steal your place as the cook of the house?" She laughed at her own joke. ''Something is weird. This morning is weird.'' Amelia was lost. Both Orion and Karteira were acting strangely. "Of course not. But this is going too far right now. Leaving him alone will only led to these results. I should have been here to help him at least." But the moment Amelia blinked and reopened her eyes, she was looking at the ceiling, feeling her body fall backward. Orion turned around and threw what he had in his hands, and tried to catch Amelia, unsuccessfully. ''Slipping on a wrapper... Pitiful.'' *BONK* - "BUH!" Amelia opened her eyes in a furry, feeling the intense pain on the top of her head. She stood up and looked around. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ''A dream?'' All that happened previously was in her head. She dreamed of Orion cooking and Karteira defending the atrocious results of his trials. ''Thank the world it was a dream!'' Still grabbing her head, she sat on the edge of her bed. *Knock* *Knock* "Amelia, are you alright?" She heard knocking on her door, followed by Karteira''s worried voice. "Yes, I''m fine. You can enter if you want." Karteira opened the door and closed it behind her after walking inside. "We heard a loud noise coming from your room, so I came to check on you." She took the chair at the desk and sat in front of Amelia. Noticing the shameful blush on her face, Karteira understood that she made the noise. Luckily for her, she managed to hear the most important part. "So, why did you scream "BUH!" out of nowhere? We heard that one too." If her face was slightly pink, now it was bright red. "Are you serious? You heard that?" "Sure we did." Amelia let out a slow, long and quiet sigh out of her mouth. "I fell from my bed... and hit my head on the floor." Karteira stared at her with a blank expression. "That can happen." She was stuck between a raging urge to mock her, or ignore it because this would indeed sometimes happen to anyone. Since she was on a roll in telling what had happened, she told her dream to Karteira. And this time. "Stop laughing!" "Haha- No, that''s too funny!" Karteira was gasping for air. "I''m going to die, thanks to you." "That''s not my problem!" Amelia was pouting, while her friend was mocking her without restraint. "Don''t tell it to Orion though." "I won''t." Karteira wiped her tears away. "..." They exchanged a gaze full of various meaning, until Amelia pressed further. "You''re going to tell him, aren''t you?" Her gaze was piercing. "Of course I will tell him if you don''t. He should know." "Just to be clear, it''s not to shame you. I also want to hear his opinion on that dream." ''And the fact that you slipped on a wrapper, which represented you falling from your bed.'' An uncontained smile formed on her face. "I can''t believe you when you look like that." Karteira turned her face away, avoiding Amelia''s piercing and accusing gaze, with a smile that was barely contained. "Damn it! Now I have to tell him because of you! Why can''t you keep it between us?" ''Because it''s funnier like this.'' "Because it''s funnier like this.'' ''I messed up!'' Karteira blurted out her real thought instead of the excuse she needed. "I knew it." Amelia stood up, done with this discussion. "Anyway. You can go back downstairs, I''m going to change and follow in a bit." "Alright. Take you time." Karteira placed the chair back in it''s place, and opened the door. "He''s in the living room if you''re looking for him. See you later." She waved and closed the door behind her, leaving Amelia pouting like a child. ''I know she''s having fun, but wait until I found a weakness. I''ll be the first to tell him that.'' Her revenge was ongoing. Just like in her dream, she changed to a white shirt and grey pair of pants. She brushed her hair carefully, and before long, she was done. ~ "Cooking? Me?" Orion pointed at himself after dropping his book on his thigh. He was relaxing on the couch inside the living room, when Amelia entered and began to tell her dream to him. With an amused face, he reimagined the dream from her words, until the end. "That''s one way to go, I guess." He laughed when he heard how Amelia slipped on a wrapper before waking up. "I knew you were going to laugh too." "Is your head alright? Is it still hurting?" He wanted to caress her hair, but knowing that she might be hurt, he refrained from doing it. "I doesn''t hurt anymore, but can you just in case?" "Sure." Healing her head didn''t take that long. Orion was improving the speed at which he healed drastically. Since there was nothing else for him to improve on, everything had to be worked upon, and his healing process wasn''t left out. For minor strained and small injuries, less than a minute was needed. For broken bones, large wounds, or scars, around five minutes were needed. Life-threatening injuries, or sicknesses were the hardest to heal. It would take half a day for that. This was still an incredible feat. No one in this world had this kind of ability. How he used his light element was ingenious, and useful. "Done." He lightly tapped on her head. "Thank you, I feel better." The lingering pain finally eased, to Amelia''s joy. "Though, I don''t really have that much of an interest in cooking." She looked at him, knowing what he was going to say. "Because how could you eat your own disgusting food when I am here to cook good meals?" "Exactly. I''m just not made for cooking." He turned his head away, slightly frustrated. ''That''s one of the rare activities I am unable to do. I either burn my food, or change it''s taste inadvertently.'' ''I don''t understand cooking.'' "I''ll help you the day you want to cook. I''ll teach you how to make simple meals." He smiled. "Yes, one day for sure. We have a lot of time on our hands anyway when we''re here." Karteira entered the room with a plate in her hands. Orion and Amelia looked at her while she walked closer to them. "Here, some coffee. I thought it would be a good time to have some." She handed a cup to Amelia, and then Orion, before sitting on the other side of Orion with her own cup. They both thanked her, feeling the heat of the cup between their fingers. Placing the plate on the small table in front of the couch, she relaxed her body while drinking a sip of coffee. Orion placed his book on the table after realizing that it was still on his leg, and also enjoyed his coffee in silence. "So, I''m sorry to break the mood, but I needed to ask." Karteira broke the silence first. "We''ve had time to relax like you wanted, so can you tell me what you are planning to do next? Where are we going?" He sipped his coffee, before looking at her. "In all honesty, I have no idea where to go." "Why?" "I have no leads on the remaining three sparks that left the pillar of light in the past, and one of them was my mother''s ring. We have to take care of the Apostles too, but the closest one is not an enemy, or so that''s what we''ve been told by the man himself." "Florian? That man who talked to you before coming to our realm?" He nodded. "Yes. That same person. I will have a word with Kamala to see if she has some information about him, or other Apostles." "We''ve killed another one of them, we are bound to see a reaction from their side. If not, well, it''s going to cost them." "..." A silent sigh left his mouth, which one was picked up by both girls. "I plan on going to the destroyed town of Bandir before moving further." "!" The mood suddenly changed when they looked at Amelia. Her expression wasn''t pretty at all. She was full of hate just hearing the name of her hometown. "Amelia, you have to see it for yourself. It''s not that far from Hocride, and I can always go there myself beforehand." ''Travelling is going to be easier and faster from now on.'' While thinking that, he stroked Amelia''s hair with his free hand to calm her down. "One day, we''ll find that Kelvin, and you will have your answer." "Right." Amelia calmed down, enjoying his touch. ''She''s like a cat sometimes. That''s cute.'' He imagined Amelia with blonde cat ears on top of her head and a blonde cat tail in her back. He took his hand away from her hair and blushed a little. ''That''s deadly! Thank the world she isn''t like that.'' "Orion?" Karteira called to him, forcing him to returned to reality. "I hope it answered your question at least a bit." "Well, I''m not completely satisfied, but I''ll wait until you had a word with Kamala." Kamala let the topic go, simply enjoying being here, with a cup of coffee in her hands. Orion and Amelia also stopped thinking too much and sipped their coffee. "What do we do this afternoon?" Amelia asked, even though she knew the answer. "Why, training of course." "I knew you''d say that." They both laughed, ready to tackle another tough day of training, in the midst of their peaceful life in Horizon. ~ While time was passing at a slower pace on the other side, a letter found its way to Kamala after returning to Hocride. When she opened the letter, a look of surprise appeared on her face. "This is... I have to tell him about it." She walked downstairs, leaving her work area, and opened the little room with a portal in the middle of it. Without fear, Kamala entered the portal. Chapter 115: A new lead. Twenty minutes in Triazils is equal to twenty hours in Horizon. In the twenty minutes after returning to Hocride, Kamala found a letter on her desk. The moment she read it, she knew Orion had to learn about it. So she without hesitation stepped into the portal that led to him. ''I hope I don''t bother him.'' Was what she thought. She found herself a little ways away from the house. With light steps, she arrived at the house and knocked on the door. *Knock* *Knock* She heard a woman talk, and then a man. "Wait, could this be?" "Yes, that can only be Kamala. I''ll go open the door." Their voices was faint, but she managed to hear them. Orion opened the door for her and welcomed her in. "Hello, Kamala. Come inside." "Hello, Orion." She felt weird because it was only twenty minutes for her since she saw him, while it was a day for him. They greeted each other, before Orion led her to the living room. The three girls greeted each other too, and Kamala sat on a confortable armchair. "Why did you visit? It''s only been twenty minutes on the other side isn''t?" Orion always looked at the hourglass on his bedside when he woke up. The gift he received from the woman merchant was really important to him, for many purpose. One of them was to know how much time passed in Triazils while being in Horizon. "Yes, I didn''t expected to see you so soon either, but something was on my desk when I came back. Timothy said that it arrived an hour after attacking Kaios." Kamala showed the letter she was holding. "A letter? Does it have something to do with me?" She closed her eyes. ''His cautiousness is always working.'' With a smile on her face, she explained. "It may be something you have to know. Read it, and see for yourself." She handed over the letter to Karteira, who passed it to Orion. He took out the letter out and opened it. ''It''s from Florian?'' He began to read it. - "Dear Kamala, I hope you are well. This letter was written in a hurry, so please forgive how short it is. A major incident is happening in Lahro currently, and I am taking care of it at the moment. Recently, there has been murders in the city, focusing on the rare and protected male of the Lamia faction. I''ve managed to pinpoint the criminals with careful observations and deductions, and am going to attack them, while protecting the remaining males. Let me say this, I never expected the situation to turn this bad. The ones doing this are two of our ranks, friends of the now dead Kiel. Julian and Leonis both has been targeting this city in the shadows after I''ve recovered the rights to rule over Lahro. I don''t think I''ll be able to kill both of them, but I''ll at least get one of them. This letter was not a request for help, in any shape or form. I''ve simply written a letter to each of you in case something happened to me, but that shouldn''t happen. Anyway, I hope to see you in the future. P.S. Could you send more news from you? We''re all getting worried hearing from you. Your friend, Florian Delur." - "Hmm. Murders in Lahro. And from two Apostles at that." "What?!" The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. Amelia exclaimed after hearing Orion''s words. "Here." He handed over the letter to Amelia, who immediately began to read it. Karteira wasn''t really interested. She would follow him anywhere at this point. "What do you think about it?" Kamala asked him, worried about his response. "This might be the lead I was looking for. I tried to use the ring for new apparitions of corruption, but there was no reaction at all, which means that the world is safe from corruption. Ivan was the source of it to begin with." "Until another large source of corruption appear, I can''t rely on the ring''s ability." He crossed his arms, thinking of his options. ''We have to go to Bandir at some point, but now that we learned about that situation in Lahro, it might be best to move there first.'' Amelia finished reading the letter, and closed it. "Why didn''t you ever told them you were being attacked by another Apostle too?" Taken by surprise, Kamala remained silent. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to pressure you into answering. It was a random thought of mine, pay it no mind." Amelia apologized gracefully, to which Kamala finally answered. "You don''t have to apologize. You know how I am, I didn''t want to depend on my newly made friends for something like this." Orion finished her sentence. "And you felt that it was unfair to ask them anything at this point?" She silently nodded. "..." Having her answer, Amelia pondered on that. ''I kind of know this feeling. Not wanting to depend on them when you don''t know about their own situations.'' ''Also, with the distance between the cities, it might have been too late at that point.'' ''Noctelagia is on the other side of the continent, Turric is way to far south, and Albriar is currently at war with two Apostles. She would have remained alone to deal with this anyway.'' Seemingly reading her mind, Kamala spoke a truth that froze everyone''s blood on the spot. "Yes, without you three, I would be dead before our first meeting. I would have died during our fight against Ivan if not for Orion too." "If not for you, my future would have been reduced to nothing, and my city and citizens trampled." "For that, I will always be grateful." She bowed as much as she could, to show her sincerity, to which Orion answered with his own honesty. "I don''t regret saving you, and I think they will be pretty happy to learn about your well-being now?" She straightened and agreed to his words. "I''ll write a letter to each of them after this." She broke away from her past, thanks to Orion. Now was the time to take care of present, and think of the future. "But Orion, are you going to do something about this?" Amelia flapped the letter in her hand, catching his attention. "I don''t think he will need help, but I''m thinking about going to see him. We have to avoid any damage made to the remaining factions as much as possible, and these murders are a sign that someone want the Lamia faction to be decimated." Karteira, who didn''t read the letter, had to ask because she couldn''t understand. "Why are they being decimated? You talked about murders, but what does it have to do with a few people and a whole faction?" Orion looked at her, a darkness in his eyes that took her by surprise. "They are killing the males of the Lamias, who are rare to begin with. They are already on the brink of extinction with their low male birth rate, so killing them is like sending them to a slow extinction process, where they will slowly watch each other die until the last one finally die too." She understood what that meant, because of the fairies'' past. They went almost extinct from being hunted down for their materials. "And you can''t let that happen, right?" Orion nodded. "Until I''ve found the Remnant that created the Lamias, they have to be protected." The one who created the Lamia faction was Velridar, unknowing to Orion and the girls. Only Tiohr-nam, Dramia, and Drania knew about that fact. Other Remnants knew of course, but they weren''t currently known by anyone at this point. "I see. Then I''ll follow you." Karteira approved of their next stop, feeling a sense of familiarity with the Lamias. "Then it''s decided, we''ll go to Lahro next." And just like that, thanks to Kamala, their next path was ready for them. "When do we depart?" Great surprise and sadness appeared on Kamala''s face when she heard those words. ''I knew they would leave at some point, but that''s quite sudden.'' ''That''s how it is for them, moving from places to places, to accomplish their goals.'' She shared many good memories this them from her month of training. In Triazils, only three days happened between Orion arriving to Hocride, and him killing Ivan for good. But she happened to know him for more than that. They helped her so much, yet she felt that she herself help them so little. "Not yet. We''ll take our time in here for a few days, before moving toward Lahro. Let''s buy supplies today, before moving tomorrow." This eased her emotions slightly, knowing that she would be able to share time with they a bit longer with them. ''I never expected to get so friendly with someone else. I thought I wasn''t worth it, that it wasn''t authorized for me to be friendly, because of what happened.'' Kamala was thinking a lot, while the three in front of her were happily making plans on what to buy and were to go. ''But they made me think otherwise.'' ''Orion, he single-handedly made me accept my past, something that followed me constantly in every choices I made so far.'' ''Amelia, who always knew what to say and what not to. She is honest, but pretty reserved, reading the mood to not affect others with her sharp words.'' ''And Karteira. Even though I don''t know much about her because all she loves is food and battles, I learned a lot from her concerning the fairies.'' ''They were all incredibly powerful, and without them, things would have been completely different.'' Her mind was moving fast, so fast that there was something she had to ask. "I-Is it going to be the last time we''re seeing each other?" She looked at her hands on her knees, avoiding the gazes of the people in front of her. "Why do you think that?" The one that answered first was Amelia. "Because I don''t know what will happen next. And I don''t want this friendship to end so suddenly." "..." Orion, Amelia, and Karteira all exchanged a glance, before he decided to tell her. "It''s not going to be the last time, or it''s what I planned to begin with." He explained to her his plan on building a separate house for guests, because he felt that would be better than having them in his house. Telling her about the portal that will stay in her house made her smile brightly. "It''s like that, so you don''t have to worry. When we''re inside Horizon, you''ll notice the portal being open. That''s the moment you will be able to join us." Karteira added something right after that. "But be ready, if you enter, you can expect to join us on training." Kamala gulped, remembering the tough training session. But she also wanted to become stronger. She had to work on her elements, and recover her lost mastery. "I''ll be glad to do that." The grin on Karteira''s face was hard to ignore. ''Another sparring partner, great!'' Orion could read her mind like a book. Well, anyone could. "Anyway, let''s get out of Horizon. There''s places we have to go right now." "Can''t I accompany you?" Kamala asked, fearing a rejection. "Of course, you know the city better than us, so it''s good to have you with us." She smiled and nodded, happy. "Oh, but I have to check on the new citizens later on." Remembering the rescued people from Kaios, this was her duty to do that. "Then we''ll come with you, we have that responsibility too, right Orion?" Karteira said, thinking of the baby Orion saved. Unexpectedly, he nodded. They chatted a bit more, and finally left their seat. Following close to Orion, they walked out of the house, and toward the portal leading to Kamala''s house. Once back in Triazils, they began their shopping with Kamala. Chapter 116: One last walk around Hocride. "It really is a great city." After walking out of the portal and going threw the crowd, Orion expressed his amazement to Kamala. Karteira and Amelia had left them together, looking for the supplies they needed. "Thank you for the praise." She smiled, knowing that he was praising her. "I''ll be honest, I never expected to see someone accept other factions instead of oppressing them." He continued while watching the beastmen happily moving around doing various tasks from his place. They were standing against a wall, with the sea glistening beautifully in front of them. The piers were full of working people, going in and out of boats, delivering supplies and crates to them. "At first, I thought that this continent had to be purged from the human faction. Well, maybe not the whole faction, but whoever was causing the rift between the factions." "When I saw the state of Hocride when we arrived, I almost couldn''t believe it." He closed his eyes. "The sight of humans helping beastmen to escape, without a hint of pushing them away, was the moment I realized that not all humans want our end." "And fighting Ivan made me realize that even between humans, atrocities and oppression can happen." He reopened his eyes, and turned to her. "If I was seeing this world in black and white before coming here, now, I can see a little color in there thanks to you." "I cannot understood how hard it was, and how bad your past affected you, but what you did for this city, for this continent and the people living in it, is something you can be proud of." "And that is why I will be on your side, because the ones that strive to make this world better are worth every effort to support." This was the first time for her, hearing his honest thoughts about her, and the city she worked so hard to maintain in this state. "I''ve built this city from its former self not because I felt like I had to, but because I had to atone for what happened at that time." "But you did not repeat what she did. In itself, it is greater than doing nothing." "Of course I couldn''t repeat her actions!" Orion stayed silent. He felt that she wasn''t done speaking. "How could I? She was my biological mother, yes. I can accept that. But she was too lost in her desire to gain more power. She lost herself, and died because of that." "I have accepted that fact. I killed her, because it was necessary, because her ways were disgusting. And even without me, there would have been a wave coming her way." "Even if I hadn''t act, the town''s people would have sacrificed their life for me. That''s what Timothy said." "She had it coming for a long time. So why would I imitate such a thing, knowing that the only result was going to be death?" "I wanted to live, to undo what she did, give a meaning to my own life, and leave my mark on this world." She placed both hands on her chest and looked straight in his eyes. "Was that selfish of me to do that? Am I a coward for wanting to live? Am I stupid for wanting to protect what I''ve built?" The words kept flowing out of her mouth. This conversation was the continuation of their previous conversation, stopped by Amelia at that time. Now that they were alone, she could finally give her own feelings about the situation, which Orion could only assume until now. "Everything is not as straightforward as that. Like you said, selfishness, cowardice, stupidity, and everything else. How can you create something without those feelings?" "Maybe you are selfish, a coward, and stupid. But where did it led you? Tell me, do you regret that?" His eyes were pressing her to answer. "I don''t regret it." She shook her head. "Then it''s the most important. To be clear, I don''t care what other''s deepest desires are. I have mine, you have yours. This is what makes us walk forward." "You selfishness made other people''s life better, your cowardice made you see what was more important between misplaced pride and the value of your own life, and that said stupidity led you to protect what was truly important to you, and at the same time, to others." His words were brutally honest. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Kamala stood there, accepting his words that were true, and led her once again to accept her own feelings. ''This is what it means to have him as a friend... he will never let you regret your decisions and will support you all the way.'' "Now that I remember, I said something about ''worth'' yes- today." "About me being worth saving? What about it?" He scratched his cheek, slightly embarrassed. "Well, now that I think about it, it was pretty rude to say that. I''m sorry." She blinked a few times, before laughing. "I don''t care. I know that you don''t me or anyone as objects, it''s your way to value our usefulness in the future, right?" Orion looked at her with surprise. ''How can she understand me so well already?'' "You are right, that''s how I saw you." "Why past tense?" She caught his words, and questioned him about it. "Because the moment we''ve formed a bond, I''ve stopped seeing your usefulness. I don''t see my friends as pawn to be used at my own convenience." "I see. That would be weird if you considered your friends like that." "Right? That''s why I made it clear right now. Your life was ''worth'' saving. I suffered a little for it, but that''s all. Compared to losing a friend, this was one small price to pay." She smiled at him brightly when she remembered him walking in front of her to stop the lightning spear. ''He used my earth magic to find a way to stop the spear without hesitation.'' "And I am grateful for that. From now on, my life is in your hands. If you desire my help, you will have it anytime, even against Elliot if needs be." Orion nodded, with a small smile on his face. "Thank you. I''ll be sure not to misuse your life. I have more responsibilities now." He turned around when he heard two voices he knew approach. "We''re back. Were we too long?" Orion shook his head to answer Amelia. "Here you go." A portal opened to Horizon. Amelia and Karteira walked through it, before instantly coming out. "It always amazes me that such a power exists. This truly is a great power." Kamala thought that this was a good place to avoid the tough everyday life. Time was moving faster inside Horizon, which made it perfect to relax multiple days without caring about Triazils. You could stay a month away from the world, and it would only be morning if you entered at night. "It is. Once again thanks to you. If that book wasn''t in display, I would have never find a way to create it." Kamala remembered her first encounter with Orion. Karteira didn''t miss that moment to speak about it. "Who in the world walks up to someone else''s bookcase and ask to read a book in the middle of an important conversation? And to make the matter worse, you''ve almost destroyed her house." "I''m sorry alright? I can''t stop myself when I see a book from N. And you say that, but you''re happy to have a house far from prying eyes isn''t it?" He was referring to her tail. "And I''ve rearranged everything after. I''m not so rude as to let someone else clean up my mess." "That''s true. But you could have waited before doing that." "My curiosity took the better of me. Give me a break. It''s like you and your food reviews." Karteira was astonished, he managed to defend himself perfectly. She wanted to banter a bit with him. "Damn, I lost the argument." Kamala, Amelia, and even Orion looked at her, before bursting in laughter. She smiled and laugh together with them. ''This kind of mood is nice. It''s different from what I''ve experienced in the orphanage.'' Orion thought about the children of the orphanage. He was never in bad terms with them. On the contrary, they were closer to friends then not. It was Orion that always stayed distant, because of his obsession over hunting. He kept himself busy with training, and avoided wasting time. He read a lot, he trained a lot, and only spent time with Amelia. ''I wonder if they''re doing alright?'' Now that they were adults, they''ve built their own families, and some orphans even ended up together. ''Since we''re going to Lahro, and possibly Albriar, I think it would be nice to go back to Auro at some point. After that, we should go to Bandir, all the way east.'' His desire to return home was getting stronger after three months of being away. He wanted to see his mentor, Director Keith, his old friends, and the villagers that helped him. ''I need to write that letter for Dylan too. Maybe we''ll go through his village if we have to go south.'' Then, something that was constantly on his mind popper up. ''Wait, isn''t there one of the three lights that separated from the pillar in the south?'' It came to his realization that he had to go south at some point. ''The last two are both west. This is going to take a while before finding anything.'' He turned and stared at Amelia. "What? Do I have something on my face?" She pointed at herself, not understanding why he was looking at her so intently. "I have our future route around the continent." "A route around the continent? To our next stops?" He nodded. "First, we''ll go to Lahro, then Albriar. After that, we''ll return home, to Auro." When he said that, Amelia opened her mouth wide. ''I thought he would never return to Auro before fighting Elliot? Did he change his mind?'' "Bandir''s ruins are further east, and Auro is on the way there, so I thought, why not?" He left a blank there, in case Amelia or Karteira had a question. "And after Bandir? Were do we go?" He looked at Karteira, who asked the question. "South. We''re going in the Frigoria Plains." "!" "Turric is also in the south, you might want to see Eric then." Kamala said, remembering that Eric was doing well in cold environment. "Right. We''ll go there too. After that, we''ll have to go west." "Wait! Why are we going into the Frigoria Plains? You know that these are dangerous plains, full of corrupted!" He stayed silent for a second, before speaking his mind. "There might be my mother''s ring somewhere in there. I can''t let it rot there if it is. Don''t worry, I''ll go there myself if I have to." "That''s not what I''m saying! I''m not scared of the plains, I''m scared of what''s inside that area! They sealed the whole continent from these plains with a giant wall for a reason!" Amelia was losing it, for legitimate reason. The Frigoria Plains were one of the most deadlier places on the continent, not only because of it''s harsh environment, but also because of the treacherous corrupted being there. "I know, but what else can I do? If there''s something lost in there related to my parents, I have to get it." *sigh* "I know. We''ll have to be careful then." Amelia gave up, because she knew that he wouldn''t give up on it, ever. "That''s everything for now. All of that should take us around a month, if I use ''Spatial Shift'' to move around various places." Kamala only listened, knowing that she wouldn''t be a part of it. At least, she was happy to know where they would be going. ''The last one to see Orion will be Olivia. I hope she is doing alright.'' "Anyway, was that all the shopping we had to do?" He changed topic, since he was done speaking about it. "No, there''s still a few materials we need for the guest house." "Alright then, let''s move. We still have to see the new citizens, right?" Kamala nodded. This was something that had to be done, they were her responsibilities. They all moved around town, buying whatever was necessary, and transporting it to Horizon. They ended the day with seeing the Kaios survivors, now a part of Hocride. Kamala gave them opportunities to change their lives, which they had to ponder for a few days, before deciding what to do. After that, they returned to Kamala''s house. The group returned to Horizon to spend the night there, before realizing that even if they slept through the night, they would come out of the place when Triazils would still be in the darkness. They had a choice, stay for another month inside Horizon, or leave at night. Chapter 117: No time to rest. "We''re moving tonight. The situation is too dire for us to enjoy another month in Horizon." Orion, Amelia, and Karteira where all sitting at the dining room''s table, in their house. "You have no need to train anymore?" Karteira asked seriously. "Currently, I don''t need to train much. I know you want to, so don''t worry, you''ll have plenty of time once we know the full story from Florian." "You still owe me a match." "How could I forget?" They both exchanged a heated gaze, and if Amelia wasn''t there to stop them, they would already be outside fighting. "Another time for that. Orion, why are we going at night? We usually move around dawn, or a bit later than that. What changed this time?" He calmed his fighting spirit, and turned to Amelia, who wanted his full attention. "Right, that''s why I''ve told you two that we''re leaving earlier than expected." After crossing his arms, he explained. "Do you remember what we are against this time?" "Criminals?" "Technically, yes. But more specifically. There was a term in the letter that you should remember." "..." Orion remained silent until Amelia remembered what he was talking about. "Murderers... I think I get it." ''That''s Amelia, she''s getting faster each time. Has she finally decided to improve ''Calm Analysis''?'' "I don''t get it, could you explain?" Karteira lifted her hands, feeling left out. Amelia looked at Orion before asking him. "Can I explain? Correct me if I''m wrong though." He remained silent after nodding. "Karteira, you should know what name Orion gives himself. It is his title in a way." ''His title? A name he gives himself?'' She pondered for a second, until the words surfaced in her mind. "A hunter?" "Exactly. What is a hunter''s main focus?" "To remain hidden, and to hunt his prey." "That''s right. Here''s the real question. What should a hunter do when faced against a murderer?" ''What kind of question is that?'' Karteira felt stupid being asked this question. ''I am not a child, heck, I''m older than both of you.'' She stared at Amelia with a doubtful look. Seeing that Amelia was serious, she gave up and answered. "Remain in the shadows, and find a moment to either avoid them, or kill them." "Then you understood too. It''s as simple as that. Orion doesn''t want the two other Apostles to see him, or else it could put the whole thing Florian is doing in jeopardy." "Oh. Now that you say it like that, yes, it makes sense." Orion followed with his own explanation. "What Amelia said was what I was thinking, though, it''s missing a few bits." "In case one of the two Apostles manages to flee and report my actions to the others, I would prefer if it was only me. You two should stay hidden as much as possible, until the last moment." "I would even hope that the moment you will be found out would be against Elliot. The element of surprise is always better. If used well, we can pressure him when the time comes." He stopped when he saw the gazes directed at him. If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "If you think that I will leave you behind, then you can already stopped worrying. We''re avoiding the enemies eyes, that''s all." "You won''t everything alone, right? I know you, if I look away for a minute, you will do something crazy, or do everything by yourself." ''That underground moment is still stuck in my mind. I don''t want that to happen ever again.'' "I have no excuses, that''s how I am." He shrugged, smiling. "Alright, so we''re leaving at night. And then?" Karteira continued to ask about the plan. "While I use ''Spatial Shift'' to arrive near Lahro, I want you to stay in Hocride. You can do whatever you want during that time." "We''ll stay with Kamala. If something important happens and you open a portal with us nowhere around, it''s bound to be problematic." They both wanted to follow after him, but only him could pass through the invisible portal he created. "Once in Lahro, I''ll come and get you. This will be the last time we''ll step in Hocride until who knows when. Since we''ll see Kamala often during our long stays in Horizon, you don''t have to say goodbyes." The girls nodded, thinking on what to talk about next, while Orion was dedicated to his own thoughts. ''If only I had obtained the power to link two places together before leaving the fairy realm, maybe I could go and see Tiohr-nam. There are many things I need to learn about the Remnants and herself.'' ''It''s only been a few weeks for them. For us, it has been more than a month at this point.'' ''I wonder if the sisters managed to complete their errand?'' His thoughts were directed to Dramia and Drania. ~ "Are you sure? You two can stay with us a little longer, you know?" Ruminona spoke to the sister, who were watching the place they were sleeping in while inside Ormdivin melt from the release of magic. "We have to go, it''s already been too long since we''ve left our Remnant. We have to explain what happen, and tell her of our newly forged desire." Dramia, who seemed to have released some of her edge, answered normally. "We truly appreciate the help the dragon faction gave to us, even though we don''t have much to share with you." She looked apologetic, knowing that she received the dragon''s help only because they were acquainted to Orion and Amelia. "Knowing that the fairy faction is doing well is still a great news to us. Think of it like this. Knowing about what these two are doing is more than enough for us currently. What could you give to us dragons that would be valuable anyway?" Ruminona let out a big puff of wind magic from her nose. "We''ve managed to return to the nest without losing a single member. That is something that few would be able to pull off." Two other people appeared in her mind. The first, was the first demon that came into contact with the dragons, and the second one, was Amelia. Ruminona felt that in the hands of Amelia, her life would be led with absolute intent to make everyone''s life better. Now, the sisters, and especially Dramia, showed how composed and meticulous she was when leading huge formation of dragons. That fact had left every dragons in awe. ''Being''s so little, being able to sway our will.'' She admired the courage Dramia had shown during the Northern Sea Chasm''s mission. ''Maybe, just maybe, we dragons will have to pick a side in the near future.'' Another puff of wind magic came out of her nose, as if she was mocking something. ''We''ve already picked a side. We''ll stay by Amelia''s side, even if she is the last one standing in the middle of a broken world.'' "Sis, I''m done. The house is no more." Drania turned around after confirming that the house made of packed dirt and rocks had returned to nothing but raw materials. "Alright, we''ll walk around one last time to say goodbye to the dragons, and then we''ll return to Tiohr." Dramia walked next to her sister, and looked at Ruminona. Together, they bowed. "Thank you, for everything." Ruminona watched as both fairies flapped their wings, lifting their body from the ground. "Take care on your way. Oh! Wait, Father said something I should relay to you." Dramia looked at her quizzically. - "Ruminona, I''m going to return to the ocean. But before that, I have a message I would like you to give to the girls." "What is it?" "This is a message that they should relay to another person. I don''t know his name, nor his face. All I know is that he is the strongest smaller being on this continent." "What I want you to speak is..." - "Be wary of your choices. Follow your strength, yet do not blindly listen to it. Do not compare courage to foolishness. Listen to the ones around you before jumping head on." The sisters both fell in deep thoughts. ''This is definitely for Orion.'' ''Yes, as the concept of strength, Velridar might know a lot on Orion''s capabilities.'' ''Then we''ll have to find a way to relay that to him.'' ''We''ll get to see him again, don''t worry.'' Thanks to them being twins, their ability to telepathically speak between each other was strong. "We''ll try our best to relay this message to Orion." Ruminona nodded her huge head. "Let''s hope that it will arrive in time before anything happens to him." They bowed one last time, and this time, they left the cave where Ruminona and Monolavir were living in. The dragons all bent their head in respect toward them as they passed through the tunnel, and arrived at the entrance. Monolavir was waiting for them there. "Like we did with Orion and Amelia, separating is always hard. Be sure to return healthy to your place." Dramia and Drania nodded. They said their last goodbye, and flew straight toward the Dead White forest. Two days later, they would arrive, and return to their realm without encountering any problem. Tiohr-nam was immediately informed of what had happened, about their memories concerning Noah, and their determination to help Orion. They also spoke about Velridar, and the similarities about the dome''s inside and Orion''s explosion during his failed attempt to create a new element. And when Tiohr-nam opened her mouth to tell them about what she felt in Orion, they both screamed ''WHAT?!'' together. The news of Orion creating a new element finally reached the sisters. ~ "Alright, I''m finally here, Lahro." Orion walked through one last ''Spatial Shift'', right in the middle of a plain. He looked at the weirdly built city. The center of the city, the royal palace, was higher than everything around. The city''s alleys and roads, with the houses, were lower the further you moved from the center. It helped Orion to see past the ten meters high wall protecting it. He observed everything intently, in the hope of getting something without entering the city. ''I don''t see any movement at all. There''s no sign of life. No one is walking in the streets, and even the lights are out.'' Only the royal palace was heavily lighted. ''This is strange. Why is the city so dark?'' While looking, something he immediately recognized flashed in the dark streets of the city. ''Well, that was faster than I could have expected.'' Without opening a portal to Hocride to get the girls waiting on him, he rushed inside the city, hidden in the shadows, and toward the light. Chapter 118: Florian, protector of the lamias. Orion entered the city quietly. There was no guards, and no sign of the lamias. He passed the gate, and ended in the middle of the main street. A muffled roaring lightning, different from Ivan''s, could be heard in the city. ''What''s happening? I''ve never seen a city in this state before. Where are the citizens?'' To be as discret as possible, Orion kept to the shadows. His hunting capabilities slowly returned after a long time of not using them. He hid in the shadows and moved silently toward the sound. ''It''s getting louder, I''m getting close.'' ''If the situation allows it, I''ll get the girls before doing anything.'' Learning from his lessons not to do everything by himself, he was ready to avoid getting yelled at. Slipping through the dark alleys, the sound became quiet all of the sudden. ''Let''s see what''s happening.'' Orion slowly looked from the corner of the building he was hiding behind. There, he saw the cause of the noise, and a situation close to Kamala, but reversed. Florian was in the middle of the street, holding someone by the throat. The man was lifted so that his feet couldn''t touch the ground. "Do you have any idea of what you did? Is that how you are supposed to display your power?" Florian''s face displayed anger, and disappointment. His body was hurt in many places, with his clothes cut here and there. "Y-You have... no idea what yo-your speaking... about." But the man in his hands was in a much worse state. He was burnt everywhere, and missed his left leg and an right arm. "Then tell me, why are you in such a pitiful state? I didn''t drink that mixture like you, so why am I stronger than you?" "F-Fuck... you!" "That''s all you have for me? You don''t even have the decency to answer my question? Then I have no use in keeping you alive." "N-No... No! Wa-" Lightning magic flowed from the Florian''s shoulder to his hand holding the man''s throat. "UuuuUUUuuuUuaaaaaaaaAAaa-" The man convulsed strongly, before dying from electrocution. Florian''s grip released, looking at the body falling on the ground. ''Damn. Lightning magic is scary in the hand of some people.'' That''s the only thing Orion had in his mind. After a few seconds, he weighted if coming out would be a good or bad idea, but he didn''t came as an enemy, so he came out of hiding after looking around for more enemies. "Florian Delur, right?" The man turned around with a frown on his face, before surprised appeared over it. "Orion?! Why are you here? Wait, are you here to kill me perhaps?" He shook his head. "No, I''m not here for that, you can be at ease." Florian exhaled a long breath of relieve. "I''m sorry, I''m a little on edge. I''ve been dealing with a huge problem in Lahro, the city I recovered the right to lead thanks to you." "The murders of male lamias? Yes, I know." "How-" "Read this, it will give you everything you need to know." Orion handed over a letter with the crest of Hocride. "A letter from Kamala? Wait, what?!" He took it gently from Orion and opened it with a flick of his hands, cutting an opening with lightning. His emotions kept changing while reading. "..." "..!" This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. *sigh* "Good." "Kamala..." "I see." Florian folded the letter back, and placed it in one of his breast pockets. "Orion, thank you very much." Florian bowed his body very low toward Orion. "Why are you thanking me?" Taken aback, Orion asked him. "Not only did you save my friend, but you chose to come to my aid after hearing the situation from Kamala. How could I not thank you for that?" Orion smiled at the respectful man in front of him. ''I''ve already knew how respectful this man was from our previous encounter, but he his more than that.'' After being with Kamala, a human, and an Apostle by name only, he began to place his trust in Florian. He kept his cautiousness at maximum level as usual, but his previous edge had disappeared. "After finishing my business with the fairies, I found my way to her city. I wasn''t supposed to save her, but I took your words seriously and saved her anyway. I don''t regret that choice." "If my words were enough to save one of my friends, then I am glad. All that work didn''t end up in being for nothing." He walked closer to Orion, limping slowly from a bad cut on his leg. "Once again, thank you." Florian stopped in front of Orion and extended his hand. "You want to electrocute me too?" Orion joked with a smile on his face as he grabbed his hand. Florian laughed and shook hands with Orion. "Hmm?" When he wanted to retract his hands, he saw that Orion wasn''t letting go. His body grew hotter, and he felt slightly better. Giving to the feeling, he remained in place without questioning anything, until Orion removed his hand. "I feel way better all of a sudden." He looked at his body and looked for his injuries that had been healed. "What kind of magic is that? This is incredible. Thank you." "This is my own magic." After Florian finished examining his body, Orion continued. "What happened? And who was this man you were fighting?" Florian turned his head and looked at the burnt body laying on the floor. "That was the Apostle Leonis. Since Kamala said to trust you, I will do just that, and explain the situation to you." ''He killed another Apostle... alone. He''s either strong, or the other was weak.'' Orion kept his gaze on Florian, trying to learn more about him by analyzing his movements. "I''ve explained the situation to Kamala in my letter. Two Apostles, Julian and Leonis, attacked Lahro. Their motives are unknown to me, but there is multiple reasons for that." "Jealousy because I recovered the city faster, my bad-blood with Kiel, me trying to help the lamias, or simple murdering." "After Kiel died, it''s been hard to keep them at bay, but they''ve gone too far this time." Orion spoke when Florian left a blank in the conversation. "Though, I''m the one that killed the guy." "That you did, and it was gruesome. If I have one thing against you for doing that, it would have been that you did it in front of Olivia, but it is also true that the opportunity was perfect." ''He has guts, I''ll give him that. Maybe he thinks that I won''t kill him anymore?'' Orion wasn''t thinking of hunting Florian, he had no need for that. But he wasn''t persuaded yet, because seeing the effort to help the lamias helped his case. "Why is that a bigger problem than killing one of your rank?" "Well, this is something you wouldn''t know, since you aren''t an Apostle yourself, but Olivia obtained a place in our ranks only recently." "Oh, why is that? I knew she was too young in a place like this at the time." "Her father fell ill and is close to death, so she obtained the place by elimination. Since she is an ony child, and of age, she was practically forced to join us." ''That''s unfair.'' "If you think that this is unfair, than I am with you on that. The same happened for me. My mother retired all of the sudden when I was younger, leaving me to take care of everything." The previous Lord of Albriar was Florian''s mother, a person too shy to come to the meetings of the Lords. So at the first opportunity, she threw everything on her son and stopped showing herself anymore. ''And he reads my mind too. Or we think the same way.'' Orion internally shrugged, as he began to believe that it was easy to read his emotions. In fact, only Amelia was able to do that, and maybe Karteira sometimes. It was because of the situation that forced one type of thought from people that led them to think the same. "Anyway, let''s get back to the question." Florian returned to explain the situation. "Since Kiel died, I''ve been having these two to deal with with the paperwork of both cities to deal with. Then, I began receiving worrying reports about male lamias dying." "It was worrying because the women lamias protect the males with their lifes, they are really important, and even the Queen ordered that. The men are a treasure for this city." "Which is understandable, considering that one out of a two hundred lamia is a male." A shocking expression appeared on Orion''s face. "I didn''t know about that." "There''s a lot of things you learn when you become an Apostle. That damn book has it all." Florian talked about the Apostle book, which spoke about the secret information of the continent. He continued. "That''s why, the moment I saw that the case wasn''t solved as a natural death, and that even the women lamias didn''t understand why it was happening, I knew I had to investigate." "I used my own power to learn of what was happening, though more lost their life, to my regret." "After a lot of research around Lahro, I learned of Julian and Leonis sightings in the city, which led me straight to believe of their involvement in all of this." "Before long, these guys personally went to kill a male lamia. I caught them in the act, saved the man, and pursued them down the road, but they escaped because the man''s injury was a priority for me." Florian looked at his surroundings, and at the houses specifically. "The next day, I''ve ordered everyone to stay in their houses and avoid going outside at all cost. They gladly followed my orders. But it''s been a two weeks already, and this had to change." "So I broke my own words, and used ''Lightning Rush'' to move around the city until I''ve found these guys." "Today, I managed to catch them hiding around here. I immediately attacked, but only managed to capture Julian. Leonis made a break for it the moment he saw that he couldn''t do anything." ''That''s quite the story.'' "You''ve made my job easier, you know that?" Orion pointed at the corpse on the ground. "I don''t care about that. Apostle or not, Hybrid or other faction, if you do not show any respect to the lives of the many living in my city, or cities as of now, I will not tolerate that." His face was determined. He knew what his work was, and it was to protect what was around him. "I killed him because he was not doing anything for himself, nor the city he was ruling over. The same could be done for Leonis. These two mostly relied on Kiel for everything." "Mostly lamia women... which disgust me to no end." Florian winced at that. He remembered the many reports of missing lamias, and the ones having suffered those acts. "There''s nothing we can do to save those who did horrible things to others, don''t you think?" Orion nodded. He knew what that was, because he himself was working toward fighting Elliot, who took his parents away from him, and killed both factions he belong to. "Now that I know what is happening, do you mind following me?" Orion turned around and lifted his hand in front of him, creating a portal. Florian tilted his head, wondering what was that about. "You can walk through. Think of it as a door." He took his words, and walked through. Orion followed right after. "Damn, it''s hot in here." Looking around, his gaze fell on someone he recognized. "Florian?" Kamala blinked a few times, while Florian smiled happily. Chapter 119: Florian meets Kamala once again. Florian walked to Kamala, who was sitting on one of her couches. He was looking a bit exhausted, which showed on his face. He had a disheveled hairstyle, short on the back, with his hair slightly covering his eyes. He had thin glasses with a black outline, going with his black hair that were closer to a light black rather than the darker black Orion had. His clothes were a bit ragged from his previous fight, but it was still holding. He was wearing a kind of suit that showed his professional aspects. The shape of his eyes was pretty peculiar too. He had almond shaped eyes, almost like a fox. If you didn''t knew him, you would think that he was a conniving person. He wasn''t buff by any means, but his legs were strong, because of his constant running while using his lightning magic. He sat next to her and dropped his head. "I am so happy to know you are safe. I understand that you tried to lessen our worries, but that was a close call." "You''re right, I''m sorry. I know I should''ve write about what was happening with Ivan to you, but I didn''t want that to disturb the new friendship we''ve built between us four." Florian sighed. "There''s only regret for the ones remaining. At least know that we would have regretted not being able to help you in your times of need." Silently, they exchanged sorrowful gazes. Amelia and Karteira stood up from their seat with slightly bothered expressions. "Orion, why is he here? Did you fight by yourself again?" But this time, he did absolutely nothing. "No, I arrived near Lahro as it was expected, and the moment I looked into the city, there was no signs of life. No lights, no people, only a purple lightning flash I''ve recognized from being from being used by Florian." "So you entered the city?" Karteira asked not satisfied by his answer. With a nod, he continued. "There was no guards, and no one in the streets either. I''ve walked through the dark alleys silently, until I arrived to were the light was coming from." "And?" Amelia crossed her arms, prepared for another piece of news, but not the one Orion was about to say. Neither Karteira was prepared for that. "Florian was in the middle of finishing one of the Apostles." The jaws of both girls dropped to the ground. Kamala was listening to his words from her seat. "After he dealt the final blow, I''ve came out of the darkness, and we''ve discussed for a bit, until I decided that him seeing Kamala would be better than speaking in the middle of a city." Amelia turned her face, glancing at Florian. "I knew that the Apostles were powerful. Kamala did managed to kill Ivan, but is it that easy to end your own members?" Florian answered after sitting straight. "I wouldn''t say that it was easy. At first, it was a two against one fight. What makes you win that kind of fight is how you use your magic to create an advantage for you only." "Amelia, was it?" She simply nodded. "What does the word ''powerful'' represent in your eyes?" A simple question, but hard to answer nonetheless. "In that case, isn''t it the way someone uses their element?" Florian placed a hand on his chin, thinking of what she said. "Can you develop your thought?" She began to ponder, before answering again. "You and Ivan possess the same lightning element, but the way you two use it is completely different. Even I use it differently, and Orion''s father was even more powerful than most lightning users." "That''s what I meant. If you use your element to create opportunities for yourself, and turned the fight your way, then you are powerful." He kept thinking over it until his own answer came to be. "That is a good point. Since the way we use our element seems to be instinctive, I never thought that much about it." "For me, being powerful is how you can observe each detail in a fight, or how you will plan an attack against someone. I even go as far as wait a few seconds before attacking just to see what my enemy will do." "Yes, that is indeed a wonderful point of view. How we use our magic is may be forged the moment we are born, but slight changes in it''s uses seems plausible." Kamala interrupted him. "It''s not ''plausible'', it''s a fact. I''ve managed to do that myself." "Interesting." Orion remained silent, watching carefully for any suspicious movement. Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. ''I think he his safe to ignore, he seems to have the same interest for knowledge, like myself.'' Having found someone like him, a need to discuss with him slowly grew inside of his head. While Kamala explained what happened with her own power, and how she used it differently during her fight against Ivan, Florian understood what this was all about. "I see. In some ways, it is close to my own view of the subject, and it develops it perfectly too." While looking at Amelia again, he explained his view. "From my own point of view, and your own, we can say that being powerful is someone that can judge the situation in the middle of a battle, observing each and every details, while also changing his way of using everything he possess to best his enemies, changing tactics every times to perfectly exploit the enemy''s weaknesses." Amelia, Karteira, and even Kamala looked at Orion. Feeling the gazes of the three women, he felt weird. "What?" Karteira looked at Amelia and spoke what they all thought together. "That''s the definition of Orion, isn''t it? I mean, he never uses the same tactics against his enemies. Remember the underground?" She was right. Even though the attacks didn''t changed for smaller and less powerful individuals, like the inferior corrupted, or the soldiers, when it was about a Corrupted Lord, or an Apostle, Orion never used any random tactics, and even used ''Calm Analysis'' every times. He was able to change the outcome of a fight because of his keen sense of danger, and how fast he noticed the small details. "You''re right about that, he might be the definition of the word." While shaking his head from left to right, he stopped them. "That''s not true. You cannot define someone as a simple word." "I am a living person too, I do make mistakes sometimes, and I am quite impulsive when it involves you two, so you cannot say that I am powerful." Karteira walked up to him and fist bumped his chest. "Even if you say that, you use your power correctly, and you make the best of our own abilities. Just take the compliment." She winked at him as he looked perplexed. He looked at Amelia who simply smiled at him, before looking at Kamala who was agreeing with Karteira. "Fine, I''ll accept it. Thank you." Orion scratched his cheek and turned his face away. ''Besides Amelia, no one complimented me before. Well, except mom and dad, but they''re not around.'' "I''m sorry if it is bothersome, but I don''t know anything about you, lady with the blue hair. I also don''t know much about anything that took place before finding myself in here. Where am I anyway?" They all blinked while looking at Florian. These were legitimate questions coming from someone that had never been warped before. "You are in Hocride right now." Kamala answered the question related to her. Next was Karteira, but before speaking, she thought instead of asking Orion. ''Do I tell him that I am a fairy? Or do I wait? I don''t think he is trusty enough to learn about that right now." She threw a glance toward Orion discreetly, and chose to keep it hidden for now. "I''m Karteira. I''ve joined these two before they arrived in Hocride." Florian pushed his glasses back on top of his nose, registering her name in his mind. "Orion, if we have to explain everything, why don''t we do that on the other side?" He placed a hand on his chin, pondering about what to do. "Kamala, do you trust him?" "I do. He really works toward the freedom of the other factions, and even punish the humans that works against his orders to do so." ''I don''t feel any indication of him being an enemy. I have to agree this time, but I''ll still keep an eye on him.'' He looked at Amelia and Karteira with a serious look, conveying his thought. They knew that he had to be cautious about him until they assessed him completely. After they were all on the same wavelength, he looked at Kamala. "Alright, let''s change places." Opening another portal, Amelia and Karteira entered without hesitation. "Florian, please walk through this once again." Orion spoke carefully to not bother the man, who didn''t thought too much about it, and stood up. "Moving places? I''m interested by your power, please explain it to me at a later date." He walked through the portal with a smile on his face. Not long after, Kamala arrived in front of him. "Thank you for trusting my words." Silently, he nodded. There was no need to speak. With a smile, she entered the portal leading to Horizon. Orion entered it last and closed it behind him. ~ Inside the bracelet, Reon and Orianne were talking about everything that happened, in particular about Ivan''s corpse turning into a mindless beast. "Doesn''t that looked weird to you?" Reon listened to Orianne developing her own thoughts on this. "I never heard of a human turning into a corrupted. Well, we knew they ''could'' be corrupted, but never did they displayed this kind of behavior." "Corruption is not supposed to take over a person''s body isn''t it?" Orianne was tapping her finger on the table, slightly irritated about the situation. "Orianne, it''s been two millenium since then, of course things have changed. The corruption is way more present today than it was at our time." "The Hero destroyed any remaining traces of corruption, and it took two or three millenium before they reappeared again in large numbers." "It always starts with the animals of the continent, and when it has grown enough in one region, it spreads to the human." Reon talked about his own observations from his travelling times. "From what we''ve learn looking at Orion''s memories, it seems that the corruption began to spread faster the moment one of the generation of Apostles began to drink the crushed corrupted cores in their ceremony." "In our times, there was only one person being stronger than us. Don''t you find it strange? Don''t you remember something weird during our last struggle against Elliot?" Orianne remembered the scene like it was yesterday. In fact, to see Orion''s memories, they lived more the full twenty years inside the bracelet, but since only their soul remained here, they never aged. "Now that you say that, yes. There was something strange. But that''s not the point right now." "You''re right, sorry." She shook her head, looking at him with a gentle gaze. "Don''t worry about it." He continued. "So they drank the corrupted cores for generations, and their corrupted blood flowed inside their children, but there''s something strange from the current generation." "Three of the four ''allies'' Apostles had their mother being the previous Apostle. The only exception is that young girl, Olivia." "Why are they not affected by the corrupted blood in their body? Why didn''t they follow the same need to drink the corrupted mixture?" Reon stopped talking. "We cannot know the answer to that, don''t break your mind trying to find an answer." He listened to his wife and stopped bothering. "So why do you think about the fight? He did good right?" Knowing that Orianne wanted to praise her son to no end, he smiled. "Of course. That was an exceptional fight. The way he changed his attacks depending on the man''s movements was ingenious." "But I have one thing to say, Amelia''s lightning element is really something else. I really wish I could speak with her and give advices to her. That''s all she needs to perfect it further." "I have a feeling that she will push the limits of what an element is. The more I remember the fusion between her fire element and herself, the more I want to learn about it." A sphere of white lightning formed in his hand. He stared at it and tried to listen to it, but he was unsuccessful. "Maybe because I''m currently a soul, I cannot interact much with it anymore. If only we had found out about the voices of our elements, maybe we would have faired better against Elliot." Feelings of regret filled his mind, but Orianne pulled his away from it with a hug. "Don''t beat yourself over it. The one that discovered it is a woman with the five natural elements in her soul. You can''t compare with us and our only element." "She had more opportunities to notice the voices than us." "That''s true. The only that could have done that was the Hero himself, but we''ve never found any notes on how he thought at all, or about his experiences, which is truly saddening." Orianne remained silent, she was like him, knowing pretty much nothing about Noah. "Well, they look like they are done resuming the whole thing to that man. Let''s return to watch." Reon noticed the end of the conversation between Orion, Kamala and Florian, which in turn, led the couple to watch the screen once again. Chapter 120: The strategic placements of the human cities. (Part 1) While Florian was being told everything about what recently happened, and some things related to Orion, Amelia and Karteira were on the side of their house. "You want it here? Isn''t it too close to the house?" Karteira asked, watching a pondering Amelia. "It''s a guest house, it''s not like there''s going to be many reasons to see us." "Well, that''s true. There''s not going to be any emergency in this place, so the only thing would be to chat." Amelia nodded. "So, what are you thinking so hard about?" "I''m imagining the shape of the building, if it needs a second floor, or not, and the number of rooms I need." "Well, there''s already the quee- I mean, Dramia and Drania. Then there''s Kamala, right?" ''I almost called them queens again. I need to watch my mouth around others.'' She was thinking of Florian. Until Orion said so, he was not to be trusted with private informations about the fairies. Even Kamala, who was their friends, didn''t received much explanations about them. She only knew that Karteira was a fairy, that most of them looked more insectoid than human, and that they were led by a Remnant somewhere related to Dead White forest. "Yes, and from what I know the sisters always sleep together, so that''s one room for them. For Kamala too obviously. No one needs to rooms anyway." Amelia opened her hands and displayed two fingers. She lifted a third one. "If everything goes right with Orion''s side, then that man Florian will be added." Karteira nodded, then continued what Amelia started, using her memories. "There''s another man that we don''t know about, and a girl named Olivia. That''s four rooms." "Hmm... Just in case, I''ll create six rooms." After making her choices, she was about to start creating it. "Isn''t it going to tire you?" Amelia turned around with a smile. "Yes, that''s going to be incredibly exhausting, but not as much as creating that house." She pointed with her thumb toward their house. Karteira laughed and agreed with Amelia. "Well, if you need anything just ask, I''ll wait behind you not to be a bother." "Thank you." After both girls walked away from each other, Amelia looked at the white expanse in front of her. ''This place needs serious improvements. First, we''ll need to create a different flooring. Roads between the houses, and grass around here. I want some trees too, maybe even a orchard would be interesting.'' ''I will talk to Orion about it. I''m sure we''ll find a way to make this place look better.'' This place was like a huge white paper, ready to be colored in any way possible. Through Orion, it would be possible to link more creations to the ring, which maintain everything in shape. ''It''s just sad that Orion has to use his father''s ring for us. I''m sure he would have preferred to keep it close.'' ''The least I can do is make is life as comfortable as possible while in Horizon.'' Amelia stopped to think at that moment. She closed her eyes, hearing the voices of her elements like she did when building the first house. Her vision of the building was clear in her mind. She clapped her hand loudly, starting the start of the building process. ~ A big flash of light blinded the area, all the way to where Orion was. He took a table and three chairs out of the house to talk outside. ''She''s started. Ego, link my magic storage to her like before.'' Without receiving an answer, he felt his magic being drained at a fast rate. ''Hard working lady isn''t she?'' He smiled and returned to the discussion. Seeing the perplexed expression of Kamala and Florian, there was some explanations to do. "Can I ask what this is about without sounding too pushy? This amount of magic is something extremely bothering." "As you can see, this place is devoid of anything. This house wasn''t there to begin with." He looked at the house, with the other two following his gaze. "The one who creating it was Amelia. Except a few things, she crafted it by herself, with the use of her elements." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Florian''s jaw almost fell on the table, as he opened his eyes wide. "Is that even possible? I believe you aren''t someone that unnecessarily joke about such matters, but this is hard to believe." "I couldn''t either when I heard about it, but it''s true. Everything stays together thanks to an item that stores magic inside it." Kamala told what she was herself explained during the month she spend with them. "What you''re feeling is stronger than the usual use she has of her elements, because she uses the five elements together at the same time." "The five elements?!" Florian slammed his hands on the table and stood up in shock. "I''m sorry, I wasn''t expecting such a thing from a lady." He sat down the moment his composure returned. "I understand you, it''s a miracle she possess all of the elements and managed to perfectly use them until now. She also fights pretty well." Orion took the opportunity that Kamala brought to ask something. "Would you like to fight against us at some point? I am quite interested in your ability to move by using lightning as propulsion." Blinking a few times, Florian realized that he couldn''t hide anything from Orion. ''Cautious, and observant. Just like our first meeting.'' He internally laughed and smiled at Orion. "Of course, I''ll be happy to test you and your friends. Though, I would ask not to use those arrows on me." Orion grimaced at that. He heard that so many times it wasn''t funny anymore. "I won''t, I only shoot arrows at my enemies, or in case of practice. Never in a training fight." Hearing a sigh of relief, his face returned to neutral. "My condolences." Kamala simply said, knowing what really was going to happen. "Why? It''s only training." She looked at Orion with an accusing gaze, asking ''Are you serious?'' with her eyes. He looked away when he remembered the many times he threw Kamala on the ground during training, or the times she was too exhausted to continue, but still forced her to push her limits further. "Now that I look at you two, I have a bad feeling about what that ''training'' is." "It''s nightmarish, but I''ll be honest. It is working exceptionally well in making you stronger. In only one month, I''ve managed to greatly improve my stamina, and even develop new abilities thanks to him." It was the reality of things. It was maybe the most painful way to improve, but guided by someone like Orion who thought about what was best for the one being trained, it led to serious improvements. Kamala created her stone platforms during training, but the idea to push herself with wind was Orion''s. By applying his advices, she began to slowly improve her control over both elements at the same time. The rock throw was also something she thought about when she had to think of a way to attack Ivan at long range. There was more potential with sand, but she had a strange problem while using it. The output was completely random. Sometimes she created too much of it, or too little. It was impossible to use, and she had a thought about the reason why. "If you say it like this, then I have to try this training for myself. By the way, I heard sometimes troubling." Orion and Kamala listen, no understanding what was troubling at all. "When did you two meet?" "Four days ago, why?" Nonchalantly, she answered without even hiding the problem. "You''ve said that you trained with him for a month. Kamala, what are you saying now?" She felt the weird look Florian was giving her. "We haven''t explained that yet." Orion caught his attention by saying that. Florian listened quietly. "This space is special, it has been created from my very own magic. Time and space work completely different here. For an hour in here, one minute is spent on the other side." "..." Florian began to think at high speed, processing what he had heard. "You are incredible." Out of nowhere, a praise left Florian''s mouth. "Not only you possess the power of multiple elements, you can manipulate time and space? Though I do not fully understand these principles, I know how they work. Does that mean that you can change those settings at any point?" Eager to learn more about him, he pressed on. But Orion shook his head. "I cannot change how the time flow. I could try to fluctuate the space around us, but that would be exhausting for nothing. Time is more fickle, and I''m scared to play with it if I have to be honest." He remembered that feeling of being observed before. ''I''m pretty sure it is someone, or something related to time or space itself. If not, how are they supposed to find me in this secluded place? That''s why I''ll avoid being noticed by whatever that was." Well, sadly for him, the one he felt was currently watching everything, and that would never change. "Anyway, that''s why we''ve already spent a month knowing each other. I''ve helped her get ready against Ivan." Florian stood up from his chair and walked next to Orion. "Once again, thank you very much for helping our friend. Without you, I fear the three of us would have despaired, and the situation would be worse as we defend multiple important locations." He extended his hand to Orion, who grabbed it without hesitation. ''Respect and gratitude. I can accept that. Let''s give him a chance.'' "You''ve spoken about something I''m interested about. Since your ancestors already lived in the cities you are currently in, could you explain why those locations are important?" Florian sat back on his seat and placed his elbows on the table, glancing at Kamala. She nodded, and explained something to him. "I trust him enough that I spoke about Bandir. Amelia is the only survivor, the daughter of Henrietta." "..." Florian closed his eyes, then reopened them not long after. "Could you stop sending me shocking news right after the other? I''m having a hard time processing everything." He pushed the matter of Bandir on the side of his mind, and decided on what to do. "Well, if you trust him enough, you will tell him anyway. I''ll do it then." "All Apostles are located at a city where something needs to be either protected, guarded, or built there to extract resources. There''s also the proximity to dark cores, but that''s a more recent matter." "For exemple, Hocride was built there in the past to help invade the other continent. Though the records speaks of a man capable of breaking the boats from afar, while also existing for millenium still." ''This might be the equivalent of the Remnants for the other continent.'' "So, when that option was unsuccessful, it became a small port town, where only the bare minimum was to fish, and hunt some of the corrupted sea creatures." Kamala nodded, since everything that he said was in the Apostle book. "Albriar is in the center of Triazils, to act as the main city where everything can move from the left and the right of the continent. It is a supply spot, yet, it is also the logistics of items that needs to be sent everywhere. I direct the blood of the human faction, like it''s heart." ''That''s not something you should say in front of me. Knowing that it is the heart of the human faction is like asking me to destroy it. Though I won''t.'' Orion didn''t want the end of the human faction, he wanted revenge on the people that led to the oppression of the other factions, and the man who took everything from his parents. "Turric, in the south, was built to stop the corrupted invasion that happens every year. The greatest Apostles who mastered the earth element built the Great Separating Wall to prevent leaks other than where the city is." "This took one millenium to be built, but now that it is done and still standing strong, Eric''s job is mostly an easy one." ''I wonder what causes the large amount of corrupted coming from the Frigoria Plains. Maybe it has to do with the light that fell from the pillar and ended in that place.'' He was really intrigued by the Frigoria Plains. It was one of his stops, which only fueled his interest toward the place no one dared to venture in. "Olivia rules over Noctelagia today. Recently, it was her father that had the spot of Apostle. The city is an important place for relationship between us and the Kelpies, who are dwindling for a reason we do not know." "It is our main source of seafood, and one of the most beautiful city we have." ''Now I want to see it. Maybe the girls will like it.'' After that, Florian talked about the cities of the other Apostles in great details. Chapter 121: The strategic placements of the human cities. (Part 2) Florian spoke about precious informations concerning the humans cities that needed to be hidden. Hidden to avoid anyone noticing the reason for why they were so important. "Now that you''ve talked about the cities you four lead, I have a question." Something was on Orion''s mind, a detail that seemed to bother him now that he heard about that topic. "What could it be?" Florian removed his elbows from the table and placed his hands on his thighs, waiting for the question. "Kaios was in such a pitiful state even before it was completely destroyed, that I don''t believe it had any purpose anymore. What was his main purpose?" Both him and Kamala placed a hand on their chin, trying to remember the details of the Apostle book. "Kaios, the city ruled by the Borias family. Give me a second to remember." "You don''t have to, I remembered everything." Kamala interjected before Florian could rack his brain. "In the past, there was a large vein of precious ore on the side of the Talviera Mountain Range, and Kaios was built to extract everything from it. From ore to precious gems, everything was taken and given to improve the defenses of our cities." "Now that I think about it, it only recently completely thinned out, which might be the reason why he was so desperate to get his hands on Hocride." ''That was a really impressive vein if it held two millenium to be depleted.'' In reality, it held until now because not many people were sent to mine it. Only the bare minimum was taken, enough to live luxuriously at least, but not the citizens of Kaios, the Apostles. "It seems that Kaios was close to its downfall anyway. It''s true that we haven''t heard good thing about the economic situation of the city." Florian seemed to have recovered his memories now that Kamala spoke of it. "We''ve been lacking the resources to improve our armies only recently, and no words came from Ivan about the situation." "He might have been scared to be seen as a worthless Apostle because of it." They both couldn''t care less about Ivan. He wasn''t a friend, nor a good person. "Next, we have Kelvin''s city." ''I didn''t hear the name during the ceremony.'' Orion remembered the heated exchanges between him and the woman named Laylah, before leaving after humiliating her. "He''s ruling over Haravel. Now that you are familiar with the tragedy of Bandir, it will be easier for you to understand some things." "Haravel is located way south of Bandir. It was one of the city that got destroyed by the Azur Dragon." That caught Orion by surprise. "Wait! Are you telling me that Kelvin was the one that stole Monolavir''s eggs? Is this man a moron or simply looking for death?" Kamala answered this with a look of despise. "From what we learned, all of this came from his need to gift the supposed eternal life to Henrietta. He seemed to believe in that fairy tale quite strongly." "So he stole three dragon eggs, with only one making its way to the city. This was the beginning of the Dragon''s Rampage as we know it." Orion placed a hand on his brows. "How did his city survive? Did he build everything from scratch after that?" "Yes. After burning Henrietta to ashes, he returned to his burnt city and in less than a month, his city was back to pristine shape. He might have struck a deal with someone at the time, when we were unknowing of his previous actions." "Even after I looked at all of the documents related to Haravel, I couldn''t notice anyone having helped him. This is one big mystery we are unable to solve. Only by asking Kelvin could we get the answer, but I bet he would cleanly refuse." Being done with this story, Orion pressed the other matter. "So, why is this city so important?" Clearing his throat after understanding why Orion forced the topic away, Florian returned to the talk about the cities'' purpose. "It was important. Not anymore." "Why is that?" "The kobolds." Orion remembered that one of the two destroyed factions was the kobolds, and that Kelvin''s family, theDellthord, had something to do with it''s annihilation. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Kamala continued where Florian left it at. "In the past, the kobolds had a few camps all around the south east part of Triazils. They bothered no one, or at least no that much. They were pranksters at heart, and liked to come into cities to play with the human children, or bother the many merchants of the time." "This was all there was to it. They never kidnapped a child, nor stole any merchandise. They were truly playful. But since they were weak, humans began to try and exploit them." "Sadly for them, they refused to bent the knee and began to fight back the invaders. They didn''t stood a chance, but managed to flee before total destruction." "The one that ordered this was one of the ancestors of the Dellthord family. He built a city near the south, and began to hunt the remaining survivors, one by one." "It took a thousand years to find the last kobold." ''I''m glad the girls aren''t here. This is an awful thing to learn about.'' "Well, that was the only use of Haravel. Today, it''s just a city on the south east of Triazils with no purpose." The conversation seemed to stop for a moment. They all needed a few minutes to process the reality of things. Until Orion began to speak. "Do you realize that the more I learn about the human faction, the more I hear about how atrocious and unforgiving it is toward other factions? Even toward themselves they are awful." Florian and Kamala could only look down at the table. "I know you two aren''t the ones to blame. What has been done cannot be undone." They were once again reminded that the man in front of them wasn''t human, and that his last sentence most likely referred to the ''Purge'', the last recording of the angel and demon factions. Straightening their back, they looked at him in the eyes, and continued. "That''s all we have on Haravel. Let''s continue with the next one." But Orion wanted only one other name right now. "Instead, tell me what you know about that woman named Laylah." Surprise appeared on their faces. "Why?" "Isn''t she the leader of the Apostles? Of course I would like to know about her in details." They both nodded, understanding his reason for asking that. "Of course you would like to know, I apologize for questioning you." "Well then, let''s first talk a little about Laylah Oravis. She is, like you said, the Apostle that gives us orders when it is required. She is also powerful, and lives where no one else is allowed to." Orion interjected. "Let me guess, on Eogis?" They nodded silently. "It doesn''t surprise me. This family might be Elliot fanatics for all I know, wanting to stay where he his." "You have a keen sense of deduction. It is exactly that. Their family has been brainwashing each other for as long as they existed in believing Elliot is the savior of this world, or whatever he could be." "Their city, Paraviel, only exist to keep the remains of Eogis free of invaders, curious people, corrupted, while also being there to have Elliot near them." A wave of pure anger formed all over Orion, shutting both of them instantly. "I''ll be the one to free the place of these invaders! Eogis is my, my parents, and all of the demons and angels home, and you humans dared to step foot in there like you owned it? When are you going to learn not to overstep your boundaries?" "This is why we are in this situation today! It''s because none of you are able to behave decently in front of others, always wanting more than you can have, always being condescending toward others, and never accepting what is different." "When will you learn, tell me? Why, for two thousand years, us and other factions have been trampled, reduced to nothing by you? What is your reasoning? What legitimacy do you have in ending lives as if it was nothing to you?" "Two thousands. That''s the number of angels and demons that died in a single day. And that man, that took everything from me, is revered as a savior by you all? What a joke." His outburst settled down, and he looked at the two in front of him. "Sorry, that wasn''t toward you. I''ve been keeping this in me for far too long." "No, we understand. You have the right to be enraged. I am sorry that our faction''s mistakes led to this situation, where you have to fight a shard of the past that is still with us today." Florian sighed quietly, while wiping the sweat that formed on his forehead. ''This was terrifying. We have to be careful when saying anything, lest we''ll be bringing another repeat of what happened right now.'' Orion returned to being neutral, and continued. "What else do you have on Laylah?" Kamala continued while Florian had to take a breath. "Nothing much, she is very secretive. What we know is that she uses the water element." "That''s not much indeed." Orion crossed his arms. "Alright, what''s next?" They began to explain quickly the remaining places. "Let''s be quick about it too, Amelia seems to be finishing." "We have Ryghs, which is closer to the Wall of Separation, all the way west of Turric. There''s not much use of it anymore, for two reasons." "Neon is the current ruler." Kamala spoke this little detail before Florian continued. "First, the arachnea disappeared around here. The current Apostle and his ancestors have either forgotten about them, or think they have killed them all. The second reason is that the wall has been erected to keep the Frigoria Plains'' corrupted out of the continent, and since it was there to stop any coming from there, it''s useless nowadays." "I''m sorry to say this, but why are all of the bad Apostles living in useless cities, while you four, my supposed allies, all live in cities with a purpose?" Orion realized that there was a pattern there. "Now that you said that, it''s true." Kamala agreed with him. "It''s not that we are useful by nature, it''s because we made changes to our city to make them evolve with time. Kamala''s city became our main source of currency, my city is the heart of the faction, Turric is the shield of the continent, and Noctelagia is our main source of food." "The rest, well, they never tried to do anything else." Florian, having recovered, returned to the conversation. "I can believe in that if it''s explained like this." Orion also agreed, understanding clearly the differences between the ones stuck in their past glory, and the ones trying to keep with the passage of time. They talked about the minor cities remaining, the ones that were completely useless, with no redeeming qualities. Nobeli and Juvern, Leonis and Julian''s cities, were existing just to pressure the Lamias on both side. Mounti, Pierre''s city, was built close to the Talviera Mountain Range to keep an eye on the dragons, but since they can''t see much being at the foot of it, its utility was close to none. Kristin was situated between Noctelagia and Albriar, further north. It was used to transport resources in the past, but with carriages and horses, it became useless extremely fast. This was where Dony ruled. The last one, Croates, was the most useless city of all. It was right below Albriar, and existed because the past Apostle of the city had a rivalry with the one of Albriar. That rivalry died with both Apostles. Horace had to live his life knowing that truth. "Talk about uselessness. Why are they still Apostles?" "Because they can use magic, and because they are more powerful than basic magic users." "That''s a shame. Now I''m glad that killing them won''t bother many." When he said that, Amelia and Karteira returned. "Orion, we''re done. Want to see?" "We''re done too. Lead the way." He smiled at her, and followed the girls, leaving the guests wondering if they had to follow. "We should follow, Florian." "You''re right." They stood up, and walked a distance away from them. Chapter 122: The guest house. "What do you think?" Amelia proudly showed her new creation to Orion with a huge smile on her face. The house was only one floor high, but massively larger. It was made to receive at most six persons. Even though the bedrooms were smaller than the ones of the main house, they were the same size as the temporary one Kamala rested in that was on the second floor. Orion whistled, impressed. "That''s one fine craft. Are you sure you were not born to be a house builder? Even I wouldn''t think of such design." In his head, when he heard that it would be a six room building, Orion expected to something similar to his own house. "I''m impressed, this is not what I was expecting at all." ''Though, she shouldn''t care about my opinion that much, it''s her own creation to be proud of.'' Amelia giggled and turned her face toward the house. "Glad you like it. I''ll show you inside, so come with me." Orion, Kamala, and Florian entered the house, with Karteira staying behind since she''s already seen the inside and learned what she would be working on, that is, the doors. Like at the beginning of the first house, there was no doors, no appliances, no lightings, no furniture, and this time, no flooring. "Amelia, do you want wooden planks on the floor?" "I knew you would guess immediately. Yes, I was hoping you would agree. Though, I know it costs a lot more than me creating the flooring from nothing. I''m so-" Cutting in mid-sentence, Orion shook his head. "I don''t mind, we don''t use it other than for that purpose. We still have a the money to make whatever you want a reality." Florian caught his breath rapidly before his thought leaked from his mouth loudly, instead, he leaned to Kamala and silently asked. "I''m sorry, can you enlighten me? Are these two a thing?" Kamala closed her eyes and answered. "I thought you already knew?" "Seriously? I didn''t saw them like this when I talked to them during our first meeting." "You were an enemy to him, of course he won''t show you his weakness openly. If you can call that a weakness anyway." Remembering that that same weakness, being Amelia, was a ruthless woman that had almost the same raw power as Orion made her slightly laugh. She also added a little something. "You can whisper all you want, be I''m pretty sure he can hear you. A hunter has keen senses." Moving his eyes slowly toward Orion, he saw the small smile on his face, showing that indeed, he heard everything. ''But if he''s smiling, that means he doesn''t mind?'' At first, he was nervous, but then became calmer after realizing that Orion wasn''t mocking him by any means. He stayed where he was, exchanging a seemingly warm gaze between them. ''Congratulations, I hope you can be happy, even in this horrible situation.'' Orion returned to look at Amelia after a few seconds. He couldn''t read minds, so Orion only received the warm gaze. That was enough for them right now. They moved further into the house, as they were still standing inside the main corridor. "Oh." That''s all that left Orion''s mouth when he saw the size of the main room, and how it was built. "What? You and Karteira had the same reaction." "You''ve outdone yourself. How do you even think of such a thing?" The four of them were in the middle of the largest room of the house. "I don''t know, I just get ideas. Then I asked my elements to work on it and they improve the result by themselves." Kamala, behind Orion and Amelia, was curious about the place. "What is this room going to be?" Turning around, Amelia answered. "This is supposed to be the main room, the gathering place, a relaxing place, whatever you guests want it to be." "We''ll had everything you need, couches, bookshelves, tables, whatever you want." Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. "I see, that''s great. With that, we don''t have to go into each other''s rooms each time we want to discuss something." Amelia nodded to confirm Kamala''s words. "And what about those six openings there? Are these the bedrooms?" Florian pointed at one side of the corridor, then to the other. "That is exactly what they are. Of course, they are not done yet, like the rest of the house, but they should be spacious enough inside." The bedrooms were located on the front side of the building, separated by the corridor leading outside, with three rooms on both sides. The left side was for the women, and the right side for the men. Let''s describe how Amelia built the rooms. She wanted space for the bedrooms, so her first plan was to make an elongated building with six rooms in the back, and one main room. Quickly realizing that many things of daily life would be missing, like a kitchen, or bathroom, she quickly scratch that idea. Then, the idea to separate between men and women came to her, and this new idea popped. One room will be on the front, one will be in the corner, and the other on the side. Like this, there was enough space to have a large gathering area, and two other extensions for the guest. There was a lot of windows in this house, with one in each bedroom, except in the corners, where there was two. Amelia was kind enough to think about the people staying in this guest house. They would be either friends, or important people to them. Back to Florian, he took the liberty to check one of the rooms. "This is indeed more spacious than expected. And this is fine work too. I''m sure none of the human builders would compare to this. This is sturdy, and incredibly stable." Touching and feeling the walls, Florian used his lightning to feel the structure of the building, and it''s integrity. "Wait! Is this all made with magic?! How is that possible? I thought there was already the materials at disposition and that it would only be moving stuff around!" His eyes wide open, and an expression of disbelief on his face, he returned to the group. "Then now you know that too. That shows how far she has mastered her elements." Orion smiled at the shocked Florian, who kept receiving critical information all day long. This was beginning to be a recurring theme, where Orion, Amelia, and Karteira shocked the newly made ally the first time they met. "I can''t process such a thing. Are you telling me that having the five elements, which is supposed to be impossible, gives the possibility to create such marvelous creations?" Looking at Amelia, who was happy to here the word ''marvelous'' toward what she made, he then proceeded to look at Orion, who shook his head. "I''ll be correcting you there. Her creations cannot remain unless you keep feeding it magic. It works the same as your lightning ability." "When you stop feeding it, the magic stops, and the building collapse to it''s used materials, and in this case, nothing, since Amelia created every single part. If there was real material used in the creation, let''s say, a rock, only that rock would remain." Florian placed a hand on his chin and nodded. "But then, how is everything staying in place? It might be a guess, but she isn''t showing any signs of magic exhaustion, or even signs of uses." "That''s because we have a storage unit that keep everything working when we are here." ''I should check the state of the storage later with Amelia. I''ll replenish the bracelet too.'' Discreetly, Orion glanced at his bracelet. "That''s interesting. I never knew such a thing existed. There is so much to learn by being near you, so much things I could use to improve the lives of the lamias!" But his thoughts where instantly interrupted by another one. His face stiffened. "I need to find the reason why the lamias aren''t birthing many males. There''s also Leonis who needs to be dealt with." This was his goal. To finally find the reason for such a tragic happening, who would eventually lead to their demise. Orion and Amelia looked at each other, and nodded, thinking of the same thing. They had a thought about the reason. So Orion gave him some words of encouragement to hold his thinking a little longer. "Florian, we might know what the underlying problem of the lamias is, but not now. We''ll discuss that at a later date. After we''ve dealt with that worthless coward." He was referring to Leonis, who left Julian to die at the hands of Florian. If there was something Orion despised, it was cowards. People who would forget every good deeds they were given, and forget about the people that supported you only to save your own life in dire situations. ''This one is going to have a slow death. Unless someone beat me to it.'' His face darkened, showing to everyone dark side. "Orion, let''s continue the visit?" Amelia was unfazed, because she knew there was no reason to be scared of. Even Kamala only looked surprised. It was not the same for Florian. The pressure he felt coming from Orion was stronger than the burst Amelia released earlier. "It only took an instant, but I felt in danger when I looked in his eyes. His hatred for the Apostles is real, and I should never underestimate it." Florian was known to be on par with Laylah in terms of knowledge and strategy, but he was sometimes letting his knowledge cloud his actions. He knew that one single mistake, one single action, could lead to his death. Being in the predator''s den was certainly not an enjoyable trip. ''Calm down. Calm down... I''m not his enemy, and I have no reason to be his.'' With a loud gulping noise, and the sound of clearing throat, Florian calmed his nerves. "Yes, let''s continue. We''ll help you with the lamia problem later, Florian." Orion looked at him, who had regained his composure just in time. "That''s fine by me. I''m not pressed by time since I''m in here anyway." A laugh came out of Orion''s mouth. "That''s true." Amelia walked further in the building and entered the rightmost room. "I was thinking of making this room a kitchen. This time, I made sure to prepare the counter." She turned with a smile toward Orion, and they both remembered that moment. "A kitchen? We can even eat food here?" "You might want to know how to cook, because I won''t let Amelia do everything for the guests. Grown adults should be able to-" Orion received a tap on his back before he could finish. "You''re one to talk, you don''t even know how to cook." ''Well, that was unexpected. Kind of funny too.'' Kamala and Florian looked at this, a blank expression on their faces, before laughing. "I won''t argue with that, but don''t bring that up every time I talk about cooking, please." Amelia ignored him and turned away, walking toward the room opposite, on the leftmost side of the big room. "Let me guess, the bathrooms and the showers?" "You got it." The moment you entered, you were inside a corridor that led to the changing rooms. At the out corners of the corridor, two doors led the bathrooms, one for the men, one for the women. The men''s was at the end of the corridor, while the women''s was at the entrance. It took a small space from the changing room, but that wasn''t really a problem. After the changing rooms, the showers and baths would be here. "Well, that''s all I can show you. There''s nothing else to explain either." Amelia began to walk toward the entrance of the unfinished house. They all followed and found themselves outside, where Karteira was, playing with the hairclip Orion gave her. When he saw that, he smiled gently at her without her noticing. ''I''m glad they liked my gift to them. I haven''t seen them without since that day.'' Amelia always had her pendant around her neck, and Karteira her hairclip in her hair. The group reunited, and then began to talk about what to do next. "Alright, now that we know what to do, there is something I want of you Florian." "What could it be?" Florian was expecting some funds request, or military deployment, but was completely unprepared for what was to come. "I request a meeting with the lamia queen." Chapter 123: An impossible request. "C-Could you repeat?" "No, you''ve understood me well." Florian displayed a stressed smile at what Orion asked. "Why so suddenly? Why do you want to meet the queen when we need to take care of Leonis first?" He was sweating buckets. "Is that an impossible request?" Orion avoided speaking about the sudden c+hange of plan. In his mind, he had a good reason anyway. ''There''s no way to tell when we''re going to find that coward of an Apostle. Instead, I want to discuss a few things with that queen, and get a things cleared.'' A sigh left Florian''s mouth, as he began to think. He took off his glasses and wipe them clean, before placing them back on his nose. After that, he turned around and began to mumble inaudible words. "Alright, I might be able to arrange that." He turned around with a tired look. "Just so you understand, I don''t like dealing with that woman. She is extremely difficult to deal with." Orion nodded. ''There''s always someone you can''t deal with in your life. Luckily, I haven''t find one yet.'' "You will see anyway. I just hope you won''t take offense at her actions." He muttered quietly, but Orion heard it without making any comment. "Alright, are we done? I''m getting tired of all of this serious conversation." Karteira walked next to Orion and Amelia and asked. "I think we''re done. There''s nothing else we have to say for now. Kamala, I''ll be sending you back first." Even though surprised, she still agreed. They all walked to the portals that led to various places. For now, there was only two, but Orion was planning on making this place a hub to move between places, or for their allies to come. Kamala walked through the portal, before being followed by Orion. "I don''t have much time to stay, because time is moving faster on the other side. So I''ll be quick." He talked to Kamala alone, because he had something to tell her. "The other Apostles might question you about what happened at Kaios. You can choose two options." Lifting two fingers, he continued. "You can thrown the blame on me. Honestly, I wouldn''t care and nothing would change, since they knew I would come for them." This was true, and also an easy jail free card at that point. "You tell them that I tried to attack you too, but was too injured to fight two Apostles one after the other, and retreated somewhere." That option seemed to bother Kamala greatly, as her expression looked displeased. "The other option?" "You can blame it on a corrupted attack." "I like this one better." "I bet." They both laughed amusedly for a second, before Orion turned around, ready to leave. "I''ll close this portal until the guest house is fully built. The moment you notice its reactivation, we will receive you accordingly. Until then, take care." Nodding, she watched as Orion returned to Horizon. ''If I wasn''t an Apostle, I would have never been their friends... but because I am an Apostle, I cannot go with them. My duties as a Lord come first.'' As she lamented for not being able to follow the group in their journey, she walked out of the room and called for Timothy. She needed coffee right now. ~ "Tiohr, what do we do now?" Dramia and Drania were sitting at the large table in front Tiohr-nam''s Avatar. Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "Why do you ask?" Tiohr-nam opened her eyes, as she was previously focused in assimilating Orion''s magic into her own. "I know we''ve just returned, and I don''t plan and going out for now, but we don''t have any ways to contact Orion at all." The sisters were tired from their ''errand'' into the Northern Sea Chasm, also know as the ''Anomaly''. After finally making their way inside the remain of a long forgotten battle, and buried what was left of their friend, the ''Anomaly'' completely vanished. At least, no one will be able to inadvertently get lost in it anymore. This part of the sea was charted as dangerous by everyone, and no boat was floating around there to avoid being suddenly sent to their doom. While her sister was talking to Tiohr-nam, Drania was sleeping with her head on her arms. "I understand your concerns, but you have to calm yourself first. Acting rashly will not give you the results you expect, be sure of that." "You''re not answering me, but right, I''ll be careful." Tiohr-nam observed the expression Dramia was making. There was impatience, worry, and helplessness. "You have changed." She said without any ill intent, or mockery behind it. This sounded like a mother speaking to her child. "Not only me. Drania too." Dramia placed her hands on the table and leaned on her chair to look at the ceiling. "It is as if we have received another chance. A chance to do what we couldn''t in the past, to correct the tragedy that we couldn''t comprehend at the time." "We were too young to understand what Noah had to fight against. We never understood him fully, and only remained as burdens until the end." "And yet, without him, we would have died." Her gaze was lost in her memories. "Dramia, the problems on the continent is not something you have to burden yourself with. Nobody can resolve a continental problem alone." These words took Dramia out of her dreams. "But what about Orion? Isn''t he fighting al-" "He is not alone. Open your eyes." Tiohr-nam''s tone was colder than usual. Dramia stared at the Avatar without saying anything, until she finally realized her mistake. "You are right. I don''t know why I keep comparing Orion to Noah." "That is a better expression on your face." Touching her face, Dramia realized that she was smiling. "Remember, Orion have Amelia, Karteira, and you two. Plus the new allies he is currently making." "Dramia, his ending will not be the same as Noah, you can be sure of that." "I hope you are right." A silence fell in the room. *Ruffle* They both looked at Drania, who lifted her face from her arms. The state she was in was incredibly funny. "Drania, your hair is mess, and you have drool on your face." But she received no response. "She is not awake it seems." Tiohr-nam exclaimed, looking inside the dead eyes of Drania. *Snap* Dramia snapped her fingers in front of her sister. "Whoa!" And instantly awakened the poor girl, who almost fell down her chair. "Awake?" "Awake!" Drania nodded her head furiously, her heart beating crazily from the sudden awakening. "Anyway, I will answer your previous question Dramia. About what we should do." "Absolutely nothing." "..." "You do not have to look at me like that. Let me explain." Under a colder gaze than was usually displayed on Dramia''s face, she continued. "Even with my connection to Orion, all I can feel is the fluctuation of his magic, and his body condition." "When his soul uses magic energy, I can feel it and make a guess on what is happening." "And I noticed something strange." The sisters face became puzzled. Even if Drania entered the conversation late, she was listening. "How so?" "I seemed to receive more magic than it should be possible of. I also can''t follow how his progress, as it seems that within ten minutes, he expended his magic storage twofold, and then was back to being full in less than two minutes." Dramia began to think, but her sister was faster. "Is is something related to his new element?" The Avatar nodded. "You might be right. I felt it when he created it, but I cannot influence this element. It acts like a child and refuses to let me see it." A frown appeared on Tiohr-nam''s face. "That''s rare to see that expression on you." "Well, let me say that I am just as curious as you about that new element. Though, it didn''t stop me from finding something interesting in his soul." "Something interesting?" The sisters asks together. "Yes, something that shouldn''t be available to him until his elements attained maturity. I''m simply nurturing them in his stead. I think it was something he should have known, but as the last member of two lost factions, this might have been impossible to learn." "Are you going to tell us what that is?" "Of course, you see..." Dramia and Drania both opened their eyes wide. ~ "Florian, where do I go if I want to find you?" Orion was walking with Florian out in the streets of Lahro with the girls behind them. "I''ll show you where I''m currently staying." They continued to walk in silence until Florian pointed at a building. "I''m staying at this inn. I am technically off duty currently, as I am not doing paperwork so feel free to look for me." "In the meantime, I''ll try to get leads on where Leonis went, and I''ll ask the queen for an audience." "Thank you." ''If she refuses, I''ll pay her a secret visit. Don''t underestimate a hunter.'' Orion looked at the tall castle erected at the middle of the town, elevated from the other houses. "We''ll return to Horizon for a while." He looked at Amelia and Karteira, before opening a portal. "See you later Florian." Orion walked through the portal, and closed it behind him. "..." "And how am I supposed to contact you?" But Orion was already gone. ~ Orion stretched after waking up. After bringing the guests back to their places, the three returned to Horizon, and slept peacefully. ''Today, finally...'' He woke up, took his clothes, and walked downstairs straight to the bathroom. He entered the men''s side, stripped, and entered the shower. His body cleaned of impurities, and satisfied after taking a calming shower, he dried his body, and put his clothes on. Not long after exiting the room, he entered the living room in search of Karteira. Luckily, he found her rather quickly, as she was maintaining her tail like she did every single day on the couch. She woke up later than him though. Since his showering usually took around thirty minutes to an hour depending on days, she had enough time to make it look like she had awaken long ago. "Good morning, Orion." "Yes, good morning." Knowing that she was here, he turned around and walked to the kitchen to prepare himself a nice and warm black coffee. After five minutes, he returned to the living room, and sat quietly next to her. For a moment, she was looked surprised. ''It''s rare for him to sit next to me. Is he going to ask me something?'' As she was polishing her stinger, and questioning why he was so close. "How are you feeling today? Are you in shape?" "Hmm? I''m feeling pretty good, my tail hasn''t been hurting at all since it has evolved, and my strength hasn''t diminished either. Why?" Orion placed his coffee in the table and stared at her. "Because I''m going to keep my promise and train with you all day." The day hadn''t started for Amelia, while these two were already going to exchanges blows. Chapter 124: Karteiras unleashed strength. The day advanced inside Horizon, and now Orion, Karteira and Amelia, who joined after waking up, were at the far training area, where nothing could happen to the house. "Amelia, I''ll be monopolizing Karteira today. Sorry if you had plans with her." She shook her head at his words. "Well, I saw that coming. You kept looking at her recently, like you wanted to ask something but kept being interrupted." "Isn''t that right? When I want to train, there''s always something coming up recently." He shrugged, and let out a strong sigh. "What''s worse is that I promised Karteira for quite some times, but just couldn''t find the right moment for us to go at it. I really want to so how much she improved since our little training under the rain." Karteira remembered the battered state she was in, and how much that help her at the time. The sight of a shirtless Orion also remained in her mind. However he looked, he was incredible in her mind. No matter what, she wanted to give it her all this time. "Alright, I''ll be looking at it away from here, I don''t want to join the fray." "I won''t shoot arrows, so you should be safe, but just in case, be careful." With a nod, Amelia turned around and wave, making some distance between them. Orion turned to Karteira and stared in her eyes. She had removed her eyepatch today, displaying her beautiful blue eye that was healed by Tiohr-nam after the the successful mission underground in the fairy realm. "I can feel your impatience from here, but wait a little longer, there''s a few things we need to discuss before starting." Without breaking eye contact, she began to walk around Orion, as if stalking a prey. She was really impatient to start. "Like what? Rules?" "Yes. Because without rules, it would be a deathmatch. And none of us are willing to go that far." "Fine by me. State your conditions." Her tail began to move up and down, left and right, in circle motion, and stopped, before doing it again. She was warming it up before the fight. "On my part first. I won''t use my crossbow, neither will I use my daggers. I''m fighting bare-handed. But if the situation force me to, I''ll defend with a dagger." She silently continued to walk behind him in circles as he continued. "I''ll be using everything else I have. ''Spatial Shift'' included. It''s your job to find a way to counter me." Entering his line of sight again, he saw on her face that she already expected to fight him like this. "I don''t mind." "Alright then. There also two conditions for you." She nodded, and answered for him. "No stinger and no full transformation? I know." "Half-right." Her footsteps stopped, while she displayed a look of surprise. "No stinger, that''s a given. You can use your full armor and any form you want against me today, I''ll endure whatever you can throw at me." The blood in her body started to boil, and her plates began to move by themselves on her body. Her battle addict smile appeared, showing how happy she was to finally give everything against him. "The second rule is, give me everything you have, and try to defeat me." Orion instantly took a fighting stance, and forced the mood away. His face changed from a smile to neutrality in an instant, and focused everything on her every moves like he always does against an enemy. His body remained unchanged. His hair remained black, and no enhancement were applied to him currently, which Karteira noticed. There was a few things she learned when training. She wasn''t observant enough, and was a bit too hotheaded. Working on this two aspects wasn''t easy by any means, and she struggled to even find a starting point in changing that. But the fight in Kaios proved her that the work she put in was there. If not for that, she would have never seen the gun in the soldier''s hand at the time. And here she was, forcing her feet not to leave the ground. Patiently, while also being extremely impatient, she watched Orion. ''I''ll look. I''ll look in his eyes, and at his feet. I''m betting on the first attack being a ''Spatial Shift''.'' Orion stayed motionless in front of Karteira. He was simply waiting for Karteira to finish her transformation. ''Which armor is that? I didn''t activate it myself so I don''t know.'' *Clack* *Clack* But the last plate lodged themselves, and the sound of multiple openings were heard. "Cerulean Storm it is." The moment those words were pronounced, Orion moved and disappeared. ''I knew it!'' Karteira turned around in an instant after she carefully looked at the direction his eyes looked at before warping. ''Brace!'' She placed her arms in front of her and received the powerful kick. "Gh!" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Feeling her feet slid on the ground as she was pushed away by the sheer force, she managed to block it. Orion, in a split second, applied the speed enhancement on himself. When he appeared behind Karteira, he had already changed appearance. His black and white bangs fluttered as his feet touched the ground again. "Good job on defending this one." Without waiting, he pushed on his legs and ran toward her. ''Shit, never underestimate his kicks. That''s the First Gear for you right?'' Karteira lifted her face up and looked at him with a grin on her face. "Thanks!" She pushed on her own legs, and ran toward him too. She wasn''t as fast, but still managed to attain top speed. When the two met, a series of powerful, slow punchs were exchanged. Each one thrown was instantly countered by the other. Let''s say that this was their warm up. Why go full power instantly, when you can enjoy your time? Slowly, Karteira''s punchs began to overpower Orion. Her body began to heat up at a rapid pace. ''There it goes, I need a little bit more!'' Her plates slowly turned red. The heat began to accumulate after each punches, and the pockets of pressurized steam began to fill. *PHSSSSST* When she felt satisfied with the heat inside the plates, she crouched, dodging the next punch Orion threw, and tried to swip his feet of the ground with her leg. He jumped over it, and while he was in mid-air, she activated the steam boosters. ''Straight. Let''s go high!'' The box like features on the side of her hips clicked, and the back of both of them opened a little slit that let the steam out. The sheer force pushed Karteira off the ground straight toward Orion. She crossed her arms, and prepared herself to tackle him. "How do you like that!" With an attack that even Orion had trouble to see so close to him, he in turn braced himself. The two collided and began to fly through the air at high speed. One meters, two meters... five meters... ten meters. Karteira was really going all out. Amelia, all the way from her spot, was able to see that. "Wait, is she going for an airborne fight? Is that even possible?" As she said that, Karteira cut the steam propulsion. ''I have enough steam for two minutes, without considering its natural generation.'' With small burst upward, she managed to move around, but it was very bumpy, almost making her sick. While she was having trouble maintaining herself, Orion was being launched a few meters away. He had no way to stay in the air like Karteira, but he could use something to also fight in the air. Karteira looked around to find Orion, and when she happened to find him, he vanished. ''Where did he-'' With a strong bust of steam forward, she dodged last second a falling Orion that was kicking her way. ''He''s using the fall and ''Spatial Shift'' to fall on me! Damn genius!'' This process repeat a few times, with Karteira countering a few times, but that was leading nowhere. While also falling, Orion was picking momentum for constantly falling. ''Forw- No steam!'' She realized too late that her tank was depleted, and Orion fell straight at her as she was about to fall too. Orion, having taking incredible momentum for staying in the air for too long, instantly caught up to her and punched her in the guts. Bracing for another impact, both of them plummeted to the ground with a large explosion, and a huge tremor. The area shook, before returning to normal. Since Horizon was a special place, the ground remained undamaged. But the same couldn''t be said for Karteira. Orion removed himself from the pained woman, and checked if she was out cold or injured. He noticed that she had absolutely no injuries. "Your plates are something else." What''s more, they were thicker than before and clearly different. "Ouch! Good thing I changed armor at the last second." Karteira touched her head, which she protected with a temporary plate around her neck that covered the back of her head. Her tail also managed to avoid any serious damage, as it was sturdier than ever. Fumbling a little while standing up, she looked at Orion. "You''re fine?" "Always." He nodded, being a little worried about her condition, but since she was not injured, he returned to his battle stance. ''That Cerulean Aegis, if not for that new ability I created, I would have instantly lost.'' ''When Orion approached me at that speed, the only thing I could do was switch to the Cerulean Aegis.'' ''Bastion.'' She looked at her arms plates that slowly began to lose the shiny blue luster they had the moment Orion punched her. Bastion was an ability she thought about after fighting Drania during their camp outside the fairy realm. At that time, she wanted to endure every hits, but couldn''t, so she thought of an ability capable of that. And with the thought of ''I''ll be the shield of my allies.'', her desire took form in an ability called ''Bastion'', in which, for ten seconds, any kind of attack toward Karteira is nullified. The only problem is the knockback effect that remains. ''If not for that, I would have lost.'' The shine completely vanished, leaving Karteira with her natural Cerulean color. "Care to continue?" Orion nodded. ''Cerulean Armor, Gauntlet form.'' The large plates began to move again, but this time to create to weapons at her fists. She ran toward Orion, as they began to once again exchange blows. This time, they weren''t slow, warm-up blows. Punches capable of breaking a man in half where thrown at him, and Orion took them without frowning. A few punch connected, but they were more grazes then actual hit. When Orion felt that he didn''t have to dodge or counter, the punch passed through his guard. ''Why can''t I hit him? His moving as fast as me!'' But that was in her mind. In fact, she was touching him, and he was even having a lot of trouble stopping most of the hits. He wasn''t moving fast, he was simply stopping the most troublesome blows. When Orion had enough, he let one punch graze his side a little too close for comfort, and elbowed both gauntlets, breaking Karteira''s stance, before kicking her away with a hit on her stomach. ''It''s never easy to fight against him.'' ''What else can I do?'' She hadn''t suffered any injuries thanks to her plates, but the kick in her guts still hurt a bit, that was how strong it was. ''I''m overheating too. Switching to Storm mode again.'' Her plates instantly changed and the steam tanks instantly filled. The gauntlets plates returned to their original spot, leaving Karteira without a weapon, but that wasn''t a problem. With a large burst of steam, she threw her body toward Orion. She tried to kick him, but he defended, though she managed to push him away. She used a different tactic. ''Faster. Faster!'' Steam began to rapidly gush each time she wanted to move somewhere. Just like that, she began to fly around Orion and deliver powerful kicks, not letting him any time to rest or notice where she was at. At this point, she was even leaving steam afterimages of herself behind. After five minutes of depleting her full tank of steam, she almost collapsed on the ground. *Cough* "Fuck, how can you... still stand?" "I''m built different, that''s all." Orion walked toward her, dusting off his clothes, that were slightly wet from the steam he was surrounding by during her attacks. "Seriously?" "I''m mostly joking. I had to heal multiple times because you broke my arms. I can''t endure those hits you know?" He lifted his shirt and showed a huge black spot on his chest. "You even managed to break a rib." "Doesn''t that hurt?" She stood back up with difficulty. "Of course it does. I simply don''t feel it as much as it should. Adrenaline I think? It gives me time to heal before I can feel the complete pain." He began to heal his rib, and in less than a minute, the black spot had disappeared. "Let''s stop here. You showed me enough of your improvement for me to say that I would eventually lose if you had more deadly attacks." "I''m fine with that." Karteira sat back on the ground, and massaged her legs over her armor with a heated sigh. "Remove your armor and show me your legs, all of those kicks might have caused a few fractures on your bones." Orion healed her legs without waiting. She wasn''t like him, able to endure pain for long. "You should be fine." "I didn''t managed to force you to use the daggers." She was cutely pouting, hugging her knees. "If you had used your sharp gauntlets, I would have. I said it, the point is not to hurt each other, it''s to see how far you fare against a monster like me. My stamina, my raw strength, and my resilience, is something that was given because of my factions." "My actions and my thinking are all dictated in the middle of the fight. The fact that I can observe the fight in a slow manner is also a little against fairness." "But one day, I''m sure you will win against me, like you did the first time we fought against each other." Her eyes shone when she heard that him remembering what was a precious memory for her. "Alright, let''s go back to Amelia. We''ll talk about what you want to improve later. For now, I need some coffee. Using too much magic is does not feel good." Karteira stood up and walked closely behind him. "I couldn''t use any more warps because I used too much energy shifting not to fall during our mid-air fight. That was impressive." But she wasn''t listening. She was only looking at him with her shining blue eyes. She had something on her mind, and she kept quiet, until they arrived where Amelia was. Chapter 125: Ideas to make Horizon more natural. "Where did she go?" Orion tried to look for Amelia from where he was. During the fight, he completely lost track of where he was. With Eagle Eyes, he found her fast. She was sitting a hundred meters from them, cleaning her real daggers with a piece of cloth near the portal. "Alright, over there." Without replying Karteira followed next to him. She was just slightly behind him, staring at his back all the time. ''What''s with her right now? Did I go too hard on her?'' He felt the piercing gaze on his back, but kept quiet about it. He thought she was angry. But she was simply thinking about many things. It was too jumbled in her head to make anything out of it, but she was extremely confused about it. The main reason for her current state was Orion, and she knew about that, but why, that she didn''t know. Until they arrived to Amelia, her confusion kept growing. "We''re back." Orion waved at her, signaling their return. Amelia stopped what she was doing and placed her daggers the holder around her thighs. "Training is always short with you. I expected you to fight for another thirty minutes, but here you are." "Well, when you decide to release you full strength, it usually exhaust you quicker than during usual training." She smiled like always in return, and looked at her friend seemingly in a trance. ''That''s one serious frown.'' Noticing her friend''s state, she called to her. "Karteira? Are you alright? Did you bump your head?" As if a bubble exploded, Karteira returned from the depth of her mind. "Ah! Yes, yes, I''m fine, don''t worry. I might have really bumped my head when I crashed on the ground." "You should get yourself healed then." "No! I''m fine!" She watched as a panicked Karteira rushed past her, toward the portal leading back home. "What''s with her?" Confused, she looked at Orion, who looked as confused as her. "I have no clue, she was like this after I healed her legs at the end of our fight." "Hmm, that''s weird. She never acts like this." "Right... I just hope that fight didn''t depress her." "You won again I bet." "I did, but I had to heal the whole fight. Her punches and kicks are no joke. I think, Karteira might be the fairy faction''s ''savior''." "The one that represents and fights for the whole faction? She does have the strength for that." Amelia placed a hand on her chin, looking at the back of her friend that was about to enter the portal. "What about Dramia and Drania?" Her gaze returned toward Orion. "They are humans to begin with, and I don''t think they are fit to fight like us. Their power seems situational at best. Drania needs water near her to fight, and Dramia still haven''t showed much of her power, but I''m sure she doesn''t fare better than her sister." "True." Amelia agreed. "Anyway, let''s go back? Or do you want to train more?" "I need some coffee right now. Karteira forced too much magic out of me." "Right, then I would like to talk with you about something else." She turned around, showing her back to him. Inadvertently, his gaze fell down. Sadly for him, she immediately noticed, and grinned. "You enjoy the view?" "What can I say to avoid being teased?" They exchanged a quiet moment. "Be honest?" "I like the view." He looked on his right, hiding his eyes with his bangs, and walked past Amelia. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ''Of course you do.'' Who wouldn''t appreciate a compliment from someone you love? With a bright smile, she followed next to him, and one after the other, they returned home. When they entered their home, they noticed that Karteira was nowhere downstairs. She seemingly returned to her room, or was taking a shower. Not searching to bother, they decided to leave her be. They both entered the dining room. Amelia sat on a chair while waiting for Orion to finish making his coffee. "You sure love your coffee. I can''t drink that sludge that easily like you. Well, if you give me milk and sugar, that''s another story." "Do you want one?" Amelia pondered for a second, and answered. "No, thank you. The idea of sharing a cup with you is tantalizing, but I''ll pass for now." "Alright." Another moment of comfortable silence fell over. "To answer you, I do enjoy coffee. It helps me focus when I read, and also relax me after sweating a lot." "I can search for better quality when we shop. Why do you only buy the cheap kind? You have already so few things that you like. You could indulge from time to time you know?" Orion poured the hot coffee into his cup, and walked to the table. He placed his cup on it and sat next to Amelia. "It''s not the brand, or the fact that it is expensive that makes me like the coffee. Of course, I could buy the most expensive one available, that wouldn''t impact our finance, but I am sure that it wouldn''t be as good as the one I currently drink." She looked at him with dreamy eyes as he watch him sip his coffee. "I like the moment when I drink my coffee, not the coffee itself. Yes, without it, I wouldn''t enjoy that moment at all, but alone, or with you two, it''s simply a relaxing moment in my day." He turned the cup a few times, and drank his coffee once again. "I love you." His cup between his lips, his eyes slowly drifted toward her. After placing his cup back on the table without breaking eye contact, he answered. "I love you too, but why all of a sudden?" "I don''t know, it has been a while since we''ve been alone like that? You also haven''t shown me any affection since quite some time. Does that bother you?" He shook his head while looking into the darkness of the coffee inside the cup. "Of course not. Why would it bother me? On the contrary, I''m always glad to hear that." "Well, I''m glad to hear that too, even though I have to make you spit it out like this." She giggled while standing up. Quickly, she turned around his chair and sat on his lap. "What are you doing? I''m going to spill coffee on you." "I''m just charging my batteries, leave me be for a minute." *sigh* "For a minute." He gave up, not that he wanted to to begin with, and remained there, with Amelia snuggling against his chest. ''It''s days like these that makes me continue forward.'' Orion began to think. ''There''s a world where I never built this relationship with Amelia. A world where I fight alone, where my heart is cold and withered, fighting for nothing than vengeance.'' ''What does it feel to have nothing in your life? To not feel the warmth of your loved ones?'' He thought of his parents for a moment. They were partially alive, but they were full of hope for him still. If Reon and Orianne weren''t together, would they have already despair? So many questions unable to be answered, as they were far from his current reality. Their calm breathing filled the room, until Orion remembered that she wanted to ask something earlier. "You said you had something to ask before returning?" "Hmm?" She lifted her head gently and looked in his eyes. Having enjoyed enough of his warmth, she placed one hand on his chest and pushed a little to make some distance. "Right, about that." Even with their little moment of peace done, she still remained sat on his lap. "I have something to ask, and only you can tell me if it''s possible." With a nod, he took another sip of coffee. "I''m listening." "Do you think it''s possible to improve the outside of Horizon?" "You mean by adding trees and flowers? We could by adding flower pots and tree pots." "No, not like that. I meant more naturally. Replace the ground with real dirt, add a lake somewhere, or have a hill or something. It''s way too white and flat in here. I like our home, that''s a given, but I''d like to see if we can really make it something real." "That''s quite the request." With a shocked face, he placed his cup on the table, and began to think for a moment. "..." He opened his hand, and with a single breath, formed a sphere of void element. "It''s my second time seeing it, and it''s still beautiful." With a glance, she noticed the myriad of flickering stars inside that blinked out of existence before being replaced by another moments later. "It''s just like the sky outside." When the sky was lighted, countless black stars blinked in the sky, and when the light dimmed out, notifying when the night came, their color changed to white. It was a very peculiar sky to have above you. "..." Orion kept quiet while fiddling with the sphere with his other hand. "Hmm... mmmh... Nnnh?" "Did you find something?" She noticed his surprised expression. "Maybe. I was listening if I could hear it''s voice like you and I do with our elements, but this one is extremely quiet. It seems to not really understand most of it''s own power. As a new element, it is akin to a newborn currently, so I understand why it''s quiet." Amelia tried to touch the sphere, but it vanished instantly before she could touch it. With a pout, she retracted her finger. "That''s how shy it is. Well, it''s more engraved in it than voluntary, so don''t mind it. I can''t use it much either, other than ''Spatial Shift'' and the portals." "I don''t think I''ll be able to form a crossbow with it. It shows no desire to help me fight, and fit the support category more clearly." A memory popped in his mind. One that happened during the fight with Ivan, the Apostle he fought with Kamala. ''At that moment, when the spear entered my hand as I was protecting Kamala. I was trying to transfer the spear with ''Spatial Shift'', and I knew that it was supposedly not possible. Ego said it clearly too.'' ''But that little voice. It kept echoing in my soul, in my mind, everywhere inside me. - ''Save.'' - ''That little voice, how could I ignore it? The more I listened to it repeating that single word, the more I understood. To learn about it, I need to save others.'' ''To make it mature as a full-fledged element, I need to listen to it''s pleas. Thanks to it, I managed to save Kamala, while also breaking what was supposed to be a world rule.'' "So, did you learn anything about this secluded space and how to add new things?" Amelia brought him out of his thoughts, forcing him to answer her. "Well, if what I learned his true, than yes... and no." *sigh* "I expected as much. It''s never a complete ''yes'' in these situations." She shrugged and looked a bit dejected. "I never said it was ''impossible''. It only means that there seems to be conditions to make the place different. We need a lot of catalysts." "Catalysts?" Her eyes began to recover some light as she heard Orion explained his discovery. "It''s really complicated, and I only noticed a small part of what we should do. It''s like a puzzle." Listening closely, she was ready to do anything to make her home more natural. *sigh* ''It''s going to be embarrassing if it doesn''t work.'' Orion sighed, and coughed to clear his mind before speaking words unknown to both of them. "Screen." A little rectangular device appeared on the table next to his cup of coffee. "What is that?" Amelia looked at the device and poked it with her finger. With a clicking noise, the rectangular device was now activated. The screen lighted up, and a list of various improvements for Horizon appeared on it. "That''s everything you need to now about this space... it seems." Chapter 126: Horizon is not just an empty space? Orion picked up the device and tapped on it, displaying the selected part. "That''s one weird device." Amelia stared at the multiple things on appearing on the screen. "It looks like one of the devices my father would create." "Maybe that''s why it looks like this? Maybe you saw something similar and the element reproduced it from your memories?" Thinking that it was a possibility, he agreed. "Right, I might have glanced at something similar in one of the recordings they left me." Both of them began to familiarize themselves with the device, and understood how to use it. "So you can zoom in and out like that?" "Seems like it." There was not much they could do with it beside tapping on it, but they quickly got the hang of how to use it, and what its purpose was. "Yes, it''s just as I expected it. We can shape the whole space in any ways we want, with the right materials at our disposition." The screen showed a overview map of the space of Horizon. "That''s our house, and that''s the guest house?" "Since there''s nothing else, I''d say it is. So, what happens if we click on the house." Orion clicked on the square that had both houses on it. The screen zoomed up, and displayed more squares. He continued to click until there was no more zooming in. "That''s the most we can go. We''ve managed to build the house on two squares, because there''s only half of it right there." There was a little scaling on the side that Orion noticed but kept it to himself. ''Something unexpected happened. The place grew without me noticing.'' The scaling showed that a square was roughly ten meters by ten meters, or a hundred square meters, a measure he wasn''t familiar with. From a bit of mind calculation, he deduced that the result was the multiplication of the width and the length, and left it at that, thinking that there was no clear use in his daily life. ''I remember the place feeling like a kilometer wide on both sides from the middle. So it should be a square of two kilometers on four sides.'' ''So why is it a rectangle now?!'' Orion lost his cool when he realized that his power could be out of control. If that was the case, Horizon was more of a danger zone than it was their safe haven. ''Does it have to do with the spying individual?'' After thinking about that, he crossed it immediately. ''I should be the only one being able to use that element, there''s no reason for that to happen. It means I really managed to lose control of it.'' Hiding all of that from appearing on his face, there was something he couldn''t hide, and Amelia was right next to it. "Orion, something''s wrong? Your heart is beating too fast." ''Damn it, I had forgotten.'' Since Amelia was leaning on his chest, she could feel his heartbeat. He closed his face and slightly turned his face away. "How can I say this?" Clearing his throat, he went for it. "It seems that I haven''t controlled this space well. It evolved without me noticing, and I''m getting slightly stressed about it. If it''s unstable, I can''t have us stay here." This was a serious matter for him. "I''m pretty sure you just haven''t noticed until now because you haven''t played with your new element enough. You''ve only used it for portals and moving around." He listened as Amelia began to give him the reason for his lack of attention over this matter. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. "Remember that the first ability you used when you created it was Horizon." "Huh?" "What?" Orion had a blank expression on his face. Amelia threw something at his face, something so obvious, it slipped through his mind until now. "Horizon is an ability?" "Of course? Are you alright?" Amelia began to worry about his mental state. "Ah! Of course! I was so excited that I completely forgot. What would I do without you Amelia?" He placed the hand that was used to drink his coffee on her head and began to caress her hair. "Right?" She smiled sweetly when she learned how important she was once again. ''When I created that little sphere of void, I immediately used it without paying it any attention.'' He closed his eyes, entering the deepest part of his soul, where the two enormous spheres were rotating around a third, much smaller one. Approaching the orbs, he avoided being bumped by the light and dark sphere, touched them lightly, and walked toward the small sphere of void. ''I did you wrong already. I took your ability for granted, and never even pay any mind to you, even though you''re making it work more than necessary for us.'' The little sphere seemed to be quivering. It was only an impression because of its shape, that sometimes undulated. ''Food.'' ''Hmm?'' A voice he heard before, small in intensity, echoed in his mind. ''You want some magic?'' ''Food.'' Orion opened his eyes and looked at the tablet in his other hand. A little warning icon suddenly popped in the top right corner, instantly noticed by Amelia. "Hey, something popped up. Seems like a warning. Did we mess something up?" Clicking on it, Orion read the notice that appeared. "Fe3D tHe v0iD." "Woah! Creepy!" "Give it a break, it''s doing its best." Laughing at Amelia who got scared of a few words, Orion removed his hand from her head and began to let magic flow freely from him. He lifted his hand above him, and thread of flowing magic began to leave his fingertips. "What are you doing?" "I''m feeding the void as asked." As if it was going according to its desire, a small opening formed next to Orion, sucking the threads in. A percentage bar appeared on the device, indicating how much it wanted. "You greedy element." Orion smiled, showing all of his teeth when he realized the amount it wanted. "Fine, I''ll give you what you want. I don''t need it anyway." ''Other than give the overflow to Tiohr-nam.'' During the next five minutes, droplets of sweat began to drip off his forehead. Amelia stayed to wipe the sweat with a handkerchief. Orion closed his eyes because of exhaustion. He hadn''t recovered everything after fighting Karteira, and he didn''t want to postpone the void''s request either. There was no clue how it would react. If the element reacted right now, there was no certainty that it would do the same later. "Don''t force yourself. You already done a lot today." "I know, I''ll keep doing what a want anyway." With a tired smile, he answered Amelia. Just then. *Blip* Amelia turned around to look at the device, which made a sudden sound. ''Full.'' "You can stop! It says it''s full." He trusted her words and stopped creating magic threads. The opening absorbing the threads disappeared too. "That element is a nightmare to use. I think I''ve created it at the wrong moment." Leaning on his chair, he opened his eyes to see Amelia wiping his face still. "Thanks." "Don''t mind it." The two remained silent for a minute. "I really want to sleep right now, but I guess we''ll look at this first." "Right." Amelia turned around and sat correctly with her back on his chest. They both looked at the device once again. A new mark had appeared on the top right corner, replacing the red warning by a blue exclamation point. "Let''s see." Orion clicked on it, and a list of things were written. -You have improved Horizon. By doing so, space has been greatly increased.- There was a lot to process for Orion. Who would have thought that this space, who for him seemed so simple, was all but that. "Orion... what did you create?" "Ah... *sigh*... I have no idea." A dry laugh left his mouth. He was too tired to deal with this absurdity right now. "I didn''t feel any rumble, and the light hasn''t disappeared on us. That space upgrade was smooth and unnoticeable." "It sure was. You''re not going to tease me about being the ''Master''?" "Not right now. Maybe after you''ve rested." "I''m grateful for that. Do you mind if we take a look at how to improve the area around the house later?" Amelia stood up from his lap, and took her chance to caress his hair. "I don''t mind. We have all the time in the world anyway." ''She''s quite understanding. I''m grateful to have her.'' Orion stood up from his chair, took his cup of coffee, downed the leftover, and walked to the kitchen to clean it. After that, he returned to Amelia. "What are you going to do?" "While you take a nap? I''ll go talk to Karteira. I''m going to have to explain everything so she doesn''t freak out later." "Right. Thank you. If you need anything, come wake me up." "Don''t worry, I''m a grown adult, I can do anything." "I bet you can. Alright, see you later." "Recover well." They both waved at each other. Orion walked up the stairs, while Amelia looked at the device on the table. ''It''s unpowered. Even if I wanted to, I can''t show it to Karteira.'' She took it and placed it in the living room, where it would be used in a much more comfortable spot. After that, Amelia returned to the dining room, walked into the kitchen, and opened one cupboard. She took out a few snacks, and walked upstairs. *Knock* *Knock* Knocking at the middle room on the second floor, she heard ruffling inside. "Karteira, I''m coming in. There''s something we have to talk about." Hearing sudden rushing inside, she was about to enter, but the door opened. "Come in." Karteira looked away for a second, before back staring at Amelia. ''She''s acting weird, and I want to know why.'' Amelia entered Karteira''s room with a grin. Chapter 127: An afternoon for Amelia. "Alright, I''ll be going now. See you later." Amelia closed the door behind her after waving to Karteira. She found herself in the middle of the corridor, no sound to bother the silence beside her breathing. ''Damn it! It''s the first time she managed to not speak about her problems!'' Inside, she was furious. Not at Karteira, but at the fact that she didn''t succeed in learning her problems. ''I know there''s something, and it concerns Orion. That much I know, but anything else is lost within her.'' She wanted to stomp her feet so badly on the floor, but Orion was sleeping on the room right in front of her. ''So, I''ve told Karteira about the device and Horizon, and Orion is gone to sleep. What do I do now?'' Karteira was definitely not in the mood to spend more time with her. ''I guess it''s both of them today. A rare alone day with Orion, and a rare alone day with myself.'' Shrugging, she walked downstairs. ''What time is it? Around 3PM?'' Their internal clock was usually right. The only moment it went haywire was when they moved between Horizon and Triazils. ''It''s too early to prepare dinner, so what am I left with?'' Amelia was like Orion. They both forced themselves to have a hobby of sort to avoid being stuck in a motion of constant training without having a stress relief. Yes, they had each other, but there was days where you had to be alone too. You cannot always relies on other following you whims when you need it. So, Orion took reading as a hobby. Though it was also his curiosity that caused him to read a lot, turning it into a full-fledged hobby made him appreciate the reading even more than by just saying ''I have to read this to learn its content.'' Amelia chose cooking. This was also a forced choice, since Orion + Kitchen = Disaster. She already liked baking when she was younger, thanks to the kind receptionist and cook of the orphanage. They greatly helped her after Orion had saved her, and when she needed help the most. In her heart, these women where closer to mothers. The knowledge they gave Amelia was one she needed to help Orion. She learned that food cannot be underestimated. It helps people feel better, it can have healing properties, and it brings a smile to the ones you love. This was perfect for Amelia, who couldn''t think of any hobby when Orion asked her to get one. During the three years training in the woods of Auro, she went back and forth between the temporary house and the new orphanage to learn more recipes, and more way to cook. Before long, it became something she took to heart, taking it so far as to take notes on the new dishes she ate. Travelling was also great to see what others ate, and what culinary custom they had. The other thing she had in common with Orion was. ''Training.'' She opened her hand and five pebble sized spheres representing her elements formed. ''I guess I''ll be training today.'' With determination to improve, she left the house, and walked to the portal that led a kilometer away. ~ The shadows of two women began to shift in the darkness, around the usual pool of water that showed Orion and his companions. "What are you thinking?" The woman on the right asked her friend. As usual, you couldn''t discern a single feature about them. Only their voice could be heard. "Not much. You know I have a few regrets, right?" "Between you and me, if we had none, we wouldn''t be here at all." The woman on the right laughed. "That''s true." A silence holding for a few seconds took place, with their gaze both falling on Amelia who was walking in an empty space. "How much can we interfere before it completely goes bad?" The right woman looked at her friend and waited for the answer. "Honestly, everything is already out of place. I don''t think more intervention will matter at this point. Though, don''t forget, we cannot be found out. At most, only Orion." "And Amelia?" Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "If possible, I would prefer to keep her in the dark." *sigh* "What?" "Nothing, just don''t regret it. Oops, you''ve already regretted it at least a thousand times. It''s not like you''re going to bother with another more, right?" Sarcasm could be heard from the woman on the right. "..." The mood changed and anger was felt from the woman on the left. "Don''t play like that with me. We have a role to play, and now is when we have to carefully watch as everything unfolds." With a sigh of defeat, the woman on the right slumped her body on the table. "I know, I''m simply fed up of seeing that face. Who cares about the consequences at this point?" "That''s what you say, but you know what''s going to happen just like me. You''ve seen the next prediction right?" "I did. Do you think it will go through?" "Now that a major name has been saved, I think it could lead to something different, but if this one dies, I think it will be the end for our group." "You have so little faith in them? I know that this moment in time is troublesome, but give them more credits." "It''s you who have too much faith! How much time did we w-" "No more." Another short silence fell in the darkness. "Why do you think I''ve been personally acting behind the scenes? I''m done seeing that nonsense." "..." "If we weren''t together, we would have gone crazy a long time ago. We could even have become corrupted. Why don''t you open your eyes? If we don''t move, nothing will change!" The right woman placed her face in her arms. "Just this time." She snapped her fingers and changed something in the world. Something she thought insignificant, but would end up being extremely important. "What did you do?" The woman on the left blinked a few times, and saw something as her eyes became clouded in a yellow light. "I''ve given an opportunity before the next fight." "Damn... well, thanks." "What did you see?" "Surprise. I guess you always made the best choices." The shadows began to disappear back into the darkness. ~ Amelia found a spot to train, thought everything was looking the same around her. She sat on the white ground in a cross-legged position, and began her preparations. "Alright, first, Dana." A blue dagger appeared in her hand. "The handle is like usual, made of compressed ice and the blade is a sharp edge of water. The blade is able to extend itself and send projectiles depending on what I ask." Amelia prepared to slice something. She lifted her arm, and sliced through the air. A few droplets of water the size of a rock flew twenty meters straight before falling to the ground. She repeated the action, but this time, sharp spikes of ice, same size as the droplets, flew the same distance before crashing on the ground. "Yes, you''re fine. It evolved in some impressive ways thanks to Monolavir''s pact." The ice divergence was definitely from Monolavir. On Triazils, his attribute is known to be one of the rarest mutation. There are mutations in the other factions. It happens less because there are so many people to begin with. In a faction like the dragon''s, where a new member is birthed every tens of years, it happens more frequently. For the human faction, Amelia is a mutation. Five elements, plus various mutations of elements. "Next, Aura." She placed Dana at her feet, while a green dagger formed from a wind sphere. "Can I get a water orb, please? Make it tough." Like she asked, her water magic formed a water orb in front of her. After confirming that it was solid, she observed her dagger. "This is a pretty simple dagger, I don''t see any modifications compared to its first creation." Examining the handle and the blade, there was nothing unusual with it. "Testing now." She punctured the water orb with the dagger''s tip, before stabbing it in. "Sharp as ever. What about that?" Recovering the blade from the water orb, she waited for it to return to its former state, before slicing it diagonally. "No complaints, you are sharper than Dana." She pushed the water orb and distanced it from herself. "Ey!" Once again, she sliced the air. A wind blade formed from the sliced air and rushed toward the orb. The moment the blade touched the orb, it shattered. "The wind blade is pretty fragile, as expected. It''s great to take on unaware enemies, like humans, but tougher opponents will most likely remained uninjured." "Good to know." She dropped Aura next to Dana, and called the next one. "Ceres." A multi component dagger formed from a sphere of dirt, stone, sand, and metal. "Now that I learned about the variations I can make with you, there is a lot to test." Arching her back forward, she placed the tip of the dagger on the ground, and made an half-circle motion. A curved rocky wall five meters high formed from the scratched ground, covering Amelia. "It''s working as always. Next." She lightly struck the blade on the wall. A rumbling noise was heard from the other side of the wall, so she stood up and looked behind it. A thin and lengthy spike had formed from where Amelia made contact. "And the stronger the hit, the larger the spike is. That''s one treacherous ability on unknowing enemies." After eroding the wall, she began to try various things. "So, we have sand right? Can we blind someone with it?" Dana began to vibrate on the floor, before lifting itself and fly toward Amelia. "Hmm?" Amelia extended her hand and grabbed the flying dagger. "..." Without bothering about what happened, Amelia moved Ceres horizontally. Large amount of sand fell to the ground without really creating the desired blinding effect. "What''s wrong?" She pondered for a moment, and realized why Dana had reacted. "When I boil water, there''s always steam being created. The mist from the lake is also related to water." "But I don''t have a way to create it. I need to heat the wate- Of course!" Amelia created a water orb in front of her. "Vesta, heat it up!" The fire dagger formed inside the orb. "It''s so hard not to change form when I use Vesta." Amelia was sweating, forcing only a small amount of her fire element from forming. The orb began to bubble wildly. "Return." Vesta vanished. "Go!" She pointed at the water orb with Dana, sending it to crash further away. When the water orb touched the ground, it exploded in a giant cloud of steam, successfully blinding everything. "So Dana is better for smokescreens than Ceres. Though, I need to prepare it with Vesta." "This could be useful in some situations." She placed Dana back next to Aura, before returning to train with Ceres. "Can we do projectiles now?" Amelia swung a few times, sending various components. "Rocks, sand, metal, bricks, clay, ..." She threw everything she knew she could create. After realizing that not all of them would be very useful, she decided to go with the bloodiest one. "I''ll just throw nails at them. It flies better, and it does more damage anyway." Choosing to throw metal nails was not something anyone would think of, but it would be something her enemies would remember forever. "What about the slicing?" Amelia formed another water orb in front of her, and sliced it without hesitation. The metal blade was sharper than the wind blade, but it was heavier. When Amelia brought the dagger in the air, and slice downward, all of its weight made the speed at which it sliced faster. More than slicing, it ripped everything it made contact with. The damage was incomparable. "Too bad it hurts my shoulder. It is way to hard to attack like this. I prefer using it for protection and sudden attacks." In the end, Aura did a better job at slicing precisely. Amelia was about to continue with Leima, her lightning dagger, but someone caught her attention. "Karteira? What are you doing here?" Her friend had walked all the way here, for a reason she herself didn''t really understand. Chapter 128: A maidens heart. "Are you back for training?" Amelia stopped her own training and placed Ceres next to Dana and Aura. She then walked and stopped in front of Karteira. "No, I didn''t came for training." With a puzzling look , she asked Karteira. "Then why are you here? I thought I wouldn''t see you until tonight at dinner." Karteira looked lost. In fact, she was extremely lost. She didn''t understand why she was here. There was this nagging feeling inside her that she had to talk to Amelia, that she couldn''t keep her worries inside anymore. "I- I need to talk to you, or that''s what I feel." "About what?" Seeing a fidgeting, Karteira moving her hands around trying to find the words, Amelia began to understand. "Alright, calm down. Let''s sit. We have time, so breathe." ''It''s most likely about the matter I tried to get out of her.'' "Thanks." They both sat on the ground and waited until Karteira was ready. "I don''t really know why I came after you. But there''s something I need to speak about." With a nod, Amelia prepared herself. "I''m sorry!" Karteira bent her body forward as far as she could and apologized. "Why?!" But she was also surprised at the sudden move. "I kind of refused to talk about it before, and now I''m here just trying to say it. It feels kind of unfair." Amelia understood what she was feeling. ''She feels guilty about hiding it and then opening up about it. I know how that feels. Orion too. Everyone lives through that.'' She nodded, and listened to Karteira. "I''ve been feeling weird since I''ve fought against Orion. I haven''t felt like myself." "Why is that?" "I keep remembering when we first met. I remember the way I was, the attitude I showed, and most of all, how weak I was." "Are you comparing yourself to him?" With a look of certainty, she looked at Amelia. "That''s definitely not the case. I now understand that I can''t compare myself with others, I my strength is different from yours or Orion. To begin with, I can''t use magic like both of you." "Are you feeling left out? Not belonging with us?" She shook her head strongly. "Definitely not. I''m having so much fun with you that it would never come to mind. I wouldn''t even trade our situation for anything. I cherish what I have right now." Amelia looked lost this time. "Then I don''t understand the problem. Let''s turn back a little, you said that it was a problem concerning Orion right?" Meekly, Karteira nodded. "Oh dear, I think I got it. Don''t bother explaining anymore." "Huh?" Pure shock appeared on Karteira''s face. "Don''t you ''Huh?'' me! That expression alone was enough to give me all the clues I needed." "How?!" "Have you ever seen yourself being shy? That''s what you are when I talk about Orion." Karteira pursed her lips a little, looked away and began to play with a strand of her blue hair. "I don''t know w-what you mean by that." ''That girl! Is she serious?'' "Karteira, since when? I remember our talk in the fairy realm about you respecting Orion. What happen since then?" This led to Karteira turning serious all of a sudden. "That hasn''t changed. I respect him greatly, and I''ll even say that I respect him more today." "But I began to feel something else recently. When I look at Orion, it makes me want to stay next to him and encourage him." ''She fell this far?'' "I want to train more with him, I want to spend more time next to him, I want to learn more about him. I''ve never felt like this before." "Can you answer the question? Since when?" Both exchanged a tense gaze, before Karteira gave it away. She touched the hairclip on her head. *sigh* "What?" "I should have guessed. The day Orion gave us a present." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Eh?" Amelia relaxed her body and placed her arms behind her, supporting her weight. She stared at the sky without saying anything. "A-Amelia, I''m sorry. I know I shouldn''t have, but I have no idea how to deal with it. If you can help me forget, or stop thinking about it, then it should be alright, isn''t it?" The stare she received was deadly, as it completely shut down Karteira on the spot. She could only grit her teeth tightly. As she looked down at the ground, the most honest words came out of her mouth. "That''s why I kept it quiet. I didn''t want to break the relationship we built so far." *sigh* Hearing the sigh, she looked at Amelia. "Karteira, stop making me sigh. We''re friends, and that won''t change." "But what about th-" Amelia immediately stopped bothering and came straight at her. "I don''t care." "What?" "I don''t care. Let me say it again, just so you understand. I. Don''t. Care." Sitting back cross-legged, Amelia looked seriously at her friend. "You have the right to love who you want. You can even love the same man as me, it doesn''t matter. I never stopped at the stupid rule that a man or woman need only one lover." "I don''t see myself with anyone else than Orion. That makes me a hypocrite, and I fully understand that. But what about you? Do you mind him already having me?" "..." Karteira tried to remained quiet, but Amelia wouldn''t let her, so she spoke her true feelings. "I don''t mind it. In fact, if it was someone else, I would be bothered." "Same for me. Because it is you, I don''t care." They both exchanged another serious stare, before Amelia continued. "By the way, I''ve already told you that I wouldn''t mind you going after him, am I wrong?" "That was serious?" "Am I not always serious?" Karteira remembered that Amelia was usually honest with her feelings and about what she wanted to do. "That was before I knew you well." "Right." For a few minutes, silence fell around them. "Feeling better? Did that lift that strange feeling inside you?" Karteira nodded. "Yes. Though, I don''t think I''ll go after him in the end." "After all of that, you get cold feet?" But she shook her head. "I don''t even know the start of a love relationship. I also don''t know how he will react, and that scares me the most. Also, I''m a fairy. Isn''t it gross for a hybrid to love another faction member?" "I''m human, remember? I''m not the same faction as him either." "Oh." "Because you have a scorpion tail, and a weird armor ability doesn''t make you less lovable." Karteira blushed when she heard Amelia call her ''lovable.'' "Anyway, it''s your choice. You just remember that I don''t mind, and everything will be alright." "You really are open-minded about love. I thought you would monopolize this relationship you have with him, but you got as far as to include me in it." Amelia watched as Karteira bowed forward once again. "Thank you. I couldn''t hope to find a better friend than you." She walked next to Karteira who was still bowing, and spoke her true mind. "We are nothing without Orion. Mediocrity is a fair word to speak about our abilities. Without him, we most likely would have never improved at all." "To be fair, without him, I wouldn''t even have magic. And without him, you would be watching as the Tree of Life die from corruption." "That''s the least we can do. I am ready to share ''love'' if it means his life would improve ever so slightly." Karteira was speechless. "I should go, I''ve kept way too much of your time." "Karteira." "Hmm?" "Take your time to process it. And think about a way to tell him." She blushed and turned around, leaving hurriedly. ''Well, that was good to learn. I should speak about the bare minimum to Orion. Just say that what was on her mind was that she wanted to spend more time with him.'' ''I''ll just help her a little. I still want her to make the first step.'' But something formed in her mind now that she thought about it. ''Wait! I haven''t kissed him yet! What if she does that before me?!'' Weird thoughts began to take shape in her head, before she shook her head and switched her mood completely. "That won''t happen. Alright, let''s return to training." She watched as Karteira disappeared through the portal, and not long after, she walked to the three daggers laying on the ground. "Where was I again? Leima?" The moment she said its name, the lightning dagger formed from a sphere of blue sizzling lightning element. "Well, what can I do with you? I haven''t used you a lot, just like Vesta." The fire dagger did not react to it, because Amelia refused to feed the fire element at all times. Only when she needed to. Vesta''s power was terrible on her magic usage. "Lightning right?" She lightly slashed vertically from top to bottom. A line of bolts left the tip of the dagger and crashed on the ground in a straight line. Like all of the other daggers, the distance was close to twenty meters. "Hmm... Dana." Calling out the water dagger, it once again flew toward her. When she grabbed the handle, she immediately slashed both daggers at the same time. A water blade flew from Dana, while Leima enveloped that water with lightning magic. "Electrified water. Does that mean that my water isn''t pure water? Orion said that conductive water was different from pure water." Amelia pondered for a minute, before giving up. "I don''t remember, I''ll ask him later." Then, something she hasn''t realized until know was brought to light. "I don''t have any abilities..." Her mouth dropped to the ground when she pointed that out. Since she uses her daggers as abilities, she never thought of naming each attack she threw at her enemies. "Electro...cution? Zapper?" She did her best. "Fuck that! I always hated that stuff anyway. I''ll just keep it like that and simply call these guys when I need them." She looked at the four daggers she had. "So, what else can we do with you?" Placing Dana back next to its peers, she focused on Leima only. "We''ll try that." An electric current began to course through her arm, which settled around her shoulder. "One, two..." "Three!" *Zap* *zap* *Zap* Her arm moved so fast only a blurry mess was seen. "Hmm, it doesn''t hurt like slicing with Ceres. Enhance the other arm?" The lightning current continued down her shoulder blades, connecting to the other arm and to her fingertips. "Aura, come here." The wind blade vanished, and reappeared as a sphere of wind next to her hand. It reformed quickly before Amelia grabbed it. "Let''s try... this!" She slashed upward and diagonally, releasing two wind blades in the process. "What about more?" She made a diamond shape with wind blades. 0.25 seconds were needed for one wind blade to be formed. *Exhale* "It''s exhausting alright." Wiping the sweat that quickly formed on her forehead, she stopped using Leima. "Release." The lightning stopped coursing through her muscles, and she felt the hard reality come back. "Aaaaaah! Muscle pain! Damn it!" She grabbed her each arms in pain and sat on the ground. "I would have loved... a damn heads up!" There was work to do on that front. What Reon had to go through, Amelia was going to do the same. "Why can I only feel suffering when I think of training Leima?" That was her destiny. To suffer at the hands of her own magic. But what she will gain from it will be tremendously powerful. Lightning elements were like that, difficult to train, yet rewarding. Amelia''s muscles began to relax, and the pain subsided gradually. She stood up and looked at Leima. "..." Without a word, she placed Aura and Leima with Dana and Ceres. She turned around and extended her left hand. "Vesta, dagger only." A powerful flame appeared in front of her, taking the form of her most powerful and harmful dagger. "As usual, it is a beautiful flame, yet also terrifying. I''m still afraid of you, you understand that?" The flame surrounding the dagger swayed slightly, as if to answer her. "But without you, I''m not complete. We''ll have to work together to make thing right. I''ll kill my own fears to be with him." She strongly remembered Orion saving her from the fire she created. This was one memory she would never forget. "You know what, let''s just create an ability together? What about ''Sacred Fire''?" The dagger shined brighter, and a pillar much smaller and condensed grew in front of her. "What have I done..." Amelia just blurted the first idea that came to her mind. A clone of herself made of fire stepped out of the fire, and remained immobile. "Huh?" Amelia moved her foot forward, and the fire clone did the same. "Is it imitating my moves?" She waved her arms, jumped, made strange positions with her body, and concluded that indeed, it was copying her movement. "This should be good." She ran toward the clone, who did the same thing. They both clashed with one another. "I can use this to fight with my full strength!" Amelia had found her very first ability, and she was going to make the most out of it. Chapter 129: Face to face with the Corruption. While Amelia was having fun with ''herself'', and Karteira was fuming in her room about her own feelings, Orion was sleeping. To be precise, he was having a nightmare. ~ Inside his dream. "Where am I?" He looked around the empty darkness. ''There''s absolutely nothing. But what is this feeling? Like I shouldn''t stay?'' Examining the surrounding, he noticed a speck of purple fumes. "Fuck..." Orion immediately understood what it was. His left foot slowly moved behind him, and he was ready to run away from that purple haze. ''That''s corruption. I have to avoid it.'' "Why leave so fast? Let''s talk." But just when he was about to flee, his legs and arms were untangled on the spot by purple vines. A voice he didn''t recognize was emitted by the purple haze. "And it talks. Awesome." With the most bored expression on his face, Orion dismissed everything that was happening, hoping that it was really just a dream. "It was so difficult to find you, you know? Tracing back the magic through space and all." "What are you on about? What are you even? If you tell me that you are Corruption itself, you can leave." "..." That sentence seemingly didn''t please the ''thing'' in front of him. At that, the haze began to take shape. An unstable and semitransparent form manifested. Dark glowing eyes, sharp razor teeth, hands and feet deformed with large claws. Even though you could easily see through it, you could see its grotesque form. Its legs were thin near the thighs, but larger, way larger at the calves. The arms were thin, but its shoulders were large, shaped like a ball. The head had no hair, only three protruding spikes, arranged in a row from front to back in the middle of its skull. "Would you stay this confident if I told you I was Miasma?" The smile he displayed was everything but pleasant to see. It was deranged and creepy. "And what would the Miasma, something that is half-dead, want to do with someone like me?" ''This situation is bad. I don''t know where I am, and I don''t know what this thing is. I''ll just go along since I can''t move.'' "Half-dead. You are right about that. I might be able to only manifest like this but my power is still going strong on this continent, isn''t it?" Miasma was partially broken. Tiohr-nam explained that the Miasma couldn''t think clearly, but that seemed to be wrong. "I''m not going to explain to you what happened to me after I lost against that... buffoon." The word he spoke were venomous. Large amount of corrupted air left his mouth as he spoke. "Just know that I never left. That''s simple enough for you?" Orion nodded. He didn''t really want to exchange pleasantries with what was in front of him. ''Buffoon? If we''re talking about the Miasma, then the one its speaking about is the Hero, Noah?'' ''It''s true that I don''t know much about Noah and the Miasma''s showdown.'' As Orion was thinking, the Miasma didn''t bother to wait for his mind to return. "I''ll be frank with you, I''m pissed. You''ve stopped two of my plans already, and I''m not very pleased by that." "You went for an important item closely related to me, do you think I would have watched as you snatched it away?" "Alright, let''s say that this one was inevitable." Miasma shrugged its massive shoulders, and continued. "But what about that lightning moron? I gave him more power, just so he could trample another city, and wreck havoc on the continent." "Why did you interfere? Everything was going so well until you showed up." Orion showed surprised at this. "Do you really care that much about your plans?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. An angry smile appeared on Miasma''s face, and pulsing veins grew next to his eyes. "Of course I do. I''ve been trying to des-" Miasma looked at Orion, then looked away for a split moment, before looking at Orion with a smile. "Good one, you almost made me spill the beans. As a little show of good faith, I''ll continue." "I''ve been trying to destroy the factions for as long as I''ve been existing. Corrupting, killing, manipulating, everything works for me. As long as I get to see the other Remnants suffer, I''m good with it." "That''s petty, you know that?" "Oh, shut up, will you. I never expected a vermin like you to understand my point. If I wanted that, I would be prostrating on the ground asking for your help." He laugh maniacally at his own joke. "Me, prostrating. That''s a good one. "Alright, answer my question now. Why did you interfere?" Miasma face kept its disgraceful smile, but the vines keeping Orion in place tightened around his feet, showing that play time was over. "What do you expect? Don''t you have an idea already?" "I don''t, that''s the reason why I bothered to question you myself. And I don''t plan on leaving without knowing, since it was a pain to track you." Orion gulped, thinking of a way to avoid speaking. He tried to manifest his elements multiple times, but they weren''t responding. He couldn''t even use his abilities currently. ''I have no choice I guess.'' *sigh* Giving up on escaping without giving any information, Miasma watched as Orion sighed. "I''m simply going around, killing the Apostles of Elliot." "Why?" The smile on Miasma''s face faded away, replaced by a frown. "You don''t know much about what''s happening behind the scenes, huh?" The snort Orion gave bothered it greatly, but it chose to stay silent. ''No response. I thought I''d get some leads, but it''s not that stupid.'' "Continue. Why bother?" "They are a threat to the continent, and I have some personal problems to settle with each one of them." "Personal problems?" ''Why does it care so much about what I do?'' Perturbed, Orion watched carefully Miasma. There was no changes in his expression currently. "Vengeance. And I plan on taking down Elliot too." Just then, Orion noticed a quick, almost unnoticeable emotion that disappeared as fast as it appeared. Surprise. ''Why did it react like this? What did I say that could surprise this being?'' "Hmmmm." Miasma turned around, and touched its left temple. It was seemingly thinking of something. "This will be fun, but." "I really don''t want to risk it." It turned around with a terrifying smile. ''What''s this smile? I have a bad feeling about it.'' Orion tried his best to free his feet from the vines. "Don''t struggle, it will be quick." Miasma swiped his hand from left to right, releasing a large amount of corruption, that slowly approached Orion. "I''m going to make you one of us." "What?!" Panic took over Orion. ''I can''t move, I can''t defend myself, and I can''t call for help! What am I supposed to do now?'' But just when he thought that, his light and dark element appeared from his chest, and threw themselves at Miasma, cleaning the corruption at the same time. "You have those?! Now I understand better! You are related to that trash!" Miasma lost it slightly when it remembered Noah. "Out of the way. I''ve already dealt with these a long time ago." Miasma stepped forward and punched each spheres back to Orion. Its hands covered with corruption, it approached Orion, going to corrupt him personally. ''Damn it. Is it the end?'' Orion thought strongly of what was left behind. Amelia, Karteira, Tiohr-nam, Dramia and Drania, Kamala, and... his parents, Reon and Orianne. But one last hope emerged in front of his eyes. Miasma stopped in front of Orion and was about to engulf it in corruption, when his new element surged from within him, and blasted it away. "What is this?!" It touched it''s belly, and noticed a hole that wasn''t there before. Looking around, it tried to find the reason for this injury. "I can''t find it! Where is it?!" And another blow happened, right where its neck was. ''I never thought it could be used like that.'' Orion glanced behind his left shoulder, and looked at the void sphere that was hiding behind him. It was sending attacks at Miasma from behind Orion. Looking back at Miasma, Orion noticed how weak it was. ''This might be why it tried to stay away. It''s not complete, just like Tiohr-nam said.'' Watching Miasma slowly being destroyed by spatial rifts, Orion realized that the vines were weakening their grip, so without hesitation, he broke free. "You... you will regret that." Only the Miasma''s voice was echoing inside the darkness, until the bad feeling Orion felt before disappeared. The void element snuffled every bits of corruption in an instant, and returned inside Orion. ~ "Guuh!" Orion woke instantly, grabbing his chest. He immediately stood up from his bed and walked with haste toward his mirror. Ripping the shirt off of him, he looked at the dark spot on his chest. "That wasn''t a dream." Without looking further, he uses his recovering ability on himself and searched inside his body for the corruption. ''Found you, fucker! You won''t stay in my body.'' Orion got as far as injure himself to remove it, as it was strongly merged with his lungs. He forced the corruption out of his body, and spat a dark sludge that could fill a glass of water on the floor. Erasing it from existence with light magic, he looked in himself again to find any remaining trace of corruption. "Good, nothing remains. Damn it, it tried to assimilate me." If before Orion had a small problem with the Miasma, now, it was personal too. He healed his chest that was aching from ripping the corruption lump from his lungs. "If it stayed, that would have most likely formed a core inside me. Good thing I woke up in time." Orion walked back to his bed and noticed that it was soaked in sweat. ''I''ll have to clean all of that, and also clean my body.'' The bed was soaked because Orion himself was sweating profusely. ''I didn''t recover at all. It was supposed to be a relaxing nap, and look at what happened.'' ''Let''s take a shower, and think about what had happened.'' The shower it was. Orion picked up a change of clothes, and walked downstairs. He entered the changing room, and walked inside. Under the cold shower, he repeated what had happened in his head. "The Miasma, corruption, the Apostles. Light and Dark might not work against it, but the Void is." "It isn''t completely empowered yet, so this is not a priority, and even if it was, how am I supposed to fight it?" "Could I trace its location with dad''s ring?" Cold droplets fell from his face to the floor. ''Ah! It feels comfortable.'' His body finally began to relax. "Do I explain this to Amelia and Karteira?" "I think I will. But more importantly, I have to speak to Tiohr-nam about that." Orion turned around and let his back be cleansed with cold water. "Three months remain before Elliot will free himself from the seal." "And now the Miasma." ''This might be too much for me alone to deal with.'' The fact that Orion wasn''t progressing much in training made him lose confidence in his fight against Elliot. "Anyway, there''s a lot to explain to the girls. And the fact that I will return alone to the fairy realm too." With this little diverging plan, Orion was going to leave the girls for a day, while he talked with Tiohr-nam about what had happened. ''If someone can give me more information about a Remnant, it''s another Remnant.'' After closing the water, Orion stepped outside the shower, and returned to the changing room. "Ah..." "Huh?" At that moment, inside the men''s changing room, Karteira stared at a naked Orion, holding his towel around his nape. Chapter 130: Cursed to be hated. Something even Amelia never bothered to try was currently happening. "Do you need something?" Orion removed the towel from his neck and calmly wrapped it around his hips. Karteira was unable to look away, and she wasn''t discreet about it. "Ah... No? Wait, is this the men''s changing room?" The lights finally activated in her head, and she stared at Orion with an horrified face. "If I''m here, where else could this place be?" A mix of embarrassment, shock, and confusion appeared on her face. "I''m sorry! I was thinking and I entered the wrong door!" She stared at his tempered body, that was still dripping water from the shower he took, even as she apologized. "Well, that can happen. I would have expect the other way around, with me inadvertently entering the women''s side, but I guess you beat me to it." He laughed at that. It wasn''t a big deal for him to be seen naked. The same couldn''t be said for Karteira. ''I think I''ll never forget what I just saw.'' Her head was filled with bad thoughts. The conversation she just had with Amelia was also repeating in her mind until now, so this situation was really bad for her. Until she saw something that instantly erased her horny mind. "What''s with the dark spot?" She noticed the black area where the corruption took hold in his body. It hadn''t disappeared yet, even though Orion healed everything. "About that... I was going to wait until dinner to tell you both." Noticing the serious and slightly bothered look on his face, she walked and stopped in front of him. Bringing her hand in front of her, she touched his chest. "Does it hurt? This looks horrible." Shaking his head, Orion immediately appeased her feelings. "It doesn''t anymore. I''ve dealt with it the moment I noticed it. Karteira''s face frowned when she realized. "This color... it reminds me of the corruption." "It''s exactly that." "How could this happen?! When did you get that? Are you sure you are alright? Tell me!" Taken aback by the sudden worries Karteira had toward him, he spoke the truth. "It happened when I was sleeping. Can you wait until Amelia is back though? I don''t want to explain multiple times, since it''s a serious matter." "And don''t worry, I''ve double checked myself, I''m cleaned of corruption. There no need to worry that much." He gently pushed her shoulders away, because she was too close to him. His modesty was at risk in this situation, with only a towel to protect his lower body. Though there was not much to hide since Karteira had a ''very good'' look at it. When she accepted his words, a little sigh left her mouth. "Well, I''m relieved if you''re healthy. I''ll wait until later, but I don''t want any secrets, we''re clear?" "I wasn''t planning to, rest assured." "Great. I''ll go take a shower myself, but if your health is deteriorating, just call alright? Just in case." ''She didn''t trust my words completely.'' A gentle, slightly downhearted smile formed on his face. "I''ll do that. See you later." He forced her out of the changing room. The air on his wet skin was starting to get colder, and he couldn''t stay like this any longer. Karteira walked through the door, looked back at him, and closed the door behind her. ''Let''s change before something similar happens again.'' Orion wiped the water off his body, and put his clothes on. ''She was kind of pushy. That''s unusual for her, though maybe it''s because I''ve never seen her acting like this before?'' ''I''ll see with Amelia later. Maybe she managed to get something out of her.'' ''She seemed a bit lost, to enter the men''s room by mistake. But from our quick exchange, she looked alright.'' Putting his black shirt on, he opened the door to leading to the corridor, and walked toward the entrance, before turning left, into the kitchen. ''Coffee it is. Let''s think a little more about everything before dinner.'' Orion prepared himself another cup of coffee, and moved to the living room. During that time, many questions formed, leading to one of the most important discovery about himself. Stolen story; please report. ~ "What?!" Both Amelia and Karteira slammed their hands on the table. It was right before dinner. Amelia had returned from her training and took a shower to clean herself. Orion told everything that happened in during his sleep. "You almost got corrupted... while I was away? Damn it!" The punch Amelia threw at the table was enough to cause a crack into it. ''I guess we''ll have to get the other table out for dinner.'' Orion closed his eyes with a little smile at the corner of his mouth. "I knew something happened, but I never expected something like this. Orion almost became our enemy without us noticing." Karteira was biting her fingernail in frustration. "There was nothing you could have done. Everything happened in my head. Except the corruption in my lungs." "About that, how could you get corrupted in this place? And how did you not notice it? I''m not questioning you, I just want to understand." "Don''t worry, Amelia, I don''t mind. First, the seed didn''t come from Horizon. It was in me before we came to Hocride." "Second, I did notice something strange at the time, but I didn''t think much of it." "Third and last, I had completely underestimated the enemy." Both girls remained silent, until one of them asked the question that was most important in their mind. "What do you mean by you noticed it?" Karteira stared at Amelia, then at Orion. She really wanted to know too. "Do you remember what happened when we arrived near Hocride for the first time?" "Which points? Before the gate, or after you rescued Kamala?" "Directly at the gate." "..." Both girls began to recall the past events. Karteira was the first to remember a weird detail. "Amelia, didn''t the corrupted soldiers stop attacking when we arrived. They all moved toward Orion and tried to block his path or attack him." "Now that you speak of that, there was indeed no exceptions, they all did that." Nodding to each other, they turned to Orion. "Is that the weird feeling you had?" "Yes. At that time, my chest burned the whole time I was near the corrupted. It means that I already had the corrupted seed inside me." Another wave of anger took over Amelia. "From that long! How did we not notice?!" "Amelia, it is worse than that." The face she made was everything but pretty. If released all of her emotions at his words, she would be crying. "I don''t want to ask." "I can''t get rid of the seed." "W-Why?" Karteira almost bit her tongue asking that. As pure dread took over their expressions, Orion continued. "When I said seed, I didn''t meant a literal one. The seed of corruption seemed to be ingrained in me. Can you find when I got it, and why by yourself? Karteira, you don''t have to think about it, you might not know the whole thing." She nodded painfully, while Amelia tried to get the most out of her broken thinking. "I''ll give you single hint, as you seem to struggle with your emotions. It''s related to the ''Purging War''." "Elliot against the angels and demons? What does that have to do with you?" Karteira spoke out loud, restarting Amelia''s thinking process in the same time. "Everything, Karteira. From the beginning, everything was about him. The war began because the alliance of the angels and demons through the birth of an ''hybrid'', Orion, wasn''t seen as a good thing by the humans." "Elliot killed all members of both factions, with his parents being the remaining fighters." Orion nodded. "Correct. Now look further." With a little concern, she continued. "After struggling, his parents managed to seal Elliot, in exchange for their life. In the process, they decided to send Orion in the future with an unknown magi-" "..." Amelia turned her head slowly toward Orion. The shock on her face explained that she understood. As Orion nodded once again, she spoke out loud. "You were cursed? But how?" "Elliot most likely. Remember the purple haze that slithered during the ''ceremony''? I am pretty sure Elliot is one of the first to have been corrupted." "Following that, it isn''t too difficult to link what happened with my past." Karteira''s face dropped, as she looked at the table, not knowing what to say. Amelia was hiding her face in her hands. The muffled voice of Amelia was heard. "What does that means for you? Are you going to get corrupted at some point? Is it inevitable?" But the answer she expected never came. "No, I''m fine." Both girls'' brain stopped working as they looked at him. "That''s why you should have listened before making your own opinions on my state." "What do you think that curse do? If it was a corrupting curse, I would have been corrupted before adulthood." From Karteira''s point of view, she couldn''t understand everything. "But why did you get that corrupted lump in your lungs, and why did you chest showed a black spot?" Orion looked at her. "Because I made contact with the Miasma. You can''t underestimate the power of a Remnant. The way he tracked me down was most likely because of the curse too." She touched her healed eye when Orion spoke about the power of a Remnant. "I see." Amelia slumped on her chair, and breathed a long sigh of relief. "Tell me, what does that curse do? All I can think of is that it attracts the corrupted." "The humans corrupted to be exact." They blinked a few times. "During the fight against Ivan, when his corpse came back to life thanks to the corruption, his eyes were fixated on me only. Even though the first thing he did when the opportunity came was to try and kill Kamala before his death." He continued to elaborate. "The soldiers, both in Hocride and in Kaios, they all focused on me when I was near them." "And let me repeat the important part. Only the corrupted humans." "I guess humanity hates me." He laughed after saying this. "Yes, most of humanity at this point." Amelia said while thinking that it wasn''t that bad of a news in the end. ''I panicked way too fast. I really need to do something about that. When it concerns him, I lose it too quickly.'' She remembered when Florian appeared near the lake, and the moth man that appeared right after. The anger she displayed that day was no joke. "That''s all I had to speak about. Let''s just eat now. Well, after we replace the table." He smiled and pointed at the cracked part under Amelia''s arms. ~ "Orianne..." Reon was trying to calm his wife. She was currently inconsolable. "I knew that we were making a mistake at that time, but knowing that we gave him a curse..." "It was not our doing. How could we had known that the corruption was back, and that it had taken root in Elliot? Don''t blame yourself for everything." Doing his best not to let his own emotions catch up to him, his own thoughts were like Orianne. A mess. "I''m tired of all of this. Why didn''t we simply die, together? Why did we struggle this much, just to watch our own child fight the world?" He caressed her back gently, and repeated the words that helped him. "Look at him. He doesn''t appear to be bother at all? Why are we questioning our own motives now? It is way too late for that, and you know it." Orianne wiped her tears away, and looked at the screen in front of her. Her son was mocking Amelia, with a big smile on his face. "He''s having fun..." "That''s right. He still shoulders our hope for a better world. Even knowing that the world is against him. And that without losing sight of what''s important." "I want to see him, and talk to him. I want to hug my Orion." Tears fell on the table as her desires to see her son grew stronger each seconds that passed. "Don''t worry, he hasn''t forgotten about you. He will never do that." Reon continued to caress her back. He also wanted to speak with his son. "Hmm." She nodded while wiping the never-ending streams of tears flowing from her eyes. "Who would have thought you would be such a crybaby when it concerned your child." "Shut up, you''re crying too." Reon was hiding it well, but he was about to cry. "I''m not like you, I can control it at least." "I don''t care anyway, there''s only the two of us." "That''s true." Reon grabbed Orianne''s shoulder and hugged her tightly, letting go of his chains. These two truly cared for Orion, so much as their heart broke each time they learned more about the path full of thorns that was his life. After they calmed down, they watched as Orion, Amelia, and Karteira enjoyed their dinner. Orion was about to speak about his plan to return to the fairy realm to them. Chapter 131: While we wait for the good news. After dinner, Orion decided to tell them what he was planning to do. Orion, Amelia, and Karteira were all in the living room. "I''m planning on going back to the fairy realm." It was so sudden that both girls immediately stared at him. "Without us?" "Only the road to Dead White forest. Once I''m inside, you''ll join with me." They both nodded. "But why now? I thought you were focused on hunting that Apostle?" "I am, I just have a feeling that Florian will not come with an answer from the lamia queen that easily, so while we wait, why not go over there?" "There''s also the whole conversation we had before. I need Tiohr-nam to confirm things. Everything I''ve said about the curse are mostly guesses at this point, and having her confirm it would help." Having a question about that matter, she asked. "And what about the Miasma?" With a fierce look, he answered. "Of course, that''s also part of the reason I''m going there. She is the only Remnant I personally know, and only from her can I get some informations about it. Now that it tried to corrupt me, I cannot see it as other than an enemy." "I didn''t haven''t asked her about it since I thought that it was a done deal at the time, that the Hero Noah took care of it, but now that I am faced with the state of our world, I realize that it is well and dangerous." Amelia developed his thoughts. "You''re right, the fact that humans are getting corrupted, and that it was the case for the past two thousand years, is quite bothering. There''s also the growing numbers of corrupted beast." Placing a hand on her chin, she gave her opinion on the matter. "Orion, are we going to have the same situation the Hero had? Are we going to see the continent overrun by the corrupted?" The tension in the room suddenly grew. "Most likely. Like you said, the numbers of corrupted grew largely, that''s also what the Apostles said during their meeting. The fact that Apostles were corrupted for most of their existence is another problem." "How so?" Karteira who was unknowing of everything before leaving her realm, needed more to understand. "The corrupted Apostles began to influence the normal soldiers. With time, they began to push their values on them, changing the kind hearted faction as one full of deviant and monsters." "And that, because one man exists. Elliot was, and is at the middle of everything. But..." "But what? You usually go about the fact that Elliot is your enemy. Why did you stop this time?" Orion looked at Amelia with a funny smile. ''She''s right, I never bothered with that before.'' "Well, I said it, Elliot is more than likely corrupted. Maybe if he wasn''t, the world wouldn''t be in this state. That''s all I was thinking about." Taking the words he spoke, Karteira asked something else. "So are you saying that without the corruption, everyone would be living without conflicts?" "Not necessarily. There''s always conflicts left and right. Remember, the hunting of the fairies had nothing to do with the corruption. But yes, we wouldn''t have a situation like this if it didn''t exist to begin with." Sound of teeth gritting was heard from Karteira. "Right, I almost forgot about that." She never knew the ones who lived two thousand years ago, but they were still members of her faction. The fact that they were killed just for the value their body parts had made her sick and irritated. "So, we''re going to the fairy realm. We''ll have to check what time it is outside. I''m pretty sure it''s still the middle of the night, so I''ll adjust time accordingly now that I am able to." Standing up from the couch, he walked toward a device placed on the table further inside the room. "Now that we are here, let''s see how it works, shall we?" He turned with a smile, and sat back where he was before. "Karteira, come here." He made space for Karteira to sit next to him, which she agreed, although a little embarrassed. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. With Amelia on his right, and Karteira on his left, he began to tap on the tablet like device. The screen blinked a few times, before activating. "Where were we before? We looked at the things I was able to do with it before?" Amelia reminded him, since Orion wasn''t perfectly in shape to remember what he did. "You''ve given it your magic, and it gave a lot of command. I''m most interested in the one saying that you can authorize others to use the device." "Oh, right. Let''s see that then. Orion looked all over the screen to find the option he was looking for, but since he wasn''t used manipulating such high-tech item, he had trouble. After looking for a minute, he tried something else. "I''ll just ask, maybe it can hear my voice. How do I register others in using this device?" *Blinp* A little noise was emitted from the tablet, and a icon similar to the warning sign he saw earlier today appeared. He clicked on it, and a few words were written on the screen. "That''s all?" With surprise, Orion pressed a finger on the screen. "Oh, I should''ve expected that." He laughed lightly. "Can we try?" Amelia asked, eager to be able to use the tablet too. "Of course, go for it." Orion gave the tablet to Amelia, who looked at the prompt asking to press her finger on the screen. When she did that, another prompt appeared on the screen. With a set mind, Orion spoke. "Yes." *Blinp* Amelia gave the tablet to Karteira, who look at it with a gaze that said ''What is this thing, and how do I use it?'' She imitated Amelia and pressed her finger on the screen. Once again, Orion answered without hesitating. "Also yes." He trusted these two greatly. Nothing bad will happen even if they can modify the area. "So, now what?" With a questioning tone, Amelia asked Orion. "I don''t know. Let''s look at what it can do." Orion took back the tablet from Karteira, and asked the device. "What can we do with this device?" *Blinp* Another notification popped up. A tutorial like page opened, showing how to use the magic known as Horizon. "Anything?" "That''s useful. I don''t really want to see a square lake in my landscape." With the strong disapproval of weirdly shaped natural occurrences, Amelia was relieved. "Is that it for the explanations?" The device stopped sending notifications, so Orion began to touch the side of the screen, where he remembered seeing what was able to be created. ''There are forests, lakes, mountains, even underground spaces. We can create buildings too if we want, but they look pretty rudimentary. Definitely not like our house.'' ''The most simple thing we seem to be able to do is create soil.'' Decided to try the device, Orion stood up and looked at the girls. "Might as well test it right know. Do you want to?" They both stood up and followed him outside. Orion selected the square showing the right half of the house, and a simple dirt patch. <100kg of dirt required.> "Amelia, can you create a hundred kilogrammes of dirt?" Pointing on the side, he asked Amelia. "That''s a lot, but yes, I can." Her earth element appeared next to her, and began to create dirt from nothing. A massive pile of fresh dirt towered over the group. "It''s definitely a lot, but the number is growing." Karteira looked from Orion''s side at the screen. "Is that really enough? Don''t we need more?" She looked at him as he began to zoom on the screen. "Look, after creating the base ground, we can add paths and flower beds. We''ll look at that after." After Karteira understood that there was more to it than she thought, they both looked at Amelia, who was still full of energy. When the pile was finished, all the squares of Horizon blinked green on the screen. Orion clicked on the dirt path, and a portal like the one who siphoned his magic appeared and ate the pile of dirt. When it did that, the ground slowly changed, and dirt replaced the white ground. "Colors!" "It''s brown, you can''t call that ''colors''." Amelia almost cried when she saw that the device could really change the landscape, but Karteira immediately shot her down. "Can''t I rejoice for a second?" She frustratingly walked to Karteira. "We''re not done yet, Amelia. I need stones now, around twenty five kilogrammes." She turned around and forgot about the false anger she displayed at Karteira. Once the stone was formed, Orion zoomed in the newly made dirt square, and watched as many smaller squares appeared. ''So the small ones can be selected in a row. The ones cannot, but the smaller can. Weird design.'' But it was because of quantity. The larger the area, the larger the required amount of materials. The smaller squares were representing 10x10 squares of the 100x100 bigger ones. There was no more zooming after that. ''Click there, there, all the way down, and...'' *Press* Half of a rocky path formed near the entrance of the house, until the end where the dirt stopped. "We''ll have to do that for the other side too. Look good though." ''I''m not a really good designer, so I''m thinking of giving full control to those two. They can do much better than me on that front.'' Of course, he was happy to have a new change of scenery, but that wasn''t his thing to begin with. He preferred to instruct how to create things more than doing it. "Here you can have the device. You can do what you want with the place. If you need any explanation about materials or how to do something, you just come to me." Orion walked to Amelia and gave her the tablet. "You''re not staying?" She looked slightly saddened. "I''m staying, don''t worry. I''ll simply look over what you create. To begin with, it is you who wanted a new change of scenery around here. Make it great." "We''ll look how to obtain trees and flowers once we exit. For now, you can continue until time synchronize with the outside." "You''ve already done that?" With Karteira''s exclamation, he smiled. "Of course. I don''t need the device for that. With a simple thought, it seems to change at will." "Oh. Magic is quite convenient." The usual sentence of non-magic users. And yes, magic is convenient... when the user know how to use it to begin with. "The time will calibrate during the night, so we have time. We''ll have breakfast like usual, and we''ll exit around noon. I''ll drop you to Kamala at that time, because I can''t let you in Lahro." They listened carefully. "After that, I''ll leave for Dead White forest, wait for the portal to open, and open a portal between the fairy realm and Kamala''s house. Then we go and see Tiohr-nam." ''And the sisters. I need to know if they are alright.'' This was on his mind the whole time. He knew that the dragons wouldn''t mindlessly attack them, and that wasn''t where his worries were. There was something else, a sort of melancholy that followed them before they left toward Ormrdivin. His mind returned to the present, and he continued. "Once we have everything we need, we return to Horizon, and we wait for Florian''s news. We''ll act accordingly after that." "Oh, and just so you know, if the queen accepts my request, I''ll go alone." "What?!" And just like that, Orion dropped another sudden notice on them. Chapter 132: It is time to change outfits. The day after Kamala suddenly met with Florian again. There was a lot of paperwork to do, but she simply couldn''t focus, and was enjoying a nice cup of coffee in her living room. ''I wonder what is going to happen from now on.'' ''We don''t have to fear attacks from other Apostles now. Ivan was our only neighbor, and since we''ve dealt with him and that nothing remains of Kaios, we can enjoy some peace and quiet.'' She took a sip of coffee and placed the cup on the table. ''But what about the region around Albriar? There''s conflict happening, but we can''t do much from where we are.'' ''Truly, the only option is to depend on Orion''s portals to move freely around the continent.'' *knock* *knock* Just when she thought of that, she heard knocking on the door leading to the portal Orion created before. ''That room, is that them? Why so suddenly?'' She stood up and walked to the door and opened it. "Hi. Can I do something for y-" When she opened the door, she couldn''t continue her sentence because of the surprise. She watched as three people she knew well entered the living room. "Hi Kamala, I came because I need to drop off these girls with you. If that isn''t an bother that is." "Thanks for having us once again." Having trouble processing, few words left her mouth. "Ah. N-no, no it doesn''t bother me." "But... what about these clothes?" Pointing out the clear difference in outfits, the three smiled at her. "Yes, those are the clothes you bought us. They really are nice." Orion''s new outfit was vastly different from the ragged clothes that suffered through training and battles. The clothes Kamala bought for them were more durable, and more flexible. They were also easier to clean. If they needed to repair them, they simply had to return to the shop that made them in Hocride. From his usual black shirt with sleeves stopping before his elbows, now, he had a dark grey sleeveless shirt. His black pants, that were partially destroyed near the knees, and opened near the feet, were changed to a tight but flexible pants, still black, but more classy. They were still jeans though, which was something he liked to wear. The was a pocket strapped on the left side of his thighs, were a dagger was placed, used for emergencies. He also added a nice leather belt with a silver crest at the buckle. Over the jeans, Orion changed to black boots with a silvery accents on the laces and rings. Their height stopped just after his ankles. And the last piece, his new coat, the clothing part he loved the most. A dark coat that stopped a little lower from his buttocks. There was a little pocket on the right side to place an item, and he chose a pocket watch, something none of them bothered to get until now, because they didn''t care. On both sleeves, aegean blue bands followed a line from his shoulders, to the interior of the elbows, and stopping at his wrists. The interior of the coat showed the same blue line near the bottom, lining right to left at the edge. All of this completely changed the aura around him. He looked less like a beat up traveler and more like a normal person. Though he still chose to look like a hunter with the coat, the rest was closer to the normal clothes humans wore. For Orion and Amelia, who lived with clothes made by beastmen, this was everything to get used to. Talking about Amelia, she changed her clothes too. She had clearly less ragged clothes compared to Orion and Karteira, but since they both changed, why would she remains the only one not wearing her new clothes. She often wore blue jeans, that quickly found themselves dirty. This time, she switched to black leather pants, tightly packing her thighs. It was tight enough not to hurt. The rosy shirt she wore before got replaced with a white shirt, hiding under a light grey fleece sweater, copying as close as possible Orion''s grey sleeveless shirt. There was no special design on it, it was a really bland long sleeves sweater. It also greatly highlighted the necklace Orion gave her. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Compared to Orion, she wasn''t a huge fan of boots, so she chose durable and flexible low shoes. They were black to follow the leather pants'' color. Over the heel kick was a silvery line, once again copying Orion while also being different. You could say that her beauty was pushed forward a lot with this outfit. Her figure was now outlined by tight clothes, and it greatly marked anyone that saw her. For her who wanted Orion to look at her, this was a perfect outfit. She was able to move in it with ease too, thanks to the wind and water elements that she used in battle. And last but not least, Karteira. Karteira was more of a no design at all and only cared about what she had to wear. That''s why she wore a jean with the right leg ripped off. Before, she had a grey shirt that she always wore, but it was a little too big for her. Since she was training a lot, she thought that it would avoid it sticking to her skin after sweating, but it was way worse with all the creases. So she changed to a different type of shirt. It was a mix between a vest and a shirt, with odd parts. To begin with, the shoulder and armpit areas were uncovered, but her arms were still covered by sleeves. Two straps were holding the sleeve from the shoulder, and that on both sides, while the sleeve itself was tightly wrapped by a rubber band hidden inside a white crease, to make it unmovable. The shirt was devised in two parts, the black outward which joined both sides from her back, and the white inward. In the middle of the white part, a vertical line was drawn as a design choice. Near her neck, she had a bow that was integrated to the shirt. It was black like the outside, with white sewed outlines, and a cerulean jewel incrusted in the middle. The sleeves were made of three colors, white, black, and blue. The white was the creased tissue that was clipped by the straps. The sleeves were black, and widened to avoid the cloth to touch the arm, before joining to another sewed piece of cerulean blue tissue that almost covered her hands. It was the most intricate design between the three, and it really boosted her appeal as a woman. She kept the eyepatch for when she was outside Horizon, as it was a gift from Tiohr-nam, her mother. Next was the jeans. The tight black pants with the right leg torn off was changed for tight blue jeans with a brown belt. There was nothing special about the jeans. Her shoes were also changed. From a pair of basic shoes, she changed to a similar one, with only the heel kick being slightly higher. It seemed to make it easier for her to sprint with this kind of shoes. And to topple everything, she wore the hairclip she received from Orion in her hair. The flower design completely removed the air of unfriendliness she had on her on face, replacing it with the grace a woman like her had hidden. There was a different grace in her to Amelia. "How do you like it?" Orion smiled at Kamala, waiting for her response, and after a few seconds, she got out of her shock. "I thought you wouldn''t wear these clothes. It looks really good on you three." They all seemed to like the compliment, as they looked at each over and smiled. "You choose that for us, so of course it looks great coming from someone who wears graceful dresses." Amelia didn''t miss the change to also compliment Kamala for her design choices, and she took it with a blush. Karteira moved her arms roughly to show that her sleeves were tightly wrapped around her arms. "Those are good, the straps are not hindering my movements since they only hold it from sliding off, but the band is holding fine around my arm. Look how much I can move in it." "Karteira is quite happy about the outfit it turns out. She was so reluctant at first." Orion joked about what happened before they all wore the bought clothes. "How could I not doubt about it? It looked absolutely horrible to wear, but it was easier to wear than I expected, and it feels more comfortable than before. You were right, jeans are way better." With a bright smile, she turned around, showing her back to Orion, who took a moment to look, before looking back up at her face. "Definitely a plus." ''Those thighs are treasures.'' Not even trying to compare between both girls accompanying him, they both looked great in his eyes. "It''s good to know that you like it that much. So, you said that you''ve decided to ''drop off'' Amelia and Karteira here? Are you going somewhere?" Kamala changed the conversation back to the main point. "Yes, I need to go back to the fairy realm. Something happened while we were inside Horizon that needs the expertise of someone we know." He said the bare minimum about his plan, and avoided speaking about his encounter with Miasma. "Isn''t it going to take some times?" Orion took out the pocket watch from his chest pocket and opened it. ''That sure is more handy than I expected.'' "It is close to 1PM, I should arrive over there near 5PM if I take multiple breaks. I will have to wait a bit before entering, but once I''m in, I''ll come back to get them." After explaining what he schedule, Kamala had only one question. "Do you think I could enter with you?" Silence fell for a moment, before Orion stopped thinking and asked her instead. "For what reason? I don''t want to be cautious toward you, but they are quite bothered by humans. I can''t let you in without their agreement." A slight look of dejection appeared on her face, but she managed to answer him nonetheless. "Since we''ve chosen to ally with you, I thought it would be a good time to try to reconcile with the fairies." The one that showed the most surprise was Karteira. She wasn''t expecting such a reason. And as she was thinking, she looked at Orion, who had a returned to his sterned gaze. "I will talk to mo- to Tiohr-nam about it." "Are you sure?" Orion glanced toward her while asking. "Yes. There''s more chances she will agree if I ask." Finding Karteira''s words extremely out of character, she bowed forward. "Thank you very much." "Don''t thank me right know, I don''t know what her answer will be." Kamala straightened her body and looked forward at Orion. "When are you leaving?" "Right now actually." "Already?" "Yes, I don''t want to miss the time the realm opens. So I''m going to leave." Turning around without waiting, Orion walked toward the door, and stopped abruptly. "See you later." After saying that, he opened the door and walked outside after closing it behind him. *sigh* "Always in a hurry. Only when we are in Horizon does he ever slow down." "There''s not much time for him, and every minutes counts at this point." Amelia and Karteira began to talk about Orion in front of Kamala. "So, did you speak about it to him?" Until Amelia asked the dreaded question. It turned Karteira bright red, catching the interest of Kamala. "What are you talking about?" "That Karteira is in love with Orion, and that she needs to speak to him about it." Bluntly giving all the juicy details, Kamala was now completely interested. "Come with me, we''ll talk upstairs." Kamala and Amelia forced Karteira to move upstairs, and forced her to speak about her own feelings, and the little incident that happened inside the men''s changing room in their house. All of that, while Orion was ''Space Shifting'' from Hocride, back to Dead White forest. Chapter 133: An impromptu visit. Inside the fairy realm, in the tree''s room of the manor. "Dramia, Drania. I sense something unusual near the portal. You should take a look, since Karteira isn''t here to do it at the moment." Tiohr-nam''s Avatar opened her eyes, and notified the sisters about a potential outsider. "Is it trying to enter the realm? Is it another human?" In her mind, Dramia had the desire to ignore the one outside. "It might be, or maybe not. I have that feeling that you two should go. It might be a powerful individual, and the army is all but working properly right now." Drania laughed when she heard those words. "The mess Karteira left to us is certainly tough to deal with, though it''s not our problems if I had to be honest. Anyways, what do we do sis?" The situation had to be carefully thought about. "We could send Motirion like we did before?" "He is on paid vacation, let him rest." "I forgot about that. The amount of paperwork we had to do when we got back was all but easy to deal with. I had no time to pay attention to what happened until we finished." A little anger then took over Dramia, as she stared at her sister. "And for the love of the world, Drania! Do so paperwork too!" "But I don''t want to! It''s so boring, and I wanted to do other things." The most expressive of the sisters was also the laziest when work was concerned. "Drania!" *Cough* Sounds of a throat being cleared could be heard coming from Tiohr-nam, catching the attention of both sisters. "Maybe it is not the time for such a display of affection? Can you go and have a look at the portal? It should be opening in an hour or so." While returning to her indifferent gaze, Dramia finally agreed to do it. "If you need us to have a look, then we''ll go." "Right, you can count on us!" Tiohr-nam smiled at them, knowing full well who was currently waiting outside the realm''s entrance. ''If not for our bond, I wouldn''t have felt his presence. But since he has moved closer to me, I can feel our bond getting stronger too. Which means that this boy is coming back already.'' ''The reason why is most likely with him, and it should be pretty important at that. Maybe it has something to do with that strange signature in his magic the other day? It was too sudden to be qualified, and I have no idea what could have caused that.'' ''This will be a great reunion for these two, as they were extremely worried about him. And I will be seeing my little child too. I hope she improved like she desired to.'' The excitement inside Tiohr-nam knowing that she would be able to hear new stories about Orion and Karteira made smile brightly. "Tiohr, why are you smiling?" "No reasons, really. You should get going now. You still have to go other there isn''t it?" With a frown the sisters looked at Tiohr-nam. "You know that we can fly other there in about two minutes right? Why are you trying to throw us out?" They couldn''t have expected the loud laugh that came out of her mouth. "Aaah- Yes, I had forgotten about that. Sorry." Noticeably not understanding what was so funny, they both stood up from their chair and walked to the door. "Anyway, we''re going. See you later, if nothing major happens." Dramia opened the door, while Drania smiled and waved at Tiohr-nam. The door closed after both of them walked outside, leaving the tree by itself. "I so wished to see the shocked expression on their faces when they will notice. I will ask Orion about it later." She truly was a mother to all. ~ Orion opened his pocket watch. He had arrived at Dead White forest, and was waiting for the mist to appear, which indicated that the lake had appeared. "Too early, as I thought." With so much free time, he began to roam the forest, letting his feet carry him. ''This forest hasn''t changed. There is still no sign of life around here.'' The only living being that looked normal was the green grass. Everything else was either not here, or dead. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''Dead trees... what happened for such a thing to happen?'' As he walked around the forest without any goal in mind, the time passed rather quickly. Before long, the mist began to cover the ground. ''Already?'' Surprised by how his perception of time was compared to reality, he immediately walked toward the source of the mist, quickly arriving in a familiar lake. ''I''m on the other side.'' He looked around him and noticed the small holes in the trunk of the trees in the area. ''This is where I took all of Drania''s water bullets. She sure has power. But as usual, it''s stamina that they don''t have.'' Realizing that everyone''s major problem in their life was the lack of stamina, it made it perplexed. ''Why did Dylan teach me this, if no one else does it?'' This was a good question. A question he will have the answer in the future. While thinking that, he slowly walked around the lake, toward the entrance. He quickly found it, since there was a huge pile of dirt sitting near a large stump, the place where Amelia created the temporary housing before leaving the forest. Looking at the sun, Orion notice that it was about to be time. ''I just realized... I need someone to open the portal on the other side.'' ''Have I came too unprepared? How do I get in?'' Pondering about his option, the water suddenly split open, reveling the inside of the fairy realm. ''Well, I guess that''s my queue.'' Orion jumped without waiting, and disappeared when he fall down. He reappeared above the entrance, falling like he did before. Preparing for a rough landing, as he was about to fall in the stairs, he nullified the momentum of falling down the stairs by doing a rolling move the moment his feet touched one of the stairs. While rolling in mid-air, he disappeared once again, and popped on the ground with a roll. "That''s one way to enter." Hearing a familiar voice, he stood up and dusted his clothes. "Hi, I wasn''t expecting you two to greet me so early." The smile he had on his face was heartwarming. ''They are safe and well. I''m glad.'' "Orion!" "Oof! Go easy on me." Drania, flying at full speed, tackled Orion who endured like a chief without falling over. He still had to kneel though. "Drania, couldn''t you wait a little?" "No!" The usually cheery sister had her face deeply stuck on Orion''s chest, and her arms glued around his sides. "How are you two doing? Did something happened?" For Dramia, who was usually cold toward everything, seeing Orion was a blessing. The same could be said for Drania, but the coldest sister was internally keeping her worries out of everyone''s ears. She walked to Orion with careful steps. "We''re fine." Noticing that her sister was silently enduring the pain, Drania made some space for her sister. "But... we had to deal with something rather... painful." "I see." Dramia looked down, and kneeled in front of Orion. He smiled warmly at her, while extending his hand. "It''s good to see you." "Same for me, good to see you both being fine." In the same way he did to everyone, Orion caressed her hair, while also caressing Drania''s. Their green hair was as silky as ever. They remained like this for a few minutes. Until the portal closed to be precise. "Wait! Where are Amelia and Karteira?" Drania was the first to realize that Orion came alone. "You''re right, I don''t see them. Don''t tell me? Did something happen to them?" Great anxiety showed on their face. In an instant, the worst scenarios played in their mind. But Orion was fast to appease the worries they had. "They''re fine, don''t worry. I''ll get them later." "Later?" Getting caught by his weird choice of words, when she knew the portal was closed, Dramia tried to learn more, but he had other plans. "Let''s move. I need to talk to Tiohr-nam about multiple things. Your answer is part of it." ~ "Orion, it is pleasure to see you once again." The head of the Avatar bowed slightly down the moment she saw Orion. "The same could be said from me. You look healthier and younger than I remember." Having recovered most of her stored magic from siphoning Orion''s massive overflow of energy, she was almost back to her past form. "Your leaves are shinier than before too. You really do bear the name of Tree of Life." "Why all those compliment all of the sudden?" "I simply stated what I thought. Anyway, I came back because I have an important discussion I need to have with you." Orion took a chair and sat in front of the Avatar. The younger Avatar, who looked around her mid-thirties now, had recovered the luster she had previously lost. Her hair had a healthier green to them, with no more grey parts. Her wrinkles completely disappeared too, giving the beautiful woman even more impact. But, it was only a physical form made to talk with the other beings. As a tree, she had no other way to communicate. "That''s what I expect when I felt your presence close to the realm." The sisters suddenly walked in front of Orion and stared at Tiohr-nam. "You knew it, so why did you not told us about his coming? " "Yes! Do you know how surprised we were?" But to Tiohr-nam, that was music to her ears. "That is the reason why I kept quiet. You treasure the friendship you have with him, so why would I do something as brutish as to spoil the good thing? Do you think it would have been as impactful if you knew beforehand?" "Ugh!" No counter argument could be made for that. She was right, they were incredibly happy to see Orion when he stood outside of the realm. And it would have definitely been different if they were prepared to greet him, because they would have managed to hide their feelings. Well, mostly Dramia. "That stings." Orion lightly joked, as the sisters instantly lost the argument. To alleviate their feelings, he changed the subject. "I managed to create that new element." The three instantly looked at him. "We know. Tiohr felt it and told us. I can''t believe you made it not long after leaving our sight." "What is it? Tell me, what element is it?!" Orion opened his hand and showed the void element to them. "I called it the ''void'' element. I managed to fuse the light and dark element thanks to a book that had precious notions written inside." "Is that what you used when you came in the realm? Tiohr, he entered without our help, and he seemed to teleport around as if space wasn''t existent to him." "He jumped and vanished, before appearing above the entrance! And then, woosh! He jumped from the stairs and before we understood anything, he rolled on the ground next to us!" If Orion hadn''t placed the most trust in them, he wouldn''t have explained, but here he was, not even thinking about hiding details. "That was ''Spacial Shift'', an ability that lets me move across portal only me can see. I can only place a portal where I can see with this ability, and it is incredibly exhausting to use." Orion then began to detail what his ability was. It didn''t take long for Tiohr-nam to understand. In fact, it was pretty similar to someone she knew. "You can freely move between spaces, and even create another world. You truly are something else. Who would have thought that time and space would even bend to your will." But Orion shook his head. "They do not bend to my will. If so, I wouldn''t be the same person anymore. And there is also that weird individual that managed to spy on me while I was inside Horizon." "..." Tiohr-nam thought for a second, and inadvertently and quietly blurted out a name, that Orion didn''t miss. "That is most likely Enri-Ann. So she is still alive." "Tiohr, what did you say?" Dramia asked as she did not hear it, leading Tiohr-nam to come back to reality. "Nothing you need to be concerned about. It is a matter between Remnants." "Alright." She knew that the matters between Remnants was something no one could deal with. ''Enri-Ann. I should remember this name.'' But it wasn''t the same for Orion. If this Remnant was a threat, he would deal with it accordingly. "So, is this it about the void element?" Orion looked back at the Avatar. "From what I managed to discover about it, yes." "Then, tell me, why did you come back. I''m it wasn''t to tell us about that new element." He prepared himself, and sighed. "Talking about the void element was necessary to explain to you the problem." "You see, I''ve encountered the Miasma, and almost died from it." Silence fell in the room, with an unusual pressure being exerted from the Tree of Life. Chapter 134: Two sides, Remnants and the Miasma. (Part 1) A heavy pressure fell in the room. Tiohr-nam''s mood suddenly turned awful, and her gaze showed an animosity she did not displayed when she was being slowly killed. "I believe you are not joking?" The three in the room, Orion, Dramia, and Drania all looked surprised at the sudden switch. Even though they were right in front of her, for some reason, there was no fear as a response to that. This wasn''t directed at them to begin with. "This really happened." Orion removed his coat and lifted his shirt, showing a dark spot on his chest. A gasping sound could be heard from the sisters. "That mark... Orion, come to me." Her eyes asked for a favorable answer, which Orion had no reason to refuse either. After nodding, he walked between the sisters and stopped in front of the trunk. Something incredible happened, showing that not everything was known about the Tree of Life. Tiohr-nam''s Avatar was constantly stuck in the trunk of the tree. Her arms were stuck until the shoulders, and only her upper body past her navel was seen. But when the right arm of the Avatar suddenly removed itself from the tree, their expression was stuck on surprise once again. It was similar to a normal arm, but it was green. Green like the grass, and pulsing with a liquid that was the tree''s blood. The Avatar moved that arm toward Orion, and her fingertips began to trace around the remains of the corruption in Orion. "I do not like that. I thought it was unable to act, that it had completely vanished at the time. Are you telling me that it is back?" Orion shook his head and began to explain what happened in his dream, while Tiohr-nam removed any trace of the corruption on his skin. ... "Yes, it is worse than I thought. I do not know how close it is to come back, and I do not know how it recovered its sentience, but I know for sure that it is not good news. And let me tell you, it is bad news not only for you, it is for us Remnants too." "That''s what I came to learn. You are the only Remnant I know that could explain clearly the problem with the Miasma." Tiohr-man removed her hand from Orion''s chest after cleanly purifying his skin, and placed it back inside the trunk. Her eyes weren''t pretty, as she remembered the past through the memories of her past lives. "I am going to be honest, I do not know much about the past. I am not like most Remnants because of the nature of my being. I am tree, therefore, I cannot move." Orion nodded, understanding that it was indeed hard to get information on the world when you cannot move. "The one that gave me the layout of what happened in the past was Tia-Norun, and I apologize about that, but I can only give you her name. She is a Remnant you do not want to ire." Even thought there was curiosity about another name she spoke about, today, Orion was here for the Miasma. "I get it. So, what can you tell me about the Miasma?" Tiohr-nam took a deep breath, and began to tell what she herself learned from the other Remnant. ~ In the mountains, a long time ago, a giant tree was overlooking the whole continent. The dragon liked to turn around its trunk, and even land on its branches. It was the most imposing being that no one dared to hurt, because of the consequences it could have. Anyway, at the time, there was not many beings around. A handful of humans had appeared on the continent, the dragons had been born by the great Velridar, and the idea of the fairies only formed inside the tree''s mind. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! The world was a little chaotic at the moment, thanks to a Remnant that had lost its mind and seemingly turned to cause trouble for everyone. Worst than that, it was planning to destroy all life on the continent. But the other Remnants, those who liked to see their little creation thrive and give purpose to their own existence as a parent, and those who thought that the idea was attracting, all had something against that disparate being. And currently, two of those Remnants were discussing the state of the world. "Tia, why are you here? Is it not bad for you to be in the open like that?" The being called as Tia-Norun was in front of Tiohr-nam. "I had something to tell you. That''s why I''m here, and your help is required." A seemingly young lady with pink colored hair, close to the color of cherry blossom, and roughly looking around her twenties, had a rather serious face as she walked closer to Tiohr-nam, whose trunk was in a cave with an open roof. "Is it that bad?" "Don''t you look outside sometimes? I know you can move that weird creation of yours around the trunk." She was talking about the human like Avatar stuck in the trunk. "I cannot hide anything from you, as usual. How bad is it against that thing?" Tiohr-nam became serious after joking for a second. She seemed to do that to anyone she saw. "Very bad. As we speak, the only hope we have is facing it." Tia-Norun had a really bad expression on her face. "Why that expression? Are you here to say that he will fail?" "Not exactly. I know he will succeed, but..." "Tia, speak. We don''t have time for that. Is there anyway we can help?" But she remained silent. Instead of answering, she gave her a warning. "I''m here for one reason, to tell you to catch the two beings that are going to fly your way. Also, take care of them, and do everything to keep them alive. They are extremely precious for our future." "How much time do I-" *Rumble* "None. Be ready, they should be coming." Tiohr-nam threw a perplexed glare at Tia-Norun, before the Avatar got swallowed by the trunk, resurfacing higher, close to the peak of the tree. "What... in the world is happening over there?" As she looked at a massive burst happening further away from the mountains, she noticed the beings being flunged toward her. "No time to think. Let''s follow Tia''s suggestion!" She clasped her hands and began to manipulate her branches. "I am the Remnant of Life! I will not allow these two to die today!" Taking the shockwave of the blast straight-faced, her focus was on the flickering lights that represented the life of the ones she had to catch. Branches formed nets, and leaves formed cushions. She was ready to catch whoever was coming her way. "No one told me this was turning this wrong!" The shockwave was still going strong. Now that the net was ready, she glanced at the massive black and white dome that formed in the distance. "It is swallowing everything." The ground began to crack, and a part of the continent completely moved away from the mainland. Light and Dark continued to pulse at a constant rate, until it suddenly accelerated. Lightning strikes crashed all around the dome, and a warping effect began to take place around it. When the Avatar felt the net catch something, she looked and saw the two girls she managed to save. But when she went to look at the dome once again, it had completely vanished, and with it, a part of the continent. "What was all of that? I believe only Velridar would be capable of such a thing." She looked all around us, all over the continent, and noticed a few beings either flying or gazing from afar. Those were the other Remnants, who refused to take part in the fight. Most of them were weak, unable to hold themselves in a fight for more than a minute. The only strength they had was the notion they embodied. "Where is Enri-Ann?" "Nowhere. I suggest you forget about her. You can even believe she had died. That would be easier like that." The voice of Tia-Norun was heard next to the Avatar. "How did you get here? Do you realize how high we are?" "I have my ways." Tia-Norun smiled, and looked at the two girls. "As I thought, they are dying. I hoped we would be able to save them, but there is nothing we can do. Such a shame, really." "..." "Thank you anyway Tiohr. I hoped to change a little thing, but without Enri, nothing seems works anymore." Intently looking at the two hugging girls, something was pulling Tiohr-nam''s heart. She needed- no, she wanted to save them. "I will save them. Let me try something." Tia-Norun turned her face toward her with a look of incomprehension. "What can you do?" But she received no response. Instead, Tiohr-nam focused on the flickering lives of the girls. ''I''ll save you!'' She forced both of her arms out of the trunk, and formed a circle with her hands. Looking at the girls through the circle, a green light began to envelop them. ''I am sorry if it brings you problems later, but if it can save you, then I will take all the responsibility!'' Their breathing finally stabilized, and their body began to morph slightly. Wings and antennas appeared on their bodies, as their health slowly recovered. The shocked expression on Tia-Norun was immediately replaced with gratefulness. "Tiohr, you are amazing! What you did will get us closer to the future we all want." Her eyes began to shine as if she was about to cry. "I simply wanted to save them. Do not thank me for that." "Anyway, let me explain what happened over there." ~ "So that''s how you saved us." Dramia and Drania were sitting side by side, looking at Tiohr-nam with a grateful gaze. "Yes. I had a feeling that I couldn''t let you go. Maybe that is thanks to you both that I finally decided to create the fairies." Orion had listened to the little story, but there wasn''t enough details about Miasma. "What was that explosion? And the dome that broke from the continent?" The sisters turned their gazes toward him, before looking at each other, and nodding. "That''s our side of the story." "And that''s how you will get to know more about Noah and us." At that, the girls sat straight, and prepared themselves to speak about what happened before the confrontation between Noah and the Miasma, and the fight itself. Chapter 135: Two sides, Remnants and the Miasma. (Part 2) The sisters were about to talk about their side of the story, but before they did, Orion used ''Calm Analysis'', slowing time drastically to think about a few things he learned from Tiohr-nam. ''There is quite a bit to focus on. I know most of it might get answered by the sister point of view, but there is still necessity in arranging what I know and what I don''t.'' Time was almost completely stopped. Everyone was moving so slowly it was like they were frozen in place. ''Alright, to begin with, let''s go other the other Remnant that was with Tiohr-nam at that moment. Her name was Tia-Norun. She also talked about another called Enri-Ann, but there''s really no information about her to go about.'' ''Tia-Norun might be related to some of our current events. If what she said is right, then she either can change the outcome of some events with an ability close to clairvoyance. The Remnant do possess power related to their notions it seems.'' Orion thought about the previous black spot painted on his chest that had a hard time erasing itself, which Tiohr-nam easily removed with her abilities controlling ''Life''. She was, in many ways, the polar opposite of the Miasma. ''With that in mind, I wonder why we never saw her. She seemed to be extremely knowledgeable about the state of our world and what could happen. She could be extremely helpful in avoiding terrible endings for us.'' But this thought immediately bothered him. ''I sound like a coward. Whatever is in store for us cannot be changed by mere clairvoyance. I make my own future, and I fight for my vengeance. I cannot bother with a third party''s input on where to go and what to avoid.'' ''No challenges in our way is equal to never improving.'' He completely erased the idea, and even banished the thought of asking for help if he ever encounter her. ''Alright, there''s another detail. What was that giant explosion she talked about. Something powerful enough to make most of the Remnant shiver in fear, and able to break half of the continent?'' ''And from what I know, the sisters came flying from that place. That''s why Tiohr-nam had to catch them, and they were dying at that, which led to them changing to being half-human, half-fairy.'' ''I really never realized, but I guess I wasn''t the only hybrid, and not the first at that.'' A smile formed on his face. Most of his actions weren''t affected by the time slowing down, because his brain was processing that fast. His actions were simply getting faster, but in return, each slight movement drained his energy faster. Even that smile caused him to lose a lot of energy. The longer he thought with this ability activated, the worse he will feel at its end. ''What I can gather from the details, is that it most likely was a light and dark user, and the only one who previously was with the Dramia and Drania, well... I can only think of the Hero Noah.'' ''That only gives me one lead. Noah died there from the explosion, or from something else.'' He was on the right track. This matter would be easily answered by the sisters after stopping the ability. ''There''s also the fact that every Remnants seems to despise the Miasma, and that they all loved their creations. Does that mean that there is, beside the Miasma, no other deviant Remnant? I have a feeling that it can''t be just one.'' No one knew if there was other Remnant who wanted to end the continent, even the Remnants themselves. They didn''t knew each others for most of the time. Some never moved from the place they appeared at, or others didn''t cared about anything other than their surrounding. But some liked to move around. Velridar was one of them, as he liked to swim around the continent. The only one who guessed the number of Remnant on Triazils at the time was one of Tiohr-nam''s past form, when she could observe everything from the mountains. Before being reduced to nothing by Reon... inadvertently. It was a miracle the mountains were almost untouched by the pure destruction he caused. ''So, there''s the fact that the Remnant knew about Noah. Of course, that would be obvious as I believe he removed all of the corrupted creatures from the continent by himself.'' ''Such achievement can only lead to everyone knowing you. But with Tia-Norun, it feels more personal. She knew him personally I believe.'' Orion felt a slight migraine forming in his head. ''Out of time. That''s already a lot of organized information. Let''s hear about their story now.'' Before the headache formed totally, Orion cancelled ''Calm Analysis''. "It''s going to take some time, but this is something we decided that you had to know." Dramia walked to the chairs, grabbed them, and placed them in front of Orion. In front of him now was Dramia and Drania, and Tiohr-nam behind them. "I really didn''t want you to learn about us like that, but there''s no escaping it." The worries and regrets were clearly seen on Drania''s face. She was still working on accepting the reality. ''She hide her worries behind that airhead attitude. I will hope that she manages to accept her past, though I don''t know how hard it is for her, or them. Dramia seems affected too.'' He stared at Dramia, who was looking at her hands on her knees. She was stopping herself from shaking. "Girls, take control of your emotions. He can see right through you." They both looked at Orion after hearing Tiohr-nam''s remark. He had a warm smile on his face that ever so slightly appeased their troubled emotions. The sisters looked at each others, and exchanged a few words. ''We''ve decided when we buried Noah. We can''t back down now.'' ''Of course. We want to help him, right?'' With a renewed determination, they both took a deep breath and started their story. "Both of us are orphans. We''ve already told you about that." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Our village got trampled by a horde of corrupted beasts." The sisters began to alternate between each other. "The one who saved us at that time was Noah. We travelled with him, learned how to use our magic and began to understand him as a person." "He was a pretty wild and strange individual, saying words and expression we never understood." "What we want to tell you is our last moments with him. Before he fought the Miasma, what happened between them, and what we left to do." ''So everything was connected to Noah in the end.'' Orion had guessed it right, but he never expected the story that was about to be told to him. Dramia and Drania sighed, and the story began. ~ "Noah''s listening again to his strange device." "You know that it is his way of calming himself. Don''t go bothering him." "But I want to know! He''s always been so secretive about it." Two girls with brown hair were discussing around a campfire, while the Hero Noah was further away. The short girls were trying to remove the tension that was weighting over them with jokes. "What do you think he''s listening to?" The always energized Drania was trying to listen to what was happening around Noah, even though she knew she would not be able to. "I don''t know either. Stop asking every time." Dramia was as cold as ever. She had a feeling the one Noah was listening to was someone important to him, because he always had a smile on his face when he did that. Then, a sort of light appeared near Noah that caught both sisters'' attention. "She''s back." "Yes, sis. That means bad news." A woman with pink hair was standing right next to Noah the moment the light died down. They were able to hear the conversation. "Noah, I''m sorry. There''s no other solution besides depending on you. Perhaps if we had more ways to counter him, we would''ve been able to do something, but we are powerless." Noah closed the device and turned to look at the woman with a slightly displeased face. "Tia, I don''t care about your apology. I''ve been at it for ten years, and I still have no clues as to why I am here. If slaying the corruption is my duty, then I will do it. I''m not doing it for you either, or because you ordered it." "I know. I just wanted you to hear that." He crossed his arms and stared at her. "So, when and where should we go. As usual, give me what you know." "Fallain plains, in two days. The fight will happen before sunset." "Great, we don''t have much time, and we''ll have to go around the mountains." "No need to worry, I already made arrangement for you to go quickly over there. When you''re done resting, go this way." She pointed to a nearby forest. "Fine, I''ll go have a look later." The sisters quietly spoke between them. "He really don''t like her, isn''t it?" "Of course he doesn''t. She keeps sending him where there''s corruption. I don''t like her either." "She''s a Remnant you know? What would happen if we become her enemies?" "Nothing. Noah is too strong to be provoked at this point. The moment she raised her arm, it will fall on the ground. That''s why she''s so careful around him." "Don''t you think she just likes him?" Drania eyes weren''t mistaken. Tia-Norun definitely showed affection toward him, but most certainly not romantically. When they looked back, the conversation seemed to be done, as a bright light happened again. She had disappeared, leaving Noah on the spot. He walked back the campfire, and sat in front of the sisters. "You heard her? Two days from now, we''ll fight the source of the corruption. I still wonder where she gets that information, but anyway." He shrugged and looked at the stars. "You really like the stars. Why is that?" Drania asked something she always wanted to know. "Because they are a constant mystery. The light that you see in the sky appear to be brightly shining, but can you believe that most of them are already gone?" "Huh?" Both sisters made a weird expression, and looked at the stars too. "Yes, the time light takes to come to you, the star itself most likely already died. That''s the strange appeal I have with the stars. A bright light that can disappear when you expect it the least, that''s how I see the stars." Only the crackling of the firewood was heard. "Sorry, that was a little depressing. Anyway, go to sleep, we''re going to that forest tomorrow." With that, they all slept, preparing their minds to the last fight. The next day. "Well, I wasn''t expecting a dragon to be our lead. Color me surprised." "My name is Diramoi, the very first dragon to have been created by our father, Velridar." "How did someone as great as you came to help me?" A tall, imposing red dragon had landed in the forest where Tia-Norun pointed at a day before. "All beings have a debt toward you for purging the corruption. Even dragons do not forget that. We have our pride, yes, but the least we could do is help the one cleaning our continent." "Alright. Then let''s not waste time." The dragon lowered his body for the three to climb unto. "Do not fall down." The dragon Diramoi flapped its wings, and flew high in the sky. In only a day, he flew over the continent, over the mountains and over the plains of the north. He landed where he had to, and left with only wishing luck to him. One night was all that was left to them at the moment. Noah was preparing his weapons, the little shards of metal stored inside the pockets strapped on his sides. "Why so you make so many of these?" Dramia asked. She knew of his ability, but not why he made so many to begin with. "I don''t know, it just occupies my mind when I do so." The earth element in his open hand began to create another piece of metal the size of a pebble. "I''m really not good at this. It takes so long to create one." Two minutes for one piece. Indeed, that was a rather long time for something so little. "I see. Since they break the moment you use them, I suppose it is a good thing to have a lot of those." Noah nodded, and looked at the sisters. Dramia was sitting with her sister sleeping on her thighs. "She''s scared. Even if she hides it, there''s no way to hide it. Noah, do you really have to do this?" He sighed. "No one on this god forsaken continent seems to want to bother defending it. The great Remnants are useless beings that never fought in their life, and are scared of the corruption." "The dragons refused to help because they were created recently, even if a hundred years is not recent for me." "What choice do I have?" His face dropped as a sign of defeat. "..." "Right, none. I can''t do anything. I can''t even flee." "So let''s make this the final struggle. I want to be done with it, I''ve seen enough corruption as it is." He looked straight at Dramia, and spoke the most pivotal words she had heard. "Whatever happens, you two have to stay alive. This is a request from me. Live, be happy, fall in love, found a family, and have children. That''s all I want from you." "Why are you saying that as if you don''t want us to fight?" She looked angry at that. "Because I won''t let you. I took you from that village because I was scared of letting you go. You two were two broken at that time to live. You were the first, and there was no safe haven to put you in." "I helped you grow during the past years, but never once did I thought of using you. You are companions, not party members." "I don''t understand. What''s the difference?" "Support members don''t fight, that''s all." He threw a branch in the fire. "We can''t accept that-" He glared at her menacingly. "I''m ready to injure both of you if it''s to avoid you losing your life. Are you ready to fight me?" Gasping, she had no choice but to accept it. "Good. Don''t make me do something I don''t want to." "Go to sleep. Tomorrow, you''ll have to witness what happens." With that, they all fell asleep. Leading to the final fight of the Hero Noah. ~ *sigh* Orion looked at the roof. ''This guy...'' After listening to the fight Noah had with the Miasma, and what the sisters had to go through to bury him, he was speechless. ''And them.'' He looked at Dramia and Drania who were fighting their emotions not to cry, but couldn''t manage to stop them from flowing. "You''ve endured too much. That''s not something you should have lived through." He stood up and walked toward them. Crouching in front of them, he hugged them both. "You''ve done well. He should be proud of what you became." They silently cried in his arms, as he patted their heads. Looking at Tiohr-nam''s Avatar, who had her eyes closed, he had something to say. "So, you Remnants are useless?" She opened her eyes and looked at him with a frustrated look. "Do you know why us Remnants do not fight openly like Velridar?" "No, that''s why I''m asking." "It is because our notions are too precious to fall to corruption. The corruption inverse our notions, and bring the opposite of what we do. There is no Remnant of Purification for the simple reason that the Miasma WAS the purification." "Wait, was the Miasma normal at first?" "I have no idea. Maybe it was, maybe not. It appeared already in its grotesque form and began to corrupt before we noticed. There is a lot we do not know about the Miasma." The conversation ended like that. Orion learned more about the past, and the relation between the Remnants and the Miasma. It was the most dangerous aspect for them. Falling to corruption was worse than a death sentence for them, as they would bring more harm in that state. "It''s time I get the girls over here. There are more things we need to talk, and now that the heavier stuff has been dealt with, I can bring them back." Orion stood up after caressing the sisters'' hair one last time. "Dry your tears, and once it''s done, I''ll open a portal." After five minutes, they were back to normal. Orion opened a portal, and Amelia and Karteira walked out of it. Chapter 136: Telling the recent events. "It sure has been a while since we''ve been here." Amelia stepped inside the tree room. "It sure has been. I feel like it has been around 3 months since we''ve left the realm." Right behind her was Karteira. When she saw her mother, she bowed lightly. "In reality, it''s only been around a month since we''ve left, right?" "Less than a month." The one who knew most about the time was Orion. With the group reunited, Orion closed the portal. "Karteira, Amelia, welcome back." Dramia displayed a little smile after seeing that they were indeed well. "Hmm?" For Drania, it became instantly impossible not to fly at top speed around them. Every details she saw in an instant. "Whoa! Karteira grew up!" She touched the tail''s base, which had the thick protection around it. "Drania, did you fall on your head? You were there when that happened." Her sisters followed up with little insult. "Eh? Did it? I don''t remember." "Of course you don''t remember, you were asleep." "Forget about my sister, how are you two?" Karteira and Amelia managed to focus back on the conversation. "Good. We''ve progressed a lot thanks to Orion''s new element." Since Karteira was the one most used to talk with the sisters, Amelia chose to remain mostly silent. She made friends with Dramia before they split up, but she was not used to how to approach her. "We''ve got a lot to tell you, on what happened after we''ve left." Orion sad back on the chair, after bringing two others for his companions. "Let us hear your recent exploits." Tiohr-nam smiled at Orion, thinking that it will be a nice change of mood for the sisters. To begin with Orion told them about what happened in Lavira, how he saved a woman that had been corrupted and resisted it from the sheer will to live on. They understood a little more about Orion''s principles when he finished this story. He then explained how rough the desert was for Karteira. That it was too hot, and that the sand kept going into her mouth. This made them laugh at Karteira for a moment. Then, Orion talked about what had happened in Hocride. The invasion by corrupted human soldiers, and his first encounter with the Apostle Ivan Borias, and his now ally Kamala Genathis. The fact that Ivan managed to escape was still a bitter memory for Orion. He described the city of Hocride in details, and how it was a rare occurrence. The lack of discriminatory acts against the other factions, the laws built around them, and most of all, the lack of corruption that the Lord was supposed to have. Shock was painted on their faces when they learned that Orion decided to spare one of his enemies. Once again, they learned that they had to be classified as ''enemy'' for Orion to hunt. Since she was simply leading her city toward the right track, killing her would have been more than a waste. Tiohr-nam agreed that making her an ally was a wise decision, to which Orion replied. "I don''t need the blood of innocent on my hands." They immediately recognized that he did not changed. Even though it hadn''t been long, anything can change a man''s heart, especially one that walks the road of conflict. Orion arrived at the point where he described how he obtained his new element. The idea of mixing both light and dark was already a crazy idea, but now that they saw it, they couldn''t ignore that it was possible. At that point, they took a little break. It already took one and a half hour to arrive to this point, and there was still a lot to tell. Once they drank some water, Orion continued by explaining what had happened with Karteira. The fact that she got attacked by another Apostle was strange to them. He omitted the part where they walked around in the city, since this was more personal to him. Kamala''s training was next. The moment where he decided to train her for a month inside of Horizon, while managing her progress to stand a chance against Ivan. When they got out was the moment to attack Kaios. Orion explained that the citizens were getting murdered at Ivan''s ordered. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. So Kamala and her army moved through a portal, and began a rescue mission. He did not forget to explain a single detail. At the end, the fight against Ivan had to be told too. The fight against Ivan, Orion and Kamala. After many tries to take him down, they were victorious. But this was where things turned strange, with Ivan dying and leaving behind a corrupted corpse that only attacked Orion. They still managed to best the remains of Ivan, and return to Hocride victorious. After that went pretty quickly. He enjoyed some time inside Horizon, when he learned that the lamias were getting attacked and that the man that appeared near the lack at the time was trying to defend them. Orion quickly went over there, and discovered that Florian finished off one of the Apostles that was murdering the lamias. And here he arrived at the current moment. Where he had to wait for the news coming from Florian. "That is quite the achievements. In less than a month, you''ve done more than anyone could do." "Even Noah never managed to do that much in so little time." Tiohr-nam and Dramia were more than impressed. He already managed to rule out two of his enemies in so little time. "It''s Orion we''re talking about! Of course he his awesome!" Drania, who was quiet the all time, suddenly jumped from her chair and flew at Orion. Without causing a crash, she turned and managed to sat on his lap. "He''s always been awesome. I dodged my water shots like a king too, so nothing can stop him at this point." Amelia''s eyes twitched a little, and Karteira''s tail began to sway up and down when they saw Drania becoming a little too close to Orion. "Without these two, I''m sure the outcome of the battle against Ivan would have been different. I didn''t do that alone." Orion was modest about his own prowess. "I realized a long time ago that alone, I would have lost hope. I can''t do everything by myself." "That is true. I am curious though, what can''t you do by yourself?" Tiohr-nam completely ignored Drania''s childish behavior, and Orion did the same, though he did caress her hair. "Many things. I can''t cook for one." A little chuckle escaped everyone''s mouth. They weren''t expecting an answer so simple. "Glad to know that it makes you laugh. Anyway, I can''t take care of the aftermath. If I manage to kill Elliot, then what? What''s going to happen to the humans, now that the Apostles and their leader died?" "I know that I want Eogis back. I want that land, to finally have a monument to remember all the dead that happened. And a place to remember my parents." "But leading the humans on the right track is not my job. I can''t do that for them." Even though he knew that some were good, and that the citizens were more likely unknowing of what happened to Eogis, he couldn''t bring himself to like the humans. He despised that faction at its core. Individually, he could accept some of them, but accepting the whole human faction was a different story. "That''s why, even if it wasn''t my first thought at the time, having people like Kamala and Florian is a good idea for the future." "Without Amelia and Karteira, I would be unable to improve. Without you three, I would have been unable to accept others." He looked at Drania on his lap, then at Dramia, and finally at Tiohr-nam. They all remembered how he stared at them the first time they met. He was bothered, distant, and kind of unfriendly. It was completely different nowadays. He always had a smile around them. The five of them couldn''t keep their eyes straight. They never expected him to acknowledge them at this very moment. "Did that answer your question?" He smiled at the Avatar. "Yes, thank you." She cleared her throat and asked another question. "I have a feeling you have something to ask me. What could it be?" ''As usual, she''s sharp.'' Orion closed his eyes and laughed a little. When he opened them back, his mood became serious. "It''s a serious matter. I have a request from Kamala Genathis, the human that rules over Hocride." Tiohr-nam and the sisters tensed up at his words. "What could a human leader want with us? If you spoke about us to her, that means you trust her that much, right?" "I do trust her, that is the reason why I even bothered to bring it up. You make your own opinion on what I''m relaying." Taking a straight posture, they all listened carefully. "She asked if she could talk to you personally, that she had to apologize for what happened in the past, and by not resolving this, the peace between the humans and the other factions would never happen." Her eyes, who had the symbol of her power, glowed brightly. Drania looked at her from her comfy seat, and Dramia turned around on her own seat to look at Tiohr-nam. "Those words, can I trust it? Aren''t they full of the malice the humans bring with them?" Orion shook his head. "If that was the case, she wouldn''t be alive to propose that." She kept glaring at Orion, who never backed down either. "Dramia, Drania, go prepare some tea for our future guest." The pure shock on the sisters'' face was in full display. "What?! You''re really going to receive a human leader?!" "Sis, you are human too." "..." She turned around and glared at Drania. "Am I wrong?" "No..." "Then let''s go. We''ll see if we can trust her the moment we see her." "Right." Drania stood up from Orion''s lap and grabbed her sister''s arm, before walking out of the room. When the door closed, Tiohr-nam asked. "Are you really sure she won''t bring us trouble?" Her eyes were still glowing strongly. "You''ve accepted Amelia when she came with me, you just have to do the same. At least, tolerate her presence. If you just hear her out, maybe you will find a common ground." ''Though I know that the grudge she had for humans is not that easy to erase.'' Her eyes stopped glowing, and she smiled at him. "Right, I will give her a chance. " "Thank you. I have another matter to bring out, way less serious. It''s about Horizon." A little stunned by the sudden switch in topic, she blinked. "About Horizon? The space you have created? What about it?" "Do you know how we would be able to bring trees in there? We have a system that let us change how it is inside, but taking trees from the Triazils sounds to much of a pain." Tiohr-nam thought for a moment. "What do you want exactly? A way to grow trees? Are the trees directly?" Orion already had the answer to that without having to think. "We want to grow them, and then place them around the area. And we need a LOT. We also need some to make furniture." "If that''s all you need, then it will be quick. Come closer." ''I have a feeling of d¨¦j¨¤ vu... and a bad one at that.'' His intuition was right, it was already happened before. The Avatar opened her mouth, and spat a seed. ''Damn it!'' Orion caught it this time, instead of letting it fall to the ground. "I knew this would happen. This is still disgusting." "At least you don''t have to eat it, do not complain." He remembered swallowing the seed that tasted like honey. "Wait, I just realized, you don''t salivate, so it''s just sap." "You just realized that now? I thought you were observant?" "Not for that kind of thing!" Orion turned around with the seed in his hand, and sat back on his chair. "So, what do we have to do with this?" "Plant it in a dirt plot, and let it grow. It will create a smaller version of the Tree of Life, though it will not have a soul like me. It will take root all over the area were dirt is, and grow trees were it feels like it. Cut it, and one will grow again." "That is useful, thank you. I knew it was right to ask you." "You are welcome." They waited until the sisters came back with the tea. "We''re back with the tea." "Then shall we invite that human, Orion?" He nodded. "Let me go get her." Opening a portal, he stepped inside and disappeared. After a few minutes, Orion stepped out of the portal, followed by a woman that looked incredibly stressed. She looked around the room, until her eyes fell on the giant trunk of a tree, and a woman encased inside it. They exchange a long stare, before Tiohr-nam spoke. "Kamala Genathis, The Charismatic Lord, please take a seat." Chapter 137: The first step toward coexistence. Orion, Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, and Drania, the five of them moved their chair on the sides of the room. Before sitting, Karteira brought a sixth chair for Kamala to sit on, who was going to be directly confronting the Tree of Life Tiohr-nam, the Remnant who created the fairies that were once hunted by humans. To say that she wasn''t perceived in a good light by Dramia and Drania was an understatement. Except that the moment they laid their eyes on her and read her information, the sisters stopped glaring. Once Kamala sat, Tiohr-nam began the conversation. "I heard that you are trying to close the bridge between humans and fairies. I also heard about your ways to rule a city." "We fairies have our ways to see through the lines that makes you who you are. Like a piece of paper with all kind of details about yourself." "The moment you entered, me, and those two other there judge you immediately." She looked at Dramia and Drania that were sitting opposite of the Orion, Amelia, and Karteira. Kamala stayed silent the whole time. She already learned that from Karteira before coming, but she was also incredibly tense. One wrong move, one bad say, and the whole thing was over. She really had to play carefully in front of a Remnant. This was also a rare occurrence to have a human talk to a Remnant. They usually wouldn''t bother with other faction members other then the one they had created. But this situation was the most important in years. It was to repair the damage done between the humans and the fairies. So, Kamala, with a dry mouth, finally began to talk. "What was your judgment?" The sisters looked at Tiohr-nam, who was already observing them. With a nod, they gave their approval. Tiohr-nam''s Avatar straightened, and with a powerful voice, she declared. "Welcome to the Fairy Realm." With a sight of relief, Kamala relaxed a little. "A human that tries to break the threads of conflicts is not something that happens regularly. We will at least give you the time to explain your goals in requesting a meeting with me." She sounded overbearing, but she had the status of Ruler over the realm. She had to show modicum of appearance in front of others. Acting like this was usual for her to those that had an audience with her. "Thank you very much. I know you already know my name and my status, but let me introduce myself properly." She stood up, placed a hand on her heart, and bowed gracefully. "My name is Kamala Genathis, the Lord of Hocride. I manage this city with the idea of accepting everyone, with no concern for the faction they belong to." "Right." Tiohr-nam nodded. "Creating equality between the factions is a good start, though, you will be unable to erase all of the concerns your citizens have." Straightening her body, and sitting back on the chair, Kamala stared inside the eyes of Tiorh-nam''s Avatar. "I am working to make it as little as possible. I have cleaned this city from any discriminatory individuals, or reformed them." "Let me ask a question. What do you think causes those individuals to act like this?" Showing a little surprise, Kamala began to think. "I have heard that corruption takes over the ones that have strong vices, and develop them slowly over time. I think that conflict is born from those people." "Are you saying that it depends on the individuals?" With a strong nod, Kamala answered. "Yes. Not everyone have the thirst for conflict. Every single citizens I rule over is doing their best to remain neutral. Of course, people have vices that are difficult to contain, but my position only requires to quell any form of animosity or discrimination." "But even without me, I am sure that most of the humans on Triazils do not wish for conflicts." Tiohr-nam''s eyes began to glow. "They only wish to live comfortably, build a family, and sometime complain about random problems that are easily solved." She smiled. "When we rescued the few survivors of Kaios, I told them that they would have to live together with the beastmen residing in my city, or they would have to find somewhere else. None of them refused my words, and are now trying to recover from their trauma. The health center I created in the past is almost entirely composed of beastmen." "I have not heard a single word about discrimination. On the contrary, I heard that they openly accepted them." "This is why I believe that individually, people are not prone to conflict. They are either in a bad circumstances, or order by those that shouldn''t be placed in such high position of power." If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The Avatar kept her glowing stare on her. ''She is saying the truth. There was no fluctuations in her aura.'' "What about the corruption. As an Apostle, directly in contact with Elliot, what do you think?" Kamala was waiting for this type of question. The title of Apostle was almost impossible to detach from her identity. "I have never accepted the corruption. Being in contact with it in my youth, it was enough to understand how dangerous and troublesome it is for those around the ones corrupted." "Elliot is a dangerous individual, and is the one that stated that drinking the cores of the corrupted beasts was a blessing." "I will agree on the fact that it makes the one who drinks it stronger, but the cost for it is too great to ignore. Losing the sight of what is good and bad, and losing your own self, falling into insanity." Tiohr-nam, Dramia, and even Drania, who usually never listened to such heavy topics, were all impressed by the serenity she displayed and the choice of words she spoke. With one last question, she used her most oppressive tone. "Lastly, in which side will you stand?" Turning her head toward Orion, her mind was already set. She stood up and looked straight into the glowing eyes of the Avatar. With determination, she gave the most honest answer she could mutter. "I will stand next to Orion. Someone who had lost the will to pursue her goals, who fell to self hate because of her past, and who couldn''t walk forward without tripping at every obstacles." "That is who I was before he saved me. I want to think that my purpose is to help him make our continent a place worth living in." "And I want the fairies to be a part of it!" Her words echoed in the room, until silence took over. Orion was smiling, knowing that she chose the best way to make her words stick to them. Tiohr-nam closed her eyes. ''I see. She really came to end the conflicts between both of our factions.'' She reopened her eyes and released her ability, while speaking more gently. "What about the past? I understand that none that happened in the past was your fault, but most of the fairies, even those that weren''t created at the time, despise humans for butchering their kind." "You cannot erase the past, nor can you force them to accept it. What can you do to resolve this?" Sitting back on the chair, Kamala had multiple solution, but there was one that she strongly believed into. "With the help of Orion, and your approval, sending groups of our citizens to the other party would help them understand that the past conflicts has been resolved long ago, that humans are not going for their lives anymore." "Humans will also learn to coexist with fairies. Throwing the fairies back into the continent without preparation could cause many problems too." Once again, she impressed the three fairies in the room. ''This is carefully planned. She truly thought about both accepting each other. With such a plan, it could be possible to break the mindless settings of the past. "What about the other city and Apostles? Once they know fairies had return, won''t they come for them?" She already knew the answer. Of course they would come for them. But Kamala was already prepared. "Any actions taken against the fairies in the city will be instantly punished, while any aggressor will be destroyed the moment they appear near the city. I will not tolerate any harm caused on your faction members, you have my words." The expression on Karteira''s face was showing how determined she was in making this work. ''If I can''t make this work, no one can. And this will be the end if that happens.'' As if reading her mind, Tiohr-nam nodded. "Before agreeing, I will have to ask my citizens for approval. I will not force any of them in this." "Of course. I do not expect everything to settle in only a few days. This is going to take months before any real progress could be made." They exchanged one last gaze, before the topic got closed by Tiohr-nam. "I will accept your proposition. Your words were honest, and you idea is worth trying. If you can promise no harm will be caused to my children, then no harm will be caused to your brethren." "Orion, thank you for finding someone able bring fairies and humans together. Suddenly, the conversation turned to him, who was only watching quietly. "No need to thank, she was the one who requested this meeting to happen. I thought it would be a good idea to leave this matter in her hands. I am not human, as you already know." "I can''t speak for them." His disposition made him look close to a human, making others think of him as one. Except the fairies who could easily differentiate from his mixed aura. "This is true. And there is the matter you spoke about earlier too. You can leave this in our hands, we will do whatever we can to make your life easier on that front." He smiled at the Avatar. "I''ll take care of the frontline." They both nodded. With the whole conversation done, Orion stood up. "I will leave a portal in this room for Kamala to speak with you. This will also serve for you to send groups between each other." "Can we go too? We haven''t seen a human city in forever!" "Drania?! What are y-" But Tiohr-nam cut her off before she could finish speaking. "Of course you can, but for you two, I''ll be hiding your fairy features. You are way to important to simply show in broad daylight on the other side." Tilting her head, Kamala asked. "Why is that?" "Right, you haven''t been introduced to these sisters." With her usual speed, Drania approached Kamala and stopped right in front of her. "I''m Drania! One of the queens of this realm." She turned around and looked at her sister who was pouting from being cut by Tiohr-nam. "That''s my sister, Dramia. She might be a little cold, but please ignore that." "Hey!" Drania instantly made the room more friendly. After laughing for a bit, the group consisting of Orion, Amelia, and Karteira approached Tiohr-nam. "I will create a direct portal between your realm and mine. Dramia and Drania are the only one allowed to enter it, so send them if you need something." "Take the room you stayed in before. It will be easier to hide it there." "Thank you. We will return for now, since there''s a matter I cannot miss." "Oh? What could it be?" "The meeting with the Lamia queen." Orion stopped talking and began to think, when a question popped in his mind. "By chance, would you happen to know who is the Remnant that created the lamias?" "The lamias? That should be Velridar, the same Remnant that created the dragons." "Velridar? Is there a way to find it?" With a strong shake of her head, she answered. "There is currently no way. He appeared recently in the Northern Sea to help his dragon children, but then immediately disappeared back in the sea. There is no way to track his movements." "No lead then. That is not good." "Why would you need his help for?" Amelia, who was next to him, answered. "The lamias are having a problem with ratio men to women. For a hundred lamias, only one male is born." Thinking, the Avatar closed her eyes. "That is a serious problem. They are close to being extinct as a species. How many men remains in their faction?" "Six." She opened her eyes in shock. "You should go see the dragons. The are closely related to the lamias, so maybe the could be of help on this matter." After nodding to herself, she continued. "This cannot be ignored anymore. I hope you will find a way to stop this, or we would have to cross another faction from the continent." "We will try." After creating every portals he spoke about, and sending Kamala back to Hocride, Orion talked to the sisters about the portal to Horizon. "We''re coming!" Was Drania''s first sentence. Even though Dramia was once again dragged by her sister, she didn''t refuse. She also wanted to see Horizon for herself. Since Tiohr-nam already gave them the permission to leave, they returned to Horizon with them. "So, what do we do now? Are we waiting for that man, Florian, to show up?" Karteira asked, trying to find out what was Orion''s next plan. "It means that he hasn''t obtained the audience I asked for yet." But after they returned, and took the time to refresh themselves, one of the portal opened. Florian walked out of the portal, and knocked on the door. "Orion, are you there? I have news for you." "I was waiting for you. Please enter." He opened the door and lead Florian to the living room. Chapter 138: Two planned meetings, dragons and lamias. Florian entered the house and was led to the living room. He sat on one of the couch, with Orion sitting in front of him. "What kind of news do you have for me?" Asking carefully, Florian began to talk. "I''ve managed to obtain your audience with the queen. The moment I said that the last survivor of both demons and angels required some words with her, she agreed." Orion was glad that everything went accordingly. His expression relaxed and he began to talk. "Is there something special I need to prepare or do when seeing her?" "Try not to disrespect her too much. Her mood can change at a moment''s notice." ''What is she? A child?'' It seemed that his thoughts were so loud that Florian read it on his face. With a smile, he seemed to agree. "Anyway, she gave you two days to come and see her. No more, no less. After that, you will not have another window to see her." "Alright, I''ll go meet her in two days. There''s somewhere we have to go before that." Pushing his glasses back on his nose, Florian was curious. "Where is that? I don''t mean to pry, I am simply curious." "Seeing the dragons. There''s a matter related to the lamias we need to ask them." An audible gulping sound could be heard from him. "The dragons? I-I see." Tension could be heard in his voice, and his hands began to slightly shake. "Did something happened between you and the dragons? The only moment the dragons appeared was when Monolavir came out of the mountains." This was the moment for Florian to explain a little bit about the past. "Exactly. Twenty years ago, Eric and I had to defend Albriar. We were young at that time, and we both received the status of Apostle only recently." "The Azur Dragon, Monolavir, as we heard its name in our head when we asked it, was enraged at that time. It did not gave us any time to explain ourselves." "Since we were Apostles, he might have thought that we were helping the culprit hide what he was looking for." "Most of us did not understand why it suddenly attacked until the very end. If that imbecile of Kelvin had not lost his mind, the situation would have been pretty manageable." "Anyway, Eric and I managed to slightly injure the Azur Dragon, before its red blood eyes turn blue again. It looked at use for a moment, and looked south east, where it instantly flew to." Orion noticed the shaking of Florian''s hands, and imagined how difficult fighting a dragon, a faction you only heard in books, could be. Though, he himself could beat the dragons to a pulp because of his speed and reaction time. And he though that Florian could be able to beat a few dragons by himself if he tried. But Monolavir and Ruminona were a completely different stage of power. It was more refined, and more deadly. Imagining the deadly ice mutation of his being sent on human cities, no wonder Kelvin''s city burned and disappeared. "I have a proposition. Do you want to come with us?" "To see the dragons?!" Shock completely took over his face. "I don''t know about that. Aren''t they pretty aggressive toward humans?" "That''s for you to see." ''He lost his composure, and his careful way of speaking at the same time. I think that''s how he speaks usually.'' "Can I think about it?" "Of course. I''m moving alone toward the Talviera Mountain Range tomorrow morning, and should arrive around noon. If when I come back, I don''t see you, I''ll take it as a refusal. It won''t change our situation, so you can refuse." This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Florian let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I''ll carefully think over this matter tonight." With that, Florian stood up from the couch. "I''ve told you about the queen, so I will take my leave now." "Right." Orion stood up too, and led him toward the exit. "Alright, have a good night." "Likewise." Both men shook hands, with Florian returning to Lahro. After closing the door, Orion walked inside the dining room, and walked inside the kitchen. ''Monolavir sure did scare the humans greatly during his only apparition.'' ''I wonder if something could be done to change that too.'' "Your coffee is already done." A sudden voice took him by surprise as he was in deep thought. He turned to look at the voice, who was sitting at the table of the dining room. "It''s rare for you to not pay attention to us." Amelia and Karteira were both at the table, with a plate of snacks in front of them. He heard giggles coming from Amelia, while Karteira was showing him with a smile a cup of coffee that was on the table. "Sorry, I was thinking. You didn''t have to though, thank you." Walking to his usual seat, he dragged the chair back and sat next to Amelia. "Where are the girls? I thought they were with you?" Karteira looked outside the window. "They, mostly Drania, decided to fly around the whole space. You don''t have to worry about them." ''If they''re having fun, then all is well.'' He took a sip of his coffee quietly. They both stared at him, who was enjoying the hot coffee. "Did you change the flow of time back to how it was before?" With a nod, Orion placed his cup on the table. "Yes, there is no reason to keep it going normally when we don''t have to waste the night." Amelia took one of the snacks on the plate and ate it. "And what about the dragons? We heard it you know? Why did you propose such a thing to that man?" "Because he was terrified." "That''s all?" "That''s all." "Are you serious? There was nothing else in your mind at that moment? Just because he was terrified of the dragons, you told him to come?" The dumbfounded expression on both faces were priceless. "If I want to help the factions to coexist between each others, then the matter with the dragons is another that needs to be resolved. And to do that, humans need to learn to fear the dragons, and yet to accept their neutral nature." "Currently, they don''t fear them, they are terrorized of them. They think that the dragons could erase the whole human faction." "They need to learn that they don''t care about other factions, that what happened was simply retaliation from a mistake someone made." Only Amelia understood where he was going at. Karteira only heard about the dragons, and never saw them to fully understand. "So, what do we do? Who do we take with us?" "Nothing''s changed, except that we take Florian, and the sisters with us." "Everyone then. Alright." Amelia took another snack, but this time, she gave it to Orion. "Here, let''s stop with the heavy conversation." With a quick glance over what she proposed to him, he saw that it was a cracker. He took it and ate it. "I made that myself, how is it?" As he was still eating it, he simply made a thumbs up. Once he was done, there was one remaining thing to know. "Karteira, what about the seed?" "Eh? Ah! Mother''s seed? Amelia and I have already decided where to plant it." "Yes, we''re going to plant it further away from the house, on its right side. That should help us plant trees over the place, right?" "That''s what Tiohr-nam said, so we can only trust her words." Orion took another sip of coffee, and gave his plans for the time he was going to spend inside Horizon. "We''ll slowly build the space to be more natural, while we focus on what have to be done outside. Does that sound good to you?" "There''s no problem with that." "I have no problem with that either." "Alright then. Tomorrow, we take the day off, but after that, it''s back to Triazils." They both didn''t understand why he decided to take only one day off, until they remembered who was here. "You want to spend one day with them?" "It has been a while, and I was pretty worried when we let them go. So I want to spend time with them." There was a bright, warm smiled on his face. ''Treasuring his friends, that''s how it should be.'' Closing her eyes and laying her back on her chair, Amelia stayed silent. "I also want to train a bit." ''Here it is!'' She made a sarcastic smile, and looked at Karteira, who almost fell down her chair from the sudden realization that he just wanted to train, and used the sisters as an excuse. "Anyway, it''s getting late. I''ll be in my room if you need me. Be sure to show the girls their room when they return." He downed the remaining of his coffee, stood up and walked in the kitchen to clean the cup. After that, he walked to the door leading to the corridor, looked at the girls, and waved before closing the door behind him. "..." "Damn, we missed our chance to flirt with him." Amelia was biting her lips in frustration. "I never said I was going to do that, you know." Karteira was pretty happy it didn''t happen. ''I should go see mother at some point, maybe she will have words to help me make up my mind.'' They both stayed in silence, eating the remaining of the snacks, until the sisters came back. "Sis, I''m tired!" "That''s why I told you not to fly that fast. It''s your own fault." They heard the door opened, and their voices coming from the entrance. Amelia stood up and opened the door. "Welcome back." Dramia nodded, as she was supporting her sister by holding her arm. We''re back, but I''m tired." Drania was completely drained of energy, a rare occurrence. "Orion already said that you could take the first room on your left upstairs as your room. You can also take a shower before going to sleep." "I''ll go to sleep now. Shower tomorrow." "It''s like that. Good night, both of you." After saying that, Dramia dragged her sister upstairs, and no sound was heard again. "Well, I thought we could talk a little, but since they''re tired." With a shrug, Amelia turned around and sat back in front of Karteira. "We should go to sleep too. You know what happens if you''re tired when Orion wants to train with you." They both shuddered. "Yes, I''ll go first." Karteira stood up, and walked in the corridor. "Don''t take too long either." "Don''t worry. Good night Karteira." "You too." With that, the girls separated, leaving Amelia alone in the dining room. ''I really wanted to flirt with him though.'' With the bitterness of failure, Amelia cleaned the plate of the table, and returned to her room. Chapter 139: Analysis and introspection. The next day. Orion woke up, and as usual, took care of his basic needs. After taking a shower, he walked to the kitchen for his morning coffee, and waited for everyone to wake up in the dining room. The first one to come down was, unsurprisingly, Karteira. She was almost waking up as the same time as Orion, but she had to take care of her appearance before walking out of her room. They discussed a little bit about the day''s training that was to come, and what to do with the sisters. She was worried they would refuse to come with them. Right after, the same sisters, Dramia and Drania, walked downstairs and arrived in the dining room. When Orion asked if they would come with to training, even if it was for spectating, they both agreed, even though Dramia was a little reluctant at first. In the end, her curiosity about Orion''s capabilities in battle won over. Drania was a little less energetic than usual, but it was understandable, as she had awoken from her deep slumber. The last one to wake up, yes, was Amelia. This was also unsurprising. The time her brain had to completely switch on was relatively long, and there was also the time she took to carefully brush her hair. Everyone was now reunited around the same table. They enjoyed a lazy afternoon together, discussing of the various experiences they had lived through recently. Orion listened to the four talk without bothering them, as he already explained his situation the day before. The time quickly moved to noon. Amelia was preparing their meal, with the help of Dramia. ''That combination is rare.'' Looking at them quietly from his chair, Orion thought. ''The same happened before we split toward our different goals.'' He remembered them also cooking together when Karteira, Drania and himself went to train on the other side of the lake. "I''m going back to my room for now, I want to prepare some things for this afternoon." He stood up from his chair, and placed it back to its original spot, before speaking for everyone to hear. "Alright, I''ll be sure to call you when we''re done." Receiving Amelia''s notice, he quickly returned to his room, and sat on his bed. An internal sigh echoed in his mind. As his gaze wandered around the room, his eyes finally set on the one item he was trying not to look at. Even though he loved its design, and cherished it for it, it was also a curse. ''I haven''t looked at it for a while.'' He carefully took the hourglass he received from the weird merchant lady, and lightly tapped on the glass. - 111 - *sigh* ''Already three weeks. From leaving the fairy realm, to Hocride, we''ve spent three whole weeks and more.'' The sand was actually flowing extremely slow, almost imperceptibly. From four months and a half, less than four months remained before Elliot was back. ''I am not nearly powerful enough to confront Elliot. This is not going as well as I was expecting.'' Orion was in a weird mood. He wasn''t depressed over that fact, but he wasn''t happy either. ''Do you need a comforting voice to soothe your aching mind?'' A gentle voice echoed in his mind. ''Ego? Why have you come to speak with me?'' ''What? Can''t I exchanged words with you sometimes?'' He placed the hourglass back on his nightstand, closed his eyes, and lied on his bed. ''Sorry, that was a little too snappy at you. Of course we can talk.'' ''Great.'' Hearing the happiness in her tone, their conversation began. ''You had something to specially talk with me?'' If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ''Both about you and Amelia. Take it as a report from me about your current state and abilities.'' There was something bothering him about that. ''Why did you never spoke about that before?'' ''Because you weren''t strong enough to even bother with that. First, improvements. After, reports.'' ''So, what are you going to speak about? About the fact that I am stuck on many aspects of my abilities?'' A little giggle escaped the voice. ''You''re really bitter about that one, isn''t it?'' ''Well, of course I am. Both Karteira and Amelia, even Kamala, are making more progress than me.'' Once again, another giggle. ''Tell me? Who in this world is able to obliterate a city, or a corrupted beast with one arrow? Who killed two Apostles, beings almost untouchable?'' ''...'' ''Who is it? It can''t be you, right?'' The sarcasm made Orion grit his teeth. ''Are you here to tease me?'' ''A little.'' He opened his eyes, his mouth opened like a goldfish. ''Straight answer. I wasn''t expecting that. Alright, do your worst.'' Readying himself for a next wave of teasing, the next sentence was quite different. ''Sadly for you, I''m not here for that. Let me tell you about yourself a little.'' Nodding, he silently listened to the voice of the entity knowing more about himself than even Orion himself. It was to wonder what was really that entity that could read the flow of time and space and know what abilities was forming inside his and Amelia''s soul. A monotonous voice, close but yet different from Ego took over. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ''That is a lot to take in, isn''t it?'' The normal voice of Ego returned. ''...'' ''Nothing to say?'' Orion was shocked beyond belief. He never knew about all these details about himself. Of course, he knew about the gist of his abilities, how they worked, and how important they were. But what was the most shocking that there seemed to be so much progress to make, so much discoveries about himself, about the Shackles, and the remaining abilities he had yet to create. There was also the names of his family and closest friends. Orion heard a lot of gibberish after Keith''s name, stating that he had many more people that would become important to him. Hope, determination, expectations, happiness, ... only good emotions took over him. ''So this was not the end of the road for me.'' Something lifted from his chest. The previous feeling of failure disappeared completely. ''If it was impossible for you to grow, your life would have not gave you the opportunity to form ten magic shackles. Even if I don''t know most of them, or what they will be yet, these opportunities are within you.'' Her tone suddenly turned colder. ''But be careful. Those opportunities also means that a mistake will cost you your life, and the life of those around you. Be careful of each of your actions, because there is no turning back. Lose an opportunity, and you future will become hazy, leading only to despair.'' ''I live with that everyday. I am lucky enough to have these slower moments in my life, out of the conflicts of the continent. I could even hide in here for the end of days, and live a normal life.'' ''But that is not who you are?'' With a silence following, he laughed. ''Someone has to do it, and for some reason, I feel compelled to avenge my parents.'' ''Orion, an hybrid of angel and demons, trying to save the continent from falling deeper into chaos and corruption. Not because of complacency, neither for self-satisfaction of being called a hero, but because of vengeance.'' ''I fear for your ending if that is your only reason. Think carefully, vengeance will only lead you so far, while bringing the others around you into the same spiral that consumes everything.'' He remembered his mother pleading for him to live. ''I cannot promise anything. My vengeance is only for Elliot.'' ''...'' ''Why the silence all of the sudden.'' ''A little advice, for you who will most likely commit a mistake. Think carefully on your choices. Do not make any rash decisions on the spot, and never commit to only one option.'' ''Orion, you are the last hope of the angels and demons. Do not waste your life.'' Her voice died down, stopping the communication with him. "Hmm." Looking at the ceiling, the muffled sound of discussion could be heard from below his room. "I will keep that to myself. That advice, I will keep it in my mind." Choosing not to underestimate the words of an entity that knew many things known only by the future itself, Orion contemplated on a few things. "I have to kill a powerful individual with both the Second Gear, and the Arm Overdrive. The next Apostle, Julian, should be a good target for that." "Now, I just need Amelia to agree, or else I will never progress further." Sitting in his bed, he looked at the door. *Knock* *Knock* "Orion? Food''s ready." "I''m coming." He stood up and walked to the door, falling face to face with a flustered Karteira, who wasn''t expecting him to be at the door that fast. They both walked downstairs, joined with everyone, and Orion enjoyed a nice meal. The conversation he had with Ego kept repeating in his mind until everything had been completely integrated. He knew a lot about himself, and his own limitation, and now was almost time to break through a few blockage. An afternoon of tough training was upon him, before leaving for the dragons'' den, Ormrdivin. Chapter 140: Trying to live with no regrets. The afternoon went by fast. Orion, Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, and Drania, the five of them, trained together. There was not much for Orion to bother with, so he fought against a shadow, simulated to hone his reflexes and observation capabilities. After that, he went to see the sisters that weren''t training at all. He quickly understood why, and did not hold it against them. Dramia was a wind magic user, by weak as can be. Having a little breeze as an ability doesn''t help in a fight, where every bit of power is necessary. While Drania was powerful with her water magic, she required a dense amount of water for her ability to shine. She could only make little bubbles at the moment, as there was no water in Horizon yet. For Orion, that wasn''t necessarily bad for them, as he would most likely not bring them with him in any of his future fights, but not being able to defend themselves was quite bothering. They had their speed, which was unparalleled to anything he saw, their strongest weapon currently. So, while talking with them, multiple ideas on how to at least make them slightly powerful formed in his head. In the end, he asked both of them if they would agree to train close combat at a later date. This was the better option he thought about. The speed, combined with powerful strikes, could bring anyone to their knees in seconds. Dramia was as always reluctant to do anything, but had no choice but to follow her sister, who really wanted to punch someone in the face for the first time. Which led to Orion instructing them to strike at each other, carefully as to not injure the other, using their burst speed. It seemed promising, so he left them to their training and went to Amelia and Karteira, who were training together. He had something to tell Amelia about, and now was the perfect moment. When he approached both of them, he watched as Karteira moved incredibly fast while attacking with her tail. "Training the Cerulean Storm?" Amelia turned around when she heard his voice. "Orion? Yes, she wanted my help to fasten the steam process." "But what are you doing here? Aren''t you training? I saw you move around earlier, so I was expecting you to be completely immersed in that." He shook his head. "I don''t have to train that hard currently. Seems like I''ve attained the peak for every abilities I have, except the Arm Overdrive." Sending a sharp gaze toward Amelia, she immediately defended herself. "You know why I don''t let you use it. Stop being a kid about that. If it wasn''t that dangerous, I would let you use it anytime, anywhere." She crossed her arms in front of him, standing straight. "I know, you don''t have to get angry, I was joking." Smiling, he placed a hand on her head and caressed it. "Hmm." While enjoying the little affection she received, there was another question in her mind. "So, tell me why you''re here. You wouldn''t come for no reason right? Or are you really looking at our progress that carefully?" "I do look at your progress, though I''m not there to always notice it. But you''re right, I have something to ask you actually." He removed his hand and walked next to her, looking at Karteira initiating the airborne attacks she used against Orion. "Did Ego speak to you recently?" "!" Her face showed surprise. "How did you know?" She looked at him intently, as she wasn''t expecting that topic to ever be touched upon. "Because she talked to me earlier today. At first, I thought of keeping this to myself, but you are the only one who needs to know about that matter. But knowing her, she most likely spoke to you before me." "That''s... no, you''re right about that. She talked to me yesterday, when I was waiting for you to open the portal to the fairy realm. What did she said to you?" Orion began to explain most of the conversation, keeping the advice Ego told him for himself. ... "There''s a lot you still don''t know about your abilities either?" "So she told you the same thing?" "Almost the same. My turn to tell you." Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ~ "Those were some great details. I hope he notices you at some point." Kamala, Amelia, and Karteira were talking about the recent event concerning Karteira''s feelings about Orion. "He might accept if you ask repeatedly." They had finished enjoying all of the juicy details, and were now cheering on her to make the first move. "I already said it, I''m not trying to! That''s just how I feel. Stop hoping for that to happen!" Beat red, she defended herself from the women around her. ''Having fun?'' But then, Amelia heard Ego''s voice in her head. ''Well, yes.'' ''I have something important to talk about, so can you make time for me? Right now if possible.'' Amelia looked at the two girls talking to each other. ''I should be able to go.'' "Can I take a bathroom break?" She asked Kamala. "Of course." With that said, she quickly left Kamala''s room, and went downstairs, inside the bathroom of her house. ''What''s that important topic?'' Sitting down on the toilet, she waited for Ego to continue. ''I wanted to give you some points to improve on, give you an idea of what you''ve created so far, and what are your future opportunities. This is something you, and Orion have to go through.'' ''I don''t understand? What are you going to speak about?'' ''Your abilities, mostly. I''ll also give you a personal advice at the end.'' She crossed her arms and listened carefully. ''Alright, let us start.'' Amelia was closest to Ego than Orion, as she sometimes exchanged words about her elements, and some points that could be improved. The voice of the Key was always talking to her when she needed to, and this time was no different. There was a little problem within Amelia currently. She thought she was improving way too fast. When she heard the monotonous voice of Ego, a weird feeling invaded her mind. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________________________ ~ "That''s what it said." Amelia stared right in front of her, thinking deeply. "You have quite a lot of abilities too. That also confirms our thoughts on your abilities to shape, transfer, and create with magic." "Yes." - ''Amelia, I''ll be honest. You''ve been progressing really fast. I know it looks and sounds problematic for you, and that you think that you are getting stronger than Orion, but that won''t happen.'' ''Why? I''m sure that if I use everything against him, I''ll win.'' Ego laughed hard at that. ''Are you sure? Orion is not only extremely proficient with his three elements, he also possess an almost infinite amount of stamina, and close combat capable of sending you straight to the afterlife.'' ''Do you really stand a chance, as you think? When was the last time you fought seriously against him?'' ''...'' Amelia stayed silent. She knew exactly when was the last time she was serious fighting Orion. ''Before leaving Auro, isn''t it?'' The tone Ego used suddenly switched to a colder one. ''Amelia, get it together. Fight him seriously, don''t be scared of getting injured. See how much the difference between you and him there is, and find what is lacking in you.'' ''Orion is strong, and only by giving everything against a powerful opponent can you seriously improve yourself.'' ''Critically reflect upon yourself, and challenge everything you know. Don''t regret your choices, because the moment you will realize that your strength is lacking, it will be too late.'' - ''I won''t speak about that to him, though I know I should. But I don''t want to bother him.'' Orion realized something was up. Amelia was kind of distant at the moment, avoiding looking at him. But he remained silent. Instead, he looked at Karteira pushing her limits. "Can I be honest with you?" In a gentle voice, he asked Amelia. "Hmm?" She looked at him when she saw that he wasn''t staring at her. "I always found it attractive. A woman determined to improve. Of course, when I say attractive, I''m talking about respect too." "Kamala''s determination to best Ivan after her defeat was attractive, and extremely brave." "Karteira''s constant struggle to stay near our level, even though she cannot use magic is attractive, and I respect her greatly for putting up with my demands every time I want to train." He turned his head slowly, and stared deeply into the pearly pink eyes of Amelia. "And I find it incredibly attractive when I see you break every expectations I have for you. The constant novelty you bring is refreshing, and the power behind each and every now abilities you develop is incredible." "You have no idea how much having you next to me influences my training. Just by working on yourself, you give me idea on how to develop my own strength." "Thank you Amelia." He had to say it, because the words Ego gave him turned in his head again and again. Regrets. The only thing he didn''t want to have. If by honestly thanking Amelia for being by his side was enough, he would say it again and again. And to that, Amelia was her mouth wide open in shock. Her eyes were fixated on his, until her brain finally processed the whole thing. ''I can''t... why is he so kind?'' She warmly smiled at him, but the lingering thought that Ego''s words were right kept pestering her mind. The smile quickly disappeared, and a frown appeared on her face. ''I have to ask him. I don''t want to regret my choices either. And I need to face him, and myself. We have to progress together.'' With a determination rivaling Karteira''s fervor in training, she spoke. "Orion..." "Yes?" "Can we have a serious fight? Without limitations?" It was now Orion''s time to fall in shock. The day where Orion and Amelia fought for serious was finally here. A fight absurdly different from the one between Orion and Karteira. A fight with their emotions and worries on full display. Chapter 141: Fighting without holding back. (Part 1) "Is this serious? Amelia, I thought you hated painful training?" This was a situation Orion never saw coming. For him, Amelia was more of an alone training kind of person. Every time they trained together, she always complained that something was hurting, that it was too exhausting, or that he was too harsh. "I am serious. I don''t want to back down now." He stared inside her eyes, to see that she had really made up her mind on this matter. ''She wants to have a serious fight? Why?'' But that question stayed inside of him. It wasn''t his thing to ask the motivations behind every actions his friends did. "No holding back, you get to use the Second Gear, and the Arm Overdrive, while I use everything I have." "Amelia?! That''s going a little too far, don''t you think?" Asking to use the Second Gear was one thing, but asking for the Arm Overdrive, even for him, was another thing. "You know I can''t use the Arm Overdrive on anyone. Isn''t that why you kept it locked away until now?" She nodded with a hard face. "Yes, that''s right. But I can''t do that anymore. I can''t bring myself to bring you down any more than that. We''re both responsible for our actions, and I cannot stop you. This should have been like this originally." "But The Marked ability is yours!" "And the Shackles are yours! There''s no common ground on how to use our ability." Their shooting caught Karteira, Dramia and Drania''s attention. "Amelia, what''s happening? Was the way we did things bothering you? Did I do something wrong?" He looked slightly down, but she immediately tried to correct the situation. "No! Of course not! It''s nothing about you. You know how dangerous the fights will become from now on. There will be a moment where you need the Second Gear, or Arm Overdrive, but I will not be able to unlock it for you." "If we get used to always use them, then we won''t have to bother with asking. I''m only the wall blocking your own abilities. I''m nothing more than that." This wasn''t well received by Orion. His expression turned to anger in a split second. "When have I said that you were a bother to me? That you were blocking my powers?" Biting her lips, she realized that she only dug her grave deeper. His anger disappeared, and only warm words remained. "Amelia, we share the abilities, that I understand. And because I understand, I never asked you more than what you personally accept." "But I know why you feel like this. Are you scared about the next unlock, and the future ones?" Astonished, she looked at him. "How did you know?" He placed a hand on her head, and caressed her head. "I knew from the beginning that dealing with The Marked was going to be tough on you." She looked down at the ground in defeat. "So, you guys are done with training?" The three curious lookers were quickly called out, with Dramia and Drania fleeing back to their training without a word, while Karteira walked to them. "Well, yes. Since I needed Amelia for a boost, but she was in the middle of something, I chose to stop for now." "Sorry, Karteira. I bothered your training." Receiving a apology from Orion, she shook her head. "You don''t have to. So what are you doing here? Are you done with training?" He also shook his head. "It seems like my day isn''t over. You should come with us, this will definitely be a nice show for you." Karteira tilted her head, not understanding what he was saying. "Amelia, let''s do it. I won''t hold anything, just like you asked." He removed his hand from her hair, and created a portal. "But if we want to be serious, we have to get further away. Karteira, be sure to always be on the defensive." Orion stepped inside the portal, and found himself on the other side of Horizon, where he could see his house as a tiny spot in the distance. Shortly, Amelia and Karteira followed. "Karteira, you stay right here." Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. She nodded, and asked. "Are you seriously going full power? Even against me, you barely attacked." ''Seems like Amelia told her before following me.'' "Yes, that''s the plan. And for our fight, it was more of a check-up on how your strength grew." He shook his head. "I would never go full force against any of you. But since she requested it, I will do it." With that said he turned to Amelia. "Amelia, the moment you feel that you can''t endure anymore, you shoot it. If you can''t stop an attack, you dodge it. Don''t receive it if it will injure you. That''s all I ask." There was no refusal in his tone. All Amelia could do was nod in silence. "Karteira, you be extremely careful. Any thing going your way, you either defend, or dodge. I don''t want to regret bringing you with us." Same tone, same answer. "Alright. With that done, let''s go. Follow me, Amelia." They both walked a few hundred meters away from Karteira in silence. Amelia was beginning to regret asking for a serious fight. Orion stopped, looked behind him to see that Karteira was quite far from them, and then turned to look at Amelia. "You can activate both locks when you feel like it." "I''ll do it now." The Marked activated, removing the locks on Orion. ''Left Leg, Second Gear, Lock Opened.'' ''Right Arm, Arm Overdrive, Lock Opened.'' Ego''s voice did as usual, stating in which state Orion was. Orion turned around from Amelia, jumped a few times to get used to the Second Gear, and ran thirty meters away. When he stopped, him and Amelia exchanged one last glance, before Orion unleashed his full power. A burst of magic was released from him, and his front hair changed from black to the silver and gold hue. Alcyone formed in his hands, and he pointed it straight at Amelia. ''He is serious.'' Amelia bent one knee forward, while bending the other behind her. She crossed her arms, and brought two of her daggers out. ''I have to get serious too. I''m not fighting Orion right now, I''m fighting the last of the angel and demon factions.'' Both where thinking of the other differently from usual. Orion was replacing Amelia with an Apostle, though he wouldn''t go as far as to kill her. ''Leima, Ceres, Dana, Aura, and Vesta, I''m counting on you right now.'' From the five daggers, Amelia chose to use Dana and Aura first. The water and wind daggers were ready before the fight began. *click* Orion fired first. An arrow of light flew through the air at incredible speed. ''I can counter these arrows!'' There was no way Orion would use an Overdrived arrow right of the bat, she wasn''t even sure he would even use it against her. Amelia leaped forward and ran toward the arrow. With Dana and Aura strongly gripped, she slashed Aura toward the light arrow, sending a wind blade against it. Both attacks were destroyed when they touched each other. Orion continued to fire arrows right after the other without moving from his spot. Beginning to gain tremendous speed thanks to activating the wind and water together, she had now less time to react before an arrow pierced her. Luckily, she was agile. She countered the one she was able to observe, and dodged the one she couldn''t by sliding under them. She got closer to Orion, around five meters away from him. Without holding anything, she slashed both daggers, creating a wind blade, and ice spikes toward him. With the Second Gear, Orion easily avoided the attacks, and continued to fire at Amelia while running. ''Dana, Vesta, do it.'' An orb of water, formed behind her back, hidden from Orion. Vesta, the fire dagger, formed inside of it. She dodged and countered the incoming daggers until the water orb was boiling. Once done, she bent her arm holding Aura, and stabbed into the boiling orb. She then pointed it toward Orion, and with a wind burst, send it near him. When the orb touched the ground, an explosion of boiling droplets and steam happened, concealing Amelia''s location from Orion. But that wasn''t enough to stop Orion, as he kept firing arrows, even blinded. Amelia ran inside the steam, toward the source of the shots, until she found herself face to face with Orion. That was something he wasn''t expecting, as she managed to take him by surprise. ''I got you!'' Slashing Dana downward, Orion gritted his teeth as he received a powerful strike with his crossbow. He pushed Amelia away with a low kick, and hid himself into the steam. Amelia tried to go after him, but realized that he would most likely not be in the steam by now. ''''Space Shifting'' away...'' ''Dana, go back. Leima, you''re next.'' The water dagger vanished, and was replaced with her lightning dagger. ''The smokescreen has been used, it is useless now.'' With Aura, she dispersed the steam with strong winds, revealing Orion that had managed to make some distance between both of them. But Orion was preparing something else. The moment he noticed Leima, he began to ran around Amelia like he did against Ivan. She remained in place, watching for his next move. Orion began to ran faster and faster around her, picking up speed at every steps. When he thought the speed was enough, an onslaught of arrows came flying her way. ''Aura, switch with Ceres!'' Immediately, she stabbed Ceres in the ground, and formed a dome of rocks around her. But wasn''t all, there was a hole on top of the dome. Leima was directly pointing at that opening. ''Let''s see what you think of this.'' Hearing the arrows crashing against the dome, she released the lightning power stored inside the dagger. ''Electrical Discharge: Curtains.'' Out of nowhere, Amelia created a new ability for Leima. A beam of electricity flew out through the hole and stopped a meter high of it. Then, tremendous amount of lightning strikes began to fell all around the dome, and falling upon Orion. As he fell in surprise from the sudden counter, he had a hard time dodging an attack wilder and unrelenting than the lightning strikes created by Ivan. There was too much to dodge, each time he dodged one, he had to immediately dodge another, or he would suffer a burn. But, he was Orion. Processing each and every strikes coming his way was possible. A few strikes grazed his arms and legs, but they never managed to cause a direct hit. After a few minutes, the lightning strikes stopped, as the dome crumbled from the hits it endured, revealing Amelia holding Leima up. She stared at Orion, and noticed that he wasn''t completely uninjured. Killing her thoughts before feeling bad about it, she immediately grabbed Ceres from the ground, and ran toward Orion. Once again, a volley of arrows came her way, but she defended against it with earth walls. One wall was enough to endure two hits before crumbling away, which Amelia used to get closer to him. The moment she got close enough, Orion released Alcyone. "Alright, let''s go for round two, shall we!" He took out the dagger from his thigh pocket, and ran toward Amelia. Sounds of clashing were heard, as Karteira watched, with an unbelievable expression. After a few exchanges, Amelia began to overpower Orion with the speed of her attacks. Orion was stronger, but if he used the Arm Overdrive on the dagger, it would instantly break, leaving him in a worse situation. Two daggers against one, to say that this was more favorable for Amelia wasn''t a lie. But Orion was also doing great. If you can''t counter it, just dodge it. With that said, Amelia managed to place a hit on him. When he was expecting it the least, she kicked him in the stomach and sent him back a few meters, before running to him without letting him breath a second. She was ready to take him down. But Orion wasn''t going to let it work. He let go of his dagger and grabbed her wrist, making her also drop her daggers. "Now, what are you going to do?" Orion smiled as he evidently stopped her from moving. This was going to be his win if she was unable to free herself. "Just you see. I''m not done yet." The ground shook when she said that, and a wall of rocks appearing under his feet forced him to let go. "Fine, if it''s like that, I won''t go easy anymore." A shockwave coming from Orion pushed Amelia back. Orion took out Taygeta, and unleashed another volley of arrows, albeit slower, toward her. "I was going easy too." Amelia rushed toward Orion, dodging everything. The fight was only at its first phase. Chapter 142: Fighting without holding back. (Part 2) Using Taygeta, Orion tried to cripple Amelia''s speed, and her ability to use magic. Knowing that she would instantly lose if she was hit by only one of these, she focused everything on dodging. There was a slight chance that countering one arrow could bounce it back at her. So Amelia returned Leima, and switched back to Aura. ''Wind Cloak.'' But Amelia remembered something while dodging. Wind Cloak and Water Sliders weren''t abilities. This made her think on the spot. ''Calm Analysis.'' Her processing speed quadruple, and while dodging, came to her own conclusion. ''These pseudo-abilities were made before they grew as elements. I simply applied the elemental magic itself on myself, instead of bringing its potential out.'' ''Alright, then what do I want? What do I want from you?'' With a slide, her smile grew wilder, and she shoot the name of another new ability. When they left Auro, Amelia asked a simple question to Orion, on their way to Eogis. - "I think we can continue. The rain seems to have moved far away, and no other rainclouds are coming either." "How can you know that? For me, every clouds look the same. Maybe the color is different sometimes, but I didn''t think it would be relevant to rain." - Orion began to explain a small part on how rainclouds are created. He stopped at one point, but explained the rest later. What Amelia thought of was one of the event happening in case of a storm. "Downdraft!" Her body began to glow green, and the scale of Ruminona in her soul began to chime in returned, empowering the ability. A pink wind pushed the arrows coming at her, to Orion''s astonishment. He stopped shooting and prepared himself for close combat. The strong wind began to change, and Amelia crouched low on the ground. She focused on her legs, and jumped with everything she had. Wind currents carried her in the air, as she tried to stay stable. After a few seconds, she stared at Orion, and lunged at him. With the wind behind her, she came crashing where Orion was, with powerful wind bursts capable of pushing Orion back. "Tch!" She heard the frustration of Orion, and took this opportunity to go closer. Orion released Taygeta, and this time chose to stay unarmed. He noticed that Amelia was not going to attack with her daggers. Amelia canceled Ceres, and only kept Aura in her hand. With an agility she never demonstrated, she began to unleash a flurry of kicks on Orion, who could only defend because of the strong burst of winds that shook him to his core. But she wasn''t able to move Orion an inch from where he was standing. ''What is he, a wall?! How can he resist those kicks.'' Receiving them was one thing, but he was also diverting their direction to avoid direct damage. He only had to deal with the wind bursts. Each kick was terrifyingly powerful, but Orion managed to defend, and found an opportunity to move away. Amelia looked at him in wonder, but Orion pointed up. She immediately looked up, and noticed a volley of dark arrows falling at her. ''When did he shot these?!'' This trap was set when Amelia lost sight of him in the air, when she stabilized herself. Orion knew he would be unable to defend for a long time, so he shot his arrows in a way that would make them fall straight down. He only had to defend his spot for a short amount of time. Amelia pointed Aura toward the arrows, and a pink shield of wind began to envelop her. The arrows bounced on the shield, successfully defending against the trap. But, she greatly underestimated the range of the trap. "Did you lose sight of me?" Orion''s voice was right next to her. She dropped her gaze and watched with horror as Orion was about to punch her side. *BOOM* The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. With a powerful blow containing the strength of the Arm Overdrive, Orion sent her flying a few meters away. "Ugh!" Managing not to roll on the ground, she grabbed her side in pain. ''Even with a barrier, he still managed to damage me. He really is a monster.'' The distraction was successful. Orion managed to directly hit Amelia, even though she did her best to protect herself in a split second. Taygeta reappeared in his hands, and without waiting for her to get over her pain, he shot arrows after arrows. Ignoring the pain, Amelia stood back up, but there was no way she could do anything fancy now. Aura disappeared from her hand and was replaced by Dana and Ceres. The next phase of the fight was going to be a ranged exchange. Orion, decided to cripple Amelia to end the fight, and Amelia, decided to bring Orion on one knee. Amelia slid under the first volley of arrows, and slashed Dana horizontally, sending a few icicles toward him. With swift movements, he dodged each one of them, before firing more arrows. To counter that, Amelia pointed Ceres forward, and attacked with metal nails. The two attacks crossed, and some managed to go through to the other. Amelia used Dana and Ceres to stop the arrows with the blades, while Orion stepped left to avoid the dangerous nails. While these exchanged continued for a few minutes, Orion was walking closer and closer toward Amelia. ''Why is he getting closer?'' And when confusion appeared on her face, Orion took notice of it, and released Taygeta. He ran using the Second Gear and his light enhancement, sliding and jumping over the icicles and nails. ''Shit!'' Amelia was slow to react, but still defended against the next attack by creating a thick wall between her and Orion. Orion jumped in the air, and hit her with a flying roundhouse kick. Even with a protection from Ceres, Amelia could only block the hit, but not the blast of destruction coming from it. She was sent flying once again, but this time, with no way to catch her balance. As she roll on the ground, she managed to see the wall she created crumble in dust, while Orion was already aiming at her with Alcyone. While gritting her teeth, she slammed one of her elbow on the ground, and bounced herself up. She was starting to get tired, and her body was starting to hurt a lot. "Let''s end this. You better dodge this!" Orion prepared himself to release everything. With Alcyone in hands, a sudden burst of magic was felt all around him. ''He wants to finish this with an Overdrived arrow?'' She looked at the situation in front of her. *Click* The arrow, fired with all of Orion''s power, flew straight toward Amelia. A trails of light followed it, increasing its velocity more and more. ''I''ve done enough, I can''t stop this.'' Amelia was about to give up. There was nothing to do against something like this. Until she glanced behind her. Karteira was right there, tens of meters away. ''Fuck! Why is she behind me?!'' She turned to look at the incoming arrow in despair. ''I can''t dodge this! If I do, what about Karteira?!'' There was only two choices available to her. Shout to notify Orion before it was too late, or dodge and let the arrow continue its trajectory. She chose the third option. While letting go of Dana, she shouted. "VESTA!" The fire dagger Amelia did not use until now manifested with a blast of yellow fire in front of her. Grabbing the dagger with determination, her appearance changed drastically. Her hair turned red, her pink eyes changed to bright red, her arms were engulfed in fire, and her heels let out a strong fire, burning the ground underneath her feet. "CERES! THREE METAL WALLS!" She pointed in front of her, and three walls made of pure iron formed in front of her. They were almost one meter thick, but were paperweight against an Overdrived arrow. The three walls were breeched without causing any resistance. "DAMN IT!" With everything she had, she let go of Ceres, and gripped Vesta strongly, enough to cause blood to flow out. "INFERNO!" Scorching and bright fire engulfed Amelia. A giant explosion of fire happened before the arrow touched, and all of that same fire was absorbed by Vesta. Horizon came to a stop in this split second. Amelia, with the desire to protect Karteira, slashed Vesta downward, creating a blade of fire so intense the air warped around it. Both attacks touched each other with an unbelievable explosion. They both grinded against each other for a minute, before the winner continued toward its victim. "I''M NOT DONE YET!" Orion''s arrow was stronger than Amelia''s fire blade. So, as a last resort, she decided to take it all. She took a defensive stance, preparing herself to be pushed back, while grabbing Vesta with both hands. The Overdrived arrow hit Vesta, making Amelia realize how much power was behind this single arrow. On the other side, Orion was in shock, but was ready to create a portal the instant Amelia would show any weakness against his attack. He knew that Karteira was behind Amelia, and he had already made plans to extract her away with a portal if Amelia had dodged. But she completely broke his expectations. She showed all of her potential in this fight, how good she alternated between each situations, and how varied her attacks were. Switching between elements was her strongest point right now, but Vesta was something else. Her determination to protect Karteira was what made her bring more power out than ever. With a pained face, and trembling arms, Amelia was pushed toward Karteira. ''Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!'' She was cursing at herself, at the lack of strength she had against a single arrow. Glancing behind her, she was now a few meters away from her friend, who was looking at her with worry. Karteira knew Orion would bring her away at any moment, and that by not doing it, he was testing Amelia, like he tested her before. ''One last push! It''s all I ask for!'' Vesta grew hotter in her hand, and forced the last strength she had to emerge. "EEEEY!" She flung the arrow upward, forcing it to deviate from its original course. Amelia let go of Vesta, powerless, and crashed on the floor, unconscious. ~ Orion appeared right next to her, and healed her without hesitation. "Broken arms, broken rib, nosebleed, fractured legs..." Karteira could only worry when she heard his diagnosis. "She''s going to be alright in a second." He turned around and smiled at Karteira. "Orion, what in the world was that fight?" "..." He stayed silent. He himself was unable to find the right answer to that question. "Was that everything you both had? If so, there''s no way I can compare to any of you." She dropped her face in defeat. "Magic is magic, strength is strength. You possess more raw strength than both of us could muster, and that is you. Don''t compare yourself, just catch up using your wits and abilities." "Also, you can''t use magic, but you can store it. Don''t think I don''t know, you''ve been trying to store the fire element inside your armor to make the process of steam easier." "How?!" With pure shock, she could only ask. "I''m observant. The rate at which you create steam is too irregular to be normal recently, and it''s always when Amelia is near to help you." "That''s what I meant by wits. You''ve got the brain to make yourself stronger. Talk more with Amelia, you should be able to come up with abilities that exploits unexplored territories." He stopped healing Amelia and carried her in his arms. "Let''s return for now. She needs to rest." ''You''ve outdone yourself Amelia. I can''t ignore you anymore.'' Orion opened a portal to his house, and entered it with the help of Karteira. Orion placed her in her bed, looking for any irregularities in her current state, but she was simply exhausted at this point. With that worry out of the way, Orion left Amelia in the care of Karteira, and went to explain what happened to the sisters. Later, Amelia finally her eyes. Chapter 143: Being human. "What happened?" Amelia tried to straightened herself, but lacking strength, she fell back on her pillow. "Go easy, Orion said that you''ve exhausted your stamina so much you need to rest for the day." "I lost right?" Bringing her right arm over her head, she hid her eyes. "I''ll be honest. You lost." The sound of grinding teeth could be heard from Amelia. She was frustrated. "I''m not done yet." She peeked through a little and looked at her friend. "You''ve lost with style." "What?" Karteira laughed at her reaction. "But thank you." "For what?" "For standing in front of Orion''s attack." Amelia turned her face the other way, avoiding Karteira''s gaze. "You''re welcome. There was no other choice in my mind." "Orion told me, that last attack was purposefully fired to make you either give up, or dodge. He was going to bring both of us out of the trajectory with a portal." Amelia dropped her arm and stared blankly at her. "..." "Were you so into the fight that you forgot about what he said about our safety?" "Can I remain silent on that one?" "No." With a straight refusal, Amelia had no choice but to answer truthfully. "I had forgotten. I was so into it that the moment I noticed you behind me, all my focus was on stopping the attack." "If you had been somewhere else, I wouldn''t have tried to stop that kind of arrow." She received a nod from Karteira. "At least it wasn''t that spinning arrow. I think this one is literally unstoppable." "I think so too. But I would''ve tried nonetheless." "And so you used everything to stop it? That fight was really something else." Looking at her hands, the conversation she had with Orion earlier still lingered. "I want to be that strong. To one day rival with both of you, even if I can''t use magic." "Do you have any idea on how many new abilities you''ve created during that single fight?" Amelia shook her head. "It took everything I had to focus on Orion and his attacks. His firing speed as greatly improved. I''ve rarely seen him this serious in a training session, so I barely understood the potential he had until now." But Karteira thought otherwise. "You know it better than me, it''s not only potential. His hard work has shined in this fight. The fact that he can maintain some distance while being constantly pestered by a close ranged opponent is impressive." "But because he strives to improves himself, and daily at that, the difference shows in each of his actions. His firing speed, his overall running speed, his stamina, the way he uses his weapons." "Have you ever seen him use his dark crossbow that much? I haven''t seen it being used a lot. I''m sure even that was trained thoroughly." ''Yes, I know all of that, I was there when he developed his first magic. I was there to see all of his efforts.'' While clenching the sheets with her hands, she remembered her time before leaving Auro. "Do you consider yourself weaker even though you lost?" They both exchanged gazes, and Amelia shook her head. "It would be a lie to say that I am not disappointed, but I''ve done everything I could against him, and I managed to break his guard multiple times." "I''ve lacked the resolve to acknowledge how terrible I''ve been going at training. Before, I could manage with just improving here and there, and then call it a day." "But I''ve been pushing the urgency of our situation when I took this space for granted. Peace is a poison for all of us." On this point, both were on the same page. "That''s why I''ve been training constantly. Taking a day off in a week is acceptable, I''d even say it is a requirement, that''s why Orion has been more relaxed recently, but you''ve focused too much on laying low." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "Of course, neither of us are going to say that you are weak. That would be a straight lie. The abilities you have have been shown to be incredibly versatile." "But you haven''t been polishing your elements and abilities as much as Orion." These words were hurting Amelia greatly, but she had no one else but herself to blame for that. She was the one who refused to train for a long period of time because the pain was sometimes unmanageable. And to be honest, compared to the battle freaks Orion and Karteira were, and that they weren''t humans, you could understand why it was so difficult for Amelia. "Why haven''t both of you said anything about it before?" There was this question floating in her mind, and she needed to know the answer. "Because you are human. That''s the most important difference between you and us." ''That''s... it? Because I am... human?'' She stared at her hands in disarray. "I''ll tell you why the difference between us exist. I''ll tell you, but this did not come from me. It''s Orion who told me this before laying you on the bed." Turning her head to Karteira, she listened. "Orion is the successor of two great factions known for their individual strength. He told me that demons and angels were strong the moment their magic developed. He was born to be just as strong." "For me, it''s a different matter. I am an irregularity in the fairy realm. Mother called me ''The Fairy''s Savior''. I only know what it meant when Orion explained it to me." "I, Karteira, was birthed by the Tree of Life to be the defender of the fairy faction. My whole purpose is to be strong enough to defend my faction. I wondered why I was the only strong individual except the queens, but even them are half-fairies." "But you, Amelia, do you have that difference? I don''t think so. He clearly said it, that you are a pure, simple, unnecessarily involved human. That if the circumstances were different, he would have left alone." "That''s why he never expected you to surpass his training sessions. Because it would only break your spirit." The more Karteira spoke, the more Amelia understood. The difference was really caused by the faction she was birthed in. ''Am I a nuisance? Just because I am a human?'' "But!" Karteira forced her to stop thinking nonsense by slapping her hands together.. "There comes the most important point." "Orion said that you broke his expectations. That for a human, what you showed him was beyond what he could have hoped from this fight." "At first, he was expecting to simply fight you ''seriously'', but the more you showed him your potential, the more fun he had, and he couldn''t stop fighting someone strong." "The new abilities you''ve used, the movements that were clearly not possible without knowing your own capabilities, and the overwhelming amount of variety behind each phase of the fight. Even I began to shiver watching it." "So much I also want to fight you with everything I have." You could almost see the stars in her eyes, as her excitement was uncontainable. "So there is one last thing Orion said to me before leaving." - "When she wakes up, be sure to tell her that I don''t want her to be bothered by anything." "Alright?" "Yes, I thought that her improvements were more like me. By instant growth. But she managed to create new abilities on the spot, and use them to the best of her capabilities without even struggling to control them." "This is something you can''t do?" Orion shook his head. "I can''t, that''s why I have to train so much. Light and Dark elements are one thing, but Void is another. I am not able to completely master a single ability just by using it once. Horizon is a prime exemple of that." With a hand on her chin, Karteira remembered that only recently did Orion learn about the landscape feature and the tablet. "You''re right. Amelia seemed to bring everything like she wanted on the spot." "And that''s the reason why she doesn''t need to bother with our boring opinions on why she can''t keep up training. Because she keeps up just fine." - "He also said that your ability to clearly imagine what you want is a huge boost in training time." Amelia blinked a few times. She was a little bothered by all that happened so suddenly. First, she opened her eyes to see that she had lost, and the winner was nowhere to be seen. Then, her friend explained to her that because she was human, her training was not efficient. And in the end, she''s told that there''s nothing to be changed, and that she is doing fine? ''I''m lost...'' She couldn''t react at all. "Did I say something wrong?" "Everything''s wrong!" Amelia suddenly grabbed her pillow and threw it to Karteira''s face. "OOF!" "AGH!" One was suddenly stunned, the other suffered from moving too fast. The pillow slipped in a comedic fashion across Karteira''s face, until it fell on her lap. Exchanging a gaze of both anger and shock, they finally lost it. "Pfft-" They both heartily laughed. "I see, I don''t have to bother then?" "No, just ignore what we said. It would have been accurate if it was someone else, though." "''Wit is your strongest weapon, and how you use it is what makes a bad situation turn to your advantage''." "Orion?" Amelia nodded. "It''s something he told me before we left Auro." After wiping their tears away, Karteira help Amelia to sit on her bed. "Where''s Orion?" "He''s gone to explain what happened to the sisters." "Karteira..." She stared at Amelia. "He''s gone training again." "What?!" ~ *Pant* *Cough* Two green haired women where on the ground. Dramia was on all four, gasping for air, and Drania was sprawled on the ground, unable to move. "Orion! Stop! *Cough* I can''t anymore! You kicks are too powerful!" The starfish began to show the white flag of defeat. " I... *pant* can''t believe... *pant* this!" Dramia was trying to stand up, but her thighs and wings were hurting really bad, stopping her from moving an inch. "I thought your speed was your strongest attribute?" "It is! You''re just unfair!" The first one to stand while wobbling was Drania. She managed to receive less damage than her sister, but she wasn''t in a great shape either. "Sis, how did we get our ass kicked so bad?" "He just... warped were we went... and literally kicked our butt." That''s all Orion did. He wanted to give a little advice to the sisters while they were here. That their speed was not an all powerful weapon. So he simply trained them after explaining his fight with Amelia. There was leftover energy to be spent from that fight, and he decided to use it on the sisters. "Well, I''m sorry about kicking you. I''ll at least heal you." He crouched on the next to Dramia and rubbed her back while avoiding her wings. "AaaH-" "Sis?!" "It''s not my fault I remember that stupid massage when he touches me, alright?" The twins blushed right in front of him. "Want another one?" "No! Just do you thing and get your hands off of me after that. You''re lucky I can''t move!" She was suffering physically, and mentally at the moment. "Well, fine. Drania, come her." Walking like a robot, she showed her back to Orion the instant she was in front of him. After a few minutes, they only had their stamina to recover. "Sorry for the rough treatment. Did that help a little?" "To know that you can counter our speed? Yes. How to resolve that problem? No." Dramia crossed her arms in frustration. "Don''t be like that sis. Isn''t it good to know that before someone else managed to beat us?" Her sour mood slowly disappeared. "I know it was to help us. For that I am grateful. We asked for your opinion, I was simply not expecting... so much pain." "We''ll simply have to work on how to either improve our speed, or our reaction time." "Do both. That''s just a suggestion, don''t do it if you don''t feel capable of doing it." They stared at him with a perplexed stare, but quickly shrugged. "If he said that, it means we''re definitely capable of doing it, right sis?" "I don''t want to..." Orion smiled at them. "Alright, you''re coming back home with me?" "I don''t want to train any more, so yes. Please." "Yes!" He nodded and opened a portal to Horizon''s main house. The moment he opened the door, Amelia and Karteira were both waiting for him. Chapter 144: A day before leaving for Ormrdivin. Orion stopped at the entrance. "Hey, I''m back." With the handle still in his hand, he wasn''t really understanding why they were waiting there instead of the living room. "What''s happening? Can''t we go in?" Drania pushed him a little to get through, and found herself face to face with the girls. "Ah!" She stood there without saying another word. "How is your body Amelia?" Not expecting to be asked the moment she saw him, she got a little flustered. "Y-Yes, thanks to you, I''m fine." He let go of the door handle, and patted Amelia and Karteira both on their head. With a warm smile on his face, he said. "I''m glad you are fine." "And thank you Karteira, for staying with her." Passing between both of them, he continued down the corridor, to the men''s changing room. "..." "Did he just...?" They both stared at each other, unable to understand why they froze in the first place. "I kind of want that smile too." "Drania?! What are you saying?!" If shock was the word to express how Dramia was feeling, then it would be accurate, yet not. "What? I also want to be loved you know? Look at these two." She pointed out at Amelia and Karteira, who had their whole mood changed. They tried to confront Orion at the door, but it backfired in their face before they knew it. "Anyway, ignore them. And forget about that ''love'' thing." "Eeeeh?" Dramia entered, grabbed her sister by the arm, and walked past the two infatuated girls, finally entering the living room. "I know you want that too. We''re twins after a-" "Not a single word. Say more and I''ll grind that empty head of yours." "What do you mean by empty! It''s good as it is." The sound of their banter woke up Amelia and Karteira from their daydream. "He got us." "Yes, and it wasn''t voluntarily, that''s the worst." "What happened to us?" Amelia closed the door, and they both entered the living room, mentally defeated. When they entered, both Drania and Dramia were slumped on one of the couches, in silence. "Are you alright?" "I really don''t know at this point, maybe?" When Amelia asked, Drania answered without any trace of her usual playfulness. "What happened?" Karteira sat right next to them, wanting to know why they were in this state. "We''ve asked Orion what he thought about our speed, and if we could improve it, and before we knew it, he began literally kicking our behind." "I don''t want to ever ask for his opinion, but he spoke some interesting things, so I''ll forget about what happened today." The sisters looked at each other with ideas on how to improve themselves. They began to pump themselves full of motivation now that Orion was nowhere near. ~ While they were all waiting until dinner time, Orion was in the shower. ''What a day. Karteira has been acting weirder by the day, Amelia is a powerhouse of elemental abilities, and the sisters are on the starting line to become stronger.'' ''...'' He stopped thinking while he enjoyed the droplets of water falling on his face. ''Tomorrow, I have to return to Ormrdivin. After that, I have the audience with the queen of the lamias.'' ''And after all of that, there is that coward Apostle to erase from our continent.'' ''Once everything is done... we have to go back to Auro, isn''t it? I will have Amelia''s wrath on me if I refuse to return.'' ''...'' This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. He wiped the water of his face and looked at his reflection on the glass. "Almost 23. I''m close to the end. If I live longer or die early, it will all depends on how I d-" But he shook his head. "No, this is not right. It will depends on how well we do. I should rely a little more on them from now one." "But changing my habits all of the sudden is not going to work, so I''ll do that over time." The running water was stopped, and Orion stepped out of the shower. He took his towel, and hid his body, minimizing another incident like the one that happened recently. No one was there this time. He quickly dried his body, and walked to his clothes. ''The bracelet. I haven''t looked at it in a while now.'' Taking the memento his parents gave him, he looked at the engraving with his name. On the corner, there was this little rectangle that had a different color than the greyish metal. On it, ''15%'' was displayed. ''It''s getting low, I should recharge it, even though I don''t know if doing that helps them at all.'' Orion grasp the bracelet, and formed two ball sized elemental orbs that gravitated around each other. ''Diffusion.'' The two spheres began to rotate faster, and disintegrate into smaller particles that fell all around him. ''Absorption.'' Every single particles were absorbed inside the bracelet. *Bip* An almost inaudible noise was heard from it. Orion released his grasp and looked at the new number. ''79%. Good. I won''t have to worry about its energy behind depleted for a while.'' The bracelet returned around the wrist of its rightful owner. ''I hope they are doing well inside... I want to see them.'' He put his clothes back on, before exiting the changing room. ~ "Orianne, after seeing their fight, what do you think?" Reon and Orianne were enjoying their time together, while watching the life of their son through the screen. Orianne was currently in Reon''s arm, enjoying some hugging time. Only now Reon thought of asking his wife about her opinion on the fight. "Hmm. On what?" "I know they are not to our level, or to Elliot yet. I want to know what you think on a scale of 0 to 10 how far they are." With a finger on her chin, Orianne moved her head so that her gaze crossed Reon''s. "I need to develop a bit more than just saying a number, is that alright?" He nodded. "Then, I''ll answer that question. Compared to us, I''d say they are a 5 out of 10. Compared to Elliot, it''s going to be less than that." "Orion''s abilities are mostly locked by the Shackles, right? If he had been living with us at that time, he would have either inherited my fire element, your lightning element, or both naturally with time." "His abilities would have been focused on our own experiences rather than surrounding a locking system." "Which means that, with time, I do think he would have been way stronger than Elliot... if only time wasn''t against us in the past." They both managed to accept that they were witnesses to a future they would normally never see happen. "Now, you place Amelia in the equation. She''s the bearer of the Key, ''The Marked'' individual. She by herself, judge to limit or not the ''Bearer of the Shackles'', Orion in this case." "Let''s think about two possible situation." She brought two fingers from each hands, beginning with her right one. "There''s a world were Amelia either hates, despises, or simply ignores Orion. This world would be doom from arrival. There will be no progress whatsoever, and his life would have been one of struggle until he tragically died somewhere." Orianne bit her lips just imagining such a possibility. "The second one is the one we are actually seeing. A time where Amelia is clearly in love with Orion, where she would throw herself and the world in fire just for him." "This is where ''The Marked'' is the most important. By giving him trials, and opening her heart, she brings more and more power to him. Why is that do you think? Why do you think he will grow stronger than being taught by us?" Closing her eyes, she once again looked at Reon from below. "Because their bond is too strong. She was the one there for him, and he was the one there for her. They grew together, fell in love together, and helped each other. Does that ring a bell?" Reon nodded. "Of course. Just like us. The only difference is that we were weaker." "That''s where you are wrong, my dear Reon." She made a disapproval motion with her finger, while saying clicking her tongue three times. "Oh? How so?" "They were also weak. In fact, they still are. But it is the challenges they face together that will define if they are growing steadily, or not enough. Each experiences will have consequences on them, like it did for us." "But compared to us, they are pressed by the revival of Elliot?" "Exactly." Orianne was proud, this is what Orion took from her. The simplicity in explaining what was on her mind. "It is good to know that we both feel the same way about this. What I had forgotten was that they were weak too in the beginning. It simply feels surreal to see my son grow so fast." "I feel you on that point." They both hugged while watching their son imbue more magic to the bracelet. "There was no way he would forget about us. My son is the best. We can continue spying on his life now." Giggling with apparent joy, she rubbed her hands together. "Stop acting like that. What is he going to say next time he''ll see us if you act like this." "That I am his mother? The one and only? That loves him way too much?" "Alright, alright, I get it. Sorry to have pushed your buttons. You can calm down now." A wave of sadness suddenly invaded the bracelet. Both Reon and Orianne looked behind them, and back at Orion. "As always, that one emotion is always transmitted in here. It only happens when he thinks about us." "And it stirs everything around." Reon analyzed the whole area, noticing no actual changes. "Orion..." "No apologizing anymore. You''ve done enough of that. The time has changed, if you smile and cheer for him, then he could be receiving it like we feel his worries." "You''re right." Orianne touched the silhouette of her son on the screen. "One day, I''ll be seeing you again. Until then, give your best." "That''s much better than tears." ~ *Bip* When Orion opened the door to the living room, he heard the same noise coming from the bracelet. Wondering why it suddenly made a noise, and ignoring the gazes of the four women in the room, he lifted his left arm, and smiled warmly. On the bracelet''s tiny screen, where the percentage was supposed to be, an unusual symbol had appeared. ''(???)?'' ''I know of only one person that could show so much love in such little form.'' ''Thank you, mom.'' "Orion? Why are you smiling like that?" The night had just only fell on Horizon. Orion had already made his changes during his shower. Time was about to calibrate with Triazils. "Nothing, she thought of my parents for a second. Anyway, how are you feeling right know?" He scanned the room, looking at each one of them. "Well, yes? I''m fine." Amelia scratched her cheek in embarrassment. "I have rarely felt other than fine." The ever training Karteira was always fine. "We''re fine too, though a little exhausted." Dramia spoke for Drania, because she wanted to avoid hearing a loud voice burst her eardrums. "Good. Because we''re going to Ormrdivin tomorrow." They all knew it was coming, so they all readied themselves. "But first, dinner. Amelia, what do you have for us tonight?" "Ah, yes, I''m going to prepare it right now." She stood up and found Dramia already ready to accompany her to the kitchen. With a nod they both left the living room, and prepared dinner together. Amelia was having way more fun cooking now that she had a another friend to share what she loved. Once it was done, the five of them enjoyed dinner, and then went to sleep with a full belly. The next day. "Alright, I''m leaving for the Dragon''s Den. I''ll open a portal for you once I''ve arrived." He silently and furtively looked around. ''I guess Florian was too terrorized of the dragons to give it a chance. That is too bad.'' "Be careful Orion. I know there isn''t much distance between Lahro and the Talviera Mountain Range, but still." "Don''t worry, I''ll be careful." Orion opened a portal and was about to enter it. When another person emerged from a portal next to it. "Am I too late?" A worried Florian appeared in Horizon. Chapter 145: Florian, face-to-face with Monolavir. Orion stared up from the foot of the mountain. ''The Dragon''s Den should be straight up.'' There was no signs of the dragons at all. The place they chose to burrow was a deep hole into the mountain, perfect to hide themselves from prying eyes. In fact, most of the people living on Triazils never even knew were the dragons lived. Only the Apostles roughly knew that they were in the Talviera Mountain Range, and only Kelvin knew exactly were they lived. The other ones who knew, were of course Orion, and Amelia. ''I want to surprise them. Just going in will be too boring, isn''t. Let''s see what the dragons can do against someone like me.'' Orion stepped forward and began to run on the slope, before jumping. He warped further up, on a rock that would help him jump further up. This action was repeated until he arrived near the entrance of their nest. ''Ormrdivin. As usual, the two dragons at the entrance are guarding it perfectly.'' With a big smile on his face, Orion began to think of multiple ways to test the dragons. ''Just jumping in front of them would be useless. The moment they notice it is me, there guard will lower and the surprise will be lessened.'' ''I need to stay hidden from they''re sight until I reach either Monolavir, or Ruminona.'' ''Oh! I haven''t trained my hunting instincts in a while, let''s just do that at the same time!'' Training. Half of Orion''s life. Looking around for any opening, there was no way to find one from where he was. He didn''t knew if there was dragon''s down the entrance that would instantly see him either. So, he warped in the air, right in front of the guarding dragons. ''Calm Analysis.'' In a split second, Orion scanned the hole. ''Nothing.'' He warped passed the guards. "!" "Did you see that? There was something right there!" "I didn''t, what did you see?" The guards began to discuss about the sighting of a human, but that would be impossible for that to happen, with them not noticing, so they gave up and returned to their post. ''Close call.'' Orion hid himself in the darkness, in places hard to see even for dragons. ''The way to those two is... this way, if I remember correctly.'' With extreme carefulness, and attention to his surrounding, Orion made his way inside the nest. ''!'' He stopped in his tracks when he heard the flapping of wings approaching him. *Snort* The dragon flew past him without noticing his presence. ''Once inside, the defenses are lacking. Look at me making my way through the nest casually. Is this how the thief made it in the past? Wait, no, the dragons were asleep at that time.'' The dragons rarely moved inside the nest. There was only a couple of dragons that did, and those were the guards, and the hungry. They were a lazy faction, not because they wanted to, but because their size forced a lot of energy to be wasted, leading to most of their time being for sleeping. Not long after, he arrived inside a room that emitted subtle light from its roof and its walls. ''I''ve arrived.'' Orion stepped inside Monolavir and Ruminona''s cave, their nest. "Hmm?" A massive blue dragon opened its eyes wide, and lifted his neck high after feeling a presence that wasn''t suppose to be there. *Snort* The green dragon next to him also opened its eyes, but remained her head laying on the floor. In the blue dragon''s breath, little snowflakes instantly changed to droplets of water and fell to the ground. "I can imagine two beings being able to enter without alerting the whole nest. Thiefs, and Orion." "My instincts are telling me that it is Orion. Am I wrong?" A little silence fell in the room, until he stopped hiding. "No, you are right. Hi, Monolavir, and Ruminona." He moved away from the entrance, and waved at them. "I should have known that hiding from you two was impossible." "Was there a reason for such hiding? You know that the dragons would have received you correctly at the entrance." "No reason particularly. I just wanted to surprise you, and see how your defenses held against me." Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Monolavir kept his gaze on Orion the whole time. "I can''t say that we aren''t surprised to see you, but I need to ask. Why are you here? Is it about the little fairies you''ve sent to us? If so-" "No, of course not. I have to thank you for receiving us. Do you mind if I call everyone?" "Eh?" A weird noise came out of the dragon''s mouth, to which Ruminona laughed at discreetly. "O-Of course, but how?" "Don''t worry, I''ll explain it to you in a moment." Orion placed his hand in front of him, and a portal opened. Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, and Drania all stepped out of it. After that, the portal closed behind. "Amelia!" Ruminona instantly lifted her head when she saw her. "Hi." She smiled at the green dragon, and waved at both of them. "Even the little fairies. I trusted their words, but now that I have proof of their link with you, I am relieved to have treated them fairly." Monolavir expulsed cold air from his lungs in sign of relief. Ruminona noticed another being next to Amelia, someone she didn''t knew. "Who is this... fairy, I believe?" Karteira, who had no way to understand the dragons, only heard growls from them, and fell a little scared. "Yes, she is a companion that Amelia and I made after dealing with the fairy realm. This is Karteira." "Oh! The fairy girl that these two spoke about. Of course." Without hesitation, Ruminona shared Karteira the ''Dragon''s Tongue'' ability for her to understand. ''Warm.'' Was what Karteira felt, before she heard the voice of an older man echoed in her head. "Tell me Orion, why did you came to the dragon''s nest? Is there something you want from us?" To the dragons, a few months was almost nothing in their life. The time between Orion''s first appearance and now was insignificant to them. "In fact, yes. There is three matters I have to discuss with you two." "Three. That is a lot." Orion nodded, and continued. "The first is a quick one. But first, I need to explain a few things to you." A sphere of void formed in his hand. "That''s!" "Orion, what is this?" Both dragons opened their eyes wide. "What do you think it is?" "Don''t take me for a fool, I know that this is a new element. What I want to know is how you have your hands on something so improbable." "That''s quite the story." He smiled, beginning his explanation. ... "The void element, created by merging the light and dark element. It would be naturally impossible to force something like this to happen." "But here he his, with a new element. Now I understand how he managed to get past the guards." The dragons nodded their giant heads in unison. "And your request concerns that element isn''t it?" It was Orion''s turn to nod. "This element creates portals to a different space than Triazils, almost like a realm. I want to place a portal in the nest, to facilitate the access. Climbing the mountain every time is great and all, but only I can do that." ''Maybe Karteira too. The sisters can fly, so they don''t count.'' "If it is just that, of course. We will give you a place to put it down later." This wasn''t a problem for the dragons. They trusted Orion and Amelia. "The second, and third matter as linked together somehow. So I''ll start by the most troublesome one." "Troublesome? For who?" "For everyone." The silence was deafening. Dragon''s hated troublesome matters. "I''ll listen to you at least." "Right. I have someone waiting on the other side of this portal, someone that I requested personally to accompany me to see you two." "For what reason?" "To try and make peace between humans and dragons." Monolavir, and even Ruminona''s gaze changed. It became wilder, less friendly. "By respect toward you, I will contain my emotions. But in which way do you think that we will accept another human to step inside our nest? We did not forgive the humans for their heinous acts against us yet." "And this is what this man is trying to do. You don''t have to give him the ability to understand you, you don''t have to move an inch, nor give an answer immediately. This man is trying his best to make this world a little better." ''Or so I think. Kamala said that she trusted him, that he moved only to make everything better around.'' "I agreed, because this man is protecting the lamia faction as much as he can, which is the third matter I had to discuss with you." "But I want this man to explain everything himself, I want him to make your view change on the humans, because a hybrid like me cannot interfere in any other ways." "Hybrid... I don''t like this term." Monolavir''s eyes twitched, and his gaze returned to a friendly one. "I understand. I will listen to that human." "Mono?!" "Rumi, it was a specific human that targeted us in the past. I remember the terrorized face of every human I saw that day. Believe me, none of them understood what a dragon was." "I don''t want to do it either, but if Orion''s desire is to build a bridge between our factions, so be it. We''ve already built one with the fairies, why not with a portion of the human faction." Orion noticed it. ''He already now that not all of the humans are on the same side. So he believes that that human side is also on mine, which will help Ruminona make a decision.'' Strong wind came from Ruminona''s mouth. "Alright, I will also listen to this human. But if this one is lacking respect toward us, I want him gone. The ones who killed my children are unforgivable." Orion opened the portal again, and entered it. A moment later, he came out with a man in tow. "This is Florian Delur. I''ll tell you frankly, he bears the title of Apostle, but is technically a traitor to them. He killed another Apostle in front of me." Florian turned his head straight at Orion, because this introduction was clearly unnecessary. What he didn''t know was, this short introduction already made a few things clear for the dragons. "I- I am called Florian Delur. I rule over the cities of Albriar, and Lahro." - "Florian, they agreed to at least hear what you have to say." "You really made it happen. I thought it would be impossible." Orion explained to him that all he had to do was to speak. That he had to expect an answer at a later date. "Of course. If I can at apologize to them, it is a big win for the human faction." With trembling hands, Florian grabbed his glasses and wiped them off, before placing them back on his nose. ''I have to prepare myself. I chose to accept his proposition, the least I can do is be determined to make my point understood to the other party. It is time to put everything I know on the line.'' - Under the gaze of both dragons, a single human, one who already experienced the fear of being attacked by the dragons, was standing in front of them. To say that he wasn''t scared would be the biggest lie ever told, but this was too late to have regrets. Florian arranged his necktie, removed his glasses and carefully folded them before putting them inside his breast pocket. "First of all, I would like to apologize for our past behavior." Florian bent his upper body forward, expressing his apology with the most honesty possible. "I also want to apologize for having injured you, the Azur Dragon, when defending my city." *Snort* Orion decided to act as the middle-man in case the dragons decided to speak. "He said, ''Oh? Is that so?''" Florian straightened his body, and thanked Orion with a warm gaze, before looking at the imposing blue dragon. "Yes, we only managed to break a scale off of you body at the time, just to defend a city. I know it was our fault for having stolen precious eggs from you, and I know that is inexcusable in your eyes. My duty was to defend as many lives as possible, and yours to find the thief." "This incident was a major eye opener for me. I was young at the time, and it took everything I had to not die at your attacks. But it made me realize what I was living for." Once again, Orion spoke. "He said, "I do remember you. Since you''ve showed your determination to protect the city behind you, and the fact that my eggs weren''t near that city, there was no need for me to ravage it." "That valiance is rare, and I have seen only two humans defend their city, until they I let them go. You, and the man accompanying you." Florian eyes opened. ''Valiant? Me? At the time, it was my duty as an Apostle. I learned that protecting my people was the most important after that incident. How could I-'' "I will accept that apology. In my rage, I also made a few mistakes, and that is one of them. But, I will not accept the apology about the thief." ''I guessed as much.'' Smiling sarcastically, he already knew that it wasn''t going to be easy. ''Then, I can only ask about the lamia, and try to make them understand that we''re trying to break the cycle of hate between factions.'' He lifted his head, and stared right into Monolavir''s eyes. Under the intense pressure, Florian pushed further, not for himself, but for the world. Chapter 146: The life of a man named Florian Delur. Florian, thirty eight years old. The Apostle known as the Lightning Bolt by most. This man was born with the second rarest element in this world, lightning. Compared to fire and its inherent tremendous discharge of power, lightning was most tricky to work with. For each ability you tried to develop, you had to sacrifice something in the form of incredible anguish. What it means, is that if you had the idea to throw lightning spears like Ivan, you had to sacrifice both of your arms for that. The members chosen to support lightning had to be refined by the lightning element itself, to even be able to hold the form of the spear. For Florian, it was no different. He was always the fastest kid in Albriar. His mother, thankfully for him, never bothered with limiting her child in any ways, so she let him play with other children in the city. Not only was he the fastest, but he was also a great athlete overall. His father was the same, but he past away a few days after his tenth birthday, and Florian''s dreams of learning more from him also vanished. Around a third into his fourteenth years, his magic finally appeared. Even though it was lightning, everyone was happy for him. Never did he boast about his magic to his friends, and never did his mother mock him for having the same magic as his father. In fact, his mother was happy for him. She knew that she hadn''t been a really good mother because of her status of Apostle, and because she was shy, even within her own family, but Florian never cared about that. She was kind, and for him, it was everything. So, he secretly wandered inside his father''s study and found many texts explaining the process of improving lightning abilities. That you had to suffer to be stronger. With determination, he sacrificed his legs. He could have sacrificed his feet only, but he wanted every single fiber of his body to endure. This resulted in more pain than necessary, a lot of grinding teeth and questioning, and more than anything, in his ability to run faster than anybody was able to. To help processing the speed, he wanted to improve his brain, but the texts clearly said not to try, in case you fried it and died. When his training was done after a only two years, his interest was redirected to the large library of his house, and the one in the city. Between reading, absorbing knowledge, and building stamina for his ability, Florian somehow knew how hard leading a city was. It was even more impressive that his mother managed to fulfil the role of logistics for the whole human faction. Once he became eighteen, his mother asked if he would be fine with taking over her role as Apostle. He took part in his first Ceremony, and realized why his mother was so tired after coming back. ''Lots of greedy, self-important, and hungry for power people.'' Understanding that was the moment his mind began to grow. He hid his disgusted feelings, and played nice with them, but refused to drink the sludge. At the same time, he noticed another man that did the same as him, and this man was none other than Eric Layman, also eighteen. After the Ceremony, he approached Eric, and engaged in a friendly discussion, but it was nothing else than pleasantry and learning about the place they lived in. But it was enough for both young men. They were both new Apostles, even though Eric took his place as Apostle around two years before Florian. The reason why Florian and Eric immediately agreed to form an alliance between them was because of that small discussion they had in the past, and the event that happened right after. Not long after returning from the Ceremony, the greatest disaster of human history happened. The great Azur Dragon was in rampage across the continent. And with that, the matter of the gold and silver pillar, and the one with Dylan Ravale, the savior of the beastmen. He quickly dispatched all soldiers that had any hate for the beastmen by sending them to other cities with the excuse of logistics and help against the dragon. But then, he learned that the first stop of the dragon was Albriar. What was Florian supposed to do? He could evacuate the city, and flee with his mother, but where to go? He managed to avoid having the beastman savior to hunt his head, but now, the dragon was here for it. He could also request for help from the other Apostles, but he knew that no one would help him. His only ally in this situation was Eric. So, without thinking too long about it, he left Albriar, and ran south-east, toward Turric. The distance between the two was not negligible. For a human on foot, it would be around two weeks. But for Florian? Half a day without break was enough. To be fair, that distance wasn''t enough to tire him at all. He arrived at Turric after noticing how the climate was not as cold as he imagined, and asked around for Eric. The man wasn''t that hard to find. The two men looked at each other, and both had a discussion. Eric also received the notice of the dragon, and understood that Albriar was about to fall into danger. But why would he help? He only knew that Florian a little. He was about to refuse, when his girlfriend, Caroline, at the time entered in panic after hearing words of a dragon coming to raze their city. Florian looked at him, and proposed the most crazyiest plan ever. ''Why don''t you come defend Albriar with me? If we are successful, the Azur Dragon would divert his attention elsewhere.'' Eric blinked until his brain understood, Florian was not thinking about himself at all. The other cities had more veterans capable of defending their cities, they were older Apostles too, with more experience in dealing with dangerous things. Or so they thought. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. With the idea that defending Albriar would also help his own city, Eric grabbed Florian''s hand, and shook it strongly. Their temporary alliance against the dragon threat was born. Florian asked Eric to grab his shoulders from behind, and both returned to Albriar, though Florian had to take break because of Eric''s massive body type. Carrying someone else was something he never thought about in the past. The two men finally arrived at Albriar, a day before the stand against the Azur Dragon. In a night that was mostly restless because of the tension, they prepared and even planned on everything, in case they would fail. The citizens were evacuated a few kilometers away from the city, with only Florian''s mother refusing to leave her house. She said that her son would definitely protect his city, and stayed hopeful. Everyone was hopeful, but they had to follow his orders anyways. If he was to lose his life in the fight, and the city was razed, they had to walk toward Turric. If both died in this fight, they had to go toward the most accepting city at the time, Noctelagia. Now, only Florian and Eric were left in the vicinity of Albriar. They refused to fight in the city, and thought of stopping the dragon before that. A painful silence suddenly fell around them. The birds disappeared, the insects stopped chirping, and the wind blew forcefully. A giant shadow was casted on the grass, rapidly approaching them. After that was a fight that Monolavir himself called ''valiant''. Both men protected each other as much as possible. Eric was on the long range attack, while Florian on the close range. The long and arduous fight finally stopped when the Azur Dragon notice a blue scale fly in front of his eyes. With a loud and eardrum shattering roar, the dragon stopped attacking. It even shared his name with them telepathically as proof of their courage against him. This is the reason why Florian and Eric knew his name during his appearance at the Ceremony that Orion broke into. As trophy, they kept his scale. More accurately, they broke it in half and shared it, both making an item out of it. Only small items would be able to be made, but that was still a great reward. But nothing was able to beat the gratification of their citizens. The sense that defending them was worth more than his own life. At that moment, Florian knew why such a challenge happened in his life. It was for him to value the lives around him. To value everything not with discrimination, but with acceptance. After that point, he did everything to have the surrounding beastmen village under his wing. Auro accepted that offer, unknowing to Orion at the time. He chose to ask his citizens if they would accept understanding the beastmen not through conflict, but through cohabitation. It was mildly received at first, but once they had the people they though as barbaric appeared in groups in front of them, their opinion slowly changed. Of course, there were some problems here and there, but after a few years, the talent to build houses, their sense of cooking meat better than humans, and their soft ears and fluffy tails that children and women loved changed that. Nowadays, Albriar was a bustling city with both humans and beastmen living together, just like Hocride. From that point, Florian focused on his city, and his own body. Life went by without any major events, or problems other than the Ceremonies. But in these Ceremonies, he noticed that one seat was always empty, the seat of Andila Genathis. He asked Laylah, the woman organizing this group, and she told him that when the dragon attacked, she died. Since then, she was waiting for the heir of Andila to come take her seat. And after seven years, at the age of twenty, Kamala finally arrived at the Ceremony. To say that he was surprised was an understatement. She was beautiful, but extremely quiet. She rarely said more than necessary, and ignored everyone around her. She also refused to take part in the sludge drinking part, to Laylah''s despair. A little something he never experienced grew in him. Every time a Ceremony took place, his only joy was to see Kamala. Finally, most recently, one of the thorns that was bothering his plans to integrate other species to human culture, Kiel Varon, died ''tragically''. He felt a little bothered that he was rejoicing at someone else''s death, but the treatment the lamia''s were victims to was impossible to ignore, and Kiel was responsable of that. Florian did not missed that chance, and he shamelessly took over Lahro. This is the reason why he had such a high esteem of Orion. The man helped his plans get closer to reality, even if involuntary. He had to find him, to thank him for his action, and to avoid making an enemy out of him, and the people he found ''pure'' of the corruption at the table. Those individuals were himself, Eric, Kamala, and the young girl that seemed to be made of the same blood as them, Olivia. He secured the young girls future from potential harm, and explicitly noticed Orion about it. The only problem he didn''t managed to notice was Julian and Leonis forming an alliance to attack the lamias, and at the same time, hindering his plans to help the lamias. All of his work, his audiences with the queen, and the difficulty of being accepted by the faction was about the be thrown out the window, because two morons that were siding with Kiel before lost their ''toys''. This was all it took for Florian to enter the queens quarter without being invited, and ask her to place a curfew for her citizens, and say that some noise was about to happen sometimes. A few days later, Florian killed Leonis without a shred of remorse, only to be seen by Orion. From there, the story is as you know it. ~ Back to the present. Florian took his glasses back from his breast pocket and showed it to Monolavir. "I also have to thank you. The scale you left from that battle was divided between us, and made as small items to help us. For me, there it is." He showed the pair of blue glasses he rarely wore in public. It usually was a pair of black glasses that was up his nose. Orion spoke for Monolavir. "And how a simple item like this was able to aid you?" Dragons didn''t know what a pair of glasses was. "This item is necessary for me to see clearly. My vision is blurred if I do not wear them." "But the one I made with half of your scale is the best thing I ever received. I think a lot, to lead the lives of everyone, the humans, the beastmen, and the lamias, in a path away from discrimination. I use these glasses a lot in those cases, because of the coldness emanating from it. It helps my brain stay cooled at those moments." "The lamias, you said? Are you the man who take care of them? We know how bad they are treated, and you dare to show your face." Orion intervened before any more misanderstanding could happen. "You don''t have to judge him for that, I killed the man responsible for these horrible treatments moments before you saved me a few months ago." A little moment of dialogue between Orion and Monolavir happened, with Ruminona giving a few words too, before they accepted that fact. "If what you really wish is for the various factions of this world to coexist, we can relate to that. It is not like us dragons are wishing for the end of the human faction either, even if we despise them." "What we want, is clear vengeance on that front. We ask a name. Give us the name of the thief that stole my children and killed them, and I will accept a your efforts as an exchange of good faith." Florian blinked a few times. Even though he had removed his glasses and saw the world blurry, he felt the hostility slowing disappear toward him, from both dragons. What Orion told them, that he seemed to truly want peace for all factions, and that the lamias were as important as anyone else, made the relatives of the lamias, the dragons, more open to discussion. A man had to show his true self when dealing with superior beings like dragons, and Remnants. Humility is a quality that most being find appealing. When Monolavir remembered this man, the idea that a man fought for a city and its inhabitants made him thought of himself, fighting for his brothers and sisters. "Tell me, human. Do you remember my name?" Florian squeezed a little his pair of glasses, carefully not to damage them, and proudly spoke. "I would never forget the name of the dragon that gave purpose to my life. We call you the Azur Dragon as a token of respect, but I know that you are Monolavir." A loud snort came from the Azur Dragon, Monolavir, as his teeth came in full view as if he was smiling. Chapter 147: Planning the downfall of a city. "Mono, did you seriously gave out your name to humans?" Ruminona looked perplexed at this development. The dragons chose to act proudly in front of every other factions. The reasons for that were simple. They were one of the oldest factions, they were the strongest, and they were the largest species (besides the Remnants) on the continent. By giving his name, he mostly acknowledged that some humans were capable of holding their own against the dragons. In human history, it was said that they oppressed the dragons so much the Azur Dragon had to involve himself, which caused the ''Dragon Rampage'' incident. But in reality, no one saw the dragons for two thousand years. This was a faction impossible to oppress, or control. The only reason they decided to remain hidden was to avoid being noticed and controlled by the corruption. The only reason they refused to help defend the continent in the past was for that simple reason. What Ruminona could understand at the moment was that Monolavir only acknowledged the ones protecting their own brothers and sisters. After his attack on Albriar, Monolavir saw how disgraceful the rest of the humans were. Not a single one tried to protect their own faction members. Some even shamelessly threw their citizens to take the brunt of Monolavir''s rage. In disgust, he destroyed everything while avoiding those sacrifices, but he still killed a lot of innocents nonetheless. Eric and Florian were the only one possessing the right to call his name, and his choice wasn''t wrong, because the one in front of him was here, his heart completely devoid of lies, trying to gain the trust of the dragons. "That I did. And I don''t regret that choice." Florian placed his glasses back on his nose, and look at Monolavir. "You asked for a name, and a place. I believe you are asking for Kelvin Dellthord, in the city of Haravel, in the southeast of Triazils." Monolavir silently listened. "From our record, you''ve already went there and ravaged the city, leaving only fire and ice pillars being you." *Snort* "He said, ''I can''t make fire. That fire is not of my making.''" "Then the only one capable of making fire was Kelvin himself. He managed to survive the whole attack, and rebuilt his city from scratch in record time after that." "In our records, he was the one who tried to retrieve the dragon eggs. He sent highly trained thieves to find the dragon''s, and steal a few eggs. Only one managed to arrive safely, the other two being... I am sorry, this is an horrible topic to bring in front of you. You know most of what happens." The green dragon closed its eyes and looked away, while Monolavir looked down. When Monolavir arrived at Haravel, his last egg was opened, with its young being cut open to obtain its blood. To him, this was worse than finding the two previous eggs. The malicious intent directed at young, still growing dragon infant made his blood freeze on the spot and unleash a terror those that survived never forgot. "Tell me, human. For what reason did the thief capture my children? You do know the reason, I can see it in your eyes." Florian nodded. The tension in his body slowly disappeared, as all he saw in front of him was two parents still trying to accept their children''s death. "There is a tale, something no one sane would believe. By ingesting dragon blood, a human should be able to retain their youthful form, stopping the aging alltogether." "It was never proved, because dragons were a myth until you reappeared. Kelvin wanted a woman to accept his gift in order to woo her." Amelia stepped forward. "That woman was my mother." Great shock appeared on their faces. Monolavir then asked the questions he feared the most, one Orion already brought up in the past. "Did I...?" But Amelia shook her head. "He killed her before even bringing the gift. She refused to come with him before you came to Haravel, and destroyed the village we were living in." Florian''s face wasn''t pretty. "Bandir''s disaster..." Everything began to form in the dragons and Florian''s head. ''Kelvin really messed up. He has the dragons, and Amelia against him. By proxy, Orion and the fairies too. I don''t think he will live much longer.'' This was a question of time until Kelvin was hunted down, because the moment Orion heard of Bandir''s fate, and that Kelvin was responsible for the death of Amelia''s mother, he was a defined enemy. No amount of talking would change his mind. The same was in Florian''s head. He never liked Kelvin. The more he listened to him, the more hypocritical he sounded. ''Feeling disgusted by the fate of the kobolds? Look at yourself, who destroyed a village on a whim. Being young do not mean any rash actions will be forgiven, and murder is one of those unforgivable acts.'' He was critical about every single Apostles. He had twenty years to observe each one of them, learning from their complaints, their boasting, whatever could help him for an opinion. "So... my children died for seemingly no reason? For a woman, our friend''s mother, who died at the hands of the same man that killed them?" Ruminona spoke with a feeble voice. The one understanding the dragon''s langage all looked at Ruminona with sadness. If she wasn''t that big, they would hug her. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! Only Amelia, who fell that she had to, walked in front of the green dragon. Ruminona looked at Amelia and dropped her giant head toward the ground. When she was low enough, Amelia hugged the side of her nose. "I''m sorry they died because of my mother." The whole scene looked out of this world. A dragon and a human, showing respect and sharing emotions. This sight was what Florian was trying to create. Dragons were unable to cry, but the pain and sadness was hard to miss on her face. Even Monolavir looked terrible. Orion instantly warped on top of his head and walked on his nose for him to notice his presence. "I have a proposition related to that matter." Since the blue dragon was still dealing with the hard truth of his children''s death, he simply listened. "Agree to Florian''s request, and when we come close to Haraviel and confirm Kelvin''s whereabouts, Amelia will summon both of you. We will let the world understand what happens to horrible people, and work on making you a symbol of justice." "What about the innocent in the city?" Monolavir was not against killing everyone, but he tried to get on the humans side of the spectrum. Killing innocent would be nullifying any attempt at making peace. "That''s our job. We can easily create ways to save them before summoning you." He warped back near Florian, and said what he told to Monolavir. Without finding this idea improper, he placed a finger on his temple to think. "Well, I could use my authority as Apostle and force the citizens to evacuate, but that would be too obvious something is going to happen." "But there could be a simpler solution..." Karteira, who remembered a few lessons Orion gave her on the books he read, approached and gave her opinions. "I''m sorry, can I give an idea?" Florian nodded. "Of course, any ideas are welcome." With his approval, Karteira nodded and continued. "You are supervising logistics, right?" "Yes, I transport goods and resources from Albriar to the other cities." "Are you able to send people unnoticed?" "What do you mean by ''unnoticed''? Are you asking for my people pretending to be someone else?" "Exactly that. Those people could be asked to go to Haraviel, pretending to be travelers, and spread information about a possible return of the dragons because of the Apostle Kelvin''s past actions. By doing that, it will stay out of his ears, and only the citizens will now." "That is a fine idea! With that, the citizens will evacuate the moment the dragons are appearing, and leave the city in a hurry. Since they will know that it could happen, some could even move out in fear of the rumors." Florian turned to Orion. "You have some great companions. I am a little jealous of you. But with this, the moment Haraviel will be attacked, the dragons will not be terrorizing the citizens. If after that, we say that the Azur Dragon came to punish a child killer, the humans will understand the situation." "Saying that they only attacked in the past because that one human decided to antagonize the dragon will form a bond between humans and dragons. Parents are meant to protect their children, and even humans would do the same." More and more ideas came to Florian as he spoke, and Monolavir finally understood that the human in front of him was a hundred percent serious about building that bridge toward peace. *Cough* Orion caught Florian''s attention by clearing his throat. "Later. We still have one matter to take care of." "Ah! My apologies. Yes, of course." With his attention turning back to the main subject, he bowed toward the dragons. "We request your help on another matter. Something out of us humans'' reach." "Speak." Monolavir composed himself again, leaving Ruminona to Amelia''s care. "The lamias are in great danger, not because of their previous treatments, but because of a more problematic matter. One out of a hundred lamia born is a male, and there is not enough male remaining to maintain the faction running. If we don''t find a way to break this cycle, in a few years, the lamias will be wiped out of Triazils." "Is there a way for the dragons to help them?" Orion also asked a question related to that. "I heard your Remnant created both dragons and lamias. Is there no way to ask for his input on the matter?" Question marks appeared above the dragons head. "We know that Velridar, our creator, as also created the lamias. We think of them as related to us, but also removed from our group. That was his choice for them. To begin with, this faction was created to link his creations to the humans." "What do you mean?" The one to show question mark was Orion now. Everyone around him couldn''t understand either. ... Monolavir explained the reason behind his words. "PFFT!" A loud, exploding laugh came out of Orion''s mouth, while the four girls looked strangely embarrassed. "Florian, we''ve got the answer for the lamias problem. I''ll tell you about it later." Orion wiped the tears of his eyes. "Really?!" With a large smile, Florian turned to the giant blue dragon. "Even if I do not know the answer, thank you very much for the answer." *Snort* "He said, ''You don''t have to thank me. That problem shouldn''t even have existed to begin with." Monolavir stared at Orion next. "Did you come all this way to ask us about the lamias?" "For the most part, yes." He nodded. "And the other part?" While staring deep in the dragon''s eyes, he answered. "Amelia and I, we wanted to see you two again." For the first time in the dragons'' life, they felt pleased by such an answer. Only three people managed to build a friendship with the dragons, and these two were one of them. *Thump* Amelia grabbed her chest, noticing the little pulse in her body. ''The bond I have with Monolavir and Ruminona has grown stronger.'' And with that realization, Ego came to give more details. ''Not only that, the water and wind elements are going to undergo changes too. You should prepare yourself to a jump in mastery. I don''t know if it will be a linked mastery, or a basic mastery, but this is good news.'' Ruminona noticed the smile on Amelia''s face, and also felt the bond grow stronger. Something in both dragons was stirring, but their strong will contained it. It wasn''t time for that yet. "I see. Then, I authorize you to place that portal of yours in this very cave. We will be expecting you anytime." The dragon seemed to smile. "We''ll be coming randomly. You don''t see the world often, isn''t it? There''s a lot we can tell you." "That does sounds appealing. Ruminona doesn''t go out at all, she should be happy about this, especially if Amelia comes too." *Snort* The green dragon only moved its head away. "Of course I will be happy, what do you take me for?" Florian looked at this scene with admiration. The man he followed into the dragon''s den was truly impressive. Remembering the words of hate toward humans, he looked at the man that was freely discussing with the dragons. The last survivor of the demons, the faction that had the dragons as allies for a reason even the Apostles didn''t knew. And now, the same man that could easily ignored someone like Florian, purposefully helped him in realizing his ambitions. He helped the humans in the path of forgiveness. The gears were slowly shifting, and Florian''s plans too. ''Orion. If I follow this man, can I hope in restoring the true state of this continent? Can be break the chains of hate, and built a new era?'' ''I want to see a world like this, and I want to help him. His hands are maybe full of blood, but my hands aren''t clean either.'' ''Maybe this is why we cannot go back anymore. No amount of reasoning or excuses can erase the fact that we are taking lives. We just have to grit our teeth and do it, not for ourselves, but for everyone else.'' Florian knew perfectly well that Orion was avenging his parents. Killing Elliot was his main goal, which was impossible currently. So instead, Orion chose to focus on diminishing his enemy''s strength by killing his corrupted underlings, the Apostles. This simple choice changed the lives of many. To Florian, who knew that Orion could have simply waited it out and fight Elliot at the right moment, choosing to remove the Apostles was not only for the reason he gave. Orion''s own principles were clashing with the Apostles'' way of doing things, and this is why he focused on them. In the end, it wasn''t the individuals wearing the title of Apostle that were in danger, it was the ones using their power to oppress others. Kamala and Florian were both thankful for being spared, and were hoping the same would happen with Eric and Olivia. Meeting Orion was a life changing event for anyone that came near him. Be it by being spared, saved, or killed. While Florian was having a whole change of heart about his plans, that he thought would be impossible alone, the conversation between Orion and the dragons came to a stop. "Alright, then we''re going back. There are a lot of thing we have to do." Orion took out the pocket watch from his breast pocket, and turned to Florian. "1:28PM. Why don''t we go see that lamia queen immediately?" Florian blinked a few times. ~ Somewhere near Lahro. "I''ll make you pay! Damn you, Florian Delur!" A man was planning something. His eyes slowly glowed red, as he smiled crazily. "Let''s move!" An army of thousands walked toward Albriar. Chapter 148: Meeting with Deveralna, Queen of the Lamia. "Lord Florian and the man requesting an audience with his Majesty have arrived! Open the doors!" Two lamias loudly spoke in the massive corridor of the castle, overlooking over the whole city of Lahro. Sounds of footsteps echoed in the white corridors, beautifully decorated with vases, flowers, stained glass windows, and paintings of previous queens. There was a carving on the curved ceiling, something that instantly made anyone that entered know they were inside a building made by lamias. A red, thin slithering tail was carved all the way from the beginning to the end of the corridor. The lamias tail was usually brown, or sometimes orange, but the red was a purely exclusive color for the royalty. No one other than a red tailed lamia could have the throne and the powers going with it. That''s what Florian explained to Orion on the way to the throne room. After walking for ten minutes inside the halls and corridors, they arrived in front of the door. Before the guarding lamias opened the last door, he stopped them. "Please wait a moment." "Yes!" The lamias stopped their movement, and saluted the man in front of them. ''He really is respected by the lamias. I had a hard time to believe it, but until now, he hasn''t lied a single time in front of me.'' The trust Orion gave to Florian was growing more and more as time passed. The more he learned about his goals, the actions he did to lead him to this moment, and the way he acted in front of him, every single thing was judge by Orion. He did the same with Kamala, and will do the same with the other ''friendly'' Apostles. This was his way to confirm that there was indeed allies that would fight with him. "Orion, let me repeat myself. The queen is a really peculiar person, so do your best not to lose your patience and avoid doing anything rash, I implore you." In response, Orion placed a hand on his shoulder. "Relax your nerves. I''m not here to make a scene, and you now it." "Thank you." Both men smiled at each other. The lamias waited for Florian''s sign before opening the two doors. "Opening the doors to the Throne Room!" With a loud creaking sound, the doors opened. Orion observed silently, and his eyes opened wide in shock. ''That''s... the throne room?'' He followed Florian while looking around the room. There was a large balcony on his right side, that had a scenery that almost no one could hope to see in their life time except the beings that were able to fly. You could see far on the west from there, all the way to the Carmel Sea, and even a little bit of land from Eogis. The eight white pillars supporting the whole rooms had the same red tail carved on each one of them, wrapped around it. To Orion, this place was closer to a temple than a throne room. The natural lighting made the white come out more vividly than it should, giving a sense of purity. ''One... two... eight in total. No, ten.'' He quickly analyzed the room, and noticed all of the guards, even the two hiding out of sights. Two at the doors, two on the left wall, two near the middle, two on the balcony, and two hiding behind the pillars in the back. Since he wasn''t here to cause trouble, he quickly stopped caring about them, and looked at the middle of the room. A large table was placed, with two lamias already sat around it. But, there was indeed a throne, and one of them was sitting on it. "Queen Palarvina, Queen Deveralna, it is a pleasure to see you again." Florian bowed gracefully in front of the two lamia women. "Please, Lord Florian, I am queen no more." The one was spoke was an older lamia. She was relatively old, but had an aura of dignity around her. A red tail slightly discolored by her aging, nonetheless, her beauty remained. Long brown hair like chocolate, and a piercing gaze that would strike at the heart of anyone that stared at her brown colored pupils. "Gyahaha! Is that the one who requested an audience with me?" A smaller lamia, the one sitting on the throne, laughed heartily and pointed at Orion. "Girl! Behave yourself!" "Aie!" The lamia called Palarvina slapped the back of the younger lamia''s head sitting on the throne. "I apologize for my daughter''s behavior." She bowed her head toward Orion and Florian after standing on her tail. "I was already notified, please, do not apologized." "Please excuse my late introduction, my name is Orion Feales, the very one having requested this meeting." Florian looked at Orion, who was humbly bowing in front of them, with surprise. ''His posture, and words are perfectly appropriate. There is no sign of disrespect exuding from him.'' The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. Palarvina and Orion both straightened themselves at the same time and smiled respectfully at each other. ''Seems like Lady Palarvina took a liking to him already. This is a good start.'' "This is my daughter, Deveralna, the newest Queen of the lamia. Her mouth runs quite rampant sometimes, but she is a good person." "Mama! I can introduce myself just fine." "It is a pleasure to meet you, Queen Deveralna." Orion bowed exactly the same as before toward the young queen. "Hmm..." She seemed to be thinking about something, before she slithered away from her throne. Sliding around the table, she arrived next to Orion and began to turn around him. "Deve! What are you doing?" But she ignored her mother. The beautiful lamia was right in front of Orion. Long light orange hair stopping at her shoulder blades, and a darker orange in her pupils. Her long, red tail was coiling around itself, as if she was a spring ready to jump away. Her face was particularly well defined. To say that men would fight each other to get her attention wouldn''t be a lie. Her pointy ears were extremely interesting to Orion. Her body was also well developed. Perfectly sized breasts, not too big, nor too small, with a slim body rivaling with Amelia''s own style. Since lamias had less possibility in wearing clothes, she was wearing a long red one piece robe, stopping where Orion''s knees were. But this red dress was of the same quality as Orion''s clothes. Durable, stylish, and easy to move in. A little white snake was drawn on the right hip part of the robe. She wasn''t particularly tall either, maybe a few centimeters lower than Amelia, but you couldn''t compare, since she could change her height at any moment with her tail. "A manly, yet handsome face. Gorgeous, silky dark hair. Magnificent eyes that observed every nook and cranny of the world. A choice of clothes for a good-looking man. And a humble attitude even in front of my lack of seriousness." Orion stared inside the dark orange snake eyes of the queen. For a few seconds, they stared into each other''s eyes, as she showed her split tongue multiple times. ''That''s what he meant by ''peculiar''. She isn''t a mere playful child. That is not a face I should see on someone with the same attitude as before.'' There was a gap between the current queen, and the one Orion observed a few minutes ago. She took some distance, and bowed in turn. "Welcome to our city, Orion Feales. The Queen recognizes you as her guest." Florian let out a little, quiet sigh in relief. He had to go through the same process, but chose not to spoil it for Orion. The lamias are keen individuals, especially the royalty. Holding back, lying, or hiding things, it was extremely difficult in front of them. "Thank you very much for the compliments, but I have to say." Orion smiled before saying something unexpected. "You are one of few individuals I have found having the most beautiful eyes on the continent." Silence fell around them. Florian opened his mouth and eyes, bewildered. The two lamias looked blankly at Orion. This was the first time someone ''tried'' to compliment the current queen. And in reaction, the guards began to frantically move toward Orion. "Oy! Who said you could move?! Go back to your post!" Deveralna shouted at the guards in anger, and looked at Orion who looked calm, even though he was about to be removed by the guards. Then she looked at her mother. "Can you believe it? He''s not lying. There''s not even an ounce of ulterior motive. That was a pure, simple, and honest compliment. I haven''t received one like this, like, ever." Deveralna looked pretty happy about that, but she kept glaring at the guards, before her mother defused the situation. "If her Majesty says nothing, it is not your job to move and act by yourself. Until an order is issued, you have to remain at your post. Disrespecting our guest seconds after he was accepted, how were you about to ask fo forgiveness?" "We apologize!" They all bent low to the ground, terrified of what would happen to them. "I know we had multiple ''individuals'' in the past that had those ulterior motives, but not anymore. I won''t punish you for doing that, because I know that you meant well. Don''t do it again, that''s my order." Deveralna scolded her subordinates lightly, before returning to her throne. "Lord Florian, Lord Orion, please sit in front of me. Would you care for some pastries and tea with us?" On the table, a few pastry towers were on display. Both men sat at the table with a smile. "I hope my subordinates'' actions haven''t caused you to see us in a bad light. I do not know of Florian explained it to you, but we have an... history with exploiting individuals." The mood turned a little sour at the end of that sentence, coming from every lamias. "You do not have to develop, I know the situation. I am the one who took the life of your exploiter." Two sets of hands slammed on the table and the weapons of the guards fell on the floor. "Florian, why didn''t you say so?! Imagine the mistake it would have been to throw such a man out the door!" But he shook his head. "I am only the middle-man, explaining everything about him to you would not lead to a productive encounter." "That is true." ''No lies. I have never met two honest individuals at the same time before. Only liars and torturers.'' Deveralna was young, but she knew what her mother, Palarvina, had to sacrifice for them to keep their head on their shoulders. If she hadn''t hidden her daughter from prying eyes at the time, terrible things would have happened to her, like most of the lamias at to suffer through. So the moment Florian entered the throne room, and forced his help on the lamia, she abdicated her title and gave it to her daughter. To be honest, she was tired of the world. She would honestly think that the world would be better without the lamias if they had to be reduced to ''toys''. They were in decline anyway, so why not push it to the end in an instant. But when Florian brought light to the darkness her mind, she began to regain hope. The man was truthful, honest, and hardworking toward repairing the mistakes of the past. Not everyone agrees with that, but it is slowly working. Some traumas are simply too hard to erase. And then, this new individual, Orion, was the same as Florian, a truthful man. ''This Orion, he his my type. 100%! There''s no way I can let such a fine man go... but, he his a human. No one will accept that.'' She erased that thought, and returned to the serious meeting. "Tell me, before our tea arrives. Why did you request a meeting? What would you request from me, the Queen of Lahro?" Her words were strong, hiding another message in it. ''As the Queen, it is impossible for me to help a human other than by giving information.'' "Are you familiar with the dragons?" Orion clasped his hands together. "No. Besides the reptilian looks, we do not have any relations with them. Our creator is the same though." "If I told you that I am acquainted to the dragons, would you believe it?" "No lies." Palarvina opened her eyes wide. "Florian is also working in breaking the chains of hate between humans and dragons, while another one of my friend is working in building relationship with the fairies." "Mama, this man is incredible!" "Are you the one who made this possible?" Both women were impressed by his accomplishments, but he shook his head firmly. "I cannot take credit for this. I only made the discussions happen, they persuaded the other party themselves, with words others than mine." "But, that is true that I wish for the factions to be relieved of corruption and oppression. I am but only one person. Pushing for my own goals, and to forge peace between factions that are not my own are two difficult matters." Deveralna''s ears perked up. She noticed the words spoken between the lines. "Factions that are not your own? Aren''t you human?" Orion''s eyes twitched. He despised being compared to a human, but only that twitching was shown. "I am not human. I am a hybrid of demon and angel. The last survivor of both faction, this is who I am." "!" Pure shock appeared on everyone''s face, except Florian who knew, evidently. Palarvina spoke quietly once she understood. "Are you fighting against the humans? Or do you wish for peace? I cannot comprehend." But for Orion and his absurd hearing, this was easy to hear. "I am fighting the corruption, and the human leaders. Civilians and innocents, like you, the other factions, and human... civilians, are the ones to be protected. That is why I cannot do anything by myself." She stared straight at his eyes. "I know from our history that we were almost wiped out by one man in the past, and that he was sealed away on Eogis before that, thanks to the dragons aiding us." "Is your goal really the end of that man''s life?" Without breaking eye-contact, Orion comfortably sat on the chair, and spoke. "Would you forgive the man that took everything from you? Your family, the lives of your faction members, and your country?" "I can feel the hate in your words. Do you despise humans?" Orion closed his eyes. "Mama! Aren''t you going too far in your questioning?" But he ignored that and answered. "I am a hypocrite." Chapter 149: The mistakes of the past, the relief of today. "Yes, I am an hypocrite." Orion opened his eyes and looked at the white ceiling. "I despise human, I do. It is not a small feeling either. I could one day snap and wipe the whole continent of every humans." ''He is not lying?!'' Shivers ran down both Palarvina and Deveralna. Florian''s face was shocked too, but he remained calm after understanding where he was going with this. "But that would bring nothing to me besides pain and guilt. I am not the same as Elliot. I do not take lives because I cannot accept the existence of others." He dropped his head and stared at the two lamias. "The person I cherish the most is a human. In fact, I will even say that I love her. There is no ''she''s human, so I cannot love her'' in my mind. That will simply never happen." "But, I despise humans. I despise their quickness to attack the other factions when something goes wrong. I despise them for thinking they are superior to everyone. I despise their incredulity." "And even though I despise them, I decided to give them a chance to change my mind. Not everyone is born evil. Civilians are kept away from the world''s problems, except where incompetent Apostles lives in." "I cannot erase a whole faction like Elliot did with mine. I only turn my arrows toward the right people. Florian and Kamala, both Apostles in names, have proven themselves trustworthy. This is the reason for them still breathing today." "Because they tread everyone, humans or not, like they should have been from the beginning." He took a deep breath after talking so much. "I apologize, I have let my emotions run wild unintentionally." Bowing his upper body forward, his head almost touched the table. "Well... Are you fine with saying all of this in front of Lord Florian? He is human after all." With a strong shake of the head at Palarvina''s words, Florian took over. "I do not mind. There was three opportunities for him to kill me. The first one, he chose Kiel instead. The second one, he listened to my advice instead of shooting me down. The third time, he shook my hand and healed my wounds." "From the beginning, I knew that it wouldn''t be easy to get his trust, but my situation never changed. I plan on erasing the pain that we humans caused, or at least erase as much as possible. Both of our ambitions joined at one point, which led us to this meeting." Palarvina nodded. "If you think so, who am I to question you. You''ve already gave me hope back, please continue to do so for everyone." "I will." Florian placed a hand on his chest, where his heart was, and gently bowed forward. "Orion, tell me." Deveralna forgot any kind of honorifics and came straight at Orion. "Why did you come to the lamias? I understood that you work toward improving how we are treated, but I do not see the link between this meeting, the dragons, and you." He agreed with her. They were missing the point currently, to which he rectified. "You are right, we have diverged from the main point." "So I''ll come straight at you with it. I know about your little ''male'' problem." There was no surprise, nor shock on Deveralna''s face. "Yes, I think most people know about it. We don''t necessarily hide it either." "So, is it a threat you are bringing? Because we already have our plate full with that." She shrugged, and took a pastry from one of the tower next to her. Orion lightly laughed at that and found it cute that she thought that. "Why would I come for that? It is the opposite in fact. Both Florian and I have learned of a solution from the dragons." The pastry in her hand almost fell on the table, but she managed to juggle it back in her hands. "WEAHHY?!" "Don''t talk with your mouth full, girl!" She gulped the rest of food in her mouth and asked again. "Really?!" ''She really is cute. That reminds me of Drania. These two would probably hit it off in an instant.'' Florian took over. "What I''m going to say is coming straight from the dragons themselves." - "Orion, that little ''problem'' is in fact not a problem at all." "It''s not?" "No." Monolavir closed his eyes, and reopened them a few seconds later. "When I said that the lamias were made to befriend humans, I meant it literally. Velridar made them looking half-humans for a reason, even though they are reptilians." You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Are you telling me that a Remnant tried to couple the two factions together?" The dragon''s head slowly nodded. "Yes. The lamia faction needs to reproduce with humans to continue the cycle. At first, it was like this when they were created, but I supposed when that large scale eradication war happened, this custom was lost." "But what about the male lamias? Why do they exist if there''s no need for them- Oh!" "You seem to understand fast." Monolavir was pleased, less words to be spoken meant less energy spent. ''The males are like Monolavir and Ruminona, they are mutations. Because the lamias refused to engage with humans for almost two thousand years, their genes forced males to be born to continue their lineage. They are an anomaly!'' Orion couldn''t contain it from there, and laughed. ''I get it now.'' - "..." "The fact that this is true is making me question my ability. Are you telling me that from the beginning, we were meant to reproduce with humans?" Orion knew that this was a sensitive topic, so he only nodded. *sigh* "Mama, why did we fight for again? To be free from the humans?" Deveralna was slowly losing hope. "Yes. We tried to stop being their ''toys'', and yet we are here. I wondered why it was so easy for us to bear human children that came as lamias in the end, but to think that it is natural for us... At least, it makes sense. Stupid Creator." Everyone in the room felt stupid. In their history, they shunned the lamias that fell in love with humans. They separated themselves as much as possible from them, before their city fell to the hands of abusive humans for hundred of years. "This is were it starts." Florian''s voice echoed in the room. "You said humans that treated you like toys, but what about those that would treat you respectfully? The past in unforgivable, I agree. But can''t you give the ones that never had the opportunity to admire the strong will of the lamia a chance?" "Most of Albriar already know about the horrible treatment of your people, I made sure everyone understood how terrible such a thing was, and I made the men imagine placing their wives in such a situation. Can you imagine the outcome?" They both shook their head. "No." "They cried and hugged them. They apologized, and came to me asking to save them. That they would even come themselves to liberate the place if it had to come to this. Luckily, the matter was resolved after, but a lot of men wants to help the lamias." This was hard for them to understand. All of their life, they were told that their sole purpose was to be used by humans, then thrown, before being used again. And now a lot of those same men that played with their feelings were trying to help? "Why? Why now? Why not before?" Palarvina almost choke on her words. "The only reason I can give you is the worst excuse I can give you, and I apologize about it." "Without Orion, the world would have never change. Even though some of us desired changes, we were too far apart, and the very moment we would have tried something, our efforts would have crumbled in an instant." "And like Orion said, not everyone is born evil. The family that took over Lahro, the Varon, were disgusting people, but they had power. It is because Orion took him out in a moment of weakness that your situation improved. It is my turn to improve your life." He bowed like Orion, but instead got further and placed his forehead on the table. "Give me the chance to prove that humans can live together with the lamias." *Tap* *Tap* *Tap* The sound of a finger tapping on the table was heard, with each tap sending a little shockwave that Florian felt from his head being pressed on it. Deveralna was thinking. In the end, she was the one having all the powers currently. "Mama, do you trust them enough? I know we just met Orion, but he haven''t lied a single time. I trust Florian enough to agree with his request, because in the few months we''ve passed since we''ve recovered our freedom, he displayed only goodwill towards us." Her mother turned her head and looked at her. Compared to her, Deveralna did not experience the horror of being with humans. ''Maybe it is time to let our worries behind us, and grab the hands that are trying to save us?'' "I also trust them. Someone that is fighting the filth of this continent, and one that is fighting for coexistence. Can I... Can we place everything in your hands?" ''She''s fighting herself not to refuse. I can hear it in her voice.'' Florian lifted his head with a red round shape forming from where he was pressing onto, and stared in Palarvina''s brown eyes. "I would never go back on my word. If you think that my method are endangering the lamias again, please ask Orion to kill me." "!" Even Orion showed shock at this. ''Florian, I do not consent to that. Her words could end you at any moment from now on.'' "I will do no such thing. Take your words back, I will agree to your demand of peace between us. Losing you would mean losing our hope in living in a better place." "Thank you, Queen Palarvina." "I am Queen no more, I said before. Deveralna is the one making the rules today." "To me, you still are a Queen, and no amount of discussion will change that, please accept it." *sigh* "Fine." She turned to her daughter. "I said my part, now it is your turn to decide." With one last exchange, the Queen of the Lamia gave her order. "From now on, the lamia will cooperate with the human of Albriar only. We will slowly open ourselves to the city ruled by friends of Orion and Florian, and will observe how our citizens respectively act in front of each other." "Guards included. You lot too, go find love." Orion waited until the ruckus quieted down, before asking another question. "What are you going to do with the male lamias?" "Nothing. It''s not like I want my father to disappear anyway, so we''ll simply keep them as is. They are precious to us, and that shouldn''t change." "Good." Satisfied with this answer, Orion stood up from his chair. "The matter of the lamia was resolved quite smoothly, I think it is time for me to take my leave." "A-Ah! Please wait!" Deveralna stood up from her own chair and approached Orion. "I have something to ask you, if it is not disrespectful to you." "No, of course not." Orion listened to the lamia, while her mother smiled warmly, since she noticed her daughter''s interest at the man. "Would a lamia like me disgust you? I-I mean, romantically?" An unusual blush that even Palarvina never saw on her daughter was painting her cheeks. And Orion wasn''t so blind as to not understand the implications behind those words. "I''ll be honest, I wouldn''t mind. I''m not so close-minded that I would refuse an outright invitation." "But, I will say the same I did to my companion. My life is a constant conflict. At any moment my life could be taken. That is why I have refused her too." She looked a little disappointed, but not dispirited. "Could you at least come sometimes to talk? I would love to learn more about you. Is that possible." "For someone that complimented me with such honesty, I can at least do that. Of course, I am pretty busy, so when I have time, I''ll think of coming. Learning about the lamias is also something I want." ''Yes!'' "Thank you! I will be expecting you!" She grabbed his hands and shook them happily. Florian and Palarvina both looked happy about this, until Florian imagined Amelia being here. ''I''ll keep that a secret.'' But not for long, because Orion was honest with Amelia. She would know soon enough. When everything was going great, and happiness was in the room. *Clack* "Your Majesty! Is Florian Delur here?!" They all looked at the exhausted lamia that forced both door opened. "Yes, he is here. What matter could make you sweat this much and make you lose your temper in front of me?" "My apologies, but this is of the utmost importance! Lord Florian, an army is walking toward Albriar as I speak! Please return to defend it at all cost!" Florian turned to look at Orion. "He got us good." "Yes, I had forgotten about Julian." Worry filled the room, before the two men ran passed the sweating lamia. "What do we do?" While running toward the entrance of the castle, Florian asked Orion. "You all wait here until I arrive to Albriar. Once I''m there, I''ll bring you all to defend it. How does that sound." "Please." They began to increase the pace. "Open the door!" The last door leading outside opened, and both men stopped in front of the group. "Orion?! What''s the matter? Something happened in there?" "Not in there. Urgent matter elsewhere. Julian is attacking Albriar." He explained what he knew, before readying himself to warp toward the center of Triazils. Chapter 150: A war between Apostles. The day was about to end. The sun was still high, with maybe an hour or two before the night completely took over. Orion arrived near Albriar, sweating and exhausted. The urgency of the situation forced him to avoid taking breaks. Luckily for him, there was no signs of an invading army around. He took a few deep breaths, and observed the surrounding of Albriar. The citizens were already evacuating. Someone in Florian''s entourage had already noticed, and made plans in case such things would happen. ''If that Apostle''s army arrive, it will turn into a night battle at some point. This is the worst possible outcome for us.'' Orion bit his lips in frustration. That coward took them by surprise, and went on the offensive when they weren''t expecting it. ''We''ve lost the initiative, the place of battle, the time of the day, and placed the citizens in danger. How are we going to rectify this?'' He was still a few kilometers away from Albriar, so he continued warping until he arrived at the archway where the citizens were evacuated. "Halt! State your name, and the motif of your sudden appearance! Are you part of the recon team of the army coming our way?" Orion shrugged at the guards coming his way. ''As if I''d tell you if that was the case. I always wonder why they expect us to be honest when we hide things?'' ''Maybe it is a reflexive thinking that the other party will be honest if you intimidate it? Anyway, it won''t work on me.'' Without answering, he brought on hand in front of him and opened a portal, to the guards surprise and instant reaction. Today was not a good day for Orion concerning guards. "Orion! You made it in time?" Florian walked out of the portal, with everyone behind him. "Lord Florian?! How-" But there was no time. "No time for questions, bring Tom here! I want a detailed explanation on how your obtained the notice of the attack, and where are our citizens going." "I''m already here my Lord!" Tom, Florian''s secretary, was near the entrance too. "Look, Lord Florian is back!" "No way?! Are we going to be fine now that he has returned?!" "Obviously! Lord Florian will not tolerate any attack on our city." The leaving citizens were all happy to see their Lord. Their spirit was instantly restored, and they left with a peace of mind that they hadn''t before. It took only a few minutes until the news of his return arrived to the front of the line. "Tom, quick introduction. This is Orion, Amelia, Karteira, Dramia and Drania. We have their support, so don''t forget." He quickly introduced them, knowing that Tom was going to need their name later. "Thank you for bringing Lord Florian to Albriar. Let me explain the situation to everyone as quick as possible." - This afternoon was great. The sun was high in the sky, sending a refreshing light on the city. Inside a house in Albriar, a single woman was reading books inside her living room, unbothered by anyone. ''I haven''t seen Florian in quite some time. He hasn''t returned home at all recently.'' The quiet older lady was Lobelia. Former Apostle, and mother of Florian. Short black hair, slightly disheveled, dark eyes that had long eyelashes, and a few wrinkles on her forehead. She was wearing a black cotton sweater on her, and a skirt of the same color that went past her knees. Black was her favorite color. ''One day, he returns happy knowing that the lamias have agreed to receive help, the next he is already in Lahro. I swear.'' With a smile on her face, she turned a page of the book she was reading. ''Nothing major have happened recently, and I hope it stays like this for-'' *Flap* *Flap* A flock of birds flew past her window. ''Weird. Aren''t those birds usually found up north? Why is there so many of them near Albriar?'' Ideas began to fill the retired Apostle''s head. ''Florian is not here to find the cause of this. Do I just... look for him?'' This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Closing her book, wind entered the room from one window, and flowed through the other. ''...'' A few minutes passed without a single noise. Her head was clear of any thoughts, only looking through her ability. Images of plains appeared in her mind. There was nothing except trees, wildlife, and... an army. "!" "They''re coming straight toward Albriar?!" She stood up in a hurry, making the book fall at her feet. "Florian''s not here! What do I do?" Her brain worked hard to find the best solution possible to manage the situation. "Sending a message toward Lahro, I can do that. The faster Florian knows, the better." Using her ability to control wind and see through it, she spoke, and the wind registered her voice, before it flowed toward its destination. "I''ll take over Albriar''s Apostle vacant seat for now. I''ll do the same as he did so far, so that the citizens don''t question who gave orders." With that she left the house. When such a thing was happening, no amount of shyness was able to stop her. She want straight to Tom, the secretary and aid to the Apostle of Albriar, and explained what she saw. - ''Mother.'' Florian thanked his mother internally, before taking back a serious expression. "I will let Lord Lobelia take care of the citizens. There are other matters I have to deal with." "What would that be? Do you require my help?" The thoughts gathered inside his head, as he turned to Orion. "Before I make my decision, what do we do? Are we waiting until he comes closer to the city so that we get an idea, or are we preparing to receive them immediately?" Orion was not particularly accustomed to the art of war, but he gave his opinion. The opinion of a hunter. "If I was in your place, I''ll do both. I would prepare my army inside the city now that it is devoid of life, and wait for them to arrive." "The moment you see the other army stop, you send your army toward the invader." Tom walked closer, and also gave his opinion. "That is a great idea, but there is a big problem. It is strategically impossible to win in this situation." He continued, pointing at the archway behind him. "There is four openings in Albriar, for each cardinal directions. If they come from the northern entrance, we can only make our soldiers go through that same entrance." "The enemy will instantly attack us while we are not prepared and ordered, and the invasion will succeed." But Florian was there to ''educate'' his subordinate about the man in front of him. "Yes, but Orion can easily fix that problem. We just have to prepare the army, and everything will fall together like hands in gloves." "Sir?" Tom did not make the link between the portals and the army. "This man is able to break through space, and move long distances in an instant. If he place a portal in front of the army, and one to the destination, we won''t be taken by surprise." Orion displayed his portal ability, to Tom''s bewilderment. "Such a thing is possible?! This makes things change completely! Yes, in that case, your idea is perfect!" He kept nodding in a frenzy. "So, we wait? The night is almost upon us, so let''s prepare a few things to prepare for that." There was not much time left before the army arrived. What Lobelia managed to see during the passage of her wind over them was that they were walking at an incredible speed. Something that would tire any normal human wearing armor. And she knew what they were. So she also told Tom about that. "Lord Lobelia said that the army coming toward us was an army of corrupted humans... and beasts." "Both?!" Florian exclaimed loudly, not expecting an alliance between beasts and humans. Orion looked behind him, and three people looked eager to help. "We''ll defend the city with the army." "Yes! I will blast those things to dust! Dust to Dust, B- Aie!" "Calm yourself, for goodness''s sake." Amelia, who fist bumped her chest in determination, Drania, who was excited to fight the corruption, and Dramia, who slapped her sister''s head but still had to follow. Karteira missed her chance to say something, as Amelia looked at her. "You can have Orion this time. Do your best." "Eh?! You can''t do that?! I won''t be useful at all! I do best against an army, and you know it!" "Can''t hear, don''t care. Orion, take care of her. I want nothing happening to her, you hear?" "As if I''d let that happen." These two smiled at each other, with Karteira not knowing why this was happening. With that decided, Orion looked at Florian and Tom. "This left Florian, me, and Karteira to fight that coward." Florian chuckled. "What a fitting nickname. Until the end, that man only acted like a coward." His eyes darkened, and lightning sparked from his legs. "Attacking the city I rule upon. Trying to kill my citizens while I am away!" A buzzing sound was heard from him, as electric arcs moved up between his legs. "Orion, I will show you what I am capable of today. Show me everything. You too, Karteira." The fighting spirit in Karteira finally awakened, and both Orion and her spoke at the same time. "Of course!" The plan to protect Albriar was roughly planned. Orion, Florian, and Karteira, will attack Julian the moment the armies make contact. Amelia, Dramia, and Drania will join the army and decimate the corrupted with them. After the evacuation of the citizens was done, Florian learned that Eric offered help once he heard the news from Lobelia. They were currently waiting nearby, but in case, they would have to move toward Turric, like in the past. Once inside the city, they all sat at a table inside the soldiers'' barracks. Time was ticking by, but there was a lot to plan. Each soldier''s job on the battlefield, their weapons, duties, etc... While Tom, and Florian were talking between each other, Orion was calming his mind. The voices of the girls around him sometimes entered his ears, but he didn''t mind at all. "If you want to deal significant damage to a corrupted human, you hit right there." "There?" "Isn''t that too easy?" "No that''s were their core is, and-" Amelia was explaining to the sisters how to fight against corrupted humans. Experience she learned from Hocride''s battle. Karteira was internally repeating the same sentences in repeat. ''With Orion. Can I really do it?'' While the man himself was pumping himself up. ''I need to kill him with the Second Gear and the Arm Overdrive. Too bad it will be too dark to see, if it wasn''t, I would have tried snipping him from the highest point around here.'' ''Florian seems capable enough, so I won''t bother protecting him. But for Karteira, I will be on alert. This will be her first time against a strong human, so I can''t let her die on me yet.'' He was dead serious. But he wasn''t going to hinder her. In case she would be in grave danger, Orion would move. Because he chose to slowly share his burdens with the ones around him. *RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING* The sound of an alarm ringed in the entirety of the barracks. "They''re here." Florian and Orion both stood up from their seat. ''Ego, I have a question.'' Before moving out, there was something that Orion had to know. ''If that Apostle also dies and turn into a husk, will this also count as me-'' ''Killing it with unsealed abilities? Yes, it will. Both count, so you can go wild.'' ''Thank you.'' With this little worry out of his system, they all followed Florian out of Albriar. Once outside, they learned the hard truth. The sun had almost completely set, giving away the terrible number of enemies. Three armies of thousand corrupted soldiers, and an army of a few hundred corrupted beast. It was mostly terrible for the simple soldier, but for Amelia? This was a festival. A bloody festival brought just for her to learn how strong she became. And she will not hold her punches back either. *Snap* With the sound of snapping fingers, a giant portal opened. A thousand soldiers came out of it, arranged behind Florian. "I feel like the attack will start when the sun will completely set." And when it did, the attack begin. Chapter 151: The first wave: Amelia against the beasts. An army of corrupted ran toward Albriar. "Isn''t something weird?" Dramia stared at the enemies, and realized quickly something. "Yes. This looks like the same pattern as when Noah was fighting the beast''s onslaughts in the past. Why?" Quick at remembering, Drania agreed with her sister. "Amelia, if everything''s exactly as we know it, the attack is going to happen in three waves. What is going to be different is that we have humans against us this time." "If you can call that humans. So, can you explain a little more?" She nodded and developed her thoughts. "In the past, we saw Noah dispatched a whole army of fifty thousands corrupted beasts in an afternoon. There is obviously less beasts in front of us, but the attack should happen the same." "The first wave is full of the weakest corrupted, they are quick to deal with, and easy to kill. The second is full of larger beasts, with lots of deadlier ones. For the last wave... it usually ended with a leader of sort. A strong corrupted with elites." Amelia observed the army of creatures that was closing in. "I don''t think there will be any of the elites this time. I don''t think you will be finding that mixed with humans." "I agree with you, I can only see the medium sized beasts, so we have only two waves to deal with. Instead, the third and onward waves are all humans." The two women, who grew fond of each other through cooking together were discussing what to do in details. ... "Are you sure?" "Yes, I will leave the rest to you two." Amelia nodded to Dramia, and walked forward. "Don''t overdo it. Though, I know you only listen to Orion." With a stern face, the coldest sister looked at Amelia walking toward the army of beasts. "I won''t. I''ll only come back when everything is dead, don''t worry. Be prepared, after that, it is your turn." *sigh* "Right. Have fun, I guess." Amelia smiled, and before anyone could understand, she was already running at full speed toward the thousand beast army. Dramia turned around and looked in the air. Her gaze fell on three people looking over the battlefield on the wall of Albriar. Orion was focused on the field in front of him, looking for one particular man. "..." "Sis, are you alright?" Drania worried about her sister, but there was no reason to. "I''m fine. Let''s prepare for the next part." The sisters turned around and walked toward the men and women fighting for Albriar. They would join these people to defend against the corrupted human wave. ~ ''We''ve got our work cut out for us, let''s not waste any energy and blast through these guys!'' Amelia was approaching fast. She had received Orion''s speed enhancement, while also using her wind element to make her steps feel lighter. The two waves Dramia spoke about were evident to her, as the smaller were in front, with the larger near the back. ''A minute before the encounter. How am I going to blast as many as possible in one strike.'' The sun had settled, only a small amount of light was helping her seeing the enemies. ''Let''s bring light to the battlefield first. Thank me later, Orion.'' "Vesta, time to light the way forward." The fire dagger appeared in her hand. She jumped high in the air thanks to the wind element, and pointed her dagger down toward the beast running at her. Her physical appearance changed. Her hair turned red, her eyes changed crimson red, and flame engulfed her body. "Inferno." A little spiral of fire formed at the tip, gathering all of the fire Amelia was creating around her. The ability seemed to change with her emotions, as it was less explosive compared to her first use against Orion. Once the fire had gathered enough flames, she slashed downward, sending a scorching blade toward the ground. The attack touched the first poor creature that was running, evaporating its everything, before exploding on the ground in a large pillar of flame, engulfing at least a hundred creatures. Fire continued to burn the creatures that thought of running straight through, and made more victims by the second. ''Return. Dana, Leima, your turn.'' Her appearance returned to normal, as the water and lightning dagger replaced Vesta. With the momentum of the jump, and the few meters high in the air she had over the ground, she fell right in the middle her previous attack. ''Good thing my own fire doesn''t seem to affect me.'' This was something Amelia realized while fighting her fire clone. Her elements were unable to damage a single hair on her body. Even her lightning element, known to injure its user, wasn''t able to affect Amelia. It was normal to think that she was immune to her own magic. She truly was an anomaly of a human. Now, with Dana and Leima in hand, she turned around and jumped again, but not as high. It was a normal jump. Adding a little spin, she began to turn in midair. ''I won''t let any of you escape.'' The front of the beast army had managed to run past the explosion, so she had to turn around and finish them off before they got closer to the city. So she took her two most flexible daggers, and tried something. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ''Extend.'' Both daggers changed forms. Dana''s water blade began to ripple, before elongating itself. The same happened for Leima''s electric blade. Gaining a meter, and with the spin she had, she cut through a large portion of the beasts. When her foot touched the ground, she spin-jump in another direction, repeating the process of cutting everything in her surroundings. ''I won''t be able to stop everything like that.'' And she was right. The more time passed, the closer she found herself to Albriar. ''Dana, switch with Ceres. We''ll stop them in their tracks.'' The water dagger switched with the earth dagger, before Amelia instantly threw it in front of the army. Shakings happened. Many beasts tumbled over after losing their balance, while a large wall of rock broke through the dirt and blocked their path. Everyone wondered what was happening from afar. The last thing that had this kind of large scale attacks was when the Azur Dragon attacked. Such power was only given to the Apostles, and even then, not a lot would jump in front of a thousand beasts army. Such an army was hard to find on the continent. Yes, it was hard, but not impossible. It would require a lot of gathering, but the problem was how to control them. The only one able to do that would be The Miasma itself, and that''s what Orion was suspecting. The only place that had regular attacks with this many corrupted beasts would be near Turric, where the beasts came from the Frigoria Plains. And now, Amelia was dealing with the remaining members of such an incredible army. Taking some distance behind the beasts that hit the wall, she pointed Ceres at the enemies. "Nailing time." With a cute smile, a terrifying thing was about to happen where no one was able to see. A thousand nails flew at the beasts. Some were instantly pinned to the rock walls, cleanly pierced through, or reduced to minced meat. Just like that, only a third of the beasts remained. Many were injured, crippled, or had broken limbs, hindering their advances. At that point, the beasts seemed to have realized the mistake of ignoring her, but it was too late. "Aura, Leima, let''s finish this off." Amelia released the earth dagger, and the wind dagger appeared at last. The lightning dagger she kept until know was going to be used for another purpose. Gripping the daggers strongly, she looked at the beasts running toward her. "Hmpf!" She scoffed at them, and unleashed a flurry of wind blades, helped with the electrical current flowing through her back and arms. With heightened speed, and an incredible accuracy, she slashed so many wind blades that it looked surreal. Nothing was spared. The blades found their targets, and shred their body to pieces. Legs, head, paws, nothing was ignored. Blood exploded everywhere, and the cries of the beasts echoed through the plains, giving shivers to the human soldiers. The result? A gruesome dismembered mess of creatures. There had been so many wind blades that she managed to break the giant rocky wall she had herself created. Everything crumbled in a giant mess. Dust scattered everywhere, and Amelia remained alone on the battlefield. A clean dispatch. Dramia and Drania looked at Amelia, and saw Noah through her. The way he fought was similar, yet different, for obvious reasons. "Job''s done, time to go back." Without wasting time, she ran toward the city, leaving the disgusting mess behind, and avoiding stepping on any blood, organs, and limbs scattered. But she stopped in her tracks when she saw one beast still alive, and creepily moving around the corpses. ''I need to finish this one.'' She thought she was done, but here was one last enemy that had to be dealt with. It looked rather in shape compared to the other beasts that were shredded to pieces. The beast looked at Amelia, and plunged its head inside the body of one of his dead ally. It ripped through the skin, and took out a black core from its inside, and ate it. "!" ''I need to finish this one fast!'' Amelia had a bad feeling about this one. If it wasn''t dealt with immediately, something out of her control would appear. Her blood was pumping, but her mind was calm. The fight with Orion, and the talk with Karteira. Both of these events made her take pride in herself. She had what it take to fight a whole army by herself, and that, simply because she had progressed a lot. She remembered the first corrupted beast she fought. A wolf. She had no abilities, weaker strength, and no experiences. With a smile on her face, she looked toward Albriar. She looked at the only man she believed into. He looked at her, smiled and returned to look for his prey. While staring at her own prey, Amelia took out Vesta and Leima without hesitation. The lone beast that looked like a malformed deer with greyish tones looked at Amelia and rushed at her with a speed it wasn''t supposed to have. ''Close!'' With a side-jump and a roll, Amelia avoided being impaled by the horns. When she turned around, a gruesome scene was happening, again. It kept eating at the dead beasts cores, and was growing stronger while doing so. Some of its body parts were bulging weirdly too, like its right hind leg, and the right side of its head along its lower neck part. Its body also seemed to grow larger and taller. Just when Amelia thought that she saw enough, the deer began to writhe in pain, as its body began to mutate. The leg split open, in a burst of black blood. Tentacles muscles disgustingly moved around, until it took shape. The same happened for its head and neck. Something unnatural was happening to this corrupted beast. This was how a Corrupted Lord was created. ''...'' Amelia was disgusted to her core. If she wasn''t on the battlefield, she would be throwing up right now. The gruesome scene of the dead beasts was similar to going to the butcher, so she was fine with it, but this gross dark blood and exploding body parts? This felt wrong. Magic began to gather around the deer, as three dark cores formed were the bulging parts opened. Its size was twice as much as Amelia now, which meant that it was past three meters high. An element rare even for a corrupted beast, lightning, was forming around the deer. ''I''ve got this. I can''t let a baby Lord take me down, right?'' The deer opened its eyes and looked at Amelia, before running toward her faster than before. The lightning empowering its legs, it tried to stomp on Amelia. But Amelia also had an advantage. She possessed the ''Calm Analysis'' ability. While slowing down time was impossible for her, she was still able to find the right moment to dodge. Leima in her right hand, she gripped it strong. She wanted to try something first before releasing the full power of Vesta. When the deer got close enough, Amelia crouched and slashed at the right antler while dodging to in the same direction. It wasn''t enough to break the tough bone. Amelia wasn''t stupid, she knew that she had to destroy all cores to definitely kill the Corrupted Lord. The hind leg was easy, she could break it at the next encounter. But the head and neck was hard to touch with the antler protecting the cores. It was in the way, and had to be dealt with. The deer made another run toward Amelia after turning around. ''Sharper.'' Leima''s blade began to change from blue to green. Another exchanged happened. "Tch!" ''Not sharp enough.'' The blade once again changed colors. From green, it changed to yellow. With the deer preparing its next charge, Amelia watched it carefully. It finally charged her, just when Amelia had readied herself completely. Lightning coursed through her muscles, causing large pain from the strain of such enhancement. Amelia stared inside the eyes of her enemy, and the blade touched the right antler just like she did before. "Gh-Grr!" She gritted her teeth and resisted the charge as the blade made contact with the antler. But the deer moved its head and pushed Amelia away from it. ''I missed it?'' Observing the deer for any trace of damage, a shadow was cast over her. "Woah!" She jumped out of the way and looked at the place she was standing. There, was stuck in the ground the antler Amelia had managed to cut. To say that the deer wasn''t happy was an understatement. It was in rage, and lost itself in the process. It ran toward Amelia, and tried to crush Amelia by standing on its hind legs. ''I couldn''t hope for a better opportunity!'' ''Vesta!'' The link between her and the elements took place once again, but not for long. She stabbed the fire dagger in the belly of the deer, before rolling out of way, Leima still in her hand. Standing up to see the deer in pain, she took the opportunity, and destroyed the three cores in a second. The deer let out one last cry, before falling down completely, and evaporating to dust. *Sigh* With a job well done, and after recovering Vesta, she returned to Albriar, and to the sisters, without a scratch. But she was exhausted. ~ "WHY?! This was supposed to be an easy invasion!" One man was losing it, hidden a forest not far from Albriar. He could see the whole fight from were he was, and just observed the beasts get shredded. "Huh?! It''s not that important?" "We still have the humans? Mmh... right. Send the armies next. Let''s see what you do against my army, and the armies of Leonis and Kiel I recovered." "I''m sure three thousands men will be enough to destroy Albriar." "But I wonder, were did that woman come from, and why is she able to use all elements?" His eyes glowed bright red. "I need to capture this woman." With a wish that would never happen, the man looked at the three armies running toward the city. "Heh. Good luck, without Florian here to supervise, this is my win." ~ "Found you, little coward." With a smile, Orion looked toward a forest on the far east of the battlefield. "How did you find him?" Florian asked. "I''ve traced the back the corruption to its source. Where there is corruption, there''s Miasma. I learned that the hard way. Follow the corruption, and you will find its pawn." Orion jumped from the wall, and created a portal next to the sisters. "Girls, I''m going. I''ve found that little coward of an Apostle. Take care of the last part. I won''t tell you to protect the humans, just be careful. Also, I know Tiohr-nam has hidden your fairy appearance, but if you need to, release it. I''ll take care of the aftermath." Before they could say anything, Orion was already back on top of the wall. "We''ll do that then." "Yes! Let''s play rough!" Both sisters closed their eyes, and released the protection Tiohr-nam gave them. All humans turned their heads and looked at the brown colored haired girls changing back to their green colored fairy form. "What, you''ve never seen a fairy before?" "Sis, they''ve never saw one ever..." Dramia shrugged, and walked forward, leaving her sister behind. "Wait for me!" Chapter 152: The second wave: Fairy-Human Assault. Orion had found Julian. But it wasn''t the right time. They all knew why too. In a battle, there was one thing that separated the winners from the losers. Their mental state. "We wait until that coward loses patience, and we strike when he expects it the least. And what better moment than when his invasion failed beautifully?" Orion smiled, as his grip clutched around the neck of his prey little by little. The man was trapped, with nowhere to flee to anymore. "Don''t you think three of us is too much against one man?" Florian asked. He wasn''t against the idea, but this felt a little... unfair. "Asks the man who almost lost his city by having a larger army thrown at it." The sarcasm in Karteira''s voice was evident. "She''s right, there is no fairness in battle. Also, I learned from fighting with Kamala, that unexpected things can happen. Having more allies is a two-edged sword." He blinked a few times, but understood the meaning and developed himself. "More people to protect, but less ground to cover." "Exactly. There''s also that problem with the Apostles, that no matter how much you think you can best them, they are always a league higher than you. There really is an empowering process when drinking that sludge, that those who hadn''t drunk it so far don''t possess." "True." Florian agreed with that statement. "Orion, the sun has set past the horizon. Do you think they will be alright?" Karteira asked, looking at the army strapping flashlights around their helmets. "They should be. It''s not like they are weak, and it will give them the answer they are looking for to improve. Also, Amelia will be watching over them." "For the army, well, it will depend on how much Florian trained them." They both turned to Florian, who had a hardened expression on his face. "I trained them with the idea that the one in front of them was here to kill their loved ones in front of their eyes. Do you think they will falter in front of this rabble?" Only silence answered his question. "If you trust your army to win in this darkness, then I will trust your judgment." The darkness of the night was bothersome for many. Not considering if the corrupted were able to see in this darkness, the humans of Albriar were unable to. That''s why they had to use devices especially made to see in the dark. It wasn''t great, and mostly a prototype of fire magic, but it helped the soldiers to see in their surrounding, while also differentiating foes from allies. Albriar was the center of command for the continent, and its advancement in magic prowess was greatly pushed forward because of it. It was a small but long stick, with a red jewel at its front. When you lightly tapped the back of the stick, even those unable to use magic could activate it for half-an-hour before the crystal was depleted. The crystal was a catalyst of sort. Completely different from how magic users showed their magic, but perfect in this case. And it wasn''t that expensive to fabricate. With all of the light blinking in unison, Orion, Karteira, and Florian stared at the army from above. At the front, Orion saw Dramia and Drania waiting for the moment to move out. They were waiting for a certain someone to return, before moving out. Amelia quickly arrived, as Drania was stretching her arms above her head, and Dramia was waiting with her hands on her hips. "Sis, she''s back! She made it!" "I see that." "Don''t be so serious. You can relax a little you know?" "Are you serious? Do you remember the last time we fought like this?" "Did you forget what Noah taught to us?" "Of course not! It''s just..." Dramia looked in front of her, far in the distance. "You don''t have the confidence?" With a smile on her face, Drania grabbed her sister''s hand. "Compared to you, my magic is weak. And it doesn''t even compare to Amelia." *Huff* *Gasp* "Gah! I''m tired!" Amelia stopped in front of the sister, sweating profusely. "ORION! Your enhancement stopped midway! What are you doing?!" The man in question looked with surprise at the bursting voice, that surprised even the whole army. ''She''s got one powerful voice. Is that something she can do with magic?'' Was what the sisters and everyone around thought. He looked at her and made a gesture saying, ''I''m sorry.'' "Pff, I''ll be sure to complain later. Alright, next thing, the army of corrupted humans right?" The fairies looked at Amelia as if she had said something weird. "Aren''t you tired?" Dramia asked, wondering. "I am, but I still can help. I have used quite a lot of my magic, and my arms are killing me, but I can still support you both." "Ah... thanks?" "So what do you need?" Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Ignoring the perplexed look of Dramia, she asked. "Me! Me!" Jumping up and down, Drania lifted her hand in the air. "Yes?" Amelia smiled and wiped the sweat of her forehead. "I need water. A lot of water! Is that possible?" "Sure. How much is a lot?" Taking Dana out, Amelia prepared herself for the request. "Like, quite the big ball of water. Enough to fill three to four average sized ponds?" "..." Amelia was speechless. "Drania! What kind of measure is that?!" "Yaie!" She got slapped in the back of the head once again. "No don''t worry, I get the idea. You don''t have to slap her for that." "Amelia!" The happy-go-lucky sister hugged Amelia, and looked at her sister with a taunt. "Is that alright?" Amelia used Dana to create the amount of water Drania desired. A ball of water the size of a one story building formed in record time. "Woah!" The fairy''s eyes sparkled in front of the water orb that everyone lighted up with their light. For some reason, the light reflecting in the water soothed the anxiety of the soldiers. "Dramia, do you need some wind support? I know you can''t use offensive magic very much, so what about speed?" "I..." She was about to refuse. "Sis, time''s have changed. You said it yourself, it''s time to change ourselves." With her sister right in her face, she had to do it. "As if I needed you to remind me that!" Turning her face away from Drania, she spoke. "Please." Both Amelia and Drania looked at each other and smiled. With that, the sisters were ready to support the soldiers. "Sis, do you think we should try something different?" "Exemple?" "Like Amelia." "Hmm..." Both thought of how they should act on the battlefield. "I can''t use my bullets even if I wanted once the armies are fighting against each other. The visibility will be too low for precise shots, and I could hit indiscriminately our allies." "But you can do before right?" Drania nodded. "I can use most of the water Amelia created to blast a large portion of the army. Like, a third if I am lucky." "That should heightened the moral of the soldiers too, so let''s do that when they are close enough. But truly, your firepower is something else." "Ehehe..." ''That wasn''t a compliment, but anyway.'' Dramia ignored her sister and returned to the conversation. "Looking like Amelia you said... do whatever you want. I feel like imitating Karteira myself." She prepared to throw a punch, with the wind Amelia gave to her as support. When she stopped her punch, a strong wind blast left the front of her fist, and travelled a few meters in a straight line. "Sis!" The excited Drania wanted to see her sister punch the bad guys as fast as possible. Luckily, the enemy''s army was close enough now, and the voice of Florian echoed all over the area. "Soldiers, here comes the enemy. Do not falter, do not show weakness, and most of all, do your best. Let''s see each other later!" "Lord Florian! Good luck to you!" "Defeat that invader! We''ll make you proud of us!" "With Lord Florian, Albriar is invincible!" They were all in high spirits. Unexpected help, morals being lifted, and their Lord being here with them. The result would be quite different if none of this ever happened. "Orion, let''s go. Let''s take that coward by surprise." Opening a portal, the three of them disappeared, leaving only a gulping sound coming from Karteira behind. ~ The second phase of the attack was about to happen. "Sis, I''m going first!" Drania flew up in front of the large orb of water. But something strange happened when she prepared to unleash her water bullet ability. The enemies army stopped moving. They even seemed to slowly turned to their left. You could see their glowing red eyes look at something else. And a moment later, they were back to run toward Albriar. "Time for a little shower! ''Cluster Shot''!" The orb began to ripple, more and more, until the first bullets flew straight toward the first line of the enemies that was roughly fifty meters away. Even though the bullets were tiny, they packed quite a lot of strength behind them, thanks to their velocity. Able to pierce trees and people alike, it was deadly, even able to go through multiple targets at once. "There''s more where it came from!" She pointed her finger to another direction, and attacked another place. She judged only by seeing the bright red eyes of the corrupted humans. *Plash* *Splash* Sound of water bursting on hard surfaces could be heard. The soldiers were waiting for the moment the bullets would stop. On the other side, it was a carnage. The bullets killed more and more corrupted humans by the minute. Amelia and Drania had the same predisposition, they had abilities that dismembered and crippled their enemies. Legs, arms, head, stomach, heart... these bullets didn''t care. When it pierced one soldier''s heart, it pierced the leg of the one behind. Piles of dead humans, who had their core intact in their bodies, stacked up until the attack was over. "Drania! How long?!" "Another minute!" Not much water remained from the orb. Its size had reduced tremendously, and only a few hundred bullets could be created until it had completely been used. Five minutes was all Drania was able to do. After that, it would be over, and Albriar''s army would have to move. After the minute had past, Drania returned to the ground. She looked exhausted, but satisfied. "Good job." Dramia praised her sister for doing most of the work. "You rest a little, and join after. I''m going to do my part." All she could do was nod. "Everyone! Time to move!" With strength behind her words, she called to the soldiers of Albriar, who observed the display of power from the fairies. If at first they were lost as to who they were, now, they didn''t care. They grew to not discriminate other factions, and even if they didn''t know who they were in details, they knew they were allies. The second problem was their authority over the army. They would have never listened to Dramia before, but her charisma was something else. The same thing that led the dragon to follow her orders happen. "We''ve reduced their numbers greatly, time to finish the job. Separate in two groups! One left, one right!" "What about you?" One soldier moved forward and asked the queen of the fairy. "I''ll take the middle alone." They gasped. "No time to lose, all units, move toward the enemies, and intercept any corrupted you see!" With the sound of buzzing wings, she vanished from her spot, already gone to attack. "She''s too stuck-up... but we like that about her." Drania walked away from the army, toward Amelia. She only needed to rest a minute or two, just so she could catch her breath. ~ *Ziiiing* A zigzagging being flying at high speed moved the fifty meters separating Albriar from the enemies in a split second. ''With Amelia''s help, I''m able to move more freely than usual, but I can''t see a thing.'' She and her sister were fast, faster than anyone, but this was different. This was past normal speed. She moved so fast she had to zigzag just to see where she was. The dark scenery caused even more problems, as she was unable to clearly see the way she went. Everything was blurry. When she looked down, she noticed a little pile that shouldn''t be there, and red dots. ''Too far!'' She stopped mid-air, and back-tracked in an instant. With one push, she went down and crashed on the ground. *BOOM* ''Ouch!'' Using her wings, she removed the dust, and immediately noticed the beings coming toward her. *PAW* One punch. She threw a single punch, and killed the first corrupted. Not only did she kill this one, but three more that were behind it. *Ziiiiing* Disappearing from her spot, she zigzagged around the corrupted, slowly getting used to the speed. She bumped into the soldiers a few times, before she was able to feel the air around her. Now, she was able to now who or what was around her, and when to punch. Sounds of punching, cracking bones, falling bodies, and even bumping bodies was heard. The army of Albriar was finally arriving like she ordered. The light from their devices began to illuminate the area. "Formation 5! Shield in front, Long Guns in the back!" Each side prepared to attack. "Lady! Please fly higher!" One of the soldier noticed Dramia flying by at top speed, and shouted at her. Once she heard that, she did as asked, and flew straight up, looking down. "FIRE!" The shields crouched in front of the guns, before the volley began. *BAM* *BAM* Just like with Drania, they managed to remove a few corrupted. But from all the damage done, there still was a thousand and seven hundred corrupted remaining. "Guns, go back to reload. Spears, switch. Shields, advance with the Spears and remove as much as you can!" Once the shots stopped and she heard the orders, Dramia returned to her work. She had to defend the middle, while the army was split in two, defending the sides. "Sis! I''m here!" Drania caught up to her sister just before she was able to go. "What do I do? Do I help you?" "Please." Without hesitation, she accepted the help. "Alright!" What Drania never told, was that she had another ability in store. When she saw Amelia train, and fight, she fell in love with her fighting methods. ''Shattered Blade.'' An earthern blade, not like Amelia''s daggers, formed in her right hand. "That''s what you meant by imitating Amelia?" But Drania ignored it, or more accurately, wasn''t listening anymore. She flew straight down, and began to fly through the enemies, while slashing at them. *sigh* "At least, listen to me." Both sister began to create a carnage inside the ranks of the enemy''s army. Even in the darkness, Albriar''s army was winning. Casualties happened, but it was minimal. This battle was far from being over. There was just too many of the corrupted soldiers, who were tougher than the beasts from the previous wave, except the Corrupted Lord that appeared rather suddenly. But, their number was definitely going down. ~ And at the same time, in a small forest patch. "We''ve found you, coward." Three people were walking toward Julian. Chapter 153: Know the enemy. "Y-You! And?!" Lucian saw the worst sight of his life. More terrible than seeing Kiel die, more serious than losing his ''toys'', and more despairing than being the last alive of the three. Orion and Florian, two of his top enemies, where in front of him. "What have you co-" But for Orion, who didn''t care a single bit about the enemy, the buzzing noise of Julian''s voice didn''t even register. He crouched faster than he ever did, and in the blink of an eye, formed Alcyone and fired the deadliest arrow in his arsenal, the three-bladed triangle shape, devastating spinning arrow. There was not even a shred of questions inside Orion''s mind. This man was his enemy, full stop. No care for his story, no care for his words, and no care for his life. The man looked with dread as the arrow went for his stomach. "Wai-!" *Dink* A huge noise, metallic in nature echoed through the little forest. The full power of Orion was behind it, Second Gear, and Arm Overdrive. An arrow that could simply pierced through the toughest of metal created by Amelia, had been... stopped? "Of course..." "I told you, it won''t be that easy." With a slide of his foot, Orion stood up and looked in front of him. - "Florian, tell me a little more about the enemy." Just before Orion was about to leave, he asked Florian. "About Julian?" He received a silent nod in return. "That''s a great idea. With that, I also get reminded of his dangerousness." "Is he that problematic?" "In many ways, yes. That''s why I was unable to capture or kill him at the time." Florian turned around, and pushed his glasses back up his nose like he always did. "Julian is supposed to be the strongest of the three. Not particularly because of his regular strength, nor because of any impressive magic." Orion looked a little surprised. "Is that possible to be strong in these conditions?" He received a nod. "Specifically, it''s his ability that is the problem. Julian is able to copy multiple magic, and merge them together." "Wait." Karteira, who was listening, found this strange. "How is that possible? I thought abilities were only able to be linked with physical prowess?" And that fact was undeniable. For exemple, ''Calm Analysis'' forces the brain to process faster. ''Inferno'', even though it is a fire linked ability, is still a slash by itself. "That''s the problem. This seems to be a mutation from drinking the corrupted sludge." Not familiar with the Ceremony, and having only learned about it from Orion, there was a lack of understanding appearing on her expression. But the same couldn''t be said for Orion. "So the sludge doesn''t only give physical and magical strength, but also creates abilities?" "Seems like it. There was no sign of such an ability in the past, and he his also one of the most recent Apostles besides Olivia. Maybe a new development happened with him at the center, or is it a coincidence? I can''t answer that." With what she learned, Karteira continued. "So, what do we know about him? How does that ability works?" Getting back to the conversation, Florian explained. "There''s not much we know. As Apostles, we don''t have to give each other any report on ourselves. It means that I know that he possess such an ability from my previous fight with him." "Quite observant." "Indeed. When you see the magic of a dead man, of course you began to question everything." "By ''dead man'', are you talking about Kiel, the first Apostle I killed?" With a stern look, Florian looked at Orion. "Kiel''s magic was water. He had a special ability in that he could bounce a ball around in an empty space. If there was no walls, the ball could bounce in the air. Now imagine with a medium sized rock, and a gradual increase in speed, and you have Kiel''s ''Fast Ball''." The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "That is not a very original name." Karteira couldn''t help herself. "From the scum of our rank, we can''t expect more than that. Can you imagine my surprise when I saw something similar happen during my run against them?" His face turned dark. "I saw his own magic, the ''Metal Sheet'', and the ''Fast Ball'' together. By the way, ''Metal Sheet'' is exactly what you think it is." "Either a layer of metal in front of him to negate impacts, or full protection around his body?" "It is more than that. I said ''Metal'', but do you think it is simple metal? Julian is able to create one of the strongest alloy in our continent, steel. His sheets are literally impenetrable with simple attacks, and I''m sure even the hottest of fire would have difficulty in getting through. Worst is, he can create more than one at a time." Knowing that, Orion had to know the continuation. "What about the two merging together?" "The bouncing water had a layer of steel around them. Though they had lost their velocity and impact, and were quite easy to dodge, this was a terrible news. Do you know why?" The one who answered was surprisingly Karteira. She had understood the underlying problem. "Is it because he could have absorbed the magic of the other Apostle that died? L-Le-Lan-" "Leonis." "Yes! The Apostle Leonis." Orion found that cute, but he quickly switched to his serious expression. "If this is true, then what are we against? Someone that can throw slow metallic spheres and something else?" This was the problem. Something Florian didn''t want to admit. "With Leonis now dead, and the prediction that Julian managed to absorb his friends magic... this couldn''t be worse. Leonis'' ability, ''Hound''s Maw'' was a massive hammer made of titanium and could boost the user''s arm strength tremendously.. Two of these guys had an earth element, and the three magic complement each other well." "Another thoughtless name..." Even Orion had enough of those stupid names. Why couldn''t they be more accurate? In the end, an ability is named by its user, but some were really unimaginative. "Now, let''s say that the orbs should be able to move faster... if the fact that his magic copy ability is true, and that he his smart enough to come up with the same idea as me." Orion nodded. "We just have to kill him before he would be able to use anything against us. How does that sounds?" "I think it will be harder than that. A coward always has ways to avoid dying." It had to be said, this was an undeniable truth. "We''ll at least have to give it a shot. If it doesn''t work,-" - "Florian, do whatever you want against him. Karteira, find opportunities to strike at him. You can even act as decoy and try to bring down any defenses that form around him." Orion gave simple orders. Florian was his own master, just like Kamala, so it is up to him to make choices. With Karteira preparing to fight, she felt a disgusting gaze fell on her that made her shiver. The arrow Orion fired exploded when it made contact with a thick wall of steel that couldn''t be compared to a sheet in any ways. And behind that wall, from the side, Julian was looking at Karteira with desires in his eyes. ''This piece of shit!'' That made her instantly angry. She knew that this man was an horrible person that took other factions'' members as his playthings. *GRIT* Her eyes darkened, and she clenched her fist in anger. The grinding of her teeth made Orion a little anxious if she would be able to remain calm, as she had one rage moment in the past, but he quickly placed his trust back in her. ''Cerulean Armor.'' The plates began to grow from her wrists and ankles, and encased her body inside a thick protection. ''I don''t give a fuck about that man. No one as the right to look at me like that!'' Her mind was painted with raging thoughts, and she couldn''t wait. Just like Orion asked, she ran toward him, and punched the plates with everything she had. *BANG* The sound of two hard surfaces was heard, multiple times following the first strike. "You won''t get through my defense!" Julian was thrilled. He knew that nothing would be able to stop him. He managed to stop the strongest arrow of his friend''s killer, and he would be able to avenge them by killing them both, while taking a woman for himself. "That''s what you... THINK!" Karteira punched the wall so hard that she almost shattered her wrist on it. But, she managed to push the wall back, with Julian behind it. Though there was no crack on it, it was still an achievement, that Florian did no miss out on. Lightning magic exploded from him, and he disappeared in an instant. "Julian, we can''t let you live." But he had already recovered from being pushed a few meters back, and stared at Florian with a smile. Another wall formed, right in front of Florian, who disappeared once again to stop on the other side. Then, when the wall appeared again, he moved behind him, and kicked him. Julian''s face bumped on the metal walls, as he felt a burning sensation in his nose. "B-Blood..." He stared at his blood flowing from his nose, and onto his hands. His eyes blinked red, more vividly, until only red was left. Julian had changed. "RAAAAGH!" He shouted, before turning toward Florian. Throwing a punch this slow at Florian was not the greatest, but it was enough to make some distances. "What do you call me when you arrived? Do you have the guts to say it again?" The walls vanished as if they had never existed. Julian looked at Orion and asked him to repeat. "What? That you are a coward?" Florian appeared behind him and tried to punch Julian in the face, but that did not happen. A wall formed between them, before said wall began to move toward Florian. He managed to avoid the impact, but had to take some distance. ''Without even looking at me?! What happened?'' The sudden change made him question his sanity. "Co-COWARD?! ME!" Julian grabbed his head and began to twist it weirdly, without injuring himself. "Ah..." A weird exclamation left his mouth, and he looked at Orion. ''Rush.'' Powerful magic shockwaves came out of Julian as its center. A water orb formed in front of him, while a massive hammer appeared in his right hand. To support the weight of the hammer, his arm tripled volume. The water orb then found himself enveloped in a layer of steel, making it deadlier. "I have to erase everything." He slammed the queue of the hammer on the ground one time, and lifted it back up, before making it rotate behind him. The stance he displayed was one similar to a warrior ready to run and jump at you. But nothing like that happened. He stopped spinning the hammer, making the shockwaves stop altogether, and smashed the orb with all of his strength. The metallic orb bounced on trees at high speed, and destroyed them at the same time. Orion, Karteira, and Florian had to be extremely careful. The fast velocity of the orb could instantly break a few bones if it made contact. ''That''s what he said by being smart... This is not good.'' Just when Orion thought that it was a bad situation to be in, surprise took hold of him. Julian was hitting metallic orbs one after the other. The little forest was instantly razed, and the ground flattened. Karteira had worked out quite a lot of steam punching the wall, and also had the fire element stored inside her armor, which helped her create steam faster. It was time to switch out. ''Cerulean Storm.'' Steam erupted from Karteira, and she began to rush past the orbs, while carefully watching not to be hit by any, and attacked Julian, while being covered by Orion. A few arrows went past her, and touched the orbs. It seemed that he was able to deviate the trajectory of some orbs with an arrow, but that was all he could do. If he tried to attack Julian directly, a steel wall instantly formed in front of him to block the arrow. Florian was easily dodging the orbs with his speed, but he was in a same situation as Orion. He had no way to attack. Only Karteira, with her strength unrivaled by anyone, even Orion, would be leading an aggressive tactic against him. Both men decided to support her. *BANG* Another loud bang echoed, until it arrived to Amelia''s ears, waiting at the foot of Albriar''s wall. ''Orion... Karteira.'' Chapter 154: Fighting a wall. Watching everything that happened around her, Amelia was lost. ''When did our world became so broken?'' She knew such a situation was unnatural. A great amount of corrupted beasts was already something out of the ordinary outside of the yearly southern invasion, and human soldiers corrupted at such a massive scale. Something was wrong on Triazils. ''It was never broken. This is just how it works.'' Ego''s voice came to soothe a little of Amelia''s worries. ''Ego?'' ''This is the beginning. The exact same thing happened when Noah was in charge of protecting the world. If there was a difference, it would be the amount of corruption taking hold of the humans. They weren''t important enough at the time for the Miasma to care about, that''s what it seemed at the time.'' ''At first, only small skirmishes with corrupted were taking place, but within a few years, it multiplied so much it became a joke. Corrupted Lords began to appear faster than regular corrupted beasts, and the corruption was close to take over the whole of Triazils, but because of one man, it was stopped.'' Amelia looked down. ''The Hero Noah. Was he human? How can such a person be able to manage such a feat?'' ''There is a reason for that, and Tiorh-nam, the Tree of Life, gave the answer. Titles.'' ''How can a title hold enough importance that it can change the fate of the world?'' ''Because the world holds such power. With a title comes responsibilities, and a fate that shouldn''t be able to be changed, but that''s to debate. The world has a will, and I believe it can only interact with this realm by creating such beings.'' There was a small silence before Ego continued. ''How can a world work correctly, if it is corrupted and devoid of life? I believe even the world cannot tolerate such an end, so it births beings like Noah and Orion.'' There was one thing Ego kept to herself, to avoid making Amelia panic. The fact that the Heroes of the World are never given a happy ending. This is the price to pay to obtain power out of their comprehension. But once again, it was for debate in Ego''s mind. Who can be sure that everything is a tragedy? *sigh* After that sigh, Amelia glanced toward the battle that was in front of her. ~ Dramia was flying stationary over the dead bodies of soldiers she killed. She stared at her hands, which were trembling from punching so much. Trying to open her hands who were tightly shut, she proceeded to look at herself. Blood. Lots of blood on her. She was bathed in blood. Her hands finally opened after much efforts. Funnily enough, the inside was clean of blood. She even managed to avoid injuring her palms with her nails. "Sis! Are you alright?" Drania, with her sword in hand, stopped in front of her sister. "I''m fine. I just feels strange?" "Eh? Why?" Her sister was usually able to understand her, but not this time. "I feel nothing. I''ve killed so many people, and yet I don''t even feel regret. I''m not happy either. I feel... empty." She looked at Drania. "Is that how Noah felt each time he was on the battlefield?" The darkest gaze she ever displayed astonished her sister. "I don''t know, I''m not Noah." She released her grip on the sword, and it vanished. Then, she grabbed Dramia''s cheeks with both hands, not caring about the blood that was on her face. "Tell me, sis, why are we here?" "Both of us, what was the choice we made?" "Who was the one who told me to stop crying?" Dramia blinked a few times, recovering her sanity quickly. "You''re right. I''m sorry. I''ve never realized the burden of taking lives was this heavy. I understand why he never talked about it with us. There''s no words able to describe this feeling." The battle was still going strong. They managed to decimate the central area of the army, leaving the soldiers of Albriar to deal with the sides. But it was also doing good. There was no problem with their strategy, as they were progressively killing the soldiers. Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "When was the last time so much blood was spilled?" "If we ignore the recent incident with the city of Kaios that Orion described to us, the ''Purging War'' seems to be of a larger scale. We weren''t conscious at that time, so I can''t really say much on that." The sisters tried to understand why such a thing was happening. "Sis, why every time there is a conflict, we find trace of the corruption?" Something seemed to click in both of their mind at the same time. They looked at each other in surprise. "The Miasma!" Exclaiming at the same time, they rapidly turned around and flew toward Albriar, leaving the soldiers to deal with whatever enemies were left breathing. ~ ''Fighting at night is such a pain!'' Orion shot arrows toward Julian, who was defending against Karteira''s punches. Florian was running around, attacking the metallic spheres with kicks to deviate their trajectory from Karteira. The only help these two had to find the orbs, and Julian, was the sound of bouncing metal, Karteira''s punches, and the reflection of the sky on the orbs. This was an arduous task, and Orion was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of orbs bouncing around. When Julian created the orbs, he heard fifteen hit from the hammer. Fifteen orbs bouncing in a ten meters radius around Julian. That''s what his calculations showed. Because when Orion was indeed further than ten meters from him, he saw no orbs near him at all, and when he got closer, he suddenly had to dodge. There was only three real things he could see. The sparks Karteira created, and Florian''s trails as he ran around the place. The last thing was his arrows. *BUMP* ''One orb is coming my way.'' He heard a bump above him, and moved out of the way. It wasn''t too hard considering he had the Second Gear to boost his speed, but the fact that every few seconds, he had to dodge, that didn''t left him a lot of time to recover his breath. The same was going on with Florian. He was working in protecting Karteira with his life on the line. Each kicks he did on the orbs injured his legs, and multiple times an orb grazed a vital area of his body. ''I can''t go on like this.'' He was nearing his physical limits. With lightning fast speed, he ran toward Orion. His back turned toward him, he asked. "Can you give me a quick heal? I won''t be able to help anymore otherwise." But there was no time for Orion to decide. He placed his right hand on Florian''s shoulder, and healed him in a few seconds. Since the injuries were light, it was done quickly. Quickly enough to avoid the next orb. "Thanks." Trails of light left the area, before Florian returned to block the orbs. ''I swear, I wasn''t expecting such a situation.'' Orion rolled on the flattened ground, and fired another arrow. The arrow touched the place where a wall had been erected. A wall that Karteira was punching with her full force. Little by little, she forced Julian to remove his walls and do create them somewhere else. But she was exhausting her strength at the same time, while being unable to hit him directly. ''Amelia''s walls aren''t that tough. I''ve never had to punch something like this before.'' ''I''m not making a single crack on it.'' "HAHAHA! Weakling! You will never be able to hit me like that. None of you will be able to kill me. I will be the one to do it!" His voice was pissing Karteira off so much, her rage was growing at an exponential rate. ''Shut up! Just shut up!'' "Woman, tell me your name!" ''As if! Shut the fuck up!'' *Bink* An arrow hit right next to her before vanishing. ''Orion... I have to do something about that guy!'' Each time she saw an arrow hit, she remembered that he was there to support her. Even though those arrows were his strongest ever, and that they were stopped easily by the walls, the force behind it pushed them slightly anyways. Karteira was beginning to time her strongest punches with his arrows, to magnify the pushing effect. ''I know it''s mostly useless unless we break through his protection, but that''s all I can do.'' ''Ten seconds.'' *FUUUSH* The arrow she was expecting came at the right moment. "EY!" She punched the wall at the same time as the arrow. *CRACK* A cracking sound was heard. But it wasn''t the expected one. The scales on Karteira''s left fist broke in pieces. ''Shit!'' Julian didn''t miss that sound. The wall disappeared in front of Karteira, and with the hammer in hand, and an orb in front of him, he threw another one toward her. ''!'' The only thing Karteira could do was change from her ''Cerulean Storm'' form, to the ''Cerulean Aegis'' in a split second. She crouched on the ground, and placed her shields in front of her body. *BANG* "Tch!" While hearing Julian click his tongue, she got pushed back a meter from him. With her left hand being injured, there was little she could do right now, beside protect herself. Preparing another orb to throw at Karteira, Julian forgot about his enemies. Florian appeared in front of him, taking this chance to bother him. "Florian! Shit!" But the reason he appeared like that was for another reason. "Bye." With a flash of light, he moved away, revealing an arrow flying at high speed toward Julian. "Fuck!" He tried to create a wall to protect himself, but the arrow was faster and managed to get through before the wall was built. Julian twisted his body to avoid taking a hit in his stomach. Orion, who was ten meters away, heard a scream of pain behind the metallic wall. ''We made contact. Let''s hope it will be enough to hinder his power.'' But the orbs remained the same. Their velocity did not change either. The wall that he just created disappeared, and revealed an injured Julian. Even though it was too dark to see the injury, his red eyes were easy no notice. In fact, he didn''t receive a life threatening wound. Orion only managed to pierce and open a few centimeters of his right side. It was bleeding, but he needed more than that to be defeated. "N-NO!" Everything stopped around them in this instant. All the orbs came to a halt, before all moving toward him. Florian ran next to Orion and stopped. "This doesn''t look good. Don''t you want to recover Karteira?" "Good ide-" But he couldn''t finish. Julian dropped his hand, and the orbs began to rotate above him. One at a time, they were launched toward Karteira, before returning to him. "UGH!" Karteira, who was still defending, endured each powerful hit while being pushed back. ''I won''t be able to defend longer! I have no choice!'' ''Bastion!'' A light began to envelop Karteira, making her visible to Orion and Florian. The same was said for Julian, but for some reason, he was able to clearly see them all. ''Karteira!'' Orion was about to move. ''Ten seconds! I can hold for ten seconds. Orion will find a way!'' She saw multiple arrows fly over her head. *BANG* *BINK* "I won''t get tricked a second time!" The arrows were blocked by the orbs instead of a wall. *GRIT* Orion wasn''t feeling good about this, and Karteira was in a really bad situation. ''I''m out!'' Her ability stopped, and she returned to normal. An orb came at full speed, and bumped the upper shield in a weird angle that made her arms separate. Her right arm that had the upper shield was brought above her. Another orb came before she could block, bounced on the ground and hit the lower shield, completely breaking her defense. The hit was so bad, Karteira was thrown a few meters in the air, completely defenseless. ''KARTEIRA!'' The worst thing that could happen was happening. Memories of Amelia''s words echoed in his mind. - "Orion, take care of her. I want nothing happening to her, you hear?" "As if I''d let that happen." - Karteira saw two orbs fly at full speed toward her, as she tried to recover her balance, but it was too late. *Cough!* All she could do was watch as she took the hits... or it was what she was expecting. "ORION! NO!" The man she loved was in front of her, taking the brunt of the attack. Chapter 155: To change ones fate. Karteira grabbed Orion, who had been pushed by the attack toward her. Hugging him from behind, she watched before landing on the ground. "Damn it!" Florian cursed before moving past them. He watched, pained, as Karteira slid on the ground with the body of Orion in her arms. "Orion! ORION! Answer me!" *Cough* All she received as answer was his blood on her cheek. She looked at his body, looking for the damage. The orbs hit a dangerous spot, his chest. Her emotions began to run wild. The tears began to fall on his face, which led him to open his eyes with difficulty. The fact that he was still conscious was a good thing. He himself knew that he made a mistake in this fight, and that he paid the price for it. But he also hadn''t lost hope yet. He lifted his left hand toward Karteira. Without hesitation, she grabbed it. "I''m here! What do you need?!" She tried her hardest not to lose herself. Staring at his hand, she saw the small, hopeful light. "!" Immediately, she brought his hand toward his injuries. *Cough* Orion began to cough more blood, as his body began to regenerate. The impacts made his chest cave on itself, with his ribcage completely shattering. A few minutes were needed to heal such life-threatening injuries. He was lucky none of his broken bones punctured his heart. While Orion was being healed, Florian was once again putting everything on the line. ''I have to protect them! I have to!'' He was still shocked at the sudden action Orion took. Never in his mind would this ever be happening. ''Would I also jump in front of someone to defend them like he did?'' It didn''t take long for his brain to give him the answer. The picture of a single person appeared in his mind. ''If it was... Kamala...'' He kicked one of the orbs away. His lightning began to crackle, while brightening his surrounding. ''Of course. Why am I questioning his actions? Wasn''t he the one to show me that hope still existed for us?'' His lightning element changed at that moment. Part of his magic left his legs, and followed his limbs until it arrived at his head. In pain, he grabbed it, while looking at the next orb coming toward him. His brain was burning, and he felt like passing out, but his strong will determined the next act. Lightning changed the color of his pupils from black to purple. His bangs began to levitate a little from the static energy forming around him. His legs also changed. Purple veins formed on his legs, hidden under his black pants. A little field of electricity enveloped his legs, and a levitating effect formed under his shoes. With his hand still on his temple, fighting the pain in his head, he ran toward the next orb. His speed was on another level right now. Before this state, Florian was able to run at 120km/h (74.5mp/h). Now, it was possible for him to run at 160km/h (100mp/h). This was the birth of another Linked Elemental Mastery. He ran so fast, and with the static field creating a levitating effect, he found himself running a few centimeters above ground. In an instant, he was in front of the orb, ready to kick it. With a kick that left a purple trail, he sent the orb back to Julian. Too bad he was able to stop the momentum, or else it would have been possible to kill Julian with his own orbs. This was all he could do to help his ''friend''. He was ready to give his life for the man that protected someone important to him. ''You can''t die here, Orion! Not when you''ve got people to come back to.'' For a few minutes, he fought alone, blocking each and every orbs coming his way, while listening to Julian make heartless comment. "I''ve killed your only hope! HAHAHA! Florian! You are next!" "Don''t..." "Don''t?" "Don''t open that mouth, coward!" That word was a trigger for Julian, and that''s what Florian was going for. With that, all of his enemy''s attention was toward him. "I swear I''ll kill you." He felt a bloodthirsty feeling coming from Julian, as his eyes looked less human than ever. While all of this was happening further in front of them, Karteira and Orion were finally seeing the result. Orion''s hand slid from his chest to the ground. Karteira looked at him with teary eyes, and an unbelievably broken heart. His heart stopped beating. "No... no... you can''t..." Florian heard the weeping behind him. *Grit* He kicked the ball coming at him and immediately ran toward Karteira. "I can only do that for a second." Placing his hand on Orion chest that had been fully healed, he discharged a great amount of electricity in him. Without looking at the result of his action, he returned to defend them, hoping that it did something. *Badump* *gasp!* Orion opened his eyes in a furry and grabbed his chest. "I..." ''I died. I''m sure of it.'' The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. His body had finally healed, but for some reason, his heart had taken unexpected damage that he was unable to find until the very end. Before he lost consciousness, he managed to heal it. This is the reason why he managed to come back thanks to Florian''s help. He immediately looked at Karteira, who was with her all this time. She was a broken mess, her eyes looked lifeless, and her expression was all but painful to look at. "Karteira, I''m fine." But she was not responding. Her mind wasn''t here anymore. "Karteira!" Orion grabbed her shoulders and shook her a few times. "Damn it, I messed up!" Just when he thought that Karteira was out of the fight because of this, she stood up. "A... G..." She made incomprehensible sounds, before walking toward Julian. Her usual cerulean colored armor suddenly formed around her body. The only thing different was that it wasn''t cerulean anymore. It turned greyish white. Even more surprising, a scale helmet enveloped her head, something that never appeared before. Only her mouth could be seen, and her only emotion was pure rage. With her gritting her teeth with each step, she became the center of attention. "Heh! She came back." Florian, who was fighting alone until now, made a mistake and let one orb fly toward her. "Shit!" With a spin, Karteira smashed the orb with her tail away from her. Her tail took some damage, but it began to heal in an instant. Her tail was sturdier than ever before. "What is happening?" Orion was flabbergasted. His voice wasn''t reaching her, and she seemed to be somewhere else. She wasn''t even caring about herself. Karteira stood straight, one leg crossing in front of the other, her arms in a reverse V shape on her sides. Her tail was above her right shoulder, ready to strike. When no one expected it, Karteira ran toward Julian. "RAAAH!" Like a wild beast, she pushed the orbs coming at her away, and tried to punch him the moment she was close enough. "Crap!" Instead of using the orbs, which he knew would be deflected, Julian opted for his metallic wall instead, which was sturdier. *BAM* *BAM* She unleashed a furry of strong punches, but just like before, it wasn''t able to do more than push the wall slightly. "GRRRRR!" Her scales changed form around her arms. She now had something similar to the steam propulsion that were on her back, but on her elbows. With what seemed like a normal punch, steam erupted from her elbow, and she began to repeatedly impact the wall like this. *BOOM* *BOOM* The ground shook each time she hit the wall. This was on another scale of raw power. *CRACK* This time, the cracking sound did not come from Karteira. The wall was beginning to show cracks on its surface. "Wait! I wasn''t expecting this!" Julian began to panic when he saw the wall he was so proud of break in front of him. "GRAAAAH!" Karteira, in all of her rage, punched through the wall, and managed to punch Julian in the face, sending him flying tens of meters away, until he was stopped by a tree trunk that was laying flat on the ground. Orion took this chance and warped next to her. "Karteira! Karteira! Return to your senses!" ~ Her mind was broken. Karteira was walking in an endless void, having her memories being replayed in front of her. "What have I done?! Orion..." She crouched on the ground when she was forced to remember what had happened. "You killed him." Another Karteira appeared in front of her. She was completely bleached of any color. "I... killed Orion." "Yes, and? What a state you are in, pretty impressive." The other Karteira applauded. Both turned their face toward the last memory, Karteira punching through a wall, and the Apostle. "You''ve done well, I''ll give you that. But that''s it. You mind is broken beyond repair, and your body is unable to bring you back." "Karteira. This is our end." *GRIT* "WHAT CHOICE DID I HAD?!" She lost her temper. "You know how much I began to treasure him! How could I have remained calm when he died in front of me?! IN MY ARMS!" "Died? Who?" "ORION!" The white Karteira crossed her arms and pointed on the side toward the memory with her chin. "Him?" Orion was right in front of her, trying to make her return. "Too bad you lost yourself. Knowing you, you''re going to attack him. And he will be forced to kill you. Such a shame, but at least, you will die by his hands." The air in her lungs instantly left. She was out of breath. "Amelia... I''m sorry." She placed her head between her thighs, waiting for the end to arrive. Her whiter self walked and sat next to her. "Tell me, what did you expect? And don''t try to lie." Karteira hugged her legs, and looked at her other self. "I wanted to be happy. Mother told me that it would require an incredible amount of willpower for that to happen, but look at me." "Yes. We''ve made friends, our life changed for the better, but in the end, we weren''t strong enough." "And just when I began to understand my feelings, here I am, dying. Talk about a joke." Her voice cracked from accepting the reality. "What was the point of this life?!" "You don''t know?" Her other self was sarcastically making fun of her. "No, I do know. Talking with mother made me realize how big our world was. Orion made me understand what strength and determination are. Amelia made me understand a lot of emotions I wasn''t familiar with. And the queens made me feel welcome even if I was alone." "But there is something else, isn''t it? Something that changed us to what we are now." She looked at Orion who was grabbing his head trying to find a way to bring her back to him. "Love? For him, I was ready to do anything. But in the end, all I did was put him in danger. He almost died." "But isn''t it what he signed up for when he left to fight the Apostles? You know that too." Karteira shook her head. "Knowing and understanding are two different things. It seems like I did not understood enough." "Would you give your love if you could go back to him right now? To start all over again?" With anger, she shouted. "NEVER! I will never give up on those feelings!" The whiter Karteira smiled. "Then listen well." And disappeared. "Listen..." Silence was all she could hear. Until a muffled voice finally entered her ears. "...ra! ...rtei...! KARTEIRA!" "Ha-...Haha. Can I really get another chance?" She stared at the dark ceiling, and saw a little white light piercing through. The light gradually became wider, as it dropped on her. ~ "O...ri...on?" "For the love of the world!" The helmet Karteira was wearing crumbled in dust, as blood tears flowed from her eyes. "I think I''ve never panicked so much in my life. Wait, I guess the first time was when Amelia was in the burning orphanage." He quickly grabbed Karteira''s hand and healed her, as she had a lot of deep cuts and bruises all over her body. "It''s my fault you''ve ended up like this. I''m sorry." While healing her, he caressed her hair like he always did. The hairclip that she had always on her since receiving it fell on her lap. "Ah..." With the little strength left in her body, she took it and clenched it close to her heart. ''I have to tell him now. I can''t... stall anymore.'' She was determined to finally say it. After being pestered by everyone around her, the words were finally going to leave her mouth. "O...rion. I..." "Yes? I''m healing you, wait a bit." She shook her head. "No. I..." "I... love you!" The words came out stronger than she was expecting, but at least, she made her point clear. "..." Orion continued to heal her, but his brain froze. ''Wait, it''s not the moment for that! Fuck!'' She said in her mind. Realizing that she was in the middle of a battle, she cursed herself for saying that now. "Ah. Sorry, you can ignore that." Feeling better now, she turned her face away. Her cheeks were burning red. "Ku-ku *cough*" A laugh came out from further away. "Good for you." Florian was looking at Julian the whole time, in case he would do something, but he seemed to have been injured so bad he was unable to move anymore. When he was stopped by the tree trunk, the force broke his spine. Orion stood up from his spot with a dark look. Karteira managed to see it. ''That''s the same gaze he has when something bad is happening to Amelia...'' Each step Orion took toward Julian was creating pressure directly directed at him. Julian began to sweat the more Orion approached. Stopping right in front of him, both men exchanged a glare. Orion took out Alcyone and aimed it where Julian''s right lung was. "Wait! You can''t do t-" *Click* The arrow pierced through the Apostle, through the tree, and through the earth. The arrow destroyed everything in a straight line underground, before stopping fifteen meters below the ground. "AAAAAAAH!" The hole in Julian''s chest was maybe small, but the pain was still incredible. "You mocked me. That I can tolerate." Alcyone changed to Taygeta. "But my friend''s resolve is something you have no right to mock." Pure darkness in his eyes, Orion pointed Taygeta at Julian''s leg, and fired a bleeding arrow. "GHHHH!" Such an effect would be devastating for a person with an open wound. Julian''s blood began to pour in massive quantity from his chest wound, filling the hole the arrow created. "I''ll watch you die slowly, for having tried to lay your hands on her. I saw your eyes, the same eyes that Apostle had when looking at that young girl. The eyes of a beast that ravish anything it sees, for its own pleasure." Reverting to Alcyone, he aimed at his throat. "Sometimes, you need to be careful toward what you wish for. Because one wrong move, and death will take you away." Julian was gritting his teeth in pain, while losing his senses little by little. His red eyes began to blink, as his life was leaving his side. "You don''t have the right to die peacefully. And I don''t want you coming back either." "Any last words?" *Click* Before letting a single word come out of his mouth, Orion fired his most powerful arrow. It gouged the neck of the man, and ripped the head off of his body. Blood gushed everywhere, as if it was a repetition of the Ceremony. The head rolled on the ground with a broken smile, as if his last words were going to be insults toward Orion. ''Someone that shares the same beliefs as that disgusting Apostle deserves the same death.'' Florian looked at all of this until the end. He felt his magic diminish, as he returned to normal. "Another Apostle to cross on the list. Good job, you two." Orion turned around with Alcyone on his shoulder, blood gushing behind him. "Let''s go back, there''s still a lot to do." Walking to Karteira, he picked her up like a princess, and entered a portal. Florian quickly followed behind, leaving the body of Julian behind. Chapter 156: Alive. Orion, Karteira, and Florian returned to the top of the wall of Albriar. There was a lot to think about, the fact that he died once, and Karteira''s sudden confession. The one having the most problems was unexpectedly Karteira, who was in Orion''s arm due to her sudden loss of control over her emotions. "Alright, let''s breath a little bit. Florian, your army is still in battle. Are you going to intervene?" "No. I''ll keep watching from over here." He shook his head, his gaze falling on his army in the distance, noticeable only by the lights of their helmets. After gently placing Karteira next to him, Orion walked up to Florian and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Thank you." The two men stared at each other, as Florian felt a familiar sensation invade his body. No more words had to be said. Orion and Karteira were both alive thanks to him, and Florian got stronger thanks to Orion. Florian only nodded. After being healed, a portal opened. Orion grabbed Karteira by the arm and walked with her through it. "His life is a real chaos." He chuckled a little, feeling his muscles relax after such a battle. Placing his face on the low wall, he sighed, relieved to still be alive. "I guess I''ll have to take exemple of them." As he thought of Kamala, another plan in his life was now in motion. ~ "Orion! Karteira! Are you two fine?" Amelia ran toward them, worried. The first thing she did was to check on them. "We''re fine. Don''t worry." With a smile, Orion managed to relax her. "I''m glad. The sisters are fine too, they returned quite some times ago, and went to rest." "That''s a good thing. What about you?" "I''m just tired." All the time while speaking with Orion, she glanced a few times at Karteira. ''Something happened between them.'' "Amelia." She was cut off of her thoughts by Orion, who looked at her with a serious expression. "We have to talk." ''What is so important for him to be this serious? Maybe the battle against the Apostle?'' ~ While the battle in front of Albriar was coming to an end, Orion explained what happened to Amelia. "Wait! You... died?" The air began to cool instantly, and she looked at Karteira with a terribly angry expression. "That was my fault, you don''t have to look at her like that. She would have died if not for me warping in front of her." "I don''t want to imagine any of those options!" Amelia slammed her fist on the table, and released her pressure. "I''m sorry." Karteira looked at her hands resting on her lap, despairing. "So? Why are you still alive?" Her mood was all but great right now. "Florian came up and injected electricity in his body." "His knowledge came in handy in such a situation. Not everyone know that an electrical discharge can restart someone''s heart." Orion was slightly shaken knowing that he died once, but other than that, he didn''t really care. Surviving was more important than caring about that detail. "And? After that, what happened?" Turning her head away, Karteira chose to stay silent. She felt that her friend would be disappointed in her. "Karteira lost control and attacked Julian." "Lost control?" Nodding, Orion developed. "She wasn''t responding to any of my calls, and I''m pretty sure she wasn''t even in control over her own thinking. Her mind was lost at that point. Only when she injured Julian did she stop and I finally managed to bring her back to her senses." With a fast reaction time, Amelia turned her face toward Karteira. "I''m going to ask again, are you alright? Both of you I mean." Orion looked seriously at Amelia, and then at Karteira, before returning to look at Amelia. If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. "It doesn''t feel real. Even though my heart did stop beating, I''m still the same as usual. I can confirm I am a hundred percent fine. The shock of the attack damaged my chest quite a lot, but I was able to heal everything in time." "I can''t really say that my heart stopping for a few seconds count as dying, because it was too short to matter." Amelia''s face stiffened. "Don''t say that. Of course it matters!" She said to Orion, before looking at her friend. "Karteira, I think I understand why you lost control. But don''t do that again." A silence fell in the room, until Orion decided to go check on the sisters. "You two, do rest until morning. I have a feeling this is far from over." "Orion? You killed that Apostle right?" "I surely did. I even confirmed it. His head was not on his shoulders anymore." He turned his face, looking through the window. "But... the thing with corruption is that we don''t know how far it goes when taking over the body of an Apostle." Opening the door, he looked one last time at the girls. "I''m sure you two need to discuss things. I also have to think over a few matters, so I''ll see you later." Closing the door behind him, he left the girls together. Orion''s footsteps slowly stopped echoing in the corridor. "..." Only their breathing could be heard. "I''m sorry, Amelia." "Why are you apologizing? The fact that both of you are alive is good enough for me. I don''t really care about the details." But Karteira shook her head. They were both sitting in front of each other, and now that they were alone, there was no more escape. "No, not about that." Shaking her head vigorously, she hid her face between her hands. "Hmm? If not about that, why would you apologize for?" Amelia was lost. She only understand when Karteira spoke again. "I told him right after I returned to my senses. I felt like it was the right moment." "..." It took a few seconds for Amelia to notice the hidden meaning. "You... finally did it?" Karteira was blushing, and it was hard not to notice, because even her ears were bright red. "Tell me! What happened?!" With a big smile on her face, and quite excited, she was more interested in those details. "Not much. I told him, and he haven''t said anything since." *sigh* Amelia sighed dramatically. "That''s just like him. I''m sure he knew something was off with you, and the pieces are starting to form the pictures in his mind, that''s why he said he had to think about a few matters. This is most definitely one of those topics." Peeking through her fingers, she stared at Amelia. "Aren''t you angry? I said I wouldn''t say it, but here I am, telling you otherwise." "He almost died in your arms, right?" Her gaze fell toward the ground. The image of Orion making his last breath was engraved in her mind. "Yes." A dark gaze appeared on Amelia''s face. "Then I can''t judge you for doing this. I know I would''ve reacted way worse than you if I had seen this too." She quickly switched to anger. "And can you stop with the apologies? I''ve told you already that I was fine with you telling him?" "But..." Karteira couldn''t even finish, the words Amelia spoke next touched the most sensible spot in her heart. "Regrets. I don''t want any of us to have them. You know what I mean." *grit* That was why she suddenly told Orion. He miraculously came back and she managed to regain her senses at that moment. She had to act now, or else this would have been for nothing. She stopped hiding behind her hands, and exchanged a long gaze with Amelia. "I''m going to bother your time with him, are you alright with that?" "Does that change anything in our current life?" "I''ll be more aggressive, that''s a problem for you isn''t it?" "Go for it, you take the training time, I take the rest." "..." "I''m not going to stop you, so can you not try to find a way to blame yourself?" "But it''s not normal! I''ve never heard of someone having multiple lovers!" "Why not make it the first then?" Karteira lost her will to fight, and slammed her forehead on the table. "How many people can you accept? I don''t want to share him personally." That was a tough question, even for Amelia. "No idea. What I know is that I''ll always be his number one, and that''s enough for me. Even if others find faults in his actions, or his way of thinking, I don''t. Sure, I''m not perfect either, but that won''t change our relationship." "Even if the world is against him, and his allies turn on him, I will always stand by his side. He will always return to me." With a loud slam, Karteira hit the table. "I want that treatment too! That''s so unfair!" While surprised, Amelia still gave her advice. "Then do your best to enter the deepest part of his heart. This will be the most difficult task. Even I, who has been with him since our childhood, doesn''t understand him completely." "And I think that we will never understand each other fully. But isn''t the idea of continuously trying to learn more about him appealing?" "What''s hidden in the deepest part of his soul? How much does he love me? What is he thinking about? Does he have insecurities? That kind of things, topics that he quite refuses to speak about." Karteira smiled. "You''ve put a question that wasn''t necessary in there, Amelia." "Have I?" They both smiled at each other, while Amelia played dumb. ~ "I know the battle is not done, but what are your thoughts on the situation?" Once again, two shadows emerged from the darkness. Around a table, the cloaked women observed Albriar. "This is definitely not what we were expecting." "How so?" The woman looking at the water in the hollowed center of the table. "I''ve explained to you right? What the battle of Albriar was supposed to be." The second woman looked at her friend, and nodded. "Another city to fall in the hand of the Apostles, right?" "And?" The answer wasn''t satisfying enough. "And... this is where a lot of people died. Of course." "''A lot'' is not really the right wording I was expecting, but anyway." The first woman tapped a few times on the table, and another list of names appeared, just like when they observed the attack on Kaios. "So, the battle isn''t done, but you''re already comparing the results with the expectations?" "Yes. An event like this, that could be considered as a turning point for the continent, showed so many divergence." "The Queens of the Fairies?" "Yes. They weren''t supposed to be here." Both women looked at the sisters hugging each other, sleeping, their back on the wall outside of Albriar. The first woman continued. "This is the first divergence." "The second one, Florian Delur wasn''t supposed to arrive until the very last moment. His army would be demotivated, and lose before anything could be done." "Third, the group was going to arrive later in the night. The battle would have been lost, with only Florian fighting the rest of the armies." "Fourth... I don''t really want to say it." She received a cold glance from the other woman. *sigh* "The Fairy ''Savior'', Karteira, was supposed to die in front of Orion, and Amelia." "And the last divergence, Florian entered the next stage of his element. He his one of the rare humans to have mastered his element." The second woman looked into the water. Orion was standing on the wall of Albriar, looking at the army finishing the corrupted soldiers. "Five divergences, created because of one single thing. The void element." "Exactly. This single detail led to such a result. Well, Orion almost lost his life, but I guess that will be a good experience for him." "What were the predictions for that man? He was supposed to lose everything, right?" She pointed at Florian, who focused on his army. "Corrupted." "!" "I hate that word just like you. That''s how bad it was supposed to be." "So, is it a good thing that we''ve obtained those results?" "Definitely. I am quite interested how far Orion will go, before the harsh reality comes crashing upon him." "Don''t start with that. Can''t you be hopeful sometimes?" "See enough failures, and you will began to understand that there is no hope in this world." "YET... W- TrY TO... ChaNgE..." A broken voice echoed in the room. "I haven''t heard your voice in ages, but I guess it''s impossible to hope for more. Yes, indeed, we try to change the end result. Those predictions, that I hate so much, needs to be changed." "That''s why we constantly monitor Orion, right?" "Yes. But let''s hope his next challenge will not be the last." The room suddenly grew darker, making the two figures vanish inside of the darkness once again. Chapter 157: Friendship and Love. While the girls where discussing, Florian and Orion were both having their moments. The two found each other, after separating earlier. "Orion." "Yes?" "Have we done something good? I''m not talking about defending the city, obviously, even I cannot condone this kind of action." Orion placed his arms on the low wall. "If you''re not talking about that coward''s death either, are you talking about the army of corrupted?" With slight surprise, Florian glanced at him. "You can read me pretty well it seems." But Orion shook his head. "No, even I can''t do that. I don''t know you enough for that to happen either." He looked in the distance, the army of Albriar was done with the defense, and was returning triumphantly. "The corruption, once it has taken root, leads to two results... two that I know at least." With two fingers lifted up, he spoke again. "A core forms once the individual ingest a certain quantity of corruption, usually in the form of a mist. There''s two results. Either the person dies, or they stay alive, their free will taken from them." "There is no way to bring them back. I was able to subjugate forming cores before they had taken shape in one person before, and myself. Once the core has taken roots, there seems to be no way to remove it without killing the host." "The cores just evaporate to dust afterwards. Sometimes, even the host." "..." Florian was speechless. "Did you research all of that?" "Yes. I try to records everything I come across. Amelia and Karteira fought them during the invasion of Hocride, and they described that the effect of removing the core was similar to a corrupted beast." Orion kept the part where all corrupted humans react aggressively to him in some ways to himself. "So, there''s no way to bring those people back to themselves. What a strange world we''re living in today." Saying that, Florian joined Orion by placing his arms on the low wall too. "The ones who end up fully corrupted are full of vices toward the factions to begin with. You shouldn''t bother with compassion at this point." "But without the corruption, some could have a change of mind at one point, don''t you think?" Orion turned his head, and looked at Florian. "I won''t say it is not a possibility. But changing someone''s beliefs and drives is a work I wouldn''t try. There is no guarantee for it to work. Sadly, death is a guaranteed way to protect the ones around you in this case." *sigh* With a sigh, Florian looked in the distance. "You''re right. Maybe I am too greedy." "No, keep thinking about it. You will definitely find a way one day. You have a different kind of knowledge than me, and I''m sure it will be useful one day for that purpose." "Eh?" His words were more surprising than anything to Florian. ''Will I really be able to find a way to cure the corruption from everyone one day?'' A sparking hope grew in his mind. Silence fell for a few seconds, before Orion asked another question. "When I was dying, you could have ignored me, but you did not. Tell me why." "Even though I am not heartless, you are right about me judging if you were worth saving. I have no guarantee that you wouldn''t on day come for my head." "Right." Orion nodded, because this was fair. There was really no reason to think otherwise. "I just couldn''t bear to see your friend lose someone important to her. I can only applaud the bravery to stand in front of her at that moment. And when I thought of myself, I understand that if it was someone important to me, I would do the same." "Letting someone like you die would be more than a waste. So I gambled. If one day you come for me, then I''ll accept it." In his mind, what Florian said kept repeating. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ''I didn''t really think much at the time, besides the words of Amelia. There was no sense of sacrifice in me. It just felt... right.'' "Have you answered her yet?" Then, Florian asked the lingering question that was on Orion''s mind all this time. "Not yet." The two men looked at each other. "You already are with Amelia, am I wrong? Are you going to refuse or ignore her?" "I don''t know. Maybe I need to talk this over with Amelia, but I have a feeling she already knew. And if Karteira finally made up her mind to say her true feelings, who am I to walk away." Florian smiled. "Then you have a lot to talk with them. I hope everything goes well for you." But Orion wasn''t a fool. "And what about you. Are you going to make a move? I''m sure you have a chance, don''t miss it." "W-What are you... How did you know?" "When you took that letter. Those reactions were not from a simple ''friend''. That''s why I chose to make you meet her." "You are one troublesome man, you know that? But... thank you. I will do my best on that matter once this matter and the lamias problem is over." Orion nodded, and was about to leave, satisfied with his conversation. "Oh, before I leave. There''s two things you need to know." "Yes?" "I won''t come for your head anymore. I''m not ungrateful toward kind gestures." A pressure seemed to be lifted in Florian''s mind after hearing that. He thought that saving Orion was the right choice in the end. "Last one, once your soldiers are back, make sure everyone is back inside. This battle is definitely not over. Make sure neither you, or my friends are outside the city. Just..." He smiled and made a thumbs up. "Enjoy the show." "Wha-" But before he could ask anything else, Orion walked away. "What does that mean?" ~ ''Ego.'' ''Yes, you want to know if you unlocked any new ability concerning the Shackles, right?'' Orion internally smiled. He was on his way to recover the sisters who were outside the city, currently protected by the soldiers who took a liking to them. ''Anything?'' ''You have to wait for the changes to take place. But you''ve managed to complete the task, that''s for sure.'' ''So we''ve really progressed. Thank you Ego, without your advise, we would''ve been stuck at the same point forever.'' If Ego could shook her head, she would right now. ''This is my purpose, you don''t have to thank me for that.'' He arrived outside, and noticed the tired soldiers returning from the battlefield. There was some who had lost their life, but that was part of the warring process. "Hi, I came to recover my friends, could you make way, please?" Orion asked carefully not to trigger the soldiers, who didn''t knew him well. "Oh, yes, of course, sir." The soldiers, who surrounded the queens to make sure nothing happened to them while they were sleeping, made a path for Orion. "Thank you for protecting them. I''ll be sure to tell them you all did." "No need sir. This is our duty." They all saluted, understanding that Orion wasn''t going to judge them from protecting girls that looked the same age as their daughters. Orion crouched, and carefully picked up Dramia first, trying not to wake up the other sisters. He opened a portal and walked in the room where Amelia and Karteira were. Placing Dramia, who was covered in dried blood, on the bed, he turned around, and went for Drania next. The moment he placed the second sister next to the first, they both looked relaxed. ''You really can''t separate them.'' He chuckled a little, before closing the portal, and sitting at the table with Amelia and Karteira. "I wasn''t expecting you to return so fast. You surprised us." "Sorry. That wasn''t my intention." "..." Karteira looked away from Orion, and he noticed that immediately. "Amelia, we need to discuss something." "About Karteira''s feelings?" The woman shamelessly went straight to the point. He closed his eyes, and crossed his arms. "Of course you knew." "Yes. The day she lost against you, she told me everything." ''Since that day? This is exactly at that point that I felt something strange happening with her.'' Orion opened his eyes and stared at Amelia. "And? You told her that it would be alright to confess" "Exactly." She proudly bumped her chest with her fist. "Amelia..." "What?" She blinked a few times, and understood that it wasn''t the moment to joke around. For Orion, this was a serious matter. "Are you fine with it? I know she is your first friend, but I don''t think doing this is normal at all." "I don''t care about what is normal or not. Do you not want Karteira to also be happy? I said it multiple times, we are not normal in any ways either. Who cares about ethics at that point! Either way, Karteira is coming with us, so I won''t accept her feeling like a third wheel." "Either you accept, or you send her back to the fairy realm. If she can''t experience happiness with us, she better not stay while biting her lips in regret." It had been a long time since Amelia lashed out like this. ''She really did think this over.'' He glanced at Karteira, who was looking at her hands, her face completely red. "You really hate that word, right? ''Regret''." "Of course I do. We only live once. Look at her, and tell me straight that she doesn''t want it." "I never said I was against it though." Orion said with a smile on his face. "..." His sudden change of tone surprised both of them. "You''re not? I thought you were going to refuse." "I''m asking if it is alright with you." He pointed at Amelia. "You never asked if I was." Then pointed to himself. "Fuck... you''re right." Amelia grabbed her head with both hands. "Karteira." Orion turned to talk with the concerned person. "Y-Yes?" She timidly looked back at him. Such a contrast from her battle frenzy state, and the wild smile she shows while training. "I don''t know yet if I love you. I already have a hard time understanding what it means with Amelia, so adding you will only bring more challenges for me." Karteira knew he wasn''t done, so she silently listened, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. "We just have to work slowly toward understanding it together, isn''t it?" He looked at Amelia, and received a nod from her. "I guess I have two lovers now..." Now that he admitted that, Karteira''s feeling all exploded in her mind. She was overjoyed, and most importantly, relieved. A new link formed between the three of them. Something unbreakable. Orion''s chest began to burn, but it wasn''t the usual burning from having a new ability. It was more gentle. Like a hot breeze grazing you. ''Lock opened. Right Leg, Gear Three now accessible.'' The mechanical voice of Ego echoed in both Orion and Amelia''s head. "Now I''m ready." Orion stood up from his chair, and spoke so that none of them could refuse. "The four of you, I want you to stay inside the city. I believe the Apostle will revive in a few hours, and attack once again." Dramia and Drania twitched in their bed. Orion knew they were awake. "No! I can''t accept that." Amelia was the only one against it. "I want you to look. I will have my revenge, one way or another, and what better way than using the new ability I''ve obtained." "You don''t now how to use it!" But he ignored her. "Let''s rest for now. The moment that guy return, we will feel it." Orion walked to one the bed, and laid down. And fell asleep. "This guy! The nerve!" Amelia stood up, angry, walked toward the bed Orion was in, and sat on it. Karteira also walked to the bed, and sat on the other side. They both laid down on his side, and also fell asleep, leaving the sisters who were having trouble returning to sleep, alone. "Guess we go back to sleep too?" "Yes, sis." The night quickly went by, until the sun finally reappeared. And with it, a large explosion coming from the place Julian died at. Chapter 158: Showdown. (Part 1) Dawn returned to Triazils, and with it, something that Orion expected. *BOOM* The ground shook violently, awakening everyone sleeping. Florian rushed on top of Albriar''s walls to look at the commotion. ''I can''t see a thing, but that definitely came from that place.'' With dust hindering his vision, Florian could only make guesses, but there was one thing that he was sure of. ''He was right, Julian came back.'' "What is happening?" Tom, his secretary and helper, finally found his Lord after looking all over the barracks. "Another problem following Julian." He turned to look at his aid, and spoke with confidence. "Go notice everyone, that they need to stay inside the walls of the city. I trust no one will defy my order." "Yes, I will do that immediately." Before leaving, Tom bowed, and added one last question. "What about you?" Looking in the distance, he answered. "I will observe from here. I was told to look at the ''show''." ~ "Hnnng!" Orion stretched to relieve the soreness of his muscles. Amelia and Karteira had already woken up, and were waiting anxiously at the table. "Are you sure you don''t want us to come with you?" Obviously, Amelia was even now trying to help him. "She''s right, if it''s similar to the previous Apostle, how are you going to win alone?" The memories of fighting Ivan with Kamala entered his mind. "Compared to Ivan, who had various ways to hinder our movements with his lightning element, Julian is unable to do that. I don''t know if even as a corpse he will be able to use his friends abilities, but that won''t change anything." "I realized that he was an opponent rather easy to deal with once you knew a few things." He continued after dropping his arms down. "Having multiple people fighting him is a disadvantage. The orbs are easier to deal with alone since they can''t all focus on a single person." "His shields are tough, but you can bait him to attack by approaching closer to him." "And now that I have the Third Gear, I most likely possess the same strength as Karteira right now." There was no sign of surprise on their faces, because it was obvious that he was getting stronger at each unlocks. Instead, Amelia and Karteira both asked, as if they planned to speak at the same time. "Are we... a burden to you?" "Who told you that? Me?" "No." He walked in front of them, and placed a hand on both of their head. "Then you aren''t. I know it is selfish of me to go fight alone, right after what happened yesterday, but you know." "My blood is boiling since yesterday. I want to try that new Gear, and I can go without restrain against this guy." "There''s also the fact that the corrupted humans only focus on me when I am near." Caressing their hair, he fell a pressure similar to the one he felt fighting Ivan get closer to the city. "I will not disappoint you." That was all he had to say. He removed his hands, and left the room after saying a few words to the sisters, and quickly exited the city. The girls looked at each other, and turned to the sisters, silently waiting near the door Orion walked through. "What choice do we have?" "Right? Let''s go." The four of them joined Florian on the wall of Albriar, ready to witness Orion lone fight. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. ~ Orion walked toward the place where the pressure was the strongest, when he realized that he forgot to tell Amelia to unlock the Third Gear. ''I''m sure she will unlock it at one point without me saying anything, like she did when I was fighting Ivan.'' What he didn''t know was that Ego was the one relaying those thoughts. And just like before, when he was going to need it, she would go and ask Amelia to release the seal. A hundred meters away from the city, a being was silently waiting. His body was weirdly shaped, most noticeably near the neck area. The black core that had formed where the head was detached from the body appeared to be responsible for the current state of Julian. His head was bound to the body with stretched muscles around the core, making it taller than the day before. There was also no light in his eyes. His thinking had been shut down, and even the sense of life was out of him. Only the purple smoke coming out of his mouth showed that he was ''breathing''. ''One core at the neck. There is... no other cores?'' Orion looked intently at the moving corpse in the distance. There was no sign of other cores. ''Weird, Usually, there''s at least two or three cores appearing on a Corrupted Lord''s body. Is there a core inside of his body?'' But there was no way for him to know about such a thing. ''I will know the moment I destroy that core. But seriously...'' Grabbing his chest as if it was hurting, Orion grimaced at the sight of this aberration. ''I can''t believe that feeling was true. At first, I thought it was weird.'' ''Even though Julian was dead right in front of me, in my soul, something told me that it wasn''t over yet. I don''t know how to describe that feeling, but thanks to that, I am prepared.'' As Orion approached Julian, his presence was finally registered. Julian turned his head slowly toward him. "I came back to finish the job, aren''t you happy?" Orion released his magic, and not long after, the burning sensation he felt the night before. For a second, Orion basked into the feeling that wasn''t painful compared to his past experiences. While doing that, many notions of his ability came to him. Things he never knew possible, and some that were out of his reach until now. After inhaling and exhaling the cold air of dawn, Orion looked straight forward. "Isn''t it time, coward?" The husk of Julian reacted to that word, similar as to when he was alive. Purple haze stopped emanating from his mouth, irritation visible on his face. ''I guess even in death, some things never changes.'' Orion disappeared from the spot he was standing on. ~ "Orianne." "Yes?" "Are you alright? I haven''t heard anything from you since we''ve awakened." Orianne and Reon had awoken from their sudden slumber. For some reason Reon was unaware of, his wife was a little distant, as if she was somewhere else. "The bracelet. Isn''t it supposed to stay in a functional state when Orion is awake?" "..." Reon had a feeling Orianne came to the same conclusion as him. "We were watching him fight, and then everything went black. Be honest with me, did Orion die?" Starring straight in his eyes, she was waiting for his answer. "If he was dead, we wouldn''t be discussing that right now. No, he didn''t die. maybe for a split second, or he simply lost consciousness." His words turned round and round inside her mind, until his previous words resurfaced. "Don''t cry..." With a pained hurt, he realized that he might have inadvertently made things harder for her to deal with her feeling. But she shook her head, and recovered with a small smile on her face. "Don''t worry, I won''t cry. I did not have a weak heart to begin with." "Just for Orion?" He smiled and approached his wife. "Just for Orion." Nodding, she watched her husband place a hand on her head. ''Orion took that from you.'' Enjoying the caress she always received, she closed her eyes. "Should we go look at the recording of what happened?" "I don''t really want to, knowing that he got hurt, but we don''t have a choice." They both walked downstairs, where the table was. "Let me adjust the time so that we can synchronize with his time when we finish watching... and... done." "He protected Karteira before he lost consciousness. That was similar to-" "It''s starting." ... They watched everything from the bracelet''s perspective. It showed everything after Orion recovered. Karteira''s loss of control, her sudden confession, Julian''s death, the moment with Florian, and the talk with Amelia about the confession. "My son is a philanderer! How many is he going to have?!" She said that as if she was judging Orion, but really, she was so excited to know what would happen from now on. "Amelia has such a big heart. I sure would refuse to share you with another woman." Reon shuddered at the thought. ''Orianne'' and ''cheating'' were two words that should never get spoken in the same sentence. "Riiiiight?" Trying not to look at the creepy smile on her face, Reon coughed dramatically. "I said it before, why can''t you trust me?" "Because! The moment I had my back turned, that woman was always next to you!" "You know there was nothing between me and her! I was an outcast before, of course I would attract the eyes of others the moment I get stronger. Wasn''t it the same with you?" She looked on the side, and whistled. "What are you talking about?" "Right? So let''s stop with that stupid conversation." Giggling, Orianne agreed. "Sorry, I couldn''t stop myself." The recording turned black the moment Orion placed his head on the pillow. "Fast!" "That''s almost like you Orianne." Reon saw the same thing happen again and again in the past. She was a fast sleeper, and Orion seemed to be the same when he was exhausted. While the recording played in fast forward the time Orion passed sleeping, they talked about a few things concerning Orion, and what they hoped that would happen. Orianne was for the lamia queen, Deveralna, to be close friend with her son, or more. Reon was more interested in Amelia, and Florian. He was a researcher at heart, and the way they used their elements intrigued him a lot. But he kept to himself that he wanted to see the sisters, Dramia and Drania, act a little more ''friendly'' with his son. They both had a lot of free time. At one point, the recording started again. Orion woke up in the barracks, talked with everyone, and quickly walked out of Albriar with a smile. As if the device understood what was about to begin, the scene changed to what was in front of him. The grotesque patchwork of corruption that was barely standing straight seemed to finally notice his presence. "He really plans on attacking a corrupted Apostle alone." Orianne clasped her hands together, hoping for the worst not to happen. "If he went alone, it can mean only one thing." - "Isn''t it time, coward?" - "Huh?" "Reon? Is there something wrong?" Reon stared at the screen with his eyes wide open. "Why did the corrupted react to his words?" "..." "Is he still conscious even though he clearly died? Or is it instinctual? No corrupted beast ever showed a once of intelligence before. Is the corruption evolving?" Many question formed in his mind, until Orianne pulled his sleeve. "Concentrate. You don''t want to miss this, right?" "Sorry." He stopped worrying for now, and watched the screen once again. A sudden change happened. The screen moved so fast, it was hard for them to understand what had happened. "A mix of extreme speed, and warping." Reon explained his observation for his wife to understand. It happened multiple times, with only one detail always being in the center of the screen. Orion''s enemy. Chapter 159: Showdown. (Part 2) Everyone followed Florian''s order. No one tried to go outside, even though they didn''t knew the reason behind the sudden explosion. Many began to move on the wall to observe what was happening. It quickly became known that one man was fighting alone a monster that they never saw before. The man was moving around so fast, it was hard to get a sight of him. In the end, even if they were able to get a glimpse of it, they did not understand anything. Who was Orion, what was the thing he was fighting, and what was on the line. Further away from the soldiers, five people were intently looking. There was no exchange of words. You could feel their anxiety, as it was written all over their face. Amelia unlocked the Third Gear the moment she saw Orion release his magic, just like Ego told her to. She was believing in him, but still remained anxious. Karteira was tapping her foot on the ground impatiently, waiting for his return. The sisters were hugging each other, praying in hope that nothing horrible would happen to him. Florian was observing, because that was a direct request from his new friend. If he saw a single moment where Orion was about to lose, he would jump from the wall, and do everything to recover him. They were all hoping that he would return quickly. ~ Orion was getting familiar with this new use of moving around. Running around with the Third Gear''s full power was bound to exhaust him faster, just like using the Second Gear was at the time. By placing warping portals all around, he was able to move greater distances without getting tired, while also assessing his enemy. ''I got the hang of it, but I don''t want to be the first one to attack. I want to see his first move before moving in.'' But to his surprise, the being only looked at him with its dead eyes. ''Do I have to move closer?'' Orion changed the way his portal worked, and began to spiral toward Julian''s corrupted form. When he entered the ten meter mark, the corrupted unleashed its attacks. Similar to when Julian was alive, it began by creating a hammer. ''It still possess the ability of the other Apostles.'' Knowing this, Orion had to be careful. There wasn''t just the walls to deal with. Orion stopped running, and stared at his enemy, waiting for his next move. If it was about to launch those orbs, it would be too dangerous to simply run around and potentially get hit. He could always run out of the ten meters area, but he felt like the corrupted who ignore him then. *THUMP* The hammer''s head dropped to the ground, and Julian began to slowly approach Orion, his head wobbling left and right as if it was going to fall down. Its feet began to move faster and faster, with the hammer leaving a trail on the ground behind him. In a few seconds, he was in front of Orion, the hammer falling on him. With a simple backstep, Orion managed to avoid the first swing. The unexpected result took him slightly by surprise. Using its other hand, the corrupted Julian grabbed the handle of the hammer and killed its momentum, before attacking once again with a sideway swing. But Orion was always on the lookout for a sudden attack. ''Fighting in broad daylight is so much better.'' He was glad it was morning. Dodging attacks after attacks, with a swiftness only possible thanks to his Third Gear, he looked at the perfect moment to riposte. With ''Calm Analysis'', Orion found the perfect time. When the hammer was high above the head of Julian, Orion went for the core replacing his throat. Orion spun on itself to gain strength, and tried to kick the core with his heel. *Bang* ''That would have been too easy, isn''t it?'' Moving a little further away from it after dropping his foot to the ground, he looked at the small protective wall where Orion landed his kick. ''Just like with Ivan, they do gain more control over their magic when they die and become a corrupted husk.'' Looking at the being in front of him, he was reminded of the soldiers that attacked Hocride, and Albriar. They were similar in many ways. The difference between a normal corrupted, and a ''Lord'' be it a beast, or and Apostle, was the ability to use magic. If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. But the difference between a corrupted Lord, and a corrupted Apostle was the magic itself. An Apostle already had magic, compared to a beast that obtained it. The control over magic when an Apostle transformed seemed to gain a rank every time. ''What next now? This attack failed, meaning direct confrontation will not help.'' Orion weighted his options. ''I''ll try multiple things.'' Now that he had a few ideas, Orion ran toward the corrupted Julian, and warped behind him. Without even looking, it blocked the attack with another shield. ''I should have guessed. If they only focus on me thanks to the curse, of course they can feel me coming at them.'' Retreating again, he patiently waited. ''Come on, I know you want to do it. Come on.'' But he remembered that he needed to do something for that to happen. He needed to bait Julian to use his orbs. ''Let''s go wild. Alcyone, come here.'' His white crossbow formed in one of right hand. ''Try reloading by yourself. You can do that right?'' He glanced at his crossbow, while speaking to his light element. ''Food...'' ''Right, food. Get as much as you want.'' Orion felt a good chunk of his magic being drained, but the element successfully evolved thanks to that. ''Reload.'' *Clack* The string moved and locked itself, ready to be fired. ''Swift arrows.'' With the commands done, Orion prepared to rush toward Julian. His right foot slid on the ground behind him, before he quickly left the spot he was standing on. *Bang* *Bang* Managing to block Orion''s rapid firing barrage of arrows, Julian prepared to smash his hammer down on him. ''I won''t let you.'' Orion once again spun on himself, but this time, his kick was straight instead of sideways. It want for the head of the hammer falling on him. The tremendous force of the Third Gear against the momentum behind the hammer. A large noise was heard, before the hammer went flying a few meters behind Julian. With such force, Orion was pushed away a little bit, but he managed to remain standing. The same happened for Julian. ''No surprise, the Third Gear is something else.'' Both of his legs were incredibly tougher than before. He knew that if he tried to do that with the Second Gear, his leg would be either broken, or completely ripped off. Without bothering with any other thoughts, he recovered and ran toward the corrupted to finish the job. He fired multiple arrows toward the neck area, but once again, they were easily blocked. Back to close range, he once again went for the offensive, with a punch this time. A wall finally formed in front of his enemy, something he was waiting for. He stopped his first before it touched the metallic wall, and stayed where he was. He heard the sound of walking behind it, and the sound of the hammer being picked up. And then. *BUMP* *BUMP* The wall suddenly vanished, showing two metallic orbs flying straight at Orion. ''I was waiting for that!'' Orion warped at the limit of the ten meters, and stared at the orbs. *BUMP* Julian kept creating orbs and launched them toward Orion. ''Let''s see what you think of that.'' With all his strength, Orion began to kick the orbs coming at him, similar to Florian. Left or right, it didn''t matter, he kicked with both legs in every direction. When the twentieth orbs was kicked away, he looked at the mess of orbs bouncing around. ''Good. Switch to the Drilling Arrow. Taygeta, other hand. You can do the same thing and eat my magic.'' The dark element evolved too, leading to more magic being drained. ''Damn, you ate more than Alcyone! Alright, let''s try another arrow.'' Orion, with both Alcyone and Taygeta in his hands, ran toward an orb that was coming his way. ''Using both crossbows at the same time is really hard. Why do I always find my next blockage in fights?'' He internally sighed, because he knew that to make the wielding of both crossbow possible, he most likely needed another unsealed ability from the Shackles. ''Well, for what I''m going to do, that should be enough.'' Dodging the first orb, he went for the one behind it. A picture of his movement formed in front of him, a path that would be possible only by people like Florian. Jumping on the orb, Orion jumped toward another one. The next one was too far away, and there was an orb coming his way at a weird angle from below, making it way too difficult for him to move. That''s were Taygeta came in play. ''Impulse Arrows. Are you ready?'' He pointed the crossbow that was in his left hand on his right, and pushed the trigger. This kind of arrow was special, as it was made to push thing, and in this particular case, Orion himself. *Click* Another on, this time behind him. Orion dodged the fast orbs in mid air with incredible swiftness. With the third trigger, Orion arrived where his objective was. An orb right above Julian. ''What do you think about eating your own ability?'' With a flip, he kicked the orb downward. It was a gamble to see if he would stop his own attack or not. The orbs flew with incredible velocity downward, and crashed against a wall Julian created in a split second. ''I guess it was too fast for you?'' Creating a dent in the shield, and a crack following that dent, Orion aimed Alcyone at the center in midair. The moment he fired the arrow, the most destructive one he had, he realized where he was, and how bad it was. Four metallic orbs were all going in his direction. If he couldn''t move away, this would be the end for him. With a quick look around, his next action was decided. ''I''ll drop directly on Julian, and kill him again when the shield breaks.'' He aimed Taygeta in the air, and fired an Impulse Arrow, launching Orion toward the ground, in the same direction as his Drilling Arrow previously fired. *BING* The first arrow made contact with the shield, and began to create more cracks, until it broke it. It plunged further down, missing Julian by a thread, and lodged itself on the ground. Since Amelia only unsealed the Third Gear, and not the Arm Overdrive, it was way less destructive than the day before, only digging a few centimeters of ground. Orion was right behind the arrow. He released Taygeta, and dive kicked Julian in the guts, sending him crashing only two meters away from Orion. "Remember, cowards are never rewarded." After speaking, Orion fired a Swift Arrow toward the throat of his enemy, ready to finally kill him. ''I would have understood if you wanted to survive, and ultimately went to change you ways, but in the end, all you tried to do was cause even more trouble for the ones living in peace. Shame on you, and every single Apostles that are like you.'' Laying on the ground lifelessly, the corrupted Apostle, Julian, stared at the arrow coming his way. It tried to create one last shield to protect itself, but before it was completed, as if it was a recreation of the day before, the arrow went past it, and pierced the core, shattering it to pieces. Once again, the head of Julian rolled on the ground, but his body seemed to still be able to move. ''There another core in his body. Where could it be?'' Orion hurriedly walked toward the convulsing body that would repair the core at any moment. He kicked the body a made it lay on his back, before strongly stepping on its right shoulder to stop him from moving. ''Amelia said that there was a core in the body, where was it again?'' Aiming Alcyone at the body, he saw tentacles of muscles sprout from the neck of Julian. ''I don''t have time for this!'' *Click* First, he pierced the heart of Julian. ''Not there.'' Then, he remembered that the spot Amelia spoke about was right below the ribcage, in the middle. *Click* ''Not there either!'' Orion was beginning to panic. If he was unable to kill Julian right now, then he would have to do that all over again. The worst was, some orbs were getting near him too at an alarming pace. ''Is previous wound!'' *Click* Orion fired in the same spot as the day before, in the right lung of Julian, without hesitation. The sound of something shattering was heard, and the husk of Julian stopped moving. He removed his foot and walked away from the corpse, who began to disintegrate. Every orbs fell to the ground, and also slowly vanished from existence. In the end, only Orion remained, victorious over another Apostle. Chapter 160: Albriar defended. "He... won." "Yes, sis. He sure did." Dramia and Drania looked at the distance at the man who single handedly dealt with a corrupted Apostle. Not only them, but Amelia, Karteira, Florian, and most of Albriar were left speechless. "I had no idea he was capable of such prowess. I sure would have liked to have like that yesterday." Looking at the sky a little tired from watching Orion fight, Florian lightly smiled. "Karteira. He''s returning." "Let''s go, Amelia." Without waiting, both girls walked past everyone, and went down the stairs leading to the barracks area. They ran through the place, and quickly went toward Albriar''s archway leading out of the city. Together, they both waited for him to come back. It was painfully long, but Orion managed to return after only five minutes. Exhausting his mana, and having most of it ate by his two elements made him feeling sluggish, making him slower than usual. "I told you I was going to win, didn''t I?" He stopped in front of them and took a pose. With his right hand on his hip, he made a thumbs up, and smiled at them. Now that he was in front of them, they looked completely relieved. When their emotions couldn''t be contained anymore, they both expressed their worry in their way. Amelia jumped at Orion''s neck and hugged him, plunging her face in his chest, while Karteira walked next to him and grabbed his arm. "Glad to have you back." Karteira was the first to speak, as she hugged his arm closer to her side. "Yes! You have no idea how worried we were, do you?" A little bothered, Amelia removed her face from his chest, and stared in his eyes. "Of course I knew. But I made a lot of progress like that." She grabbed his cheek with one hand and slightly pulled, not to hurt him. "Do you really understand? I know it has been like this for us for years, but Karteira just got her answer, and you''re already risking your life?" Orion tried to push her hand off his cheek, unsuccessful. "I''m not belittling your feelings or anything like that." He finally pulled her hand away, and looked at Karteira at his side. "I''m sorry, I''ve made both of you worry." "But... how do I say this. It will definitely happen again." *sigh* Amelia audibly sighed, knowing that what he said was true. "I don''t mind, I just want you to come back alive." Both Orion and Karteira shared a long gaze, building their new relationship slowly. ''Sheesh, she wasn''t lying when she said she would become more aggressive.'' With that thought, the three of them enjoyed some time together, under the eyes of the ''jealous'' sisters, Florian, who decided to confirm the end of this little war, and all of the soldiers of Albriar. ~ "Every single one of you! If you have time to enjoy this, you can move you feet and help me prepare to receive our citizens back into the city." Florian ordered his men with a smile. ''There''s a lot to do.'' Beginning to think about all the paperwork it was going to give, he began to have a headache. ''Recovering our citizens, cleaning the field of the dead bodies of beasts and soldiers, work on reforestation, pays, notice to the family of the deceased...'' "Florian! Where is Florian!" Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The voice of a woman was heard down the wall. ''Hmm? That voice.'' All the soldiers bowed in front of her, while leading her to him. "Mo-Mother?! Why are you outside?" Now that the war had been dealt with, and Albriar being ultimately back to being safe, Lobelia had decided to look for her son. "Florian! Are you alright?" She stopped right in front of him, and began to look all over his body. The older woman shamelessly removed the button of his suit, and pulled his shirt up, to look if there was no injury on his chest. "I-I''m fine. Couldn''t you have waited until I came home to do that?" Stopping her hands, she looked straight in his eyes. "A mother''s job is to protect their children, if anything happens to you, what am I going to say to your father?" This seemed to always happen, so he stood there, motionless, until his mother was satisfied. Before any of this happened, the soldiers were already gone, knowing that this was embarrassing for their Lord. Lobelia pulled down his shirt, and buttoned his suit back up, and cleaned all of the dust off of him, before hugging him. Even if it was embarrassing, he knew that his mother was incredibly worried, and that he was lucky she was still there. He hugged her back for a moment, before walking a step back. "What are you doing outside of the house? You know how bad your anxiety gets when you stay too long outside, right?" But to his surprise, she strongly shook her head. "This is different. I still possess the quality of an Apostle, even if I am retired, so anyone trying to destroy our home has to be dealt with. You weren''t here, so I had to take actions in your stead." Smiling at his mother, Florian bowed his head. "Thank you for sending a message to the lamias. Without it, we wouldn''t have been here in time." After acknowledging his grateful feelings, her gaze fell on the two fairies further behind Florian. ''Are these two perhaps?'' She tried to identify them, but not knowing that they were fairies, she let it go, and instead chose to follow their gaze, which were on three people outside of the gate of Albriar. "Tell me, Florian, who are they?" He understood that she was a little on edge with strangers at a time like this, so he quickly diffused the situation. "These people helped defend Albriar. I wouldn''t have been able to arrive in time if not for them. They also fought Julian and his army with me." With a surprised look, her opinion suddenly changed, and went in reverse. Looking at her son with a smile, she spoke. "I see. You''ve found your light, isn''t it?" Florian removed his glasses, and showed the brightest smile he ever had to her. "Yes." ~ "Girls, let''s return inside the city. I can feel Dramia piercing gaze on me since quite some time. She most likely want to take a shower at this point." Both ladies removed themselves from Orion, and finally gave him room to freely move. "Are we going back to Horizon?" Amelia asked, quickly receiving her answer. "We are. We all deserve a day of rest at this point." Orion caressed Karteira''s head, who had the most troublesome and tiresome situation. Orion too was tired. There was a lot to discuss about, and he also wanted to return to the Lahro and finish his discussion with Deveralna. Maybe he would invite her to Horizon instead of wasting precious time on Triazils, but he had to speak with Amelia and Karteira first before it happened. They began to return in Albriar. There, Florian and Lobelia were already waiting for them. "You are Orion, right? Amelia, and Karteira? My name is Lobelia Delur, Florian''s mother and previous holder of the title of Apostle." Florian explained clearly to his mother that Orion clearly despised Apostles, so he tried to make her avoid saying that, but she believed it was necessary anyways. "I heard the necessary concerning you from my son. Thank you very much for protecting Albriar." Without hesitation, she placed a hand on her heart, and slightly bowed her body forward. ''Another Apostle that refused to drink the corrupted sludge, I suppose? I don''t feel any animosity in her tone, and she does act respectfully. I understand why Florian is like this now.'' Orion approached the woman alone, and decided to express the same to her. "My name is Orion Feales. I am the one hunting down the Apostles that oppress the factions, and bring corruption to our continent." "Fate had us intervene in this conflict not because it was necessary, but because I deemed Florian worthy of my help." She heard that Orion was half-angel, half-demon, and that he had a grudge toward the human faction as a whole. There was also the fact that he chose to ignore the fact that Florian was himself an Apostle, which she internally was grateful for. At first, Orion judged every Apostles as enemies, not because of their actions, but because of their title. With Florian''s first encounter in the Dead White forest, he chose to judge them differently, which showed that he was more than a cold blooded killer. Differentiating between allies and enemies is what make a person stronger. Instead of destroying countless possibilities, instead, it would create just as many. ''Florian''s dream to remove the boundaries between factions might be possible one day with his help.'' ''The fairies, the dragons, the beastmen, the lamias, and the kelpies. Maybe one day, we would see a world were all of them could live without fear of each other.'' From the factions, there remained two factions that were either destroyed, or hidden, and those were the arachnea, and the elementals. Who knew if there was other factions out there, unknown of Triazils'' inhabitants. Even if there was one, it would be unfair to drag them in when the situation was like this. Both Orion and Lobelia straightened, and before anyone could say anything, she gracefully directed Orion inside. "If you could follow us in a more pleasant environment. Talking here might not be the best of places, isn''t it?" Orion nodded, but looked at Florian before moving forward. "Where are the sisters?" Understanding that Orion wanted them with him, he quickly told him." "They are waiting further inside." With another nod, he followed Lobelia and Florian inside Albriar. Dramia and Drania quickly entered his sight, before waving to them. "Dramia, you really have to wash that dried blood of your face." He look a little worried that this would have affect her mentally. "Yes, and I need to change clothes too. That robe is completely worthless now." The green one piece she was wearing was stained with blood, impossible to clean anymore. "We''ll go to the store Kamala showed us. You wanted to go to Hocride anyway." After talking for a moment, they were back walking in the empty street of Albriar. Orion was used to see lifeless, empty streets by now. He knew that not long from now, it would be bustling again. Before long, they arrived to a tall two-story house, quite wide too, and removed from the other houses. "Please, enter." Lobelia opened the door of her and Florian''s house to receive the group. "Oh! Forgive my manners." "Welcome to Albriar." Chapter 161: The point of no return has been passed. In Albriar, inside the house of Lobelia and Florian, the group exchanged some words with Lobelia, a former Apostle. After properly thanking them for their help, they all sat around a table in the living room of the house. Lobelia went straight for a topic she had to speak about. "Florian, what are you going to do about the consequences? Laylah will not be pleased knowing two Apostles close to Albriar died by your hands." "I am sure she will send someone to inspect the place, and make you pay if they find that you stepped past your bounds." The situation was a mess right now. Slowly, the unshakable will of the Apostle began to crumble, and many of their ranks suddenly died after two thousand years of only internal conflicts. "For Leonis''s case, I have already wrote the full explanation of the situation. I couldn''t let him continue killing in a city that was not his own." "As for Julian, I will write it later. Attacking a city, waging war for no seemingly good reason, and dying as a result, that''s what ultimately happened. His misplaced pride was his downfall." In all of this, Florian already prepared ways to deal with accusations of going against the will of Elliot. "And in the end, if none of this works, I can make it pass as the usual bad blood us Apostles have between each other." His mother nodded. This was the simplest way to avoid having a target on their back. "What about Orion right here? Is there a way to avoid him being discovered?" With a smile, he answered. "Luckily enough, Kamala dealt with Ivan ''alone'', and I dealt with Leonis and Julian ''alone''. It would be problematic if she had spies, but she is not one to play this game." "We have never displayed much of our power compared to the other members, so she should believe that we simply hid our strength." "I am also certain she is way too preoccupied about Elliot to bother with Orion. Her fanaticism over that man knows no bound." Shrugging, he looked at Orion. "You should not worry over our well-being. Kamala and I will deal with this situation with ease." Worrying was not one of his hobbies, so he agreed. "I wasn''t going to. We also have to continue our journey around Triazils, there''s only so little time before Elliot returns." *sigh* "The fact that that man''s seal is breaking only fills me with despair." Lobelia audibly sighed and looked out of the window of the room. "The corruption is spreading faster each year, with the number of their ranks increasing for no apparent reason. Humans are turning against each other, while even Apostles themselves turn corrupted, but that is no surprise as to why. And to add to all of this, Elliot is returning." Two people suddenly voiced their thoughts. "The worse is yet to come." Drania was the first to talk. "Yes, the reasons the corruption is spreading this fast are pretty simple." The next one to talk was Dramia, in the coldest tone she could. "The first one is as you said. Elliot returning might be one of the underlying reason for why humans are turning corrupted." "But the second one is most important." Finishing her sister''s thoughts, Drania spoke right after. "The Remnant of Corruption, Miasma, has somehow resurrected." For Orion, Amelia, and Karteira, this wasn''t a surprise. Dramia and Drania also knew about the fact that Miasma had recovered his ''self'', but were still pondering as to why it hadn''t showed its presence before. And why only to Orion. Or that was what they thought. "The corrupted sludge as you call it, is a condensed absorption of his essence. Do you know what happens to anyone who ingests a Remnant''s essence?" Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Everyone one in the room shook their head, but they quickly understood the meaning of those words. "They mutate." Orion spoke out loud for everyone to hear, so that it would be engraved in their mind. ''I see. This is what happened with them. Tiohr-nam forced her essence into the two of them to keep them alive, and mutating them to a mixed blood of human, and fairy.'' The sisters both nodded to confirm his words. "What I find absurd, is the pace at which Miasma turns humans into his puppets. There''s the constant creation of corrupted beasts coming from the south, too." Dramia placed a hand on her brows and rubbed her forehead, tired. "Absorbing the essence of a Remnant sure takes only a few minutes at best, but the changes are supposed to take hundred of years, even thousands sometimes." ''Drania and I only awakened five hundred years after the ''Purging Ward''. It took us that much time to assimilate the fairy essence. That''s why I don''t understand why it works differently for the Miasma.'' Silence fell around the table. Ideas began to fill their heads, until an answer close to the truth was found. Florian and Orion both had the most clear idea on why this was happening. So, one of them decided to speak. "What if... us Apostles changed over time?" With anxiety, Florian removed his glasses, placed them on the table, and stared at Orion. "Are we past the point of no return?" Both men stared at each other, before Orion spoke. "This might be the reality of the situation. This is why so many corrupted humans have been appearing since I bothered your Ceremony." "Orion, what does he mean by ''point of no return''?" Amelia and Karteira asked for details on the subject. "It means that the humans have completely assimilated the corruption." Another silence fell in the room, but this time, they all fell on the same wavelength. "..." Dramia and Drania gasped when they understood, and then, they also pieced it together. "It is not so strange anymore. It did take a thousand year to merge, but through the heirs of the previous Apostles." "But then, what comes of Elliot? He isn''t corrupted like the Apostles?" Both Orion and Florian looked at each other, trying to find the best answer. "Elliot is the source of the spreading corruption. Do you know what that means?" Orion said to the sisters. "Hmm?" Drania looked a little lost, because she wasn''t as smart as her sister. "Sis? Did you get it?" But the moment she looked at Dramia, she saw how wide her eyes were opened, seemingly shocked. "Orion, if what you said is true, then we''ve been played like fool for a thousand years!" "Not that I could do anything about that, though." He shrugged with a smile. "Sis?" "It''s our fault. Because the Miasma saw us both get assimilated, it got the idea of doing the same with the humans. He most likely corrupted the very first powerful human to avoid ending killed by another ''hero'', and that is Elliot. He took over the persona of Elliot, and began to corrupt humans." Orion and Florian nodded. This was identical to their thoughts. "Dramia, what we said is purely hypothetical. We have no way to confirm it, even if it could be the truth. I suggest you return to Tiohr-nam shortly after returning to Horizon. She needs to learn about that." "Right. I''ll be careful not to let it get to me. We''ll go back after a shower." "Mother, the book said that it was after being sealed that Apostles began to drink the cores of corrupted beasts. This should have been a easily noticed. When the Remnant of Miasma was killed, no signs of corrupted beast appeared on the continent, but somehow, the moment Elliot appeared as the ''human hero'', the beast returned." Lobelia placed a hand on her chin, and remembered what was in the Apostle''s book. "With what you explained previously, this is indeed a strange occurrence. Why did no one ever noticed this?" But the answer was quickly given by none other than Amelia. "Because people follow the strong. They never questioned his motives, or his past, because humans were proud to have their ''savior''. That''s most likely what it was at the time." "A hero needs enemies to defeat, or else, he can never become one." These words were exactly what led Elliot to turn against the other factions. "But he ultimately failed, sealed by the factions he tried to destroyed." There was so much they didn''t knew about the past, that no amount of brain wracking would help them get answers on this topic. Only Elliot himself knew, and he was almost out of his crystal prison after two thousand years. "In the end, we managed to erase multiple Apostles of the face of Triazils. Ivan destroyed his own city in his rage, and perished with it. I killed Leonis, who had no relative capable of taking his place." "You''ve killed Julian, and Kiel. Sadly, Julian had a young daughter, so she will have to take his mantle in the years to come. Kiel had absolutely no one." Hearing that, Lobelia had to intervene. "Young? How young?" "Below ten years old I heard." With anger, she slammed her fist on the table. "Do whatever it takes to take over the Juvern. Take Nobeli too. Your prize as the winner is to save that girl from turning like them. I even authorize you to kidnap her if need be." "Huh?! That''s going way too far! What are we even going to do with her? The moment she''s noticed, horrible consequences will fall on us!" Florian took his glasses back from the table and put them on in a hurry, surprised by his mother''s sudden nonsense. "We don''t even know who she is." "I don''t care. Go capture Juvern. I''ll deal with Laylah''s envoy while you do that. If she''s not happy, she will have to come herself." She never liked Laylah, and that was noticeable. "We''ll return to Horizon then." Orion stood up from his chair after noticing that the main conversation was over, and only a mother-son conversation was happening. It pained him something, thinking of his own mother, so he decided to quickly leave. "If you need something, you can see me anytime, just take a portal. I''ll leave one..." But Florian quickly showed him a room. "In here. My father''s study room. Only me enter this room, so it''s perfect." "It''s decided then. Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, and Drania. Are you ready to return home?" "Yes!" "I need a shower..." "Sis, can you stop saying that?" "Faster! I''m hungry!" Florian chuckled seeing them so eager to return. "Good luck Florian." Orion extended his hand to him. "You too. Were do you plan on going next?" He took his hand and shook it strongly. "We''re moving east. Toward Bandir." Florian looked a little surprised, but that was all. "Have a safe travel." "Thank you. I''ve given you a little gift behind this portal, take it when you need it. I hope it goes well for you." Orion turned around and entered the portal leading to Horizon. "Behind?" Florian walked without noticing anything strange, but all of a sudden, he found himself being warped somewhere else. "Heh?" "Ah..." Florian found himself in front of Kamala, in her living room. ''Orion... thank you.'' Chapter 162: Making their move. A portal opened in the ''hub of portal'' of Horizon. The first ones to come out were the sisters, followed by Amelia, Karteira, and finally, Orion. "I don''t know why, but returning here is like returning home." Said Drania, holding her sister''s hand, who chose to remain silent. "Come with me, you have to take a shower right? I''ll also prepare food while you do." "Thank you." "YAY!" Amelia, Dramia, and Drania all returned in the home, leaving Karteira and Orion together. "Welcome back?" Karteira said because no one ever spoke those words until now. Orion smiled, and with his gentle tone. "You too, welcome back. Let''s go inside, I''m tired." With a nod and a smile, she walked right next to him until they entered the house. Immediately turning left, Orion entered the living room, and without even removing his coat, he slumped his tired body on one of the sofa. Karteira chuckled and sat next to him. "You really are that tired?" Her tail was resting on her right shoulder, which was usual when she was also taking a break. "It''s like a repetition of last time, when I fought you. I just hope... that Remnant will not... bother me... this... time." And he quickly fell asleep. ''Eh? Did he really fall asleep?'' She looked at him, and quickly realized that he was really tired. ''He said that his magic reserve was almost dry. No wonder he his tired. I had completely forgotten.'' Staring at him, Karteira was lost on what to do. Her thoughts became erratic. ''I am his lover, right? I can do the same things as Amelia, right? I can...'' Her tail swayed off of her shoulder, and stretched toward Orion''s left shoulder. After a quick and gentle push, Karteira gently caught his sliding body and placed his head on her thighs. To say that she was embarrassed was an understatement. She was so red she could be compared to a tomato. Orion was completely spent, and fast asleep. This was also a display of how much trust he gave to his ''lovers''. ''Amelia said that I had to find a way to pierce his heart, and learn more about him.'' She didn''t said it like that, but for Karteira, it was the same. Gently, she caressed his hair just like he usually did to them. A gentle caress that would not bother the sleeping Orion. - "I wanted to be happy." - ''Happiness.'' ''Can I really work toward it?'' - "For him, I was ready to do anything." - ''Love.'' ''Can I really have such rights?'' The momeries of her talk with herself returned, as she touched her hairclip. Time passed while she was slowly accepting the fact that she was currently working toward her happiness, and building the new emotion of love she had in her. Before long, Amelia entered the living room to say that she was done cooking. "Karteira, Orion, I''m done coo- oh?" "Shh! Not so loud." With a quiet voice, Karteira told her to also spoke quietly. "Don''t worry, I''m awake. Food''s ready, right?" But Orion awakened at some point. He removed his head from Karteira''s lap, who looked really disappointed to let him go. After standing up, he stretched his arms behind him, before giving a hand to Karteira. "Thank you, I rested well. Let''s go eat." She grabbed his hand, changing her mood at the same time. All of this while Amelia was watching. Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ''She''s fast. I turn my eyes a second, and she''s already making a move on him.'' "Alright you two, today''s an omelet with plenty of vegetables. The sisters are already waiting on you." From the room behind Amelia, Orion heard Drania speak. "Yes! If you don''t come, I''ll even eat your share!" Before hearing Dramia reprimand her sister. "You can''t do that. What kind of manner do you have?" "It''s a joke. A joke to motivate them to come. You really are stuck-up sometimes." "Stuck-up?! Wha-" As they began to bicker, Orion closed his eyes and smiled. ''Since when did this house became so animated?'' While holding Karteira''s hand, he walked toward the entrance, and also grabbed Amelia''s hand. "We have to go before these two get louder." With both girls by his sides, he walked in the dining room. ~ While Orion and everyone began to eat, and because he forgot to calibrate Horizon''s time not to be on the same plane as Triazils, Florian was about to finish explaining what had happened near Albriar. "At that point, we were all holding our breath, before Orion rushed to him. He kicked the side of Julian, and stepped on him to keep him in place, and fired three arrows, one in his heart, one below the chest, and one in his right lung." "After the last arrow, Julian finally perished, and evaporated to dust." Kamala, who listened to both his, and Orion''s group feats, was reminded of the battle against Ivan. "Just like Ivan. The corrupted Apostles usually disintegrate to nothing once you break their cores it seems." "Yes. And I also have to speak about another matter. Something that Orion and I came to notice." ... The conversation about Elliot and the Remnant of Corruption was retold to Kamala. "Are you serious? If what you two came up with is true, then we are in a dire situation. No wonder everything is turning weird since the dragon''s rampage event." She quickly realized that she would have to explain her story to Florian if he was to question why she said that. But Florian wasn''t that disrespectful. He knew that something happened in her life, but chose to not pry upon it. Instead, he made another link. "Bandir. But there''s something I don''t understand." Surprised that he did not even made insinuation about her, she quickly regained her neutrality. "What could it be? I don''t have the same intelligence as you, so there are things I can''t get immediately." He stared at her as if he said something wrong. "There are also things I don''t understand. For exemple, I can''t understand you completely. I can''t understand someone like Orion, or what happened in the past. I am not a mathematical genius either." And then, it came to him. "Did you say that because you thought I had a bad opinion of you? If that was the case, I wouldn''t have bothered speaking to you at all." "Intelligence doesn''t make use everything. Sometimes, we also make mistakes. That''s why we have people around us to make those mistakes happen less." "You could even say that our mistakes are usually worse." With a questioning look, Kamala asked. "What do you mean?" "I''ll compare you to me. How did you defend against the attacks on Hocride?" Kamala had no reason to think, because she did it without much of a thought. "I''ve defended the city myself." Florian spoke right after that. "I''ve defended using my army, while watching on top of the city''s wall." She understood the meaning. Kamala sacrificed herself in battle because she did not think much about a potential trap. There could have been many ways to avoid the final result, but she still chose to avoid her soldiers die in vain. While Florian, him, chose to use his soldiers instantly, because he knew that they were made for that purpose. "That choice did cost me forty six lives. Am I really a good person in your eyes? I could''ve easily went instead of them, and live Julian to Orion, but instead, I''ve left the city''s defense to my people." He had some regrets. Those were forty six people he knew well. He formed every single one of them. Some had families, some not, but they were still precious members of Albriar. "I''m sorry. We never really spoke before, so I thought you were interested in something else. Mostly the money made from Hocride, if I had to guess." "I don''t trust others easily." Florian shook his head, before removing his glasses to clean them. "This is fine. I learned by watching Orion that being cautious about everything and everyone is important. Trust is something you build with time, and not suddenly. Just how you and I built trust with Orion, it will take time for us too." He was in no rush. Both of them were quite different, and a lot of learning was necessary for them to come to trust each other. ''I''ll have to see Eric too. I''ve kept it at arm''s length for quite a few years now. It''s not the time to act distant.'' Placing his glasses back on his nose, he returned to the main conversation. "About Bandir." "Yes. I forced a weird tangent in the conversation, let''s return to that. You said you didn''t understand something?" "Did Kelvin ever drink the corrupted sludge? That''s where I don''t understand." "I don''t think he ever touched that." "Than why did he act like that twenty years ago?" Kamala thought for a moment. "You said that the assimilation of the corruption was through the heirs of the Apostles right? What if he didn''t need to drink the mixture, and had the corruption already encroached in his body from birth?" Florian opened his eyes wide. "Then it makes more sense. How did I miss that?" But then his face suddenly looked terrified. He looked at Kamala. "Do you know what that entails?" Knowing Florian, she knew there was something deep hidden in those words. Without answering, she did her best, and thoughts on his words. "!" "Did you get it?" Both realized that if the assimilation was able to be formed by birth alone, there was no way to know when it would activate in them. They could be corrupted at any time. "Yes. Are we in danger?" "Most certainly. We need to be careful. Knowing the corruption is inside of us, the situation keeps getting worse." "Do we speak about that to Orion?" Kamala was a little scared of telling him, because now, he would have a reason to kill them. "I will. I trust this won''t be enough for him to change his opinion on us." Strongly believing that Orion was going to simply ignore this problem, because until it happened nothing actually changed, Florian prepared himself to tell him at one point. "Isn''t there a way to remove the corruption out of our blood?" Hearing Kamala, he returned to reality. "There isn''t. The Remnant of Cleansing is the same as the Remnant of Corruption. There is nothing we can do... Or maybe not! I heard Orion was able to remove the corruption from uncorrupted people!" A light of hope appeared in both of their eyes. "Then we should see him later. This is important." "Definitely." Their conversation ended there. After calming themselves, they discussed a little more about their life, and what they had to do, before Florian returned to Albriar. ... When he returned, the army was currently burning the dead bodies far from Albriar. "Alright. Once this is done... I guess I''ll go take over Juvern and Nobeli?" This was something he didn''t want to do, but as an Apostle, he had to at least maintain appearances. The loser lost everything, the winner took everything. For Hocride, or Albriar, this would have happened anyway, so why shouldn''t they do the same? The difference was how they would do it. Florian was about to avoid bloodshed at all cost. Once all the soldiers returned, dusk had fallen on the city. "Alright everyone. Tonight, you rest well. Because tomorrow, we''re going on a conquest. Doesn''t that make your blood boil?" Cheers were heard from a lot of soldiers. They were eager to settle the grudge they had by conquering a city or two. "Let me be clear, no blood needs to be spilled. Citizens are in no way related to the army. If I see, or hear one of you was rough, or even killed a civilians, you will we killed on the spot, by me personally. Understood?" "Yes, Lord Florian!" They all spoke in unison. Their booming voices were almost loud enough to break windows. "Tomorrow morning, I want you to stand in front of the north gate. Dismiss." As Florian prepared for an easy mission, night fell on Triazils. Two weeks later, two cities would join the alliance between Albriar, and Lahro, with not a single drop of blood being shed. Chapter 163: Playing a card game while making plans. After their meal, Orion noticed that the time was calibrated on Triazils, so he rectified this. He wanted to relax his muscles as much as possible before moving again. Drania and Dramia returned to the fairy realm right after to talk with Tiohr-nam. Only him, Amelia, and Karteira remained in their home. They were discussing a few things, plans that would take a few days to complete, and whatever was on their mind. It was right after Orion went to prepare a cup of coffee, that Amelia returned with something he hadn''t seen in quite some time. "Orion! Look what I found! It was stuck in one of the pocket of my bag. I had completely forgotten about it." Glancing at the object, he recognized it immediately. "Is that your deck of card?" His face crumped up instantly. "Do you want to play a game with me and Karteira?" Bad memories of playing hours after hours against her resurfaced. ''It''s been a while, why not.'' He swallowed the bad feeling he felt, and agreed. "Sure." Taking his cup from the counter, he returned to the table with Amelia, where Karteira was waiting. After everyone was comfortably sat, Amelia began to talk. "I''ll play with Karteira first, and I''ll explain the rules at the same time. We haven''t played in a while, so it''ll come back to you too." Orion closed his eyes and nodded, though he clearly remembered the rules. What Amelia played the most, and liked more than any other card game was ''War''. And... it was impossible to win against her. ... "Huh? I was unlucky?" Karteira lost painfully so, experiencing the same tragedy as Orion before her. ''I don''t feel like playing anymore.'' With the fastest change of mind he ever had, Orion wanted to disappear and avoid playing against her. He looked at Karteira with sympathy. "No, you weren''t unlucky. You will understand later." Taking the cards scattered on the table, he swiftly made the deck, and shuffled it. "Alright, I''ll humor you Amelia." Orion cut the deck of fifty-two cards in two, placed one in front of Amelia, and kept the other half. The results? "It feels quite nostalgic." A magnificent loss for Orion. Twenty pairs against six. "How?!" Even Karteira was shocked. She never knew such a game existed before Amelia showed her, but she liked both the game, and its name. Though, she didn''t understood how Amelia was able to win with such a large margin over the opponent. "That''s just how it is with Amelia. She was born to trample others on card games." Even though he was smiling, he clearly sounded bitter about losing every time. "I''ve never won a single time against her, and we''ve played hundreds of times." The one concerned looked rather innocent. "What? It''s fun just to play isn''t it?" Orion turned his face slowly toward the window. "You wouldn''t understand, you''ve never lost in your life." ''At least she doesn''t brag about winning. It''s just a simple enjoyment for her.'' This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. "Karteira, let''s do one together. No hard feelings." "Alright." Amelia watched as those two began to take the game rather seriously. The match ended quickly, with only one winner. "So close!" Karteira slammed her fist on the table in frustration. "I won, fifteen to eleven. See? That''s a standard result, Amelia. The fact that you almost get more than seventeen pairs each time you play is not normal." Ignoring the loser, Amelia stared at Orion. "Well, what do you want me to say? I don''t influence my own luck, you know." His expression froze, before returning to neutral. ''She''s right. Nothing can be done about that.'' "That''s true." "Amelia! I challenge you!" Karteira pushed her cards to Orion and let him shuffle the cards. ''What am I, a dealer?'' With a smile, he did just that, and gave half of the deck to each other. ... A few matches happened, with Amelia always winning, and Karteira winning some matches against Orion. During a match against Amelia, Orion began one of the topic he wanted to discuss with them. "I have something to ask, it is a subtle subject for me to talk about, and I don''t know how you will receive it." Amelia placed the card at the top of her deck on the table. "If you know it will be bad, why do you bring it up?" Placing his card on top of Amelia''s, he looked and saw that it was a two against a queen. Amelia won the exchange. "The lamia queen asked me if I disliked her appearance. I''m not so blind as to not see the underlying message. She clearly confessed to me." The room''s temperature fell instantly, but hot air was also felt on the other side. "I know I said I wouldn''t care for more, but I don''t even know that woman. And what more, she''s a lamia?" A cold breeze swirled around her. "While I was lost in my thoughts over the matter, someone went ahead of me?" Karteira had hot air forming around her. "That''s what I said. It is a subtle matter. This is also why I have something to propose." Placing another card on the table, the room temperature returned to normal. "You''re going to say something like ''Why don''t I make her come to Horizon so that you can get acquainted to her first, and then see if we can find common ground.'' isn''t it? Also, I''m sure you''ve already told her about me, and that you are always in a fight." "At this point, I won''t be surprised, but you just want to learn more about the faction, right?" "..." His expression was priceless. The shame of having been read like a book, and the fact that she knew exactly his thought process were painting his face. "Nothing to say? Am I right?" "Am I that easy to understand?" "Because you can''t understand my thoughts most of the time? We''ve been living together for as long as I remember, of course I know you at this point. I''ve learned more about you since we''ve left Auro too." She was right, he would also sometimes read her mind. For them, who were close, this was normal. "You two are quite lucky. I don''t have that kind of thing." Karteira looked dejected, and felt rather excluded. "That''s something you build over time. I didn''t have that when I was younger. It only noticed it... after the fire." ''She''s not saying ''accident'' anymore?'' Both Orion and Karteira noticed the subtle change, but it was there. She had began accepting that it wasn''t her fault. Knowing that she could one day also felt this link with Orion, she recovered her spirit. Right then, Orion placed his card on top of Amelia''s, and miraculously won the exchange. "It''s a queen, right? Are you sure we can receive her? She''s not going to speak unjust things to us?" Orion won the next exchange again. "I can tell that she is a strange person to deal with, but she never looked disrespectful toward me. The fact that she took a liking to me should make her be careful of her words around you two." "You really want to learn more about that faction. I understand, let''s do that for now. If you ever bring her here, just tell us." The moment Orion placed his card, something that rarely happened with Amelia finally happened. "A war..." Two kings were on the table. They were both on their last card. Amelia placed it first. Another king. ''Damn it, and yet I was close to win against her.'' He closed his eyes, and placed the card on top of the pile. *gasp* Hearing Karteira, he was sure that he had lost. "I lost... it''s the first time." Opening his eyes, he noticed the miracle. He had finished the game with the ace of spade. Fourteen to twelve, with Orion in the lead. "I won? Against you? What happened?" Also in shock, they both stared at each other in complete silence. Before bursting in laughter. ~ After they were done playing, they went outside. It was time to check on mini Tiohr-nam. That was how Karteira named the tree that grew from the seed her mother gave to Orion, so they kept it. "It''s growing. This is good." Amelia decided that the best place was not far from their home, thirty steps away. She made a pile of fresh dirt and used the tablet to create the terrain. After that, she sprayed a large amount of water on it before planting the seed. "In just a few days, it''s already this big." The seed had taken root, and a stem, quite big at that, was already out of the dirt. "Yes, we should have a beautiful tree in a month or two. She said it would grow fast. After that, the smaller tree of life should create other trees for us to use." Amelia nodded at Orion''s words. "Yes, and then we''ll finish the guest house." Next to them, Karteira added. "We have to return to Hocride with the queens too. We should get the furniture we need over there too." Thinking of what was needed, Orion agreed. "Good call. While you girls are taking care of the clothes, I''ll go look for that." "You really hate clothing stores." "I do." With a joke that was also an observation, Karteira copied Amelia. Noticing that he didn''t mind her speaking like that, she grew a little more confident. He wouldn''t judge her for acting a little more friendlier. "If not for Kamala, I would have kept the same clothes. But I will have to give her that, they are quite comfortable, and harder to damage." The three of them were in their casual clothes, which were different from the clothes they wore outside of Horizon. This was their home here, and wearing the same clothes could be tiresome too. "I really like the clothes." "I do too." Both girls agreed. "Anyways, what else do we need to do?" Orion turned around, but there was nothing remaining for him to do, and he wasn''t especially thrilled about training right now. ''I should also take a shower.'' With that decided, he quickly returned home with them. While he was taking a shower, Amelia went to work on the terrain outside of the house with Karteira. After that, she returned home to cook dinner, and just like that, the day was over. The next day, Orion went to the fairy realm to pick up the sisters. Next stop, Hocride. Chapter 164: The fairies in Hocride. "Hot! This place is way too hot." "Sis, look! The sand and the sea!" One cold girl and one rowdy girl walked out of a house. "She''s as excited as ever." Orion walked out of the house, followed by everyone else. "That''s what happens when you haven''t seen the world for so long." "Yes, I was shocked too when I saw the sand, and the blue sea. It''s quite different from our greenish waters." Amelia and Karteira also walked out. "Dramia, Drania, watch out for the crowd. This place is choking with people, so try to stay near one of us at all time." "What are we, children?" Dramia''s snarky remark toward Orion only made him smile. "In a way, yes. Tell me, how much time have you spent out of human society?" "..." She turned her head away in shame. "He got you there, sis." With a cute laugh, Drania mocked her sister. "I know your community is growing, but you can''t compare less than a thousand fairies, to the numbers of beings living in just this city. There''s at least four times more people here." There was real danger of getting separated inside the crowd. It would not be the end of the world for them, but since they don''t know the layout of the city, and that they were forbidden to show their fairy wings and antennas, they couldn''t fly either to find their way. "I''ll be sure to lead everyone to the store. I know a few roads that don''t have much people. If we avoid the marketplace, we won''t find ourselves in a crowd." A happy Kamala also walked out of the house. Her house, to be precise. The brilliance of the white sand, the gleaming of the Palafas Sea, and a beautiful blue sky. With the heat that could make your head spin if you stayed in place too long, and the port that had many ships docked, this was definitely Hocride. Today was the day Drania and Dramia went for new clothes, while Orion was going to buy a few pieces of furniture that Amelia wrote on a list. While this wasn''t necessarily planned by Kamala, she had quite a lot of free time recently. Some of the people she saved in Kaios decided on her behalf to treat some paperwork, with the guidance of Timothy. She was truly grateful for that, and it was going exceptionally well. These people were already dealing with that kind of work previously, but compared to before, they were able to take breaks, and even get paid quite a lot. Of course they would help in this situation. They also had a debt of life to this Apostle. So when Orion appeared out of the portal in her house, and that he explained that he had a few things to do, mainly going to the clothing store she recommended before, how could she stay behind? "I''m excited! I can already see a few outfits greatly fitting these two." "Don''t go overboard please. Also, don''t forget, they need openings in the back for their wings. Even if you can''t see them, they are still physically here. Same as Karteira''s tail." On Karteira''s back, her shirt had half of a circle opening, showing some skin where the base of her tail was. It wasn''t that big, and you could easily see that it was a peculiar design choice. The same needed to be done for the sisters, so Orion gave her a few instructions. "I''ll talk about it with the clothier. Don''t worry too much, they will look way more charming than before. Robes are great and all, but they aren''t good if plain looking." "Sorry for looking plain." Dramia was on a roll today. For some reason, her mood wasn''t that great. "Sis, are you still angry?" "It''s your damn fault, so why are you asking?" "I''m sorry, alright? I didn''t mean to say it like that." The usual banter between twins happened. They were so inseparable, and so different, that it was an obvious result at this point. A cold, straight to the point sister, and an energetic sister who spoke her mind. This was bound to be. Though, when you learned more about them, you understood that Dramia was quite bothered by others wellbeing, and Drania was quite insecure. Those two aspects came to be after they had lost Noah. "Alright, you can stop right there you two." Orion walked to them, and placed a hand on both of their head. "I sense some stiffness in you. Do you want a massage? It has been a while since then." Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. After those words, that echoed in everyone''s head except Kamala, shivers took over everyone, and even Amelia and Karteira shook their heads in unison to the sisters. "No! No, we''re good. Thank you." With a trembling gaze, she stared inside Orion''s eyes. "I see. Then take care on the way. Find clothes you like, you are still women aren''t you?" He caressed their hair, and smiled, before turning around toward Amelia, Karteira, and Kamala. "I''ll be going my own way, once your shopping is done, let''s rejoin here." Orion was about to leave. "Wait. Do you have the list?" Amelia asked, before he turned halfway toward her. With a quick move of his fingers, he went for his breast pocket, where the watch was. Behind it was a thin piece of paper folded on itself. Having the piece of paper between his index and middle fingers, he nodded, and walked away, putting it back in the breast pocket. "Why is he so cool all of the sudden?" Karteira couldn''t help but to blurt those words out. "That sometimes happen. It''s when he is excited about something. Kamala, do you know if this city have a ranged weapon shop?" This was something she herself knew about Orion. "There is one. A bit away from the marketplace." ''I knew it. Have fun, Orion.'' Knowing that this was his plan all along, she was happy for him. ''He never took me to one of those shop after I told him that I didn''t care about bows, and crossbows. That was my mistake. After that, he only went alone, and completely stopped bringing it up.'' This was a little regret she had. ''Last time he went to one was on the road to Eogis. It''s been a few months. No wonder he rushed away.'' Orion was already gone. But she knew that before going to the weapon shop, he was going to complete the errand first. "Alright, should we go too?" Amelia looked at everyone, before they all went another way, following Kamala. ~ "Amelia, I have a question." "Yes?" On the way to the clothing store, Kamala remembered something. "Why did you four react badly when Orion said he would give you a massage? Is it bad?" Another shiver went down everyone''s spine. "W-Why do you ask?" "I haven''t been able to rest well for the past few days, I had not enough time to find a good person to help me. Since I heard him speak about massing, I thought that maybe he could help?" A silence fell in the group. "I see, he''s not good enough. That''s too bad." "A- No! It''s not like that!" Amelia panicked for a moment. How could she let her stay tired, when Orion could solve the problem in less time than she would need to look for someone else. "He is extremely good. That''s not what made us stay quiet. There''s... something else. You see,-" "Amelia! Don''t!" Karteira suddenly stopped her from speaking by placing her hand in front of her mouth. "Mhfgm!" She whispered in her ear. ''Why don''t you let her experience it for herself? It really do relax you, and it''s not like it''s awful. It''s simply... overwhelming.'' After confirming that Amelia agreed, she released her mouth. "Alright. I''ll ask Orion later. He like massaging people, so I guess it''s fine." ''Rest in peace.'' Dramia closed her eyes and sympathized with Kamala. ... With that out of the way, the group finally arrived at the store. "There really was not much people on the way." Drania was intrigued, because the moment they walked on the main street, lots of people suddenly went past them. "That''s because these alleys are not the most attractive part of the city. Citizens, and tourists are most interested by the shops and crafters. Oh, I can''t forget about the seafood. We don''t have the same delicacies as Noctelagia, but I can guarantee the taste is great." "I can guarantee that too." Karteira agreed to the food part of Kamala. "When we slept at the inn, I''ve ate quite a few plates of seafood. They are great!" Hearing that, Kamala smiled happily. She was not interesting in competing with the food supplier that was Noctelagia. There was only the pride of having something good to eat. "Thank you for the praise. I''ll be sure to reward seafood makers of the city. I''m sure with more funds, they should be able to find new and interesting recipes." With glittering eyes, Karteira was already excited to try those new recipes. She loved tasting new food. "Oh. Now you have me fired up too. I am quite interested by those future recipes now." The chef blood in Amelia began to boil. ''New ways to expend our diet, it is always welcomed.'' After laughing, Kamala turned to the sisters. "What do you both like to eat?" This was something Amelia asked before. "I like vegetables the most!" Drania spoke while lifting her hand in the air. "Meat for me." With a nod, and a satisfied smile, Dramia said. ''That''s... peculiar. I would have expected the opposite.'' "You thought that the opposite would make more sense, didn''t you?" Reading her mind, Amelia continued. "I said the same thing when I heard that. Drania likes most of the vegetables, but she prefers tomatoes, while Dramia can eat lots of meat, but tend to eat more chicken breasts than other types of meat." Both sisters looked at her with wide eyes. "How...?" Flabbergasted, Drania asked. "If I didn''t understand what the ones I serve liked, you would be eating nothing but potatoes everyday." After making a joke, Amelia looked at Karteira. "You like fish. Crispy cooked fish." "Yes..." "And you Kamala, during the time you were with us, there was only one thing that made you smile. Cakes. It doesn''t matter if it''s a vegetable cake or fruit cake. So I think it''s more the texture you like more than the taste." "..." Amelia was a master in knowing what others liked. ''Orion is more difficult to read. He likes everything I make, so I have no idea what he prefers. One day, I''ll find out.'' He wasn''t picky about his food. If it was edible, then he would eat it. Even his own cooking taste fine for him. Though, there''s something different with Amelia''s cooking. Something no other plates possess. But there still was one type of food he liked, and it was one of the simplest thing in the world. Until Amelia finds out, it will remain a mystery. "Alright, let''s stop the conversation there. If we take too much time, Orion will have to wait a few hours before even finish." Breaking the weird mood of shock everyone had around them, they all agreed. ~ On the other side, near the marketplace. Orion was humming happily. He went to one of the stores already, and bought half of the things on the list. There was still two shops to go before he could enjoy some times looking at crossbows. "Oh, isn''t that Sir Orion?" A familiar voice entered his ears. He turned around and found Vincent, the guard that helped him when he arrived in Hocride. "Vincent?" "Yes. I am glad to see you healthy." The man in full guard uniform approached and extended his hand. "The same goes for you. How was the gift to your wife?" Orion remembered the look of happiness he had after finding the right accessory in the past. He grabbed his hand and strongly shook hands. "A-ahaha." The man placed one hand behind his head, and looked a little flustered. "It seemed to have gone well. Congratulations." "No, without your advice, she would have never been this happy. Thank you very much for helping me at the time. They discussed a little bit about the reason of Orion''s visit and why he was alone for a bit. "I see. I should notify a few of us that Lord Kamala has gone out, just in case. I will make sure no fuss would be made, and that she won''t even notice us." "She never notifies you all?" Vincent shook his head. "No. She''s so strong by herself, we would be useless in most situations. But it is our job to maintain appearance at least." "You have it rough." With a smile, Orion extended his hand toward him again. "I''ll go finish my errand. Don''t overexert yourself too much under the heat." "I will ask you the same. Enjoy your time in Hocride." Just when the men shook hand. "HYAAAAAAA!" The voice of a women echoed in the marketplace, coming from the harbor. They both looked at each other, and nodded. Without waiting, they rushed toward the voice. Chapter 165: Murder attempt in Hocrides harbor. A commotion took place in the harbor of Hocride, unknown to Kamala. Many guards on duty were already rushing to the place. This time was a rare occurrence. A man, most likely a merchant coming from another continent, had pushed a woman of Hocride on the ground, and was strangling her. The first one close enough to react were Orion and Vincent, who were at the marketplace, directly in front of it. While avoiding the crowd of curious people who wouldn''t move a muscle to help the poor lady, both finally had the criminal on sight. "Vincent, take care of the woman! I''ll subdue the man." "Yes!" Orion let the protection of the woman to Vincent, on the guards of Hocride. After agreeing, they both went to act accordingly. Splitting from Vincent, who continued forward, he chose to stay in the crowd while running left. There was no other way than to tackle the man from the side... or that was the plan. The docks were stopping Orion from circling around him. He stopped and analyzed the reaction of the criminal seeing Vincent come for him. ''Vincent has his attention, but...'' ''He''s trying to finish her off quickly now. I need to move.'' Forcing the First Gear that was unlocked permanently, and adding the speed enhancement from the light element, Orion went past the crowd, and with Vincent, cornered the man with a pincer attack. In the blink of an eye, someone ran past the front row of people, and grabbed the man by the neck. "I''ve got you." This man was everything Orion hated, and he would be glad to kill him on the spot, but that had to wait for more details on the crime. He released the woman as he began to choke. "Ha!" The woman was finally able to breath again, thanks to Orion. "Madam! Can you breathe correctly? Talk when you feel comfortable to, please." Vincent crouched in front of the woman and massaged her back to help her relax her body. Panic could only make the matter worse. Both men looked at her neck. The mark of the strangulation was clearly visible, and there was even a weird cavity on it. Worried that her windpipe could have been crushed by the strong grip of the man, Orion placed his hand on her head, and healed her. Not long after, she calmed down, and felt her throat return to normal. ''I was right, he did crush her windpipe.'' "You have a really good explanation to give for such an act." Orion turned to the choking man. He wasn''t exercising any strength at all. The man was in this state simply because he was lifted off the ground. Other guards began to arrive, and helped the woman. "Re...lease me!" "Why should I?" His eyes were dark. There was no trace of compassion left in him. ''Criminals I swear. They think everything is possible, and that they can stay unpunished forever.'' Noticing that the woman had finally relaxed, Vincent began to ask question, as to understand why she was in such a predicament. "As you can see, you are in the care of us guards, and that man will be unable to harm you anymore. What happened? Could you please tell us?" Seemingly a little shaken, she explained. "I-I was walking down the docks, when this man called to me. I talked a little bit with him, and since he was manly and quite handsome, I thought that it would be fine to follow him. "After talking outside, he invited me inside his ship. At one point, I wanted to go to the toilet, but since I am not familiar with boats, I couldn''t find it." Her eyes fell to the ground, and bad memories resurfaced. In terror, she explained something that irked everyone. "This man, somewhere below the deck, he has cadavers of people strapped to the walls. When I saw that, I tried to flew immediately, but I ended up getting caught." Orion slowly turned his head and stared inside the man''s eyes. "H-HIIIII" He thrashed around, trying to break Orion''s grip, but that was in vain. Gently, Orion dropped the man to the ground. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "E-eh?" But that wasn''t an act of kindness. *CRACK* "AAAAAH" Orion broke both of his knees with his strong legs, before grabbing the by the neck, dragging him inside the ship. Hearing the horrible sound of bones breaking, and the shout of pain coming with it, Vincent watched as Orion walked inside the ship. ''What am I doing?!'' "Madam, I will investigate the ship with this man. Us guards will take care of everything, so please return home and relax as much as you can. If possible, do forget about what had happened." Vincent stood up, told the other guards to safely walk the woman home, and followed behind Orion quickly. ~ *Ding* The sound of the front door opening was noticed by the clerk. "L-Lady Kamala?! Boss! The Lord is here!" Immediately, she turned around and called someone else. "She''s here?! Oh, great!" A tall man with purple bandanna around the top of his head walked past a curtains, and instantly brightened up after seeing his favorite customer. "Miss Kamala! How are you doing today?" The man approached her, and bowed gracefully, a bit exaggerated you could even say. "I am doing fine today, Enzo." "This is such a good thing to hear. Have you came once again for a custom outfit? Or is it for... the cute women behind you?" He noticed the four others behind Kamala, but only now did he pay attention to them. "Oh! Wait a second, these outfits... I made those!" Physically, he was tall, with a muscular body. His skin had a lighter color than the chocolate brown skin of Kamala. In the shop, he always wore his purple bandanna on his head. He was also always seen with a purple leathery apron, full of needles and sewed threads of various colors. Enzo was a man quite eccentric, and he loved his work. So when he saw Amelia and Karteira wearing the outfit he previously took a lot of efforts to create, his face once again brightened up. "I remember you two. I also made one for a man. Is he wearing it too?" Amelia nodded. "Of course. He said that it was quite comfortable and easy to move in." Enzo laughted wholeheartedly. "That is good to hear." He nodded a few times, satisfied. "Are you here for those two young ladies?" Dramia and Drania felt a little intimidated by his imposing presence, but he looked really kind judging by his demeanor. Kamala continued, explaining why they were here. ... "I understand. But why do you want openings on the back? I remember you asked for something similar for the blue lady other there." Karteira felt everyone''s gaze fell on her. ''I''m not the ''blue lady''. My name''s Karteira.'' She wanted to say that, but she simply smiled. "Well, there is reason for that." "Secret?" With a nod, Enzo obtained everything he needed. "Everyone, follow me. Katia, the store is yours." "Eh?!" Katia, the clerk of this shop, and employee for quite a few years, was in shock. As she began to process the order, they were already gone. Following Enzo, they went past the curtains, and into a tightly shut metal door that took a few seconds to open. "Karteira, can you show him." After the door was tightly shut, Kamala asked that she revealed her fairy features. Closing her eyes, she began to think. ''If we''re going to create a future where humans and fairies can live together, I guess it''s alright to start with that?'' She internally agreed. "Fine." Her cerulean scorpion tail''s invisibility slowing disappeared. "O-OOOOH! What is this?! A tail?!" The muscular man began to rotate around Karteira like a child around a mascot. ... "Fairies... I really made an outfit that pleased a member of a faction I never knew about?" In shock, Enzo opened and closed his hands multiple times. "Are you two fairies by any chances?" The sisters nodded, before Karteira added something. "They are our queens." "..." With no other solution but to absorb the information, everything began to form in his mind. "So, they have the same status as Lady Kamala. We need something that can remain graceful, yet cute because of their build. I will ask one of you to take the measurements if possible." Ideas continued to pour in his head. "So, the two vertical openings on the back are for wings I suppose." To help, both sisters revealed their true appearance to the man, because he seemed trustworthy in their eyes. After looking at his overall information, they noticed that he was an honest man. "GREEN! That''s a new one! I had blue recently, but green is new! Oh Lord Kamala, thank you very much!" His clothier blood began to boil, as an outfit for both of them was created in his mind. "The whole outfit can''t be green. A little there, and there. White? No. What could goes well with... Wait, are they twins?!" He turned around and began to draw sketches on a piece of paper. Only five minutes later, the designs were already done. "This here, that here, and..." Enzo looked at his new masterpiece (only drawn). "This looks great! Let''s craft it right now!" Without waiting, the man went to work, leaving the five woman talk between each other in the meantime. ~ "STOP! NO MORE! IT HURTS!" A man with weirdly bent knees was dragged inside a ship. "Can you shut your mouth for a minute?" Orion formed Taygeta and fired a Mute arrow in the man''s left leg. "..." "Finally, some peace and quiet." "Sir Orion! Great, I''ve managed to catch up to you." About to walk down the wooden stairs, Orion turned to Vincent. "If what that woman said is true, what you are about to see might be too much for you. You can still turn back." But he shook his head. "Even without you, our duty would have led us to investigate inside. Do not worry about me, I am simply doing my job." Shrugging, Orion walked downstairs, dragging the man with him. "Suit yourself." ... "O-Oh." This was the only word that came out of Vincent''s mouth. "This is disgusting." A sight of bad taste and true psychotic behavior was in front of them. "No wonder she fled rapidly. You''ve hit the jackpot Vincent." At least twenty people (?) were strapped to the wall, bloodied from repetitively being hit in the face. "But there''s something wrong. They''re not humans." Orion was quick to notice, and better yet, it was hard NOT to notice. "I knew of the Kelpies, but they are horses. What are these? Half-fish, half-human?" In front of them, a faction they never heard of was had been reduced to such a state. "..." Vincent was speechless. This was truly horrible. "..." Also remaining silent, Orion ignored the thrashing of the man behind him, and focused on the room itself. "!" Before noticing something. "They are all still alive! Vincent!" Orion let go of the man, throwing him at the wall, and immediately went to detach the captives. Finally absorbing the words Orion said, he also went to help. "Yes! I''ll do the right side." In a few minutes, they were all down on the floor. "T-T...hank... you..." One poor soul was almost lost, so Orion quickly healed him. But for some reason, he''s state wasn''t improving. ''Damn it! That never happened before! What can I do to save them?!'' He listened in despair for any clues. ''W...at...er...'' A silent, almost inaudible whisper caught his attention. He turned to a woman looking at him with a dimmed gaze. ''Water? Half-fish... Of course! But Amelia''s not here right now. I can create a portal to h-'' But another idea came to him. "Vincent. Leave the boat." "Huh?" "Trust me." Knowing that Orion was planning something, he followed the order, and left the room, but not before looking on last time at these poor people. Once Vincent had left, he stood up. "You''re sinking with your ship, Captain." Alcyone in hand, Orion fired at the man, piercing his chest, and the hull of the ship at the same time. "Time to go. I hope this will help you." Without waiting, he ran up the stairs, and exited the ship before it sunk. Chapter 166: The Sirens, unvoluntary newcomer in Triazils. After exiting the ship, and watching it sink to the bottom of the harbor, which wasn''t that deep, but enough to only leave the mast above water, Orion stared at the sea for any signs of life. *sigh* ''I guess it was too late.'' Orion was about to leave, when he sensed something moving away. ''No, it seems like that helped.'' His smile died down, as he turned to Vincent, who was next to him all this time. "Who was that man, Vincent? I''m sure his name was registered when he docked in Hocride right?" "I will have a look at it. Give me a moment." Taking the opportunity now that he was alone, he approached the edge of the dock, and crouched. He stood in a place where no one would be able to see past him. *Splash* Two heads popped up from under the water. Then three, then all of them ended up staring at Orion. "Was it enough to help you?" Many of the half-fish, half-human women began to tear up at his words, while the men look with intense gratefulness at him. "Yes, we cannot thank you enough for saving us. We were about to die if we had stayed in this ship any longer." "Can I ask a few questions before the guard returns?" The two in front nodded, so Orion wasted no time. "What are you? I have never seen members of a faction like yours, nor heard of it in Triazils." A few of them tilted their heads and looked at each other. "Factions? Triazils? Are we on another continent?!" Hearing that, it confirmed his thoughts. ''They really are from a different part of this world. No wonder we never heard of them.'' One of the person behind the two spoke. "Umm... We are from the Siren species. Are we really on another continent? Not on Ganerdel?" With a nod, Orion confirmed. "This is definitely the case. You most likely were transported here by that criminal." For some reason, he wasn''t cautious about them, even though they looked human. The familiarity he had with half-beings, like beastmen, seemed to influence his emotions. And now that he had saved them, and that he confirmed that they were simply circumstantial victims, he felt horrible. ''Even if I killed that man, it doesn''t help them at all. We can''t have them being discovered, and we can''t send them back home either. No one besides someone from that same continent can lead them, but they wouldn''t help without a price.'' ''At least, the man is dead and now fish food. Something like this would not happen again.'' While thinking, he listened to the sirens. "What do we do now? We can''t go home, it''s way too dangerous swimming back." "Even worse, do you know the way home?" "How did this happen to us? What are we going to do now?" ''Yes, what happened to them?'' Just then, he heard footsteps coming his way. "Everyone needs to remain hidden for now. I will ask more questions later, and find a way to help you." Quickly, their heads disappeared from his sight. "Did you find something, Vincent?" Orion turned around to see the man with a piece of paper in his hand. "Yes. The reception booth had everything about the guy. I will be frank, this was a mistake from our side." Giving the paper to Orion, he began to read it, while Vincent gave his take on the matter. "Iviera Baltras. Forty-two years old, merchant. Ex-pirate, and pillager, also known for abducting people." "How do you know all of that if it is not written on this paper?" Vincent brought another piece of paper from his pocket. "Here." - Iviera Baltras - Bounty - 15.000 TC. (Triazils Coins) Crimes committed: Abduction / Murder / Thief / Contraband / ... - The list wasn''t finishing. "You had someone like that with a bounty dock in Hocride? Kamala will not be happy about this." With a stern face, Vincent nodded. "That is for sure. The one on duty will most likely be severely reprimanded." "Thank you for bringing the man''s crime to a stop." Once again, Vincent went for a handshake. "No, I should''ve brought him alive for you to judge him." Shaking hands, Orion spoke, before watching Florian shook his head. "His judgment is not for us to decide. If he was caught, he would have been sent back to his birth land, and judged over there. He would have most likely escaped before then, and it would have been for nothing." "Ethically speaking, it is not great, but who cares, criminals like them deserve such an end. Also..." "Were they in such a bad state that you had to destroy the ship?" You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Vincent was worried about the beings that were inside. ''This is not so much a secret for him, since he saw them. I suppose I can tell him.'' "I heard one whisper the word ''water'', so I simply gave them that. I also saw them swim away earlier so they are fine." He kept the fact that they were still here to himself. "That is a great thing to know. I have no idea what or who they are, but if they are still alive, I am happy." With a nod, he recovered the two papers from Orion. "I will send a notice to Lord Kamala, saying that after the incident, you took care of it, and that the ship sinking will pass as an explosion inside it. I will say that we saved abducted people, and that they returned to the sea." This seemed like a satisfactory summary of what had happened. "I will take my leave there, I need to confirm if the previous victim returned home safely, and return to my duties." "Sir Orion, thank you for the help, and good shopping." Vincent saluted, and then left the docks. ''Being a guard can be tough too, right?'' Orion turned toward the sea, and crouched once again. "It''s safe. Let''s continue were we left off." *Splash* Once again, many heads came out of the surface of the sea. "How did you get caught?" Without waiting, because he had other things to do, mainly shopping, he asked. "That-" Since he went straight to the point, one of them answered, though it was apparent that it was a bothering matter. "We were caught in a storm." - The water was rough, moving in left and right as if it had a will of itself. Dark skies, torrential downpour, and worst of all, a typhoon and a whirlpool. Near the coast of Ganerdel, one of the largest combination of natural disaster happened. To be precise, more than that caused this situation. A meteorite fell in to the sea a few hours prior to that, disrupting the current of water in this part of the sea. The problem wasn''t the fact that all of these disasters happened at the same time, it was that this area was the living biome of the sirens. Twenty of the three hundreds sirens were sucked by the whirlpool, and in grave danger of suffocating and ripped apart from the incoming typhoon. At that moment, as if he was a hero, and most likely used to situations like these from his past as a pirate, Iviera noticed these poor people, and managed to save them all. The rest was being torture, and displayed as trophies until they were saved. - "We had no choice at the time, this was our only hope to survive. We knew some humans weren''t kind toward our species, but to think that we would end up in the hands of a man like him..." Orion closed his eyes. ''I should have known that other continents had problems with other factions, or species, in their case. But from the way they spoke, it seems to be a rare case.'' After opening his eyes, he thought about his options. ''We can''t help them. There is no way for us to send them back.'' But the reality was there. Orion didn''t even know the rest of the world. He only knew about Triazils. "What are you going to do, now that you are stuck on this continent?" This question was inevitable. It let the despair take over them, as the realization settled in. "We... don''t know. We most likely are considered dead by our pears, and I have a feeling we won''t be quite easily accepted as Ganerdel did." "Yes, we heard that the humans on this part of the world was full of conflicts, and that humans were actively hunting down the ones living on the same continent." "Is it true? Are we doomed even though you saved us?" Silently, Orion nodded. "Then..." The woman at the front spoke, before chuckling, dispirited. "We''ll try to survive before being found out." Something was pulling his heart. Knowing what would happen to these few sirens was obvious. Though, Kamala could protect them, another abduction could happen at any time in the harbor. With a single remaining idea, he asked. "What do you need to survive? Water? What about food?" One of them decided to answer, not understanding why he asked though. "We eat fishes. It can be seen as cannibalism, but we''ve always had that in our waters. Kelp is disgusting." ''I need Amelia and Karteira''s opinion...'' Orion stood up, and pointed far in the distance, were the city was no more, and only the desert was. "Go out of this city, and wait at the coast. I will come see you later. And do not worry, I will not abandon you all of the sudden." Him talking alone, and pointing at somewhere made him look crazy in the eyes of the people seeing him from afar. But by doing that, he managed to hide them, and find a way to save them. Though, it would not depend of his own choice. "I have an errand to finish. Once it is done, I will meet you there." Following the little hope they had, they took the ''I will not abandon you'' part to heart, and believed in him. Looking at them slowly disappear from the surface and swim in the direction he pointed at, he made up his mind. ''Alright, let''s finish everything in a hurry, and pick up the girls.'' His shopping went without problems after that. He managed to buy everything he needed, and was on his way to Kamala''s house. ~ "I can''t believe we''ve finished and returned home before Orion." Amelia was shocked. Orion had still not returned from the errands around Hocride. They were all waiting, except Kamala, who had went inside to talk with Timothy. While this was happening, the full report on what had happened on the docks fell in her ears. "Orion is late because trouble happened at the harbor. He stopped a criminal that had abducted some people. Well, he killed him." Regrouping with the girls outside, Kamala explained what had happened. "He really can''t take a break. I''m sure he''s not been able to go to the weapon store yet, and probably will not go." Saddened, Amelia realized that problems seemed to follow him. "I''m sure he''s alright. We know Orion cannot tolerate people that don''t respect other''s lives." Knowing he acted on his own beliefs, Karteira was happy to know he still held criminals accountable. She would do the same too. "Hey! Here he is! Orion!" Drania noticed him walking toward them, so she waved at him. "He looks a little bit tired. I have a feeling something bigger is involved than a simple abduction story." Keen on understanding people''s emotions, Dramia made an assumption. They all waited for him to arrive. On the way, he waved back to Drania, and noticed the two bags they carried, similar to the one he had when he got his current outfit. "Hi girls, how was the shopping? Did you get something that satisfied both of you?" He stopped in front of the sisters, and patted their heads. "Yes! That man made us matching outfits, yet different in some parts. I like it!" Drania happily nodded, enjoying Orion caresses. "Like she said, the outfit is quite good." Sulking a little from being treated like a kid, Orion noticed the little smile on her face when she spoke of the outfit. "Then this is all that matters." Amelia and Karteira approached, with Kamala standing slightly away from them. "We heard what happened at the harbor. Are you tired?" He looked at them. "Slightly. But there''s something else we have to take care of. I''ll rest after that." "Also, I need both of you with me. I can''t do that alone." With questions on what he was talking about, they wanted more details. "What are you talking about? Didn''t you kill the guy already and saved the kidnapped people? It''s done isn''t it?" Karteira asked, worried about the words Dramia spoke earlier. Confirming her worries, he shook his head. "There is one matter left to settle, and I can''t let it unresolved. Would you follow me?" Orion past in front of Kamala without saying anything, and she felt that he was purposely avoiding her gaze. "Can I come too? Or am I unwelcomed?" After glancing at her, he understood that he might have rushed his thinking. ''If she comes to Horizon, that will most likely be revealed at some point. There''s no reason to hide it. She also need to know, as the Lord of Hocride.'' "I never said you were unwelcomed. I might have been too hasty in ruling your opinion out, I am sorry about that." With an apologetic smile, he explained to her. "But yes, once I thought it over, you are also concerned. We''ll all go together." ~ Once arrived at the shores were Orion pointed at, the sirens waited patiently for him. Two hours later, he finally arrived. But they noticed more people with him, and began to worry that he would also trap them. But... he was true to his words. He still came for them again, so they emerged from the water. "EH?!" Surprised, all the women made a strange sound. Orion then proceeded to tell what he knew about them to the group. ... "Sirens. Beings from another continent. And worst of all, they are stranded in my city..." Kamala, now knowing the full situation, had a grave look on her face. "I will have to strengthen the checking of cargos from now on. Crimes like these needs to be found." "I agree. Even us, fairies, would not tolerate something like this happening." Dramia had a colder expression than usual, but it wasn''t directed at anyone. After listening to that, Drania felt like talking to them, so she went an did just that, telling them that she was also another type of half-being. The sirens understood that the ones that followed being Orion were his companions, and that they were also trustworthy. "Orion, we can''t send them back home." Coming to the same conclusion, Amelia and Orion looked at each other. "I know." He closed his eyes, so she turned her attention to Kamala. "There is nothing you can do either right?" "Nothing. I do not hold any authority over the merchants coming from other continent except forcing them to pay fines for their disrespect toward the citizens or offenses in trading." That left the situation the same as it started. "I have a solution." Only that, Orion already had the solution. The only one that would help the poor sirens. "We transfer them to Horizon." Amelia and Karteira blinked. Chapter 167: Horizons gulf project. "What do you think of it? Is it impossible?" Orion asked the girls. This was a conversation with Orion, Amelia, and Karteira at the center, so Kamala, Dramia, simply listened. Drania was still talking to the sirens further away. "I understand now..." Pondering, Amelia began to see where Orion was going from. "I mean, it''s possible, in theory." She quickly pictured what that option entailed. "Finding a spot, creating a living area, securing food or creating an area that produce it, displacing them..." These were all the necessary procedures to maintain a comfortable living space for the sirens. "That''s going to require a lot of resources and energy." Karteira knew how much energy Amelia needed to created the required amount of soil to transform one chunk of Horizon. "We need to create a false sea in Horizon. Something large enough for twenty underwater inhabitant to live in." Amelia looked at Orion with a blank expression. "I can do it. That''s going to take a while though. Maybe ten days without stopping. Digging the soil is not that hard, it''s how I''m going to do it that will take time. The device is quite precise in creating ponds and deeper reservoirs." Knowing that Amelia was starting to get into the idea, Karteira entered. "If Amelia is going to create the area, I''m going to gather the necessary things to make it more realistic. I''ll go talk to the sirens if they can help." Quickly, she left the group, rushing toward Drania, who wasn''t that far away. Explaining that she needed a few plants for some reason, they agreed without knowing the reason for it. "Orion, what about you?" He wasn''t going to stay idle, right? "Once the digging is done, I''ll bring part of the sea water to Horizon. I''ll be the one to secure food for them too. All we need is various types of fishes, and a lot of seawater. A portal here and there should be able to resolve everything." Shocked, Amelia realized that it drastically reduced her burden. "That''s just like you. I can''t believe you thought of taking part of the sea with you... even I thought I would have to create seawater from scratch." He shook his head. "There''s another problem though. We need more than simple seawater, underwater plants, and fishes. We need corals, mollusks and sponges. Without them, the water quality will never be the same as the real sea. That could endanger not only the biodiversity in the false sea of Horizon, but also the sirens." "We will have to constantly watch over them, until it stabilized." They all were left speechless. "You are right. I sometimes forget how much you know about our world. This would mean nothing if the place we create only turns into a dead zone." Kamala finally entered the conversation. "Are they alright with moving out of this ''world'' and ending up in yours?" Once again, Orion shook his head, and smiled. "No. But I''m sure they won''t mind. Horizon is a better place for them than this harsh part of the world." Agreeing with him, Amelia smiled. "They will become our first permanent residents." ''I wondered what to do with this absurd space that was left untouched, but since it will help creating some sort of scenery, I have no problem with it. They seem like sweet people too, so why not. If Orion wants to save them, who are we to refuse?'' Both Amelia and Karteira understood that Orion decided that, not because this was a choice, but because he wanted to. He could have forced them to do it, but Horizon was a shared place between them. He might have created it, but he gave full creativity over it to the girls. And creating a sea, which in fact was going to look more like a gulf, was directly under their supervision. "You might be right. I can''t do nothing about them, when I already have the fairy introduction plan to deal with currently. We don''t know a single thing about them, and they could attract the attention of others that would went to capture them." Kamala was disgusted just by thinking that it could happen to the fairies. "They said that they rarely interacted with humans, right? They might be like prized possessions for pirates, or something between those lines." "I''ll be placing guards around the fairies the whole time they are here. I should also investigate a few documents, I heard some beastmen disappeared some time ago." After that, an idea came to Orion. A bad thought lingered in his mind. "We might have an organisation of outsiders abducting Triazils'' faction members other than humans as prized possessions." If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "That can''t be..." Dramia couldn''t believe it. A conversation that started simply with the desire to help the sirens, ended up leading them on something that could put danger on all beings in Hocride. "If what you say is true, then I''ve failed my status as Lord of Hocride. I need to find more evidences on that before anything, but I''ll come to you if I ever find anything." Dramia was disgusted, as was Amelia. "Is this how people from other continent acts?" "This is bad taste at its peak." As much as Orion wanted to agree, his mind was somewhere else. ''If I ever hear of something like this existing, other continents or not, I''ll burn everything to the ground.'' ''This is worst than bad taste. There might be something that we are ignorant about.'' His thoughts kept circling around in his head. ''Something''s not right. There''s definitely more to it than what was found. I should''ve kept that man alive. I made a mistake.'' By letting his emotions and self-justice take over, he destroyed what could have been a precious information. Internally, he shook his head. ''It''s too late for that. I''ll simply wait for any leads coming from Kamala. If that organisation exist, no amount of tries toward coexistence will work.'' Kamala broke his thoughts by speaking. "This is a good thing to learn right now. It could have been bad if something like this ever happened. My head would have to be cut off the moment I would betray the expectation of a Remnant." Dramia chuckled next to her. "I don''t think she would go this far, but she would sure be in a bad mood afterward. I''m even sure she would definitely stop that ''coexistence plan'' the moment she heard some of her children disappeared." Orion clapped his hands together, getting everyone''s attention. "Alright, let''s stop this terrible conversation there. This is going to be dealt with in time, but now, there is something else we need to worry about." "But you''re the one who started the conversation." Making a little jab at Orion, Amelia smiled. In return, Orion turned his head and coughed. "Let''s return to Horizon now. Kamala, you can take the portal to return home if you want, I''m sure you have a lot of work that needs to be done with." He hinted at the ''research'' she had to do. "Yes, I''ll return immediately, but there is another topic that is not related to this one to discuss. At first, it was supposed to be Florian that had to tell it, but since he has left to conquer the two cities in the north, I will in his stead." Orion opened a portal. "Drania, Karteira! We''re going back to Horizon. Take this portal when you are done to join us." After watching them both nod, and wave at him, he turned to Karteira. "Let''s talk inside. I want to sit down." With the exhaustion of the day settling in, all he wanted was to relax a little. "Right." "Dramia, are you coming, or are you staying with your sister?" Amelia asked, intrigued about her choice. "I will follow." An unexpected answer. ''I''ve never seen these two separated from each other.'' Orion thought, watching Dramia and Drania exchange a warm gaze. Both nodded, as if understanding each other, and looked away. "Alright, we''re returning home right now." They all entered the portal together. ~ Inside Horizon, in the living room of their house. Kamala finished explaining what she and Florian talked about. "Corruption? I''ve already dealt with that the moment I''ve healed you during our first encounter. Same for Florian, I''ve cleaned his body when I healed his injury in Lahro." Kamala opened her mouth in shock. "You knew?!" Crossing his arms, he stared at her as if she was stupid. "I''ve learned about it before coming to Hocride. I''ve already saved someone with large amount of corruption encroached in her body. Finding yours and Florian''s wasn''t that difficult either." "We won''t turn corrupted? Ever?" "You won''t. You are clean of corruption." Amelia glared at him. "Couldn''t you have told her before she had to find out by mistake?" Still his arms crossed, he answered. "Why? To had to their worries? I avoided bringing up the matter because there was no reason to. Them finding out was the same as me waking up after my encounter with Miasma in my dream." "But they could have changed at any moment, doesn''t that make it scary?" "I don''t know about that. What I removed from their body was more like a broken down grain of sand of corruption. There was absolutely no way they would have turned from that. If I had missed it, nothing would have happened anyway." "I have a feeling it grows when ingesting the corrupted sludge. Yes, Apostles are born with the seed of corruption in their body, but without feeding it, ultimately, it will not grow." Understanding his points, the worries Kamala had began to vanish. "We haven''t thought like this. The idea didn''t even cross our mind that it could only be a seed." For Orion, his idea on the matter was forged. "This seed might be the ''point of no return'' you spoke about earlier. The assimilation process might be different for each Remnant doing it, which is why all humans, or humanity as a whole, has its members birthed with that seed inside them nowadays." "How easily the soldiers turned during the Ceremony, I''d believe it to be close to the truth. A little spark, and their core ate away at their mind, transforming them into broken beings." But there was something Kamala didn''t understood. "Why did we not change even though we were in that place?" "Did you make contact with the purple mist? I remember seeing a few of them bathing in it, but not you nor Florian." "!" The realization finally came. "We went elsewhere after you killed Kiel. Second floor to be precise. Are you saying that we have avoided turning because of that?" Orion stayed silent, not answering. It was her own choice to believe that or not. The mist that Elliot released at that time came from the meeting room. No one was inside at the time, and only Kamala, Florian, Eric, and Olivia stayed in a place the mist never accessed. Kelvin had also left earlier, so the chance he was corrupted was low, which meant that his craziness was genuine. Out of nowhere, Orion''s face darkened. "Kamala, please, tell me something." A weird aura could be felt around him, and even Amelia found it strange. "Y-Yes?" Stuttering from the sudden change in mood, she had trouble looking into his dark eyes. "Did someone recovered, or buried Kiel''s corpse at the time?" "Why?" Amelia, who only listened until now, frown. "Orion, are you thinking that he might have revived as a corrupted Apostle? That can''t be, right?" Freezing on the spot, Kamala began to sweat. "N-No, we did not confirm that. The Apostle Laylah took care of it..." He immediately pressed against his brows. ''I have a bad feeling about this too.'' With this thought, the conversation came to a close. "Alright, are you satisfied knowing you won''t be corrupted? Because we have a sea to create." Recovering her bearings, she nodded. "Yes, thank you. We are incredibly indebted to you." Accepting her thanks, he answered. "You are not. Simply follow your own beliefs, and we will walk on the same path. Aren''t friends made to help each other?" ''Even though at the time, I only did it as a way to pressure her in case she turned against us.'' Always cautious, that was Orion. In the end, this plan was quickly scrapped, and he never thought about that again. She wasn''t an ally for him at that moment, but now was different. His words once again entered her heart, strengthening a bond that shouldn''t have been made originally. "Yes, friends... That''s why we all support each other. Alright, I will return home. There is a lot to do." Standing up, and smiling at Amelia, Orion and Dramia, she quickly said goodbyes, and exited the house, before entering the portal to her house that was at the portal hub. "She''s in a hurry." Dramia smile sarcastically. "It''s no wonder." After saying that, Amelia stood up, and walked to the entrance of the living room. "Alright, I have a place to transform. I''ll go change and pick up the tablet." With that said, Orion changed the flow of time inside Horizon again, so that Amelia could finish rapidly, not leaving the sirens in that place for too long. In ten minutes on Triazils side, the whole thing was finished, and only the finishing touches were left. Chapter 168: The Siren Sea. In Horizon, a few days went by rapidly, as Orion, Amelia, and Dramia worked on creating a massive approximately circular hole a kilometer away from the house. Digging out the ground of Horizon was more a matter of patience than skill, as it required the constant drainage of Orion''s magic for it to work, something he didn''t knew until they started. A hole, similar to the one that drained his magic when he obtained the tablet appeared over the spot Amelia needed dug out, sizing roughly to five meters in diameters, absorbed the ground slowly all the while they worked to complete the project. This gulf needed to be deep for the sirens to live comfortably, and have a good amount of sea life prosper so that the biome created in Horizon remained stable over time. But for some reason, their endeavor was rewarded by the tablet itself. At one point, the device sent a notification like it did before. - A list of everything needed was then given for Amelia and Orion to gather. Sand, seawater, wildlife, plants and sea grass. There was quite a lot to gather. Dramia was the one to prepare food for them. There was no real reason to rush the project, but after a few days, she realized her fairy friend was being a little depressed. That''s when she understood. Being away from Drania, even if it was her choice to follow, slowly impacted her spirit. So, after six days, the digging was done. From the back wall, a deep opening had been created. Precisely, Amelia managed to remove fifty meters of matter. The shallows went from the coast to the steep incline leading deeper. The gulf was a kilometer wide on the far left, opposite to their house. Fifty meters of shallows around the coast, with five hundred fifty meters of deepest waters. At this point, there was a problem that only appeared when Orion remembered it. In the sea, there had to be a marine current. Without one, the water would simply stagnate, leading to various problem, also impacting their own life. In just a few days, it would become a cesspool full of dead beings, or a swamp. How could this problem be resolved? This is were the tablet once again shined. A simple button, . With that, some effects that could only happen with wind, the rotation of the planet (Coriolis Effect), and thermal vents suddenly were simulated. Those setting impacted not only the area around the false sea, but also the whole of Horizon. To say that it was surprising would be an understatement. Suddenly, they felt a rumble under them, and a lot of things began to activate. At that moment, Orion realized that this space hid a lot of things he didn''t knew. Many simulations were unlocked, and the space changed as if it was a small piece of Triazils detached from it. The air felt more real, the sky obtained a false sun formed with a sphere of light, and even clouds seemed to be able to appear, but there was no water for that option yet. Maybe rain could be possible at some point. But how that would work in a confined space, even Orion had no idea. He decided to let the future Orion understand more about his own ability. With everything done and ready, it was time to fill the empty gulf. So, Orion recalibrated Horizon''s flow of time to Triazils, and with the girls, finally returned after seven days. ~ "Quite a project, isn''t it?" "Don''t say anymore. I''m done with this stuff for a moment." Dramia began to poke at Orion with her words. Tired from constantly being drained of magic, he was done with these kinds of project in Horizon for quite some times. "I''m done too. Let''s return to Karteira and Drania." With her arms dangling on both side, and her shoulders slumped, tired from holding the tablet constantly, Amelia walked toward the hub of portals. "Yes, the fact that I still have to expand more magic to end this project just..." It was rare for Orion to make grunting sounds, but this was to show how excruciating this was. The fact that they rushed it without taking much of a break might possibly be the reason for why he was like that. With a sigh, Amelia and Orion exited Horizon, leaving Dramia alone. "Since when this place sustains itself while he is out?" This little detail, which was impossible to know because Orion was always the last to exit, was finally discovered by her. She shrugged and followed, entering the portal. The moment the setting sun of Triazils setting past the sea, the heat of the desert, and the crashing sound of the waves, her senses instantly returned. This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Her sister was happily playing with a piece of Kelp while talking to the sirens. ''It''s way too hot around here...'' But she still hated the desert''s heat. Quickly joining with Orion and Amelia, she spoke on her previous finding. "Orion, that space stays activated when you are not in there?" He nodded. "Since the creation of the tablet, it constantly stores a constant amount of magic to maintain it. I stopped it before because I was scared the magic stored inside my father''s ring would deplete while I was away, but now that it automatically drains mine when it needs to, I can keep it running." "Oh." Turning to Amelia, he said. "We''ll see if the device can absorb some of your magic too. I would like to recover the ring if possible. I know the amount to maintain the house is abysmally small, but still, I don''t want to risk losing it." With a smile, she agreed. "Sure. Let''s finish this first though." "Alright." The three of them finally stopped talking, and joined up with the other two. "Sis! How was it without me?" Drania looked worriedly at her sister. "Quieter. A bit too much quieter." ''I''m just glad to see you after a week.'' As if reading her mind, she nodded. ''Hmm. Me too, though it''s only been close to three hours.'' While those two had their twin moment, Amelia and Orion stopped in front of Karteira. "I can''t believe I haven''t seen you in seven days. We''ve never been apart since leaving the fairy realm." Amelia approached Karteira and hugged her. Orion walked next to them, and patted her too. This was his way of saying that he missed her too. For the ones having stayed in Triazils, it was hard to understand. The sirens silently looked at all of this, not sure on what to make out of this scene. Until Orion looked in their direction. "Preparation as been done. We''re currently finishing with the resource gathering." His hand extended forward, and a massive portal was formed inside the sea, far behind them. When they felt the water current suddenly change, they began to panic, but they noticed the white void with sparkling darker stars sucking water at an incredible pace. ''It''s harder than I expected. I can''t control how much water I send over there.'' Knowing that, he gritted his teeth. "Amelia, can you go back to Horizon, and look at the amount of seawater we need? Just tell me when I have to erase the portal, please?" Noticing the sweat forming on his forehead, she immediately agreed, and waited for the portal to form next to him. Hurriedly, she ran through it. She instantly found herself in front of the gulf. But something was off. "Orion! There''s no water inside!" "What?!" Passing her head through to tell him, he almost stopped everything. "That''s impossible. The water should be there." "I''m going to check again." When she straightened, something else was off now. "Huh? When was it this dark? Am I going crazy?" Just when she said that, she lifted her head. "WHA-! THE TABLET!" Panicking, she hurried to the tablet that was on the table not far from her. *BIP* She looked at the number growing at an incredible rate, and stared at the source of the darkness. A giant orb of seawater was floating in the air, surrounded by multiple dark void hole. It was growing at a tremendous pace. "Even at that size, it''s still not even halfway?!" Running back to the portal, she quickly described what was happening, to his relief. "Great, just tell me when it''s full." "Yes!" After that, it took three minutes for the sphere to attain a size that could easily destroy a city. Amelia looked tiny in comparison. "A kilometer wide and fifty meters depth is no joke..." She passed through the portal after placing the tablet back on the table. *BIP* When she heard the last notification sound saying that it was done, she walked through the portal. "You can stop, we have enough." Karteira was swiping his sweat off with a handkerchief, as he finally stopped and erased the portal. Another grunting noise came out of his mouth. "I''m tired." "Good work. Rest a bit while I take care of the rest." But he shook his head. "I''ll rest once it is done. The sun is setting, we don''t have much time left." He pushed Karteira''s hands away gently, and walked past Amelia through the portal. "Why can''t he rest, for the love of the world! Stubborn man!" Pouting, she followed him. "But that''s why we love him." Smiling while shrugging, Karteira said, before walking to the sister, and the pile of sea lives and plants next to Drania. ''How am I going to take that with me? Should I ask Orion to warp them?'' ''I''ll ask later. I''ll wait here for now.'' On the other side of the portal, Amelia was pressing on the tablet. *BIP* The void holes at the bottom of the massive seawater sphere disappeared, and without wasting any time, the water crashed at the bottom of the gulf. Amelia carefully controlled how the water was to fall inside. While this happened, it let Orion rest a bit. Slowly, under their gaze, the water orb was reduced in size, while the water level rose. Ten minutes later, only a small sphere of seawater was left. This leftover was immediately sent back to the real sea. "Alright, what''s next? Sand?" "Yes, I can do that though." Amelia brought out her earth element, and in less than a minute, formed the required amount of sand necessary for the project. *BIP* The moment she clicked on the button to accept, the sand was absorbed by a void hole, and the landscape changed. The whole golf was now made of pure golden sand. Twenty meters out from the coast were also changed to sand. "I need a bit of gravel too." This too was added at the bottom of the gulf. "Plants or animals?" "Plants. We can bring whatever, it will transform the terrain by itself." Orion nodded, and returned to Triazils. *Splash* A pile of wet algae and breathing creatures fell next Amelia. "Ugh!" She was instantly disgusted by the noise and the looks of it. "Not enough I guess?" Back, Orion asked. "Just a bit more. It''s missing corals, and sponges. I also need ten kilogrammes of plants." "I''ll bring the rest." He turned around and disappeared once again. With the help of the sirens, he managed to bring everything back, while also carefully avoided killing the delicate creatures he needed, especially the corals. "Alright, I just need to click there, and..." *BIP* The pile of creatures was absorbed, and placed randomly at various spots of the sea. Showing the notification to Orion, Amelia smiled. "After that, we''re done. For real." "Thank the world." He smile, and returned to Triazils. With the help of Eagle Eye and Calm Analysis, Orion managed to find large schools of fishes, largely sardines and tunas, but also a few sharks and some octopuses, squids, and whatever fishes were near the coast. He needed beings that lived in shallows, and depth. ''I''ll go and see if Kamala can find me a fisherman that could bring me some alive specimens of fishes we can''t get from here.'' Still satisfied with his haul, Orion sent Amelia to check on the tablet to see for problems, but she returned with a smile, and good news. "All of these creatures will most likely respect the food chain. The tablet said that there was no danger still." "Great. This leaves only the last part." He turned to the sirens, who until now, were left in the shadows about this whole project. "Do you want to come in a place were no conflict, and were only peace exists? Or do you wish to stay here?" He hoped that the whole project wasn''t in vain. But even if it was, there was now a sea in Horizon. "Eh? Where is that? Behind that thing?" One of the siren pointed at the portal. "Yes. You see, I control a space out of this continent, where only me and a select few can enter. There is no risk of being hunted down on this side." Some of them looked worried. "This sounds too good to be true. Aren''t you going to abduct us too?" "Well... of course I am abducting you. There''s no other ways to describe it. Maybe ''relocate''?" He joked a little, but they didn''t really liked it. "I know, you won''t follow blindly. Can one of you come with me? I''ll send you back so that everyone know I can be trusted afterward." They all looked at each other, and all gazes fell upon the weakest member of the sirens, the same siren that asked for water when Orion saved them. She had lifted her hand out of the water. Chapter 169: A sirens thanks. "We won''t let you go!" "No, you can''t go." "Senia!" ''So this one''s called Senia.'' All of the sirens showed strong resistance against her will to follow Orion. This woman siren had strange colors compared to her peers. Most men had a blue-ish color to their tail and hair, and the women had a beautiful light yellow, but hers was pure crimson, with a slight pink discoloration at the tip of her hair and tail. She had really long hair, tied in a ponytail with a piece of dead coral, with the left eye was hidden by her hair that curved until it stopped over her left ear. The clothes of the sirens was similar to what a human wore. It wasn''t primitive at all, but how it was made was a mystery. Did they sewed underwater? With grass? She seemed to be quite appreciated, as the female grouped around her to make her senses come back. "We refuse to let you go! What will happen if it is a trap?" The siren called Senia shook her head. "Then you can flee somewhere else if I don''t return. But that won''t happen, I trust this man, even though I don''t know his name." She remembered his expression when he heard her speak in the ship. The look of despair, but still determined to do something. "I... trust him with my life on the line. I will take any hope we are given." ''It is unusual to see the weakest of the group being protected, and being the bravest.'' Orion brought his hand forward, and portal formed under Senia. "WAH-" She got sucked in by the portal, under her friends gaze, who immediately turned to look at Orion. "I''ll be borrowing her for a moment." "Senia!" Her body fell from a portal above Orion, and he caught her. *SPLASH* ''I forgot...'' He also caught the seawater that came with her. Now drenched, he walked through the portal with a confused siren, held like a princess. ... "Another sea?!" Senia looked at the sea, and then all around her. "This place is white, there''s no blue sky, but it''s almost dark, just like outside that thing." "There''s a house over there? Is that yours?" Orion nodded. "Yes. This is our personal space, there is no one else but us in here. I know having you all move here will feel like you are caged animal, and I apologize in advance, but that''s all I can do for you. You can refuse too, but at that point, I will have to leave you from there. How you will survive, and for how long, that will be your problem." Senia stared at his face. "Why are you doing this for us? You didn''t knew about us before, so why? I don''t even know your name." "Why you asked... well." Orion walked on the beach, next to the crashing waves. "I am the last alive member of two factions destroyed by humans. Maybe I am trying to save whatever I can from destruction, or maybe I felt a connection with you, or it could be simple autosatisfaction. The reason is never as simple as the answer we give." "Maybe, I wanted to save you, that''s all. I also felt that this place would be perfect with a little more life around." With fondness, she understood his words. She realized that the man in front of her was kind toward them simply because he could. "You have had a tough life?" "The hardest part hasn''t come yet." He laughed. "So, what do you think of this place? Is it good enough for you twenty sirens?" "Can you drop me in the water?" Doing just that, he watched her swim further away, and disappear underwater. Around five minutes later, she emerged. "I can''t believe how large this area is! Did you make all of this? There enough space for our whole species, and at least twenty times more!" "Can we really live in there? Do you need something in return?" Orion though about refusing, but he knew that the work and effort him, Amelia, and Dramia put into creating this place were at least worthy a reward. "What can you sirens do?" "Fire high pressure jets of water underwater...?" She cutely tilted her head. "And?" But Orion was having none of that. "I''m sorry! I haven''t thought that much on the matter!" She slammed her head on the water surface. "..." ''Fire high pressure jets of water... That could work.'' Orion walked into the water, not caring about being dry anymore. He removed most of his clothes, keeping his shirt and pants on. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Fire one of your high pressure jets on me." "Eh? Really? It might hurt you know?" He nodded. Stopping when the water was at his stomach, he looked at Senia who pointed her index at him under the surface of the water. *PFOOSH* The sound of a fast travelling bullet was heard, and it crashed on Orion''s abs. ''Hmm. That is what I expected. First, it''s not magic. This is something else. Second, this is strong enough. And last, this is perfect.'' Satisfied, he walked out of the water. "I know of a way to repay us. How about raising and breeding fishes for us, and then capturing them when we want some to eat? This will be both a place for us, and you to get food." Senia clapped her hands together. "This is a genius idea! But what about the water jet? What does it has to do with this?" "I''m sure you can stun a fish without killing it with that weapon." "Eh?" "Have you never tried?" "No? I thought this power was useless to us..." ''Are they a stupid faction? Isn''t that their weapon to hunt?'' This was the first time Orion felt like this. With a single glance, he managed to learn everything about their abilities, and even correct a misconception they had. "Well, now you know?" He smiled and extended his hand toward her. "Not agai-" *Splash* She was once again in his arms, and him drenched from head to toe. "This is so weird..." She said, while looking at Orion, who had a smile on his face. He then walked through the portal. "Senia! Thank the world you are alright?" The sirens who were waiting anxiously for her return smiled at her. Orion sat her on the sand, where the water could touch her tail. "Everyone, we need to follow him." They listened to her explained the situation. ... "Can we trust him?" "This man is not human, so yes, we can." Hearing that Orion wasn''t human help them ease up their worries. They were grateful for having been saved, but they couldn''t repeat the same thing, so they stayed in high alert. But there was no reason to anymore. Their friend returned safely, and they have been described something that could be a real peaceful place for them. "Then..." Looking at each other, the sirens made their choice. "We will follow too." Orion closed his eyes, and smiled. In his mind, he was thankful that they had accepted. ''I''m sure they will thrive in Horizon. And thanks to them, we will have a large supplies of seafood for Amelia. She should be happy to hear that. Karteira too, of course.'' In the end, this deal had been made for them. He would also gain from it by eating Amelia''s food, so everyone won as a result. "Alright. All of you, quickly enter the portal." Orion opened a portal under the sirens, and they, just as he asked, quickly swam through, falling in the Siren Sea one after the other. He closed the portal when the last one went through, opened one in the air and released the water that went on the other side back to the sea, picked up Senia, and spoke to the girls. "Let''s return home, I''m done for today." All happy to hear that, the portal closed, leaving the coastal desert area empty of life, as it was earlier in the day. ~ "Orianne! Can you believe it? Other factions! Orion saved some of them!" "I''ve seen the same thing as you, stop shouting in my ears." *cough* "I''m sorry." Reon was over-excited by the news. Not only did Orion saved them once, but he also saved them from death a second time by offering to shelter them. They were both proud of him, but Orianne was quite impressed by how her son handled the situation. ''To begin with, like Reon said, we''ve never heard of any other factions out there. Maybe the word ''Faction'' is one only used in Triazils to differentiate between each Remnant''s creations.'' ''Then, if not for Orion''s ability to return to places he already has been before, he would have never been able to save them.'' ''Without Horizon, he wouldn''t have been able to help and hide them.'' Her thoughts began to leak for Reon to hear. "I found it weird that Horizon was so large, and that there was room for it to grow..." Surprise appeared on her face. "Don''t tell me Horizon was purposefully created to bring others inside?!" This topic caught the interest of Reon. "What do you mean by that? Orion couldn''t have known that this event would happen." "No, it''s not about him." She shook her head. "Damn it! We''ve missed the point all along!" "Orianne?" Her emotions went wild. "Reon, remember his conversation with Amelia about the Key talking about their ability." "I do remember it." With a nod, he analyzed the words in his memories. One part suddenly shocked him. ///// - Bearer of the Fifteen Shackles. Out of the fifteen available locks, six have been unlocked. Parts concerned are: (...) Magic (four out of ten, comprising Dragon Tongue, Light Healing, Magic Diffusion, and Void Element Creator.) ///// "..." With a grimace, Reon understood. "You''re right. The void element is not a variation of his power, it''s also part of the Shackles. Does that mean that the path he takes influences on future happenings?" "Is fate so easily manipulated?" Both of them looked horrible. But in their eyes, there was still hope. "He won''t let fate hinder his path. Honestly, at this point, I even think destiny and fate are on his side." These two went through many difficulties during their life, before having Orion. They''ve seen many people, saved many others, killed the worst of them, were acquainted with beings that no one would ever approach, and defied the world by having a child. Fate seemed to be quite strange, and the Shackles had most likely a role in all of that. What in the world could be this artifact? Even Noah had no idea. Though, nobody would be able to ask him. After a few minutes, she calmed her nerves. "Been stuck in here is quite boring." Orianne stretched, hinting something that Reon picked up. "It is. Too bad we can''t go and hug Orion." They both had a sad smile on their face. "I really wish we would be able to encourage him." "Don''t worry, you''ll see him soon enough." They both hugged, and returned to watch the daily challenges of their son. ~ *SPLASH* "How''s the water? Has it changed for you?" Senia showed her face when she heard Orion''s voice. "No, it still feels great. We''ve looked closely at the other creatures around, and none has been dying. Even the corals are doing great." Satisfied, he sat on the sand. ''It has been three days since we''ve brought them in. There doesn''t seem to be any problem, and the device still didn''t hint at any dangers concerning the Siren Sea.'' When they returned, another task had to be done, but it was a pretty simple one. Amelia had to create a few stone blocks for the Sirens to make houses. It wasn''t necessarily hard for her, and it was done in less than an hour. Orion finally introduced himself to them too during that time. After their housing were done, Senia explained the plan to make an area of the sea a breeding and raising ground for fishes. Many other ideas came to them, like a mollusk farm, crab farm, and other many source of food. The only thing Orion had to say was to never force captivity on the creatures. Being taken from the real world was already going too far, though the fishes and other beings didn''t seem to care. Plants had already propagated at an incredible rate all over the place. "Thank you." "You''re welcome." With a little blush, Senia approached the beach, and dragged her tail on the sand toward Orion. "Here, there is something I want to give you." Stopping in front of him, she brought her hand to her hips, and dislodged one of her scale. "Please eat it." To say that his face looked great would be a lie. ''What''s their problem with me eating parts of them? First Tiohr-nam, now this girl.'' "Don''t look at me like that! It''s not disgusting I swear. It''s not even weird!" Forcing the scale inside Orion''s hand in panic, she laughed in embarrassment. Orion stared at the scale in his hand. It was glistening a beautiful red, a red he only saw in his mother''s hair. "Do I have to?" Still showing a disgusted face, he looked at Senia. "Yes. This is my thanks for saving us." With a grunt, Orion finally accepted the gift. *GULP* After placing the small scale on his tongue, he swallowed it. And just like what happened with the seed Tiohr-nam forced him to eat, it vanished in his stomach. *Thump* *Thump* His heart began to pound in his chest, and a terrible heat took over his body. "What did you give me?" Just like before, he asked about the effects. "Our scales help stamina to be more efficiently used, and muscles to be less exhausted when used." "Though, more than one leads to death." ''Second Gear has been permanently unlocked.'' The robotic voice of Ego echoed in his head. He smiled, showing all his teeth in excitation. "You have my thanks. I will make use of this gift in full." ''I''m glad I mustered the courage to give him my scale. If he his happy, then me too.'' With a smile, she returned to the sea. "I''ll leave you now. If you need something, take the portal over there. It''s not that far from the water." "Yes." Standing up, the desire to train took over, and he walked through the portal. The voices of multiple sirens surrounded Senia. "You really did it!" "And he swallowed it." "There was no rejection within his body either." Senia nodded. "We''ve never gave our scales to other people than heroes, so this was a first. Let''s hope this will help him in his ambition, whatever they are." She disappeared in the depth of the sea, followed by the other sirens. Chapter 170: A familiar glade. After resting a few days inside of Horizon, Orion decided that it was time to return to his main journey across Triazils. He was currently standing outside of Albriar, alone. The citizens had been safely reintegrated into the city after the war against Julian had been won. Though there was a noticeable lack of soldiers around the city, the few that had sustained injuries hindering their mobility, or wished to stayed behind to defend Albriar were still ranging in the hundreds. But Orion had two ways or returning to Albriar. A portal directly outside, that he used when he arrived the first time, and one in Florian''s house. To respect the privacy of Lobelia, he chose the first option. With Florian out of his city, how could he barge in so suddenly. He was currently at the northern entrance, but his destination was east. So, after confirming the direction and appropriately stretched his body, he ran. ''I want to run. Even though I''ve been training non-stop for a few days to get accustomed to the Second Gear''s permanent unlock, I have this need to run.'' Following his own feelings, he avoided using his spatial magic. His destination was place he knew quite well, Auro. It was decided that he would be stopping there, as his birthday was close. In reality, he tried to forget that his birthday was in two days. Sadly for him, Amelia wouldn''t let it be. If you considered the amount of time he spent in Horizon, then Orion was already twenty-three, but biologically, on Triazils, he was still the same twenty-two years old young man. While running at high-speed, four times faster than the a normal human, his thoughts began to wander. ''This place... I know it. Or so I have a feeling.'' He looked around him, not knowing where the feeling came from, and from which part of the scenery. ''...'' Carefully observing the area, his gaze fell on a little forest. It was maybe ten to fifteen minutes on foot to Albriar. For Orion, it took less than five minutes. Listening to his own intuition, he stopped running, the forest still in his line of sight. ''Let''s go in. There may be something for me there.'' Walking at a faster pace, his heart began to thump horribly fast in his chest. The moment he entered the forest, this feeling was immediately intensified, as he began to have trouble breathing. ''Why am I so stressed? Isn''t this place just a forest?'' After walking straight, he finally arrived into a glade. The place was devoid of life, as if a beast had walked through. The sun was only able to shine a single beam of light through the thick foliage of the trees. It was dark, and it felt strange. ''I know this place.'' Orion looked around and stopped in the middle of the glade. He looked left and right, turned around, looked up, before giving up. ''This was just a feeling in the end. There is nothing here.'' And he turned away, trying to go back the way he came from. Yes, he tried. Because suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and looked again at the center of the place, with a terrified look on his face. His eyes looked empty, as if he had lost everything. What was happening? He grabbed his head in pain, and his vision suddenly shifted to this same area, but in another perspective. The vision was blurry, but it was quite easy to understand what was happening. A man, who Orion recognized as himself, crouched on the ground with Amelia in his arms. As he bit his lips in pain, tears flowing from his eyes, he stared at the sorry state Amelia was in. She had lost an arm, and her lower body was nowhere to be seen. Her body was cold, her breathing had stopped, and the flame representing her life had been extinguished. "AgH- What is... happening?!" The real Orion suddenly fell to the ground, his knees having given up from the sudden emotional switch. His mind was fighting to understand, but feelings that weren''t his own, or maybe were, battled inside of his heart. Pain, rage, despair, love... and coldness. His heart slowly killed his thoughts. Orion remained there, emotionless, as the his mind began to take everything. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ~ Two women were having a panic. "This is bad! Do something!" "I can''t! You know I can''t interfere!" They were looking at Orion crouched on the grass. "We can''t let Orion continue! How did this happen in the first place?!" "..." "Tell me! We don''t have much time!" In despair, one of the woman was about to do everything in her power to resolve this situation. Finally, she obtained her answer. "I have no idea why, but a resonance happened. Maybe because of the void element. Like I said, I don''t know the reason for that." "A resonance?! I don''t care, what can we do to sever it before it is too late?!" The other woman, who seemed a little more level-headed, thought. "Can''t you think faster?!" "Shut up! I''m thinking!" "..." Ten seconds later, she came up with a solution. "I authorize you to use your power. Make an exception, and bring him back to reality." "You can''t be serious! It''s not on the level of simple item crafting at this point!" She nodded. "I know, but do you have a better idea? I can tolerate thirty seconds. More than that, and this will be the end for both of us." "Thirty... fine!" The first woman turned around, and vanished in an instant. She reappeared behind Orion. While the first woman placed her right hand on Orion''s back, the second one clasped her hands together, and began to concentrate on her own power. ~ "Where... am I?" Orion was floating in the darkness. A darkness that felt relatively comfortable. "...rio..." "O...ion!" "ORION!" With the growing sound of a voice he knew, a crimson comet suddenly flew toward him, and hugged him. Instantly, he recognized her. "Eh... mom?" "Yes! It''s me! Orion! I''m so glad!" "What are you-" Orianne stopped him by placing her finger on his lips. "We don''t have time for that. Listen well." She brought her forehead on his, and smiled. "Remember who you are. Remember the people you love. Remember us." "Don''t let yourself disappear." "We will always watch over you, so don''t let this manipulate you, even if I don''t quite understand everything." Her body suddenly began to disintegrate. "Thirty seconds goes by so quickly. Your father is proud of you, and so am I. Stay strong." After caressing his hair, and hugging him one last time, Orianne disappeared. Orion closed his eyes, and remembered his situation. "..." "I have no idea what that was, but she''s right." A bright light enveloped him, and he opened his eyes in the glade, now dealing with the raging emotions in his heart. He gritted his teeth, and began to forcefully stand up. Clenching his fists, he took it seriously. ''Those are not... my emotions! Just... disappear!'' His light and dark elements formed around his body, and began to rotate at a increasing pace. Slowly, they moved toward him, until they entered his own body. *FUSH* A massive airburst exploded from his body at the center. With his emotions now under control, the image that caused this situation, which was ingrained in his vision, began to blur, before completely vanishing. *PANT* *PANT* "What in the... world happened?!" Quickly, Orion ran away from the forest, and returned on the main road. The lingering feeling of despair was still excruciating for him. This was the only thing that remained from this ordeal. ''Fuck. Going inside this forest was a mistake. I almost lost my sanity!'' This was worst than the corruption. Orion was about to completely lose his self, and transform into a mindless beast. It reminded him of when Karteira had lost herself. ''If... mom did not appear.'' He clearly remembered his mother, but he also felt someone else at that moment. Someone he didn''t knew. The warm remains of a hand on his back was his proof. Orion checked his whole body for any changes, physically and mentally. ''Ego, have I changed? Is my mind broken in some way?'' His only way to know would be to ask the one who knew best about his state. ''...'' But there was no answer. Grunting in frustration, Orion began to run back toward Auro. On the way, he thought about what his mother, Orianne, said. Multiple times, until it had completely been memorized. ''Thank you mom.'' ~ "Orianne! Are you alright?! Do you feel anything strange with yourself?!" Reon was panicking greatly. A shadow appeared in front of them earlier, that asked to help Orion. Immediately, Orianne agreed to help, but she wasn''t expecting her own soul to be sent into her son''s for thirty seconds. "Someone was able to interact with us souls inside the device, and managed to extract one of us... Orion''s situation, and that strange shadow." Exhausted by what could be called a miracle, she laughed and made a thumbs up. "I told you, destiny and fate are on his side." Reon shook his head. "This is more than that. That being, I can''t think of anyone else but a Remnant. And this is one I believe to be extremely dangerous." About to fall asleep, Orianne spoke one last sentence. "But even if this being was dangerous, it chose to help our son. So I will refuse to criticize it." Then, she drifted into slumber. ''She''s right. I shouldn''t jump to conclusion immediately. That thing really helped us help Orion, and it even made Orianne''s wish come true, even it was for a short time.'' He placed his hand on her head, and slowly caressed his wife''s hair. "Rest well." Closing the screen, he stood up, picked her up, and went upstairs. After placing her on the bed, he also went to rest. ''Stay strong, Orion.'' ~ Later that day, a portal opened in the vicinity of a large forest. Two women walked out of it, joining the man who looked tired. "Orion! What happened? The whole of Horizon blinked and rumbled for a few minutes earlier." "Yes! We thought that something had happened to you, and that it was about to shut down with us inside!" Amelia and Karteira looked worried. "Well..." ... Orion explained what happened in the glade, but kept the image he saw to himself. It was way to horrible for the concerned party to learn about. He said that something inexplicable took over his mind, and tried to take over. But thanks to an apparition of his mother, he managed to remain himself. "Are you sure you are alright?" "I''m just a little out of it, don''t worry." Karteira asked, but he really was fine. "We can postpone our return if that''s what you want. This wasn''t expected, so..." "No, don''t worry." He walked toward Amelia, and grabbed her waist. After that, he pulled her toward him and hugged her. "Wai-" ''What''s happening?!'' Her mind entered latency mode when her cheek touched his chest. Silently, Karteira watched with a jealous gaze. ''I feel better. It really does calm you, being with the one you cherish.'' Releasing Amelia, he turned to Karteira, not forgetting about her. "Here." He opened his arms a little, before she shyly went inside them. Her invisible tail trembled from the excitation of being hugged. In the middle of the road, these three hugged without a care. There was no one around to care anyway. "Hng..." Feeling at peace at last, Orion had recovered complete stability over his emotions. He was back to normal. "Karteira, stop making weird noises." Amelia walked beside them, and poked at her friend, who was enjoying this hug way too much. "What am I supposed to do? Feel disgusted and never be hugged again?" "Alright, let''s walk toward Auro." Orion pushed her shoulders away gently, and tidied his clothes. "Yes, we haven''t been home in, like, five months." "If you count Horizon, then yes. It has been quite some time." The two childhood friends finally returned home after leaving. They talked to Karteira about the city, before arriving a few minutes later at Auro''s gate. Chapter 171: Returning to Auro. "Hey, how was the hunt today?" "As usual. But since Orion left, we''ve been having trouble getting a lot." "Yes, thanks to him, we still have a lot of processed and stored meat." A bunch of villagers were discussing in the plaza. "It''s been so quiet without these two." "..." Amelia and Orion were both really important for the village. The beastmen all accepted these poor orphans as if they were their own members, and lived with them, even depending on them. From all of the orphans, only Orion and Amelia refused being adopted. They remained in the orphanage Director Keith managed until they were adults, and then lived inside the house the villagers built for them. It was the least they could do for them. Then, after a while, they both decided to leave Auro, for a reason they haven''t spoken of. They wanted to ''see the world'', but they knew it was more than that. Orion did change after the orphanage fire, and so did Amelia. Something in their demeanor was different. Though, it wasn''t in a bad way. They spent more time secluded in the forest than inside the village, but Orion kept delivering hunted preys, and Amelia sometimes came to either play with the children of Auro, or learn more about cooking from the various shops. So, when they turned their head toward the entrance of Auro, and saw three people entering, they could only smile. "Isn''t that Orion and Amelia?!" One of the women said, directing everyone''s attention toward them. "You''re right, it''s them!" "They''ve returned!" All the time they were gone, the villagers were also worrying. This world was quite dangerous, and they hoped nothing would happen to them. What more, with the news of Apostles fighting each others, and not a single news from Orion himself, they could only think that the worst had happened, with them being mixed to these problems. If only they knew. Orion and Amelia both waved at the villagers from the distance. Everyone waited as they got closer. "Hi. How have you been?" They stopped, instantly getting surrounded by the villagers. "Look at you! What''s this stylish outfit?" "Still as tall as ever! Have you no shame?" Orion was surrounded by all the men of Auro, getting tapped on the shoulders, and joked about. "Amelia! How are you? You seem to be eating well." "And who''s that person with you? A new friend?" "Did you get more beautiful while we weren''t looking? What happened? Don''t tell Orion finally-" *gasp* Amelia and Karteira both were bothered by the rowdy crowd of women. They were questioned without any time to answer any of them. ''That''s one of the reason I didn''t want to come back.'' Orion smiled with a tired expression, and Amelia ended up the same, while Karteira watched carefully at the unfamiliar situation both of them were living. "Alright, calm down everyone." A man they knew all too well clapped a few times. "I now you are happy to see them, but you won''t get them to talk like that." "Keith." The villagers turned around, and smiled frustratingly. He was right. When they understood that they may have pressured them a little too much, they backed away, while apologizing. Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! "Thank you Keith. I didn''t knew what to do." "Me neither." Orion and Amelia smiled dryly. "You don''t have to thank me." Keith, the man that both considered as their second father, stood there, same as ever. ''I swear this man doesn''t age. Even Dylan had grey hairs.'' While they were thinking the exact same thing, Keith asked. "Why have you returned after a few months away? How was your journey?" Without any shame, Orion pointed at Amelia. "She asked me to return, so we did." "Yes, because he didn''t want to! Can you believe it? It''s his birthday in two days, and he thought no one would remember!" "I thought it wasn''t that important." Keith smiled warmly. "You haven''t changed you two. And you are?" Looking at Karteira, who he had never seen before, she stared at him straight in the eyes. "My name''s is Karteira. I became their companion during one of their stop." Squinting at her after the introduction, he seemed to think for a second, before smiling at her. "I am Keith Jeria, Director of this village''s orphanage." He bowed in front of her, making Karteira panic a little, as she also bowed in a hurry. After straightening, he smiled, and looked at Orion. "Will you follow me?" As a response, Orion nodded. Leaving all of the villagers who returned to their daily life, it didn''t take long until all of Auro knew they were back. ~ "I see. A lot of events happened for you two. But to hear that you had a hand in all of the recent incidents happening, I have no words." "I suppose Dylan would be proud of you." The group followed Keith inside the orphanage, and talked inside his office. Omitting the fairies, his powers, and a lot of troublesome details, he only made it seem as if they were simple eye-witnesses, who helped other people at that time. "Talking of Dylan, he isn''t coming this year, right?" Amelia asked, because she knew Orion wouldn''t. "I have already sent a notice when you departed to avoid Sir Dylan from making a useless voyage here." Orion shook his head. "I wasn''t supposed to come back, you couldn''t have known." "And what about that letter to him? Did you send it already?" He chose to ignored her. "You didn''t?!" While she was freaking out, he had a good reason though. "We''re moving south once we made our next stop east. We need to go toward Turric, and I remember his village is straight on our path. I''ll be paying him a visit instead of sending that letter." Now, she fell in shock for another reason. She placed a hand to her forehead, and dropped her face. "It''s always the same with you, why don''t you talk to me about that?" Orion looked at her with a face that showed that he didn''t understood her reaction. "You haven''t asked, so I didn''t spoke about it." "Yes, you two haven''t changed at all." Keith smiled warmly, happy that nothing changed between them. But, he did notice something different. "Are you two perhaps? Have you finally conceded, Orion?" He immediately understood were he was coming from. "I did. She pestered me for quite some time, until I finally decided to accept." "That is good to hear. I had a long time to admire how long Amelia tried her best for you, and how you did your best to hide your own feelings. Knowing that it finally settled like this, it makes me happy to know." They both laughed, embarrassed. "So, from what I''ve seen, you two are in a similar position to Amelia?" "Eh?" Karteira immediately fell in panic. "..." She looked at Orion, asking what she had to say. Her savior only shrugged. "I... am." Keith nodded. "Good. I appreciate that you haven''t lied about it. To be fair to you, I noticed from the look you gave him." "I know it''s not something common for the people around here, so I''ll try not to speak about this in public." Orion said while closing his eyes. "I think they wouldn''t mind. Everyone is special in some ways, and if you are attractive enough for the people you encounter, then what''s the problem? You just have to deal with it internally. Right, Amelia?" "Yes. I already said that I would accept multiple other women next to him. I will always be and will remain number one until the end." He laughed audibly. Once he stopped, he regained his composure. "I suppose you will be staying at your house tonight?" "No. There is somewhere else where we can sleep at." "Is that right? Then I believe it to be time for you to talk to the other villagers? Some of them might require you help on some things." Orion and Amelia nodded as they stood up. "Thank you, Keith. We''ll be seeing you later. We''re leaving in three days by the way." As Orion was about to leave the room, Keith called him out. "Orion." "Yes?" "Welcome back." His eyes opened wide, and an emotion he wasn''t expecting surfaced. ''This place is my home.'' He turned his face away, and walked out of the room, before stopping. "Thank you. I''m glad to be back." And walked out of the building, leaving Amelia and Karteira with Keith. "That''s why I wanted him to return. He''s been dealing with some serious issues, and I thought that it would help him seeing his home again." "Kind as always. He his a lucky man to have you with him, Amelia." "Right? Karteira, let''s go before he goes somewhere." "Yes." She waved at Keith while Karteira bowed slightly, and both exited before closing the door behind them. "Serious issues, she said." He looked out of the windows, silent. ~ After talking to Keith, Orion and the girls went around the village, first to show it to Karteira, and then to talk with the villagers. There was no real problems with them overall, and only Amelia had to help a few housewives with their recipes. She took this time to introduce new things for them to eat. Once this whole thing was done, they went to the small wooden house that they both lived in during their three years of training. ... "So tiny!" Karteira said, looking at the interior. "No wonder Amelia fell in love with you. Can you imagine living with one man in such a place for years?!" There was absolutely no more than the necessary. Two separate room, clearly made to be used only as a sleeping place, a bathroom with a shower, and a kitchen. The living room was the kitchen at the same time. "You think so?" Amelia looked around, noticing a few spiders in the corners of the house. "Anyways, let''s return home for now. We have a lot to do still." Orion opened a portal, connecting Auro to Horizon, just like he did for every important places of this world. ''The hub is starting to get encumbered with a lot of portals, I should create a room around it, and a few writings to differentiate which portal leads where.'' With this idea forming in his mind, he walked through, successfully returning to Horizon. The next day, Orion came alone to Auro, to fulfil a duty he hadn''t done in a while. Hunting. Chapter 172: A need for progress. *Click* An arrow of a dark color flew across the forest, lodging itself in the hind leg of a boar. The beast instantly tried to flee, not knowing where the sudden attack came from, but it quickly realized that it wasn''t able to run as fast as it usually did. It was slow, and an easy target. Before it understood anything, and without feeling any pain, it crumbled on the ground, lifeless. This was Orion''s hunting strategy nowadays. ''A crippling arrow, and then a swift arrow. Clean and painless.'' He always went for the nape area of creatures. It was the best place to aim at to avoid making a prey agonize. ''That''s should be enough.'' Once he confirmed that he had hunted enough, he walked to the boar, and dragged it through a portal with him. Reappearing at the front of his old house, he placed the boar in front of the many hunted preys he managed to gather. A boar, two rabbits, three pheasants, a deer, and even a bear. There was a lot of food in all of that to support Auro for the next few months. There was also a few reasons for Orion going through this hunt. First, he had to look if there was no over-hunting in the area. They had to let nature do its thing before no life remained to be hunted. And it seemed to be coming to that point actually. ''There are less beasts than a few years ago, it might be time to find another way to get their food.'' The second reason was to look for any corrupted beasts. He walked away of Auro hoping no attack would happen while he was away, and luckily, nothing happened. ''I haven''t noticed any particular auras of corruption in the forest, so I think nothing changed.'' With both objectives completed, it was now time to go in the village to notify everyone. ... "As efficient as ever, I''ll give you that. I haven''t seen a bear in four months." Orion agreed with the butcher that he was efficient, but he quickly gave the other party a warning. "You haven''t seen a bear in months because we''ve been hunting too much. From today onward, I suggest you avoid hunting." "Orion, you know we can''t survive without hunting, right?" "I know. That''s why I''m going to help you find another way to sustain yourself instead of that. I believe it might be time for Auro to be an easier place to live in for all of you." The butcher sighed in front of him. "I''m going to lose my job, aren''t I? No preys, no meat, and no butcher." But Orion shook his head. "Who said that? There are many things that can be done with you keeping your work. There are many possibilities." "So, don''t think too much about it. I''ll go talk to the mayor about what could be done. I''ll try my best not to make your life harder, but changes are inevitable." The butcher looked at Orion with a tired smile. "To make our lives better?" "Exactly. I would do nothing else." "Alright then. I''ll take care of the food you so graciously went to get for us, and leave whatever plan you have for us to you and the mayor." He stopped worrying, and went to work, starting with the smaller ones. ~ Amelia finally awakened. Today was a rare day where she managed to function immediately. But these days began to slowly appear more and more. Those days were she needed ten to twenty minutes to fully awaken were going done as time past. She stretched, brushed her hair, and went for a bath. It looked like it was around 9AM, so the day had only just began. "Ah." "Hello Amelia." When she opened the door to the changing room, Karteira was already half naked, readying herself for a bath too. "Hi Karteira. Returning from training?" "Returning from training." They both smiled at each other, before Amelia walked inside and began to remove her night clothes. "..." Karteira stared at her in silence. "What?" The moment she felt that gaze on her, she turned shyly toward her friend. "How do you manage to get such a size? I mean, look at me." Pressing her palms on her chest, she compared hers to Amelia. "Why? They''re not that much different from... mine?" Amelia noticed that in reality, she had larger breasts than Karteira. But her gaze fell on somewhere else. "You say that, but you''ve seen your hips?" Stopping right in front of her, she began to compare their hip size. "You can''t complain! Look at this, you''ve got at least five centimeters more than me on both size!" Stolen story; please report. "Well, I have my scorpion tail so..." "That''s true. Anyway, let''s go take a bath." "Sure." Their little analysis stopped as fast as it started, and they both entered the bathing area naked. Karteira was the first to enter the water, and instantly melted on the spot, making relaxed noises. "It sure feels great after training. I began to understand why Orion always praise the act of taking a bath right after sweating." Amelia smiled and entered the water too. With the water submerging their shoulders, they both closed their eyes. "Talking about Orion, did he went to Auro alone like he said?" "Yes. I''ve managed to see him train a little this morning, before he left for your village." "He still trained?" Opening her eyes, Amelia looked at the ceiling. "Yes, he was having a fight similar to his fight against that corrupted Apostle. He was flying in the air with both crossbows in hands. Though, he had a frustrated expression on his face." "Well, I did not unlock the Third Gear since then, and I believe he doesn''t have those things to bounce on like he did during the fight." "Yes. He''s also slowly avoiding to use the warp ability while fighting. I wonder why." Both girls were almost always talking about him. He wasn''t the center of their world for nothing. They were also the two capable of understanding his troubles. "He said that it was consuming a large quantity of magic each time he warped, so I think it is related to that?" "You might be right. I think he will keep this ability as a trump card from now on." Amelia nodded, before standing up from the water, and moving toward the shower area. Karteira followed her, and they both began to clean their body with soap. "What are we doing today?" Karteira asked, knowing that Orion was out for at least a few more hours. "I''m baking him a cake for tomorrow. I don''t know what you can do, maybe find a present for him?" "Besides reading and training, I don''t really think he likes many things..." "Yes. I''ve always had trouble too." But then, an idea came to Karteira. "I know! What do you think of-" ... "You''re a genius! That''s one of the best thing he could get currently. Can I leave that to you?" "Of course!" Both women finished cleaning their body, and stood up at the same time. They went into the changing room, wore fresh clothes, and both went separate ways. Amelia went to the kitchen, and Karteira went toward the portal hub. ~ "So, what do you think, sir?" "Right, I will leave everything to you. I do like this idea better, as the villagers will finally stop returning injured after a hunt." "Then it is settled. I will go and spoke to the other party. You should expect great news." "Thank you for thinking about us, even now." "And thank you for considering me like a member of this village. I repay in kind." The mayor laughed, as Orion stood up. "I''ll be going now. Take care, sir." Orion closed the door and walked out of the building, back to his house. The discussion he held with the mayor seemed to have gone very well, and he was now about to continue working toward making his plan a reality. Without waiting, he went through the portal back to Horizon that was inside the small house, and took another one immediately. The one leading inside Florian''s house. He had to talk with Lobelia, so, he knocked on the door leading to the living room. "Yaah!" He heard a voice seemingly surprised, before hearing the following words. "Ah! Is that Orion?" Opening the door and revealing himself to her, he smiled, a little apologetic. "Did I surprise you that much?" The older woman closed her book, and stood up, pressing her chest. "Yes. I thought my husband''s spirit was playing tricks on me." "I am sorry, I am not your husband." He said while approaching her. "That I know. How are you doing young man?" "I am doing fine. What about you madam?" "A little shaken up, but otherwise, as always." They both looked at each other pleasantly, until she offered a seat to him. "Anyway, you''ve came to ask me something I believe?" Orion sat, and became serious. "Is it possible to create a trading route toward a small beastman village?" He went straight to the point. "Do you have that power, or is it something Florian has to approve?" Lobelia looked at him and sat down. She crossed her legs, and entered a mood that could be seen as her experience being a leader. "I do have some power concerning the trades. When Florian is out, like today, I have the full power. Well, the power he left to me anyway." "But if it concerns you, unless you ask for an impossible request, Florian would most likely agree. But, I am not Florian. I will ruthlessly work for conditions on my side." Orion nodded. "I prefer it this way." "Alright, speak. What do you want from us?" Taking a deep breath, Orion took pleasure in this type of fight too. "I would like for you to open a trade route with Auro, a beastman village. What I request is that you send a few livestock to them, and in exchange, they sell a part of what they produce to you." She placed a hand to her chin, and analyzed his words. "Auro. It''s not that far from here. Maybe a week or two depending on the way of transport." "But livestock... you know how it works right? It is a gamble." Staring at him, she noticed Orion had closed his eyes. "Of course, I understand fully. You place in the ends of people you have no idea of their capabilities to nurture the goods, and hope that they make a profit in the end." "The worst part is that it takes time for the livestock to be mature and produce any kind of product." With a nod, she agreed. "So you do understand. You are more knowledgeable than I give you credit for." "Yes, that is exactly the problem. We don''t know about anything from this village. They are beastmen, so we need to be careful not to antagonize them either. I heard a lot of rumors about the ''Savior'' of the beastman, Dylan, going in an out of this village in the past." Here was the moment were Orion decided to play his cards right. "What if I said that this village is my hometown, and that Dylan was coming to see me. Would you believe it?" Her face instantly changed to doubt, but it reverted to neutral right after. "Are you- No, you are serious. I can''t find any reason to lie right now." "Well, it is the reality of things." He shrugged. "So, you came to change a bad situation happening in that village, thinking that it would be time for a change?" "I''ve heard many people ask me to help them, but I have always refused. Do you know why?" Orion thought for a minute. "Lack of trust?" "Close. I simply never saw any ounce of decency in their words. They came in fully expecting us to support them, without any return whatsoever." She crossed her arms. "But you, you immediately spoke about giving back at a later date. As a merchant, I wouldn''t gamble on such a thing, but if you have plan on making it successful, for whatever that is, than maybe I will accept your proposition." "Now tell me. What is your most inner thought on this? Why do you want to help that village?" Orion was slightly shocked. He managed to come so close to a good conclusion, but she saw through him quite easily. *sigh* "I''ve underestimated you. I should have known you would be able to notice that I had ulterior motives." "Alright, I''ll be honest. If Auro is able to produce eggs, meat, milk, and whatever is possible other than that, sure, the village would thrive compared to simply hunting for food. The economy would also grow, leading to advancement in multiple sectors." "But?" This was the logical ending that Lobelia already knew it would lead to. "I''m just doing that for Amelia in the end." "Eh?" She seemed completely lost at his words. ''Did he just say that he was doing this for... his friend?'' "If she can obtain more ingredients for her hobby, then she will be happy. If she cooks great meals, then Karteira would start to be thrilled too. And if I see these two happy, then I would ultimately be too. That''s all." His kind heart touched Lobelia so hard that tears began to flow from her eyes. "If only half of the people thought like you. You are the first one to come to me with such a precious answer." "I understand why Florian decided to give his trust to you. He is in good hands with you." "Alright, I''ll prepare whatever you want, and that trading route will be starting once it is prepared. You trust your people to succeed, and I will gamble on it too." Orion brought out a piece of paper, and a handkerchief that he gave to her. "Thank you." She read the list of things he wanted after wiping the tears off, and nodded. "You''re not asking for that much, I see. Knowing what you want is a good thing." "Yes, I want them to become a food source, different from Noctelagia being the main fish source." Nodding, she placed the paper on the small table in front of her. "I will approve this demand. Florian will hear about it later, so don''t worry. I''m not doing this behind his back." "Alright. Then, if it is done, I will go an notify them. There is a lot to prepare before receiving the livestock. Thank you for your time." "Keep your kind heart, young man. I hope people like you were to appear more often." She stood up and bowed slightly. "I won''t change. Also, I''m sorry for startling you earlier. Well then." He walked through the door leading the portal, and returned to Horizon. "I really hope you won''t change. For Florian''s sake too." Lobelia sat down, and returned to her book. Chapter 173: The most unexpected gift of his life. Once Orion returned to Auro to speak of the news with the mayor, who couldn''t believe it that in the same day, he managed to strike a deal with the central point that was Albriar, he was about to take the portal back to Horizon. At the same time, in the kitchen. "Karteira, you''re back? How did it go?" "I don''t know. A mix of good and bad I would say." The girls began to talk about his gift. "What do you mean?" Amelia, who was in the middle of finishing the cake she made each year for Orion, looked at her friend. "Well. I''m not Orion. So it was hard to prove I was one of his friend. I was almost on the verge of fighting with them. I had to show my identity to convince them, and then they gave the message when they understood." "So we don''t know how she will react?" "I couldn''t meet her, but I''m sure she received the message, so I''ll only check tomorrow if she''s at the spot." Then, at that moment. "I''m home." They heard Orion''s voice entering the house. "Oh, he''s back. Let''s keep it to ourselves for now." "Sure." Amelia finished the cake without being pressed, and covered it with a metallic cover. They then went to see him, as he went to the living room to unwind a little. ~ The rest of the day quickly went by as Orion checked on the sirens as usual, and then went to check on the mini-Tree of Life. Showing no differences than the day before, the Siren Sea was in peak conditions, while the tree''s stem had grown a few centimeters again. It looked healthy, but Orion kept a close eye on the tablet in case he needed to provide any nutrients, or help for it to grow. "Now then..." He took out the pocket watch in his chest pocket, and looked at the time. ''3PM. Days are going so fast recently.'' Standing alone, he looked at everything around him. The house, the still in construction guest house, the hub of portals, the new Tree of Life, and the the Siren Sea. ''When did this barren space began to change?'' As he was thinking, a voice he hadn''t heard in a few days finally reappeared. ''Don''t you know the answer?'' ''Ego?'' ''Yes, it is me. So, why the long face? Are you contemplating your life right now?'' Orion smiled, feeling that maybe that was indeed the case. ''You may be right. I never thought I would be celebrating my twenty-third birthday. I was ready to die at any moment.'' ''Right. Isn''t it something to be proud about?'' But he shook his head. ''Of course, I am glad to still be alive, even after all of those fight. I almost died the first time I attacked the Apostles, I also got close to death when attacking the last Corrupted Lord in the fairy realm.'' ''I almost died fighting Ivan''s corrupted form, and I died once fighting Julian. All of my fights were close calls. I can''t think of anything but being one lucky person at this point.'' ''But then, I look at all of this, and I start to wonder. When did I make so many allies? Four months prior to that point, it was only me and Amelia going toward Eogis.'' ''Karteira, Dramia, Drania, Tiohr-nam, Kamala, Florian, and the sirens. I still can''t believe all of this was able because of a single element.'' He opened his hand, and a sphere of void element formed above it. ''That is your potential. There is nothing wrong in feeling like you are right now, because the future is... unknown for everybody.'' Tilting his head, he asked. ''Why the pause?'' Ego''s voice seemed to die down, as she was about to leave. ''No idea.'' And then silence. Orion was once again alone inside his head. ''So many mysteries. So many things I can''t answer, so many problems needing to be resolved, and so little time too.'' Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ''What is next on our journey? There shouldn''t be any problems on the way to Bandir. I should also think of a gift for Amelia, her birthday is twelve days after mine.'' Amelia really hated her birthday, because she didn''t knew if it was the real date, or if it was changed in the orphanage. She avoided celebrating it at all costs, but Orion still gave her small things. She never brought it up in a conversation, and if asked, she would talk about something else instead. Really, she can also be troublesome sometimes. Orion stared at the building in construction, and at the portal hub that he wanted to change. He turned to the tree and said. "When are you going to create trees? I know I can''t press you or anything, but I''m curious." "..." The tree obviously remained silent. Only the wind that was brought out with the tablets setting on this space. With a smile slightly embarrassed, Orion turned around and returned home. ~ The next day. It was finally Orion''s birthday. Amelia and Karteira were already preparing everything, with one finishing the food, and the other getting the gift ready. Orion was silently enjoying a book in his bed, since Amelia strictly forbade him from going downstairs except for going to the toilet or showering. He could have gone training, but it was his birthday, and who knows how Amelia would have reacted if he truly went and do that. *Knock* *Knock* "Yes? It''s open." Someone he wasn''t expecting knocked on his door. Well, that someone was in fact two people. Drania opened the door and flew at high speed toward Orion, before jumping on his stomach. "Hi! It''s us!" "Oof! Drania? And Dramia too? I thought you two returned to the fairy realm?" Dramia crossed her armes and smiled dryly. "With Amelia running around left and right, of course we wouldn''t miss this. Happy birthday." "Yes! Happy birthday." With Drania imitating a swimming posture, Orion looked at them. "Oh, you''ve changed outfits? You look great in it." "Ehehe." "Hmpf!" The outfits these two received after going to Hocride were finally worn. ''It''s even greater than I expected. I never thought such outfits could reveal so much. Those dresses hid quite a lot.'' Orion looked carefully at the sisters. Previously, they were wearing a simple pink or green dress, depending on the days. These clothes really looked plain, and childish. What he realized was that they really weren''t children at all. Even if merging with the fairy essence stopped their growth as humans, they still retained what they had before, and honestly, it was well hidden. The first one to speak was Drania, after removing herself from Orion. "A green turtleneck shirt with long sleeves, brown shorts, and black stockings. To add, he even gave us matching black boots!" Dramia entered the room and closed the door behind her. "I don''t like turtleneck shirts, so I got a green jacket with short sleeves instead. The rest is the same as her." What was impressive was the amount of details on them. They weren''t just plain clothes. The material used for the stockings had a glitter to it, the shorts had a great design, making them stylish instead of boring looking, and there was a little crown drawn on their chest. Left for Dramia, right for Drania. And to top it off, it seemed that this clothier''s main working purpose was to make tight clothes, that were still supple enough to allow movements. ''...'' His thoughts stopped, trying not to be rude to both of them, but it was difficult. Dramia''s cleavage was more developed than her sister, but Drania had something Orion liked more, larger thighs. Anyway, he quickly changed his mind, and complimented them again. "You look very precious with these clothes. Can I see the back?" They both turned to show the back of their clothes. There, an opening for the wings had been made. A broidered lining made of soft darker green tissue was made, to avoid shafting the precious and fragile wings. Without the wings, you could see parts their shoulder blades, and a little bit of the lower back. You could even see part of their bra, but that looked more in style with the opening. It wasn''t eye catching by any means. "I like them. Do you like the designs?" "We do!" Drania giggled again as she turned around and sat next to Orion. Her sister remained her back turned toward him as she was embarrassed. Dramia''s face was currently bright red, and Orion noticed it by looking at her ears. "Then this is all that matters. So, tell me why you came to see me? That can''t only be to show me your beautiful new clothes, right?" He seemed to have hit the middle of the target, as Drania looked away for a second. "Well, Amelia and Karteira asked us to babysit you while they finish preparing." "Sis?!" For once, it was Drania who felt that her sistr said something out of character. "Oh... babysit me?" Orion began to laugh loudly, making Amelia who was right below shudder at the thought. "Alright, I''ll play their games. Let''s talk at the table for now, I wouldn''t want to let you stand for long." Standing up from the bed, he gave a hand to Drania, and led both of them at his table further in the room. For an hour or so, Dramia and Drania asked questions about him and whatever interesting to them. From the state of the sirens currently, to Orion''s personal opinion on frogs. At one point, he began to ask them about Noah, and their past. What did they like, if some things have changed since becoming a hybrid, how their body felt. They had a really interesting conversation right after the other, and Dramia was the one to open completely for once. Drania was more secluded. Orion understood that she had trouble accepting her past, but he went another way past her toughest protective shell. He placed a hand on her hair, and spoke those words. "We all make mistakes, but it''s how we make them a part of us that makes them great. Regretting an action doesn''t mean that you made the wrong choice. It means that you saw an opportunity to surpass yourself in the past." "The ''you'' from today is not the same from the ''you'' of the past. There is also the fact that it is impossible to know what tomorrow has in store for you. Look forward to tomorrow, even if it is bleak, and live cheerfully." Even Dramia resonated with his words. They both smiled warmly, and were reminded that the choice to help him wasn''t wrong. He needed them, as much as they needed him now. Orion particularly liked that changing mood of Dramia. Her tone was cold most of the times, but sometimes, you could see a bright smile on her face, and the emotions she tried to repress under her attitude. Drania was as always, cheerful, but hiding her insecurities. He wanted to help her get through this phase, but ultimately, it was her own mentality that would save her. At one point, Orion heard someone coming upstairs. *Knock* *Knock* "Yes?" "Everything''s ready, you can come down." Amelia only spoke those words after popping her head through the door, before closing it again and walking back downstairs, excited. "Well, I guess it''s time. Thanks for the company girls." "Anytime!" "Yes. I like talking with you." Almost shocked, both Orion and Drania stared at her. ''She sure can switch hard sometimes.'' "Whaaaa! Sis!" Drania plunged at her and hugged her while crying fake tears. "A- Wai- Calm down! Let me go!" "Help! Orion!" He smiled and tapped on Drania''s shoulder. "Sure, I can do that. Drania, let''s go downstairs." "Yes! Let''s go sis." Successfully stopping a tragedy, which was Dramia having to fight back against her own twin''s affection, Orion stood up, and with the two fairies, went downstairs. ... "Umm... hi?" Orion stood, his mouth agape in the living room. He slowly turned his head toward Amelia and Karteira, who were smiling brightly. "She''s a great person, just like you said. Also, happy birthday, that''s your present." Looking back at the person in front of him, he blinked. His gift? Deveralna in the flesh. Chapter 174: A new friend? Orion stared at the lamia in front of him. He knew her, but not that well to thoughtlessly interact with her. So, a stare contest happened while Amelia giggled on the side. Until the lamia couldn''t take it anymore and forcefully began the conversation. "I-I heard it was your birthday, s-so, happy birthday." Taken by surprise, he stopped his raging thoughts, and talked to her. He bowed a little after his right hand to his chest. "Thank you very much, Queen Deveralna. I was not expecting your visit in the least." The mood changed at his words. Speaking with a tone of respect, everyone felt awkward, as they weren''t expecting him to act this way toward her. ''I thought he was on better terms with her? Don''t tell me we''ve messed up?'' Karteira spoke in a low voice to Amelia. ''I don''t think so. If it was the case, she wouldn''t have come.'' Deveralna immediately took control over the situation, as she didn''t liked how she was seen right now. So she looked at Orion with a warm smile on her face, and a gentle tone. "Please, I did not come here to be treated as royalty right now. This is an opportunity for me to learn more about you and the ones around you. Could you please not push me away so blatantly?" "..." Orion straightened and looked at her, before nodding. "Alright. I will respect your wishes. Welcome to Horizon." He extended his hand toward her, to which she answered by grabbing it with both hands. "Thank you. I am glad to be present for such an event. If not for your friends over there, I would have remained ignorant." They shook hands vigorously, before Orion turned to the girls. "How did you manage to get her here? You''ve pulled a sneaky one on me." Karteira smiled, and began to explain. "Well, it wasn''t easy." - Karteira walked through the portal leading to Lahro. She already knew the place as she came once before, when Orion had his first meeting with Deveralna. ''The castle''s entrance is other here isn''t it?'' She followed her memories until she arrived in front of a grand staircase leading to two doors bigger than necessary. After walking up the stairs, she tried to walk forward. "Halt! Who are you and what are you doing here?" Two lamias, the guards at the entrance, slithered in front of her, their swords pointed at her. "Could you lower your weapons first? I don''t really like to engage in conversation while being threatened." Speaking with a tone that didn''t accept refusal, she prepared her first. Both guards looked at each other, wondering what they should be doing. Their job was to guard the palace, not to make a ruckus at the front. "Sure, we can do that." The guard on the left dropped her weapon, but still kept it in her hand. The same happened shortly after for the one on the right. Erasing her animosity, Karteira straightened, and nodded. "Great." The two guards remembered how the ones personally guarding the queen were shouted at for acting out of place, so they also began to watch their actions. Words traveled fast inside the palace. "My name is Karteira, I am a friend of Orion, who came here a few days ago to discuss a few things about your faction." They both shuddered after hearing his name. "T-The man the Queen can''t keep out of mouth?" This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "The o-one she defended during the audience?" Feeling a little lost, they also looked doubtful of her. "We cannot let you enter though. You would need to first ask for an appointment with her Majesty, or her mother, and have one of them accept." "But if you can prove that you are that man''s friend, then we can at least relay a message for you." Karteira placed a hand on her hip and the other on her chin. ''A proof...'' It took her less than minute to find a good idea. ''Oh. Of course.'' Closing her only visible eye, she removed the invisibility on her tail. The guards looked at this scene with interest, and awe. The moment she opened her eye, her mouth also opened. "I am a fairy. I wouldn''t be here without the help of Orion himself. Is it good enough of a proof?" The whispers of the guards entered her ears, whatnots about her tail, Orion, and the Queen. "Yes, we will believe your words. So, what message can we relay for you?" The lamia on the right slid right in front of Karteira. "Could you give this to your Queen?" Taking out an envelop out of the back pocket of her jeans, she handed it over to the guard. "Without opening it, of course. It won''t be good to know secret informations, right?" She blinked and turned away. "I''m expecting to see her tomorrow, if what Orion said about her is true." Waving, she walked down the stairs, one hand in her pocket. "Doesn''t she look cool? I''ve never seen someone with an eyepatch before." "Me neither. She also very stylish." After the two guards watched Karteira walking away, one of them entered the palace, to hand over the message she delivered to them. ~ The next day, outside of the palace. A lamia was being escorted out of the palace, accompanied a blue haired woman. Now that the city was safe, the citizens were able to move freely again without fear of losing their life. And right now, something they weren''t expecting was happening. It made them understand that the situation did really improve. After the previous Queen, Palarvina gave her seat to the next in line, who was unknown to everyone until now, unrest could be seen in their behavior. But seeing their new Queen finally walk out of the palace gave them comfort that the days of fear and oppression finally stopped. As Deveralna went through a few districts, and followed her in an alley where she vanished from sight. - "That''s how I got her to come. When I got the idea, I first went for the portal, but I knew my words wouldn''t be enough, so I returned and wrote a letter. Anyone could deform my words without it." Deveralna nodded. "Yes, you have no idea how happy I was to receive such a letter. First, I got invited, but then, when I arrived, I had the opportunity to discuss with your friends, and I was incredibly shocked to learn that they had both the status of lover." "They also remained polite and never belittled my own feelings. For that, I am grateful. I know my status as a Queen can be imposing, but I would like to be treated normally when I''m not in the throne room." Amelia and Karteira both surrounded her, and looked at Orion. "If she came all the way, why don''t just enjoy her company?" Orion simply stood there, impressed by how pushy these two women became concerning a few things. "Do whatever you want. You went out of your way to do that, I am not heartless enough to just throw her away." The lamia''s smile could almost blind anyone, as her happiness went through the roof. "Thank you!" They all sat on various couches of the room. Amelia and Deveralna sat with Orion in-between on the first couch, and Karteira, Dramia, and Drania sat on the one next to them. "How was the situation in Albriar? I haven''t heard anything from Lord Florian since both of you left in a hurry. Mother and I were incredibly worried." Placing his hands on his lap, Orion explained. "You know that there was an army going toward Albriar, right?" Deveralna nodded. "The Apostle Julian attacked while Florian was in Lahro. We don''t know if he had prepared an army a few days prior, or if he had a special way to make them move faster than a normal army, but they arrived in less than two days." Orion explained everything that happened, without holding anything. For Deveralna, it was like hearing a fairy tale. She looked at Amelia and Karteira with admiration each time they talked about their own achievement, and cried when she heard about Orion and Karteira tragic event that could have ended in despair. The moment they were done, Deveralna said those words. "I have never left the confine of the palace before. For me, even this place is amazing to me. But hearing you telling all of this, I get reminded that I really do not know anything about this continent." "And I don''t know anything about the lamias. We can find common ground on this point, right?" But she looked down at that moment. "I am scared that the moment you hear everything I have to say about us, you would avoid me and push me away." Orion looked at her without saying anything. He was a little lost about what to say, because refuting was only words in the end. "I would not do that. Orion is not that kind of person. In fact, if he could, he''d place everyone he know in this space forever, and close the portals to Triazils." Amelia spoke with determination. "Yes, in his eyes, your value is not only what you know. He doesn''t see any value in people like that. If you were a bad person, he wouldn''t have told us anything about you." Adding a little more, Karteira agreed with Amelia. "Can you not embarrass me in a day like this?" Orion looked at the ceiling, slightly red. "Alright, let me grab the cake right know. I do know it is early, but we can at least enjoy some sugar while we talk." A smile on her face, Amelia stood up, and walked in the next room to pick up the cake that was waiting in the kitchen. Until something unexpected happened. "WOOF!" A big dog went by the window, and caught everyone by surprise. Orion, the first one to realize what had happened, stood up. "Did we... ever got a dog?" He slowly turned toward Karteira, with a terrifying expression on his face. "Ha-Haha... I might have forgotten to close the portal in Lahro..." She looked away, sweating buckets. "I might be a stray, we don''t have any dogs as lamias." Deveralna said, a little afraid. "Great. I''ll go take a look." Walking toward the front door, he went for the door handle, and opened it. "WRAF!" But before he could even prepare to step outside, a huge shadow jumped on him, and made him fall on the ground as it pushed the door. *BUMP* Orion''s back fell to the ground, as he felt something lick his face repeatedly. "Stop! Stop that!" He placed his hand under the head of the beast, and pushed up, stopping the furious licking. "What in the world are you doing here!" Everyone looked from the doors, a dirty white dog shaking its tail. "Umm... Orion. Happy birthday?" Amelia said with a sarcastic smile. Chapter 175: Whos a good dog? Orion wiped his face with his free hand, before pushing the dog away from him without much strength. "How did you even manage to enter this place? I can''t believe a stray dog found a portal to Horizon." Once the dog and him had some distance between them, he stood up. He looked at the dog that looked excited to see him. In its excitation, it rapidly looked at Amelia, and then at the group on the other side. His tail swiping left and right near the ground, it looked again at Orion, and tried to jump at him again. ''Not this time!'' Orion back-stepped away, leaving the dog to wonder what had happened for him to be further away than a moment before. *RUFF* Its paws touched the ground, and it let out a little noise showing that he wasn''t done. The next moment, he once again jumped toward Orion. ''If I continue like this, I won''t have anywhere to go, so...'' He opened a portal and led the dog outside. "Karteira, could you close the door, please?" Seeing that Amelia had a covered plate in her hands, he asked Karteira. "Sure." Since she was the one responsible for this event, he would hold it against her, though, it wasn''t that big of a deal in his mind. *Wraf?* The dog seemed instantly lost, but it also remembered that the same things happened when he arrived. It immediately turned around and ran toward the house again. But the door got shut before he could even get close. So, it waited. "I''ll have to go close the portal to Lahro quickly after this. I can''t have anyone and everyone find them. The reason I''m always there when we get through a portal is because only I can close them. Something like this can happen if it remains open." Karteira looked a little dispirited. It was his birthday, and she made a huge mistake. She was expecting to be yelled at, but that didn''t happen. "Deveralna, are you scared of dogs?" Amelia asked as she noticed her panic slightly earlier. "I might be. I have never seen one before, so it is pretty new to me." Everyone realized once again that she was close to a true ''sheltered princess''. "I like dogs! I always wanted one!" "Drania, not now." "But-" Both sisters stared at Orion as he looked annoyed. Amelia immediately noticed it, and went to ask. "Orion, is it-" But he cut her off. "I know what you''re going to ask. You want to keep it since it has managed to come here. Am I wrong." "... No." *sigh* He felt all of his strength leave his body. Orion walked past Amelia into the dining room, and looked through the window. There, in the distance, a white dog with short but fluffy fur was laying on the dirt. It was a very large dog, and was already a grown one at that. The thing that looked the most unfamiliar for this dog was its close resemblance to a wolf. It had pointy ears, a long muzzle and a slim body. Though, it was most definitely a dog. It had not the same fierce gaze as its wilder siblings. It was so dirty you could tell it went through a lot. Sometimes, it held its head high to look at the Siren Sea, as it looked curious about it too. *sigh* Another sigh left his mouth. ''I don''t necessarily hate dogs. I fact, I would prefer this to a cat. What if it is not a stray, but simply a runaway dog? Can we deprive someone of their pets just like that?'' But another part of him thought otherwise. ''It has no collar, looks friendly to us, which would be opposite if it had a home, and looks quite malnourished. Also...'' Orion touched his face, and remembered being licked all over, which still felt gross. ''Me and Amelia never got to have a pet. I didn''t even think about that possibility even now that we have a space just for us.'' He began to warm up at the idea of getting adopting the dog. After thinking for a moment, the dog sensed he was being stared at, and looked at Orion. Its big, round green eyes, which looked like emeralds seemed to convey how tired it was. ''You came from a long way, didn''t you...'' If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. The five women looking at him noticed that he was clenching his fists harder at each passing seconds, and his expression softening at the same time. Until he spoke again. "Fine. We''ll take care of him for now." "Eh?" Amelia, who wasn''t expecting him to give up so easily, placed the plate on the table. "I''ll take that as Karteira''s gift too." He turned and crossed his arms with a smile on his face. ~ After that, Orion went outside to check on the dog. The moment it saw him, it stood up and ran toward him, but looked a little different from earlier. Noticing that the dog was limping slightly, he thought that the adrenaline of finding this place helped him until it disappeared. "Are you hurt perhaps?" The dog stopped in front of Orion and sat down, wagging its tail. Orion also kneeled on the dirt to pat the dog. "Let me see, give me your front paw?" Tilting its head, it looked at him with interest. "Paw?" Orion tried again while pointing at the dog''s front legs. All the dog did was look at the tip of his finger. "I thought as much. You were not trained by anyone. Fine, don''t mind if I do." Without hurting the dog, he caressed the front legs from top to bottom. ''No fractures, no bumps, no cuts... Yes, that''s definitely malnutrition at this point.'' The dog had not enough strength to support its own weight anymore, and it was a large dog at that. "So, are you a male or a female?" Orion tried to guess, but he couldn''t see the private parts of the dog, because of the fur under its belly. "We''ll have to resolve that. That and your disgusting fur. First, bath, then food. Sounds good?" *Wrooo* The dog lifted its head and made a growl that sounded like it agreed. "If I had to guess, I''d say you are a male, but I could be wrong. Alright." Without hesitation, Orion grabbed the dog by the collar and lifted him. He knew that grabbing a dog by the scruff was the best way not to hurt him, so he did just that. It looked like a puppy as it was carried by Orion, with its hind legs pushing in the air. A big puppy indeed. With the girls watching everything, they found it amusing. Amelia was still waiting for him to see his cake, Karteira had been forgiven for this little mistake, Deveralna was scared, yet interested in the dog, and the sisters were battling against each other to give a proper name for the dog. Walking through the corridor, Orion heard the battle, and instantly refused to name the dog like this. "Henry." "Who in their right mind call a dog Henry? Its white, so Cloud is better!" "If it''s a female, then Verna." "Sis! No!" ''...'' Orion entered the changing area with the dog, and dropped it on the ground. He removed most of his casual clothes, that is, only his shirt. "I won''t be calling you any of those names. Until I know your gender, I won''t give you a name." The dog sniffed around a little, and waited patiently. "Follow me." Opening the door, the dog went through and stared at the steaming water of the bath. "Well, we don''t have shampoo for dogs, so just this once, I''ll use mine on you. If it ever makes you sick, I''ll heal you. Now, come here." First, Orion called the dog toward the showers. He cleaned the dog of the grime it had on itself, and scrubbed it at the same time. "You''re a rare one, I heard dogs hated water, but not you it seems. I like you already." With a smile, Orion watched as the dog enjoyed the hot water spraying on it. A few minutes later, the dog had a clean white fur. Its fluffiness had disappeared, only leaving a sleek and short fur. "That fluffy fur was mostly because of how you lived until now." Orion closed the water faucet, and watched the dog walk further away to shake the water of its body. "Come here." Tapping on his thigh, he made the dog come to him. "Dawn." The light dagger Amelia used before appeared in his hand. "We''ll trim that fur carefully, so that you don''t look like a mess out of here." The dog sat in front of him, waiting. Orion grabbed the side of the dog and pulled it toward him, so that he could easily went around him. Slowly, but swiftly, Orion cut the fur that was uneven. He even managed to cut the fur under its belly. "A male. I was right." A magnificent pair of jewels had been found under all that fur. Once done, Orion released Dawn, who returned inside his body. "Hey, aren''t you looking great right now? Way better than earlier, though, you still look way to thin and frail in my eyes for a dog your size." After standing up, he watched the dog turn around and sit next to him, on his right side. "I need to find you a name though... what about-" ~ Orion walked out of the changing room after drying his new friend, and returned to the living room. Excited, the dog went immediately everywhere to learn about the various rooms of the house. The girls only had a fraction of a second to see how changed it looked after just a bath. "I''m leaving for a moment. I''m going to Hocride to buy some dog stuff." "Sure... but-" Before Amelia could say anything, Orion had already left the house. "it''s your... birthday." She looked completely defeated, as she wasn''t able to have him eat the cake she worked quite hard to make this time around. *Arooo!* The dog made a noise right next to her, so she looked at him. "You''re the one at fault you know?" She crouched and scratched his chin, the top of his head, and his back. Amelia wasn''t angry at all at the dog, in fact, she immediately felt something when she saw him. Once he received enough caresses, he went toward Karteira. "You came here because of me, right? Were you following me unnoticed, or did you stumble on the portal by yourself?" Karteira also caressed the dog in various places. Mainly his sides and his neck area. The same thing happened as before, and went to the sisters next. "Woah! Sis! Look at it! Wait, it''s a male?" "Seems like it." They seemed to very much like dogs, as they both surrounded him on both sides, and hugged him while rubbing his stomach as it sat there, happy. At last, he slowly approached Deveralna, who looked afraid of him. He sat a small distance away from her, and stared at her with expectation, wagging his tail. "Do you want me to... come to you?" ''What a smart dog, he knows I am scared of him it seems.'' Her opinion of the dog changed, as she was expecting it to jump at her just like it did for Orion. Slowly, she slithered toward the dog, and lightly petted its head. "Ooooh, so soft." The bright smile on her face betrayed her previous apprehensions. Not long after, she was hugging it and scratching his chest roughly, which he seemed to like too. "Was she really scared of him before?" Amelia looked with disbelief. "I guess people can change faster than they notice themselves." With a dry smile, both women looked at each other. As the five of them took turn to talk and pamper the dog, time went by, and Orion returned. "I''m back. With a guest too." "Hello." Kamala had followed him, since he once again barged uninvited in her house. Orion was decided to place a portal somewhere else at a later date. He had to explain that today was his birthday, and that a special guest had appeared in Horizon. He also spoke about Deveralna being there, and at that point, she was very much interested in the situation. So, Orion invited her. As she greeted everyone, she walked toward the lamia Queen, and bowed. "As this is our very first meeting, I will introduce myself. My name is Kamala Genathis, Apostle and Lord of Hocride. I am a friend of Orion." "It is a pleasure to meet another Apostle that isn''t working toward our extinction. I am Deveralna, Queen of Lahro." They both smiled at each over without showing any animosity toward each other. It was very much a polite greeting. *Woof* Kamala heard a noise coming from her side, and dropped her gaze. "Oh! Is that the famous troublemaker who made Orion not understand what to buy for him?" She dropped her knees to the ground and patted his head. "Nice to meet you." Rubbing between his ears, he took a liking to her immediately too. Orion watched all the women smile toward the dog, before it shook away the hands that made him melt under the caresses, and run toward Orion at the entrance. "Good dog." The dog sat on the right side of Orion, and barked, asking for food while looking at him. "Alright, alright. I got what you need. Oh, by the way, his name is Sirius." Dropping that information out of nowhere, he went with the dog inside the kitchen. "So, I got beef and chicken flavor cans for you, and a big bowl too. Which one you want?" As Orion was having a moment with the dog, they all went silent. "He... already named the dog." Dramia and Drania felt betrayed. "Sirius..." Amelia repeated the name in her head. Sirius had entered their life. Chapter 176: The most eventful birthday of his life. "I''ll look after you for now. Until you look healthy, that is." Orion lightly patted Sirius''s side after it was done eating. The famished dog ate quite a lot, which did not surprise him. "Alright, you can do whatever you want now. There not much to play outside, but I brought you a few things." Taking out balls and ropes from the large bag he carried home, Orion went out of the house and dropped the item in front of the house. ''I don''t even know if he will play with it.'' The dog looked at the toys, before settling right next to them. "Well, that should be expected. You''re tired after all of that, right?" Caressing him one last time, Orion then returned inside the house. He opened the door, and walked inside the living room, sitting on the couch again. "Orion. Have you checked, just in case?" Amelia sat next to him, still waiting for the opportunity to bring her cake out. "If he was corrupted? I did, he was clean." "That''s a relief." All the women breathed a sigh of relief, since they took a liking to Sirius. They would be devastated for quite some time if something was to happen to him right now. "So, where were we? You wanted to bring out the cake before Sirius happened?" "Yes! That''s right! Wait for me!" With a bright smile, Amelia stood up and ran next door to pick up the covered plate from the dining table. She returned in a hurry and placed the plate on the small table. "There it is." She opened the lid and revealed a cake that surpassed even the greatest of chefs in Triazils. "Oh..." Orion blinked a few times, and realized what he had in front of him. "A cake which represents my elements." Indeed, the cake was peculiar. It was made in three parts, a white left side, a darker brown other, and a middle part where it looked like a pearl had been placed, but creamy with star bits all over. "The middle is just a big sugary cream I made, the left side is a vanilla sponge cake, and the right side is dark chocolate. I made it as close as possible, but it''s close to impossible for me to bake more than that." "So... happy birthday." Everyone spoke in unison. "Happy birthday!" One at a time, he looked at the people around him. ''Amelia... She has been with me since the beginning. We''ve grew together until now, and it is thanks to her that I still find the strength to fight.'' ''Even though we''ve started on a rough foot at first, Karteira mellowed out quite a lot. To a point that it feels strange sometimes. I do love our training rivalry though, and her thirst for battle.'' ''Dramia. Even though you appear to keep everything to yourself, you definitely look better with a smile. One day, you will find something to repair that broken heart of yours, I''m sure.'' ''The rowdy Drania. Of course, how could I forget her. Noisy, always excited, but internally dealing with her power insecurities. The past while one day stop being important to you, believe me.'' ''While I''ve known Kamala for no more than a month, I know more about her than anyone on this planet. Florian better get to work, she also deserves to be happy.'' ''And last, Deveralna. I really don''t know much about her, except that she seemed to like me, and that she plays another persona when meeting people in the throne room of her palace. I''ll take this opportunity to learn more about her.'' He felt as if his heart was at peace. Closing his eyes, he thought of Dylan and Florian. The first was most likely worried about him, while the second was unknowing, and in the middle of a conquest. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Then, he thought of Tiohr-nam. He could feel the link he had with her in his soul, just like he was feeling his elements pulsing with a warmth that comforted him. Lastly, he saw his parents in his mind. His father that he saw again during the ring recovery mission, and his mother, that appeared a few days ago to help him during a difficult and strange moment. But even though Orion was mentally tough, with a fortitude no one had since Noah went around defending the continent, he was still young. Just the fact that this specific birthday was different from the previous ones, and that so many people he didn''t knew about just a few months prior were here, it remain as an important memory inside him. And just like that, an expression that so rarely appeared on his face took everyone by surprise. ''Orion is... smiling. Really smiling.'' Amelia watched in shock a delighted Orion, beaming from happiness. Something that never happened in her memories. Her, Karteira, Dramia, Drania, and Deveralna were all stunned. Only Kamala smiled in return. "Everyone, thank you." He was someone that smiled a lot, but always with restraints. Now that all the women in the room saw him like this, they would probably never forget about it. ''I had no idea he would give me a memory so precious all of a sudden.'' Karteira thought, turning to Amelia. Their gaze joined, an both nodded. They were almost always on the same wavelength nowadays. Dramia and Drania remained locked in place. That smile reminded them of when Noah looked at his strange item in the past. They also didn''t understand why such a smile was directed at them. For Deveralna, it was way worse. Her mind was in shambles. She fell in love with his appearance, and his attitude when they first met, but now, she was learning a side that enticed her way more. To her, Orion was a mysterious and strange man, but she realized that he was also hiding a lot of his feelings inside of him, just like her. *cough* Kamala forced a cough to make everyone return to their senses. "I know you young ladies are not used to such a thing, but this is not the time to remain stoic." "Yes! Let me cut the cake now." Amelia stopped her thoughts, and sat next to Orion. Karteira went in the kitchen to bring plates and forks while also cooling her flushed face. The sisters sat quietly on the other couch, and Deveralna kept smiling, before she sat next to the sisters. Kamala ended up sitting next to her right after. "That reminds me, have Amelia or Karteira asked you about the massage yet? I know you''ve been busy with the sirens and all, but I was hoping you had heard by now." Orion blinked a few times before shaking his head. "No, I''ve heard nothing about that. Where does that come from?" Karteira explained, with everyone in the room except Deveralna sweating. ... "Oh, sure. I can do that." While Kamala explained, Amelia had cut the cake. They were about to eat it. "Once we''ve ate the cake, I''ll help you." "Already? It can wait, it is your birthday isn''t it?" He shook his head. "It doesn''t matter." Kamala nodded in embarrassment. "A-Alright, if you say so." As this conversation came to a close, they all enjoyed the cake Amelia made, Orion, Dramia, Drania, and Deveralna enjoying the vanilla part, while Amelia, Karteira and Kamala ate the chocolate one. ~ "AHN! GH! WAI-" Kamala''s moans echoed from upstairs. "WAIT, I CHANGED MY MI-?! AH! IIIE! NOT THE TAI-! ANNH!" And then Deveralna''s voice followed right after. The previous victims of Orion''s massage were in the living room, their face completely flushed red. Orion, once the cake eating part was done, took Kamala with him upstairs. But right before, Deveralna made the mistake of wanting to experience it too. Now, they had to hear the scream of ecstasy and anguish of the two women that came from Orion''s room. "Are you sure their not having sex?" Drania said, red as a tomato. "What are you saying now?! Of course not!" Not believing what her sister said, Dramia slapped the back of her head. "You two made the same noises when he massaged your back." Remembering what happened in the Dead White forest, Karteira did not miss the chance to make them remember. "Impossible!" "No, I mean, she''s right sis. It does feel very good. To the point that you could even leak if you don''t contain yourself." "Ghh..." Dramia bit her lips remembering how horrifying this event was. "AAAAH!" Amelia closed her eyes, and began to analyse the situation by listening. "He''s almost done." "How can you tell?" Karteira asked. "He goes for the most pleasurable spots at the end. If you hear a sudden cut in their voice, that means he''s going for that." "How do you know that?" "Because I''ve heard all of you moan as I was the first out. I had time to understand how he works his fingers." Another round of blushing happened. "AH-GAH! NO! NNNN-" ''One down.'' She smiled. The first one to fall unconscious was Deveralna, as she was not used to such an intense session. Kamala seemed to hold pretty well, as her moans sounded more relaxed than she expected. At one point, she didn''t ever hear anything. ''Seems like she really needed this to relax. At least it was helpful?'' Sounds of footsteps in the staircase was heard, and not long after, Orion went through the doorway with a beeming Kamala. "Why are you all so red? You''re going to be sick if you don''t do something about it." "It''s your fault!" Dramia shouted. As he began to exchange words with an angry Dramia, Karteira asked Kamala with a flushed face. "How was it? Did that relieve your stress?" "Most definitely. I feel so much lighter, and my thoughts are clearer than I could have hoped." She turned to Orion and bowed a little. "Thank you. I don''t think anyone else would have done it as good as you. Do you mind if I ask you for another session in the future?" "If it helps, I don''t mind." With a smile brighter than before, she nodded. "At my age, it can be hard to find a good way to relieve the stress. You''re really good at this." He looked at Amelia. "What happened to the Queen?" "She fell asleep. I might have gone a little too far as I looked at the texture and feeling of her tail and her back." He placed a hand behind his head and looked up. "Yes, but she will feel better after waking up. She also hold a high status, so stress is an obligatory thing that comes with it." "If you say so. I hope she won''t hold it against me, like Dramia." "Wha- What does my name have to do with anything?!" Everyone laughed for a while, until the lamia Queen awakened. She did found out that her tail was more sensitive than before, and that her senses where more keen too. With difficulty, she returned downstairs, before joining them. The end of the day came faster than expected, and just like that, everyone returned home. All that was left was for Orion to go and see Keith, and then he would left the next day. Toward Bandir. Chapter 177: Hesitation. "Everything''s ready?" "Seems like it." "Then let''s go." The usual group of three was about to depart to their next destination, but before they did, they turned toward the house member they were leaving behind. "Sirius, we''re returning later. I just hope you won''t go into the sea, so just in case, I''ve notified the sirens about you." Orion crouched and rubbed the dog''s sides. "There''s kibble and water right next to the door, so eat when you want alright?" Then, Amelia came to pat his head. "Don''t play too much that you exhaust yourself." The last one to caress Sirius was Karteira. The dog look at them while wiggling his long tail, before turning around toward the house. "Alright, with that said, let''s move out." "Well, you say that, but we''re simply waiting in Auro while you go east, isn''t it?" Amelia said while walking through the portal, right behind Orion. "It won''t take long anyway. I''ve got more stamina than before, so I won''t need that many breaks." Orion said. "Around an hour should be enough. The coast isn''t that far." The three came out of the portal, and it closed behind them. After Orion''s birthday, the sisters returned to the fairy realm. First they needed to talk with Tiohr-nam about multiple things again, but also because they knew this trip to Bandir would be a mental test for Amelia, just like their own ''errand'' a month ago. This was something she had to go through. "You can either stay here, or go around town. Just..." He walked to Amelia and placed a hand on her head, looking directly into her eyes. "Be prepared. I am sure it won''t be easy." "Right." She nodded, watched by a worried Karteira. "Then, I''m going. Once this is done, we''re moving toward Turric. I think a good walk will be necessary, so we''ll go slowly toward it after we''re done in Bandir." Orion removed his hand, and looked toward Karteira. He nodded at her, implying something in the line of ''I''ll leave her to you.'' and left the wooden house. And without waiting, Orion was on his way for Bandir. "Amelia." "What?" Karteira had a feeling that Amelia was a little out of it. "Do you not want to go anymore? Are you regretting that choice?" But she did not receive an answer. "If you don''t talk, I''m going to pester you until you do. Either you talk to me, or you go outside with me." She finally got a reaction from her. *sigh* "Fine." Amelia sighed and shrugged, before sitting on one of the chairs. "I don''t know how I feel right now. I want to know more, but I also don''t want to. I don''t want to learn things that could change me." "We''ve already decided to go against the Apostle that attacked the village. That should have been enough. We had no need to go to that burned place at all." Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. She grabbed her head between her hands and placed her elbows on the table. "Why are we even going there for? There''s nothing, only death." But Karteira shook her head. "Of course there''s not just that. There might be things you can only remember by going there. Things that could help you learning more about the enemy, a weakness of sort, or just learning more about your mother could be a huge moment for you." "Why? She''s dead too." "If I''ve retained one thing, it is that life isn''t as black and white as it seems. You appearing in our realm is such a case. We were ready to die at any moment if not for your arrival. Maybe you will remember her last words, maybe more, I don''t know, but it''s not a reason to push away your past." Karteira closed her eyes, and brought up her trump card. "Amelia, what about Orion''s parents?" "..." She removed her hands from her face and crossed her arms on the table. "He told us right? They''re technically dead. But they are still around. Don''t you think your mother could also be a part of you? Are you going to throw her away?" Amelia stood up and walked toward Karteira. She stopped millimeters from her face and stared right in her eyes, seemingly furious. They remained like this for a moment, until Amelia closed her eyes, and turned her face away. "You''re right. I don''t know why I feel like this. Sorry about that." She took a step back, and smiled sadly. "I wouldn''t want to ignore your advice anyway, so I''ll-" Amelia slapped both of her cheeks at the same time, forcing her thoughts to return to normal. "Do my best. Thanks." "No problem. I''m your friend, so I will support you until the end." "Sure. You want to go outside until Orion returns?" Karteira nodded, and smiled at her. "I''ll follow you." And just like that, they both left the wooden house of Auro''s woods. Both girls went around town until the moment to leave was upon them. ~ The two usual shadows emerged from the darkness. "She''s decided to go there. Now that we''ve learned about the resonance, are you sure we can let them go?" The woman on the right spoke. She was the one who went to help Orion personally. "We won''t do anything. like I said, we need to remain hidden as much as possible." "I know that, but they are at risk now. Are we really letting them be?" It was a hard choice, but nothing could be done. "We''re talking about-" "Stop. I know what you want to say, but my choice will not change." ''This is so wrong.'' Her friend was adamant on not helping. The incident happening to Orion would be the only time she would put her life in danger. "You did it once, can''t you do it twice?" "No." "Fine." She gave up persuading her friend. "But I have this strange sensation that she will find out soon enough. That her life was all a lie." "A lie... did it now?" Noticing a reaction, she pushed a little further. "You know it is. Maybe she will not understand everything, but what will you do if she happens to remember everything? Aren''t you in trouble if that happens?" "..." "Of course you are. Sorry for asking." The cloaked woman on the left stood up and approached her friend. "What do you expect me to do? I''m shouldn''t have done what I did, sure. That much I can agree with. But you don''t have the same view I have on the world that I do. I''ve seen way more than you could ever imagine." "I know, and I never said that it wasn''t rough on you. What I want to say is that it is simply too terrible and unfair." What seemed like a heated argument was in fact their only way to have a real conversation without hiding their feelings. "Of course it is. She wasn''t ready, and I still feel that she isn''t. I saw her fail so many times I just wished it was someone else at this point!" Tears began to fall from the woman''s face. "I wasn''t talking only about her. I was talking about you too. How many time and for how long are you going to endure it? Isn''t you heart already broken by now?" "..." She wiped her tears away and sat back on her chair. "Not yet. I will rest only when the Scourge is gone from existence. Until it isn''t, I can''t stop, or else, all the sacrifices will be in vain." "Av-" "Don''t you dare speak that name. Don''t you dare." A strong pressure emanated from her, shutting the mouth of the woman on the left immediately. "My bad. I wasn''t thinking straight." "Don''t invite such a thing, or this will literally be the end." "Living in here is quite boring honestly. There''s nothing to do. Can you blame me for bothering you every now and then?" "Changing subjects... fine, I''ll let it slide." The woman on the right clenched her fist and did a victory pose, but discretely. As other topics were exchanged, only one thought remained in one of them. ''Let''s hope she will not learn too much.'' ~ Orion arrived near the east coast. It wasn''t as hot as the desert, and the air was way colder than he expected. The sea wasn''t that beautiful compared to Hocride''s, but it was still blue. Looking in the distance, he noticed something incredibly strange. In the darkest part of the sea, he saw a creature resembling a snake with white scale move around. And it wasn''t small. The shadow it casted under the water was massive, and Orion didn''t know what to do, or what to think. ''It''s bigger than Tiohr-nam, and she''s already a massive tree. What in the world is this thing?'' Just as he thought that, two yellow eyes stared at him from the distance. The water violently shook, and split itself in half, as a monster emerged from it. Anyone seeing this scene would either run in panic, or faint on the spot. But to Orion''s surprise, he wasn''t scared or apprehensive of the being. The two stared at each other for a minute, until the earth shook from the footsteps of the giant being. Once it judged the distance to be enough, it dropped its lower body and approached its head toward Orion. The voice of a stern old man echoed in his mind. "You. Why can I smell the dragon and lamia essence on you?" Orion shook his head. "If you tell me who you are first, I''ll answer." "Oooh. You have the dragon''s speech. Interesting." As they stared at each other, the sea closed itself, and giant waves came crashing on the shores. Velridar, the Remnant of Strength and father of the dragons and lamias, and Orion, last survivor of the angel and demon faction, met at that moment. Chapter 178: The day the continent shook. An encounter that no one could have expected. Two beings that were similar in nature, yet completely different. One was the embodiment of ''strength'', ''determination'', ''power'' and ''courage'', the other was living with these concepts as his way of living. A creature that was so enormous it had to hide itself in the deepest waters of the continent, and the other, a hybrid in constant danger simply due to his nature and past, also walking through the continent while maintaining a low profile. Velridar rarely showed himself, and even less in front of a single being. But he felt something incredibly worrying approaching the coast, and stayed alerted in case that being came for him, but to his surprise, it was a single being, with a mixed essence, plus the dragon''s and lamia''s, which could only happen if you had closely exchanged with one of them. The silence remained for quite some times, with both of them trying to identify the identity of the other, until Velridar noticed two details. With an unfazed expression in his presence, it meant that the man was already accustomed to a Remnant. And he was not interested in attacking, at all. There was no signs of a fight preparing. Once Velridar confirmed in his mind, he switched his thoughts, thinking that this was useless to continue confronting that man without at least answering him. "I am Velridar, the father of the dragons, and the lamias. I represent the strength that you seem to possess, and would even dare say that you follow it to heart." Orion''s expression changed to slight surprise. He wasn''t expecting to find another Remnant during his journey east, and surely not the father of dragons. But that was it. Feeling no animosity toward him, he decided to remain neutral in front of the giant white half dragon. "I''m Orion Feales. I''ve met with the dragons a few months ago, and the lamias recently. The dragons have saved us in a dire situation at the time, and I''ve resolved something troublesome for the lamias a few days ago. I consider those two factions as allies if I had to define our position." The dragon''s nostril opened, as he turned his head away from Orion before letting out a massive amount of steam from them. "I see. Someone like yourself who bears the words I empower would not lie in front of me." Velridar lifted its neck high in the air to look far away, seeing that there was no sign of an attack on him for revealing himself. Showing himself was one thing in the middle of the Northern Sea, but on the continent, that was another matter altogether. "Nothing on the horizon..." He dropped his head really low on the ground, and began to rest on it, laying his whole elongated body that still had a third of it in the water. "Can I take it that you have no ill intent toward my creations?" Orion nodded, under the intense gaze of the dragon. "That would be more troublesome for me to do that. I might be capable of erasing the lamias'' city, but the dragons? With Monolavir and Ruminona, none of them would go down without a fight." "Though, I would most likely win if they don''t fight seriously." Orion shrugged. "Otherwise, I would probably lose my life." Two dragons was no joke. And two mutated ones at that? ''No thank you. I''m not that stupid.'' "I imbued the most ''power'' inside of these children. There is no way they would lose to other creations. But you seem to be a strange exception. And what''s even more strange is the fact that you do not wield that strength carelessly." "Were did you learn to control it? I don''t mean physically. ''Power'' and ''Strength'' both go hand in hand, but there is a clear distinction between the two." "Both are needed to make a perfect balance. Strength is there to sustain your power. Without it, there is no vessel to get the most out of it." "But power without strength is just as bad, since you are unable to nurture your own physical abilities, and instead cripple your own body from the lack of restraint." Orion looked at the white dragon with amazement. He decided to have a conversation with the being instead of leaving. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "I''ve been trained by someone who''s physical abilities were tremendously superior to anything I knew. I learned how to control my own strength with a lot of training, but I''ve improved my power with a lot of knowledge on myself. Choosing what to focus on instead of running aimlessly was my way to change to what I am today." Velridar blinked a few times slowly during his explanation. There was one word he wasn''t expecting to hear. "Knowledge..." He wasn''t necessarily smarter than most, but he was still incredibly wise, mostly because of he''s long life, but there was things he would be ignorant of. Since he wasn''t the Remnant of Intellect, the most he knew was purely how to fight, and use his body. "I understand that feeling. Knowing yourself is the way to manipulate all of those wasted resources to maintain a perfect state at all time, and to learn details that you would otherwise miss." "It has been so long since I''ve spoken about strength and power. I had almost forgotten." Having lived with the dragons for a month, Orion could decipher their expression. Velridar was truly glad to have found someone who understood the concept he was born to represent. "I need to ask something, because of a choice we made recently." Velridar, in his happiness, agreed. "Sure, I am in a good mood, so I will entertain your mind." "Were the lamias created with the objective to bring the humans and them closer?" Orion explained what had happened, unknown by the mighty dragon Remnant. ... "Male lamias... That is indeed a mutation. I have never thought of creating them in the past. So you are right saying that it was a genetic instinct to survive. Just like a mutated dragon is needed as a leader instinctively." "That''s news to me." "Because dragons are prideful by nature, someone needs to represent them. Just like the first humans and their ''kingdoms''." Pieces began merge together in Orion''s head. ''I wondered why the lamia faction was a monarchy. Now I understand, Velridar made them exactly like the humans prior to Elliot''s appearance. They just held it firmer than the humans themselves.'' Indeed, there was no human monarchies remaining on Triazils, but the past was different. After Noah saved everyone, the age of the humans took place, and Velridar chose this period to create the lamias. Only a few books had this information listed. Only because Orion managed to stumble upon some of these books did he knew that they had existed. "I get it, but why not create males from the start? I know it could have broken the link you wanted to build with the other faction, but if you had thought of setting similar to the current one, it would have been easier to deal with." "I made the lamias as an experiment, and it failed splendidly. But they never asked help my help until know. I was persuaded that they were fine." Orion noticed that something was weird from his side. "What do you mean by that? They were clearly in an awful situation for the past two thousand years?" Velridar closed his eyes. "The link I have with the lamia might have been mimicked at some point, or falsified in some ways. Even as we speak, it feels as if nothing is different from when I''ve created them." ''This is strange...'' Orion fell in deep thoughts. ''Is there even someone capable of doing such a thing? Or was it also a coincidence?'' Since he was oblivious to the past, he stopped making guesses. "Do you mind if I look at it myself?" "Oh? Do you think able to find the link between me and my children? Do try it." With a nod, Orion walked toward Velridar, and stopped near the side of his head. He placed a hand on the white scale, and closed his eyes. ''If it is similar to the flow of magic between me and Tiohr-nam, I should be able to find it.'' For a few minutes, Orion and Velridar stayed silent. ''What the heck is this thing?!'' As Orion tried to find his way inside the magic system of the dragon, he realized what he had in front of him. ''This amount of magic makes me sick...'' This dragon was completely different. A pure, unfiltered mess of raw magic. No elemental magic, just pure magic energy. Feeling his own magic tracing inside, he finally found what he was looking for. A small thread, link to a second one. This felt incredibly weird for him, as he also felt the link with the two factions. He traced the one that felt like Deveralna, and at one point, he opened his eyes. "There''s something on the path?!" Velridar opened his eyes too. "Hmm? What do you mean? Is there really something that blocked my senses?" "Sure there is. And I know it all too well." Orion clenched his free hand. "You have corruption inside of you." "!" That was a word Velridar wasn''t prepared to hear. "..." "You yourself is fine, you''re body itself is clean, but the link between you and the lamias was indeed corrupted. It feels similar to when I got corrupted." "And you lived through it?!" "Yes, I''m able to cure corruption, unless it has already taken place and killed the host." The big yellow eyes of the dragon opened wide. Orion immediately prepared himself to remove that unwanted parasite. He focused his mind on the link, and sent the light element through, before sending the dark element as precaution. At last, he also decided to send the void element as support. ''Something encroached that much will not be easy to remove. Let''s hope it won''t injure him.'' A battle of very small scale happened. Three elements battled the corruption knot until they won. It took twenty minutes for it to finally be erased. But that was maybe the worst thing Orion could have done. Because Velridar''s eyes opened completely and shook in all directions. "Gr-rrrrr..." That''s all Orion heard, before the dragon removed its head from the ground, and stood in all its glory in the middle of the sea. What he didn''t knew, was that all of the two thousand years of emotions, calls for help, despair, and deaths returned to him in an instant. The white dragon opened its mouth, and a roar that shook all of Triazils echoed. It was so loud, even the other continents heard it. *VROAAAAAAAAAAAH* It lasted for a minute. Orion had to plug his ears in a hurry, as the roar was so loud it could burst his eardrums in an instant. The water shook relentlessly, and a heavy aura formed around Velridar. Particules of magic accumulated in his mouth, before being released as a beam of destructive magic toward the sky. ''What is happening?!'' The white light engulfed everything around, as the sea split around the dragon. The ground cracked from the pressure, until the beam finally stopped. That beam took the world by surprise. It was way brighter, way larger, and way more noticeable than the one he released in the Northern Sea. His previous roar, and the sudden release of magic shocked Orion, but also the whole continent. Everyone though the world was ending. Only one being smiled, situated all the way to the west, sealed inside a crystal. Chapter 179: Links. The light died down at some point, leaving only a terrible pressure on the surrounding. ''Such power... If I''m ever hit by it, there would be nothing of me to recover.'' Orion unplugged his ears and watched as Velridar closed his mouth and remained still, as if it was a statue. ''I don''t understand. Did I do something wrong? But I''m pretty certain I''ve simply removed the corruption from the link.'' Thinking about the situation, he wracked his brain to find a potential reason for his reaction. ''Something that creates such a response...'' The image of Orion holding a broken Amelia reappeared in his head. ''I see... That''s what happened.'' And the state of the white dragon was only confirmation for him. He didn''t knew the dragon, but he understood that it was a being. So, Orion made his choice. ''I''ll have to see for myself.'' He released his magic, while extending his hand in the direction of the Remnant''s head. With his gold and silver colored hair fluttering in the wind, he warped. The water began to crash on the now revealed body of the dragon, returning to its rightful place. The sea life that had taken a toll from the damage and pressure would take a few years to recover though. Orion placed his foot on the nose of Velridar, and looked inside its giant eyes. "..." Orion was maybe a hundred meters above the ground, he had still a good balance, avoiding him from falling down. But even if he did, he could return easily. "Hey!" Trying to call out to the dragon, he walked closer to the eyes, that looked lifeless. The golden yellow that it previously was now greyish. ''Damn it! It''s not answering!'' But just when he thought that, a raspy, broken voice of an old man echoed. "My children... how could that had happened?" "I never knew. Was my wish to bridge our creations together a mistake?" "Was I wrong all along, so much that you had to suffer all this time?" "What... have I...done?" Orion could feel the sorrow in its voice. ''Even such a great being got reduced to a broken state. The corruption is dreadful.'' ''But I have to do something!'' He couldn''t let the dragon in this state. Now understanding how important those ''creations'' were to the Remnants, how could he remain emotionless to their misery? Even them, the greatest beings of the world, had something precious. They were parents, even though they never acted like it. But there was one thing Orion knew. If this dragon knew about its children''s worst moments, he would have gone himself to save them. "Velridar! Are you not the Remnant of Power?! Return to normal!" Orion tried ordering the dragon, but it did not respond. He tried to appeal to its emotions. It failed. He tried being gentler, same result. ''This is going nowhere!'' Clenching his fist, he was beginning to believe that the dragon was truly broken at this point. ''Was I about to end up like this? If mother never appea- Wait!'' An idea immediately formed in his mind. If himself was unable to help, then... A portal formed, and Orion immediately walked through, finding himself inside the throne room of the lamia''s palace. "You!" The guards instantly jumped when they saw Orion appear, but the ones most surprised were Deveralna and her mother, Palarvina. "O-Orion?! How did you-" "No time for that." He walked toward the throne with haste, and grabbed the queen left arm, lifting her. Then, he took her in his arms, before moving toward the portal. "Wait! Where are you taking my daughter?!" Turning quickly to answer the worried mother, he understood how everyone was feeling. He was basically kidnapping her. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "To save her creator. Sorry, but there''s really no time." Deveralna''s keen instincts came in play, as she understood something grave was happening, related to that violent quake that happened a few minutes ago. The sweat on Orion''s face was visible, because of his constant use of ''Calm Analysis''. He was looking for the best result in this terrible moment. She wrapped her long tail around his waist to not hinder him. "Mom, I''m going for now. If he needs me, I''ll oblige. Take care of the place." Orion gave a nod to Palarvina, and walked through the portal. "Wh-" She couldn''t finish her question because she felt a strange but familiar pressure from the area. ''Where are we?'' was what she wanted to ask, but the two beings in front of her answered that question. "Orion! I''m sorry, but you came at the wrong time. We were about to leave the nest." Monolavir different from usual. He looked worried, and panicked at the same time. Ruminona at his side wasn''t much better. "To see Velridar?" "How did you-" "No question, follow me." He opened a bigger portal, capable of making the two massive dragons fly through. "Fine. Rumi, let''s go." "Yes, Mono." The two dragons flapped their wings, lifting their massive and heavy bodies off the ground. Orion turned around and walked through the portal again, finding himself where he first talked to Velridar, on the east coast. The two dragons quickly flew through, and fell in shock. "F-Father?!" Ruminona instantly flew toward the still Remnant. Monolavir idled next to Orion, trying to piece everything together. He felt the massive amount of magic in the air, that was able to make him choke sometimes. The pressure was still strong in this area too. "What in the world happened to you, father?" Deveralna stared at the scene of a giant immaculate white mix of a snake and a dragon standing in the distance. "I-Is that?!" She then felt a warm connection that wasn''t there before, finally feeling the link she had with her ''father''. "That being is the Remnant of Power. The creator of the dragons and the lamias. This is not the greatest of situation to explain, but I''ll make it quick." "Save his broken mind. I can''t do it alone." She blinked a few times, thinking that it wasn''t an explanation at all, but understood the meaning of his request. "Monolavir, the link with the lamia faction was tempered by the corruption. Once I''ve removed it, Velridar roared and shot a beam through the sky. He remained like this since." "I can''t let him stay like this, that''s why I came to drag you out." With the quick explanation he promised, Orion quickly opened another portal, to return on top of Velridar''s nose, leaving Monolavir behind, who flew like a bullet to catch up. "Father! Father, answer me!" "Why don''t you answer me!" Ruminona was losing it. She kept calling for him, but Velridar was not responding. "Hey! I''ve got your children! You better wake up!" Orion walked with Deveralna in his arms until he arrived in front of his eyes again. "Look, that''s a lamia you cherish so much, does she look broken in your eyes?!" With a provocative tone, he tried again to have a reaction out of him. No response. ''That''s our creator?'' She heard Orion before, and she wasn''t that stupid to falsely accuse this being of ignoring their past suffering. ''He was unable to feel our current suffering because of our link was ''tempered'' with? But this warm feeling... is this what we were supposed to feel all along?'' As she began to feel that link, all of the lamias on Triazils also began to feel it. The link of the creator that they never knew it truly existed. And with it, came the stillness of his mind. Velridar was so lost that he was unable to feel to hundreds of lives converging. ''We can''t have that, I agree with Orion.'' The cold wind blew at the top of the dragon, making her and Orion''s hair freely float around. Her hair seemed to hid her face, but her expression was determined. She placed a hand on her chest, and sent the strongest message she could through the link. ''The lamias are here! We''re fine!'' The dragons stopped in their tracks, and turned to Deveralna. ''She''s...'' Ruminona stared at the lamia, and felt the strength of her link with the lamia grow. ''What am I doing?! Father won''t come back just by shouting in his ears!'' The Queen of the Lamia, and the Firstborn of Velridar both allied together, and sent the strongest wake-up call ever. "WAKE UP! FATHER!" But there seemed to be no response. Orion looked in the eye of the dragon. "..." ''Continue whatever you are doing.'' He then switched his gaze between Ruminona and Deveralna until he saw a sign. The greyish yellow seemed to change back to a brighter color, but it was not enough. *ROOOOO* Monolavir had enough. "What are you doing?! Is that how a dragon is supposed to behave?! You''re no different than a big lizard then!" Like a bullet, he crashed on the side of his creator head first. He wasn''t strong enough to even make it flinch, but the reaction was there. A groan, and steam coming from the nostrils. ''Keep going. Almost...'' Orion believed these three would be able to help more than he could. With Monolavir hurling himself against the tough scales of Velridar, Ruminona trying to awake her father''s mind, and Deveralna forcing her thoughts through the link, a slight reaction happened. This sign was all Orion needed. "Don''t let the corruption play with you. Don''t let it break you. Power is nothing without strength, and inversely, right?" "Those... words." The color of his eyes blinked faster between grey and gold. "Can''t you hear you children? Are you going to leave them worrying? Aren''t you their father?" Everyone stopped what they were doing, and stared at Orion who began to extract Velridar from its shock. "I... can hear..." His eyes finally recovered their previous golden luster, and its still body slowly moved to a more comfortable position. Orion returned to the ground by portal, and looked at Velridar laying in the water, mostly exhausted by the unexpected release of such a massive amount of magic manifested by the beam. "He''s... back?" Deveralna spoke softly while looking at Orion. "Seems like it. You did well, whatever you did." "I wouldn''t have been able to bring his self back without you." A sense of accomplishment and purpose overwhelmed her. She felt the strong link that was supposed to be there all along, and finally understood. ''We were not toys for this Remnant like we thought. We never knew how important we were for this being... but how could we have known?'' She felt awful at the same time. "Orion... was it?" Velridar moved his gaze toward him, with his voice echoing in the form of a growl. "You have my thanks for bringing my children here. I cannot believe I have let two thousand years of emotions overwhelm me." To that, Orion shook his head. "I did what would give the best results, but whatever they did, I had no part in it. You have a lot to process it seems." The link now restored, Velridar had a lot to think about. "I am quite angry. Not toward you of course. I have been played like a foul by the Miasma, and I cannot remember when this happened. Since when my connection to the lamias has been like this?" "I will think about it once my magic has been restored, but that could take a few years at this point. I have destroyed most of my magical circuits in the previous attack, which takes time to restore. I think I have also lost one of my magic storage permanently..." Monolavir and Ruminona flew back to Orion, and dropped on each of his sides. "This is awful." Ruminona said, looking worried. "Are we unable to help?" Deveralna asked Orion with pleading eyes. "For the magic storage, there is nothing we can do. But for his magic..." Orion stared at Velridar, before speaking again. "I should be able to help." Chapter 180: A second bond with a Remnant. The wind blew stronger, characteristic of the sea. What more, because of the released of condensed magic, a storm was brewing above them. Just when Velridar had lost all hope on recovering, an opportunity showed itself. "You? An idea?" Monolavir said with a tone full of surprise. "It would not be the first time this little monster came up with an improbable idea, isn''t it, Mono?" But Ruminona reminded him of who was next to him. "Tell me, what could a small being like you do for me? I do not wish to belittle you in the slightest, but I am still a Remnant." Orion looked at Deveralna. "Can you stand next to me?" "Sure." Releasing her tail gripping around his waist, she stood straight again. ''It''s a little cold now that I''m out of his arms.'' She felt regret and reluctance separating herself from him. "Thank you." He smiled, before looking at Velridar, a serious expression on his face. "Only Tiohr-nam is able to look into people''s soul, I believe?" Velridar wasn''t expecting to hear this familiar name. The Remnant of Life, naming herself the Tree of Life because of her constitution. A being that sometimes talked to him because of her location. She was at the center of the place the dragons chose to nest at, before moving somewhere else. Of course he would now about her. "The ability to look into the soul is indeed the property of the Remnant of Life. I am unable to notice anything else than my own connection to my children as a whole." "Then I will tell you without hiding anything. Tiohr-nam said that most of you Remnant were amicable by nature, and I began to believe it too, which led me to give you this information." ''Learning about the Remnant is also something that I want to do, and I can have him indebted to me at the same time. I don''t know if I''ll ever need something from him in the future, but we better be prepared than not.'' Orion thought that this was a really good thing to have the Remnant of Strength on his side. It was a way to ensure he wouldn''t have to worry about making an enemy of the giant dragon. ''That beam... Just as I thought, nothing would be left of a good part of Triazils if it was released toward me. I wouldn''t be here to think about all of this.'' Just remembering it, Orion shuddered. "I have a connection built between me and Tiohr-nam. She needed magic energy to recover for life threatening injuries capable of definitely killing a Remnant." "!" Just that information gave a bad taste in Velridar''s mouth. ''A Remnant? Close to permanent death? This would have been a first.'' "The connection follow a pretty simple rule. I give my excess magic to her, that is supposed to be destroyed, and heal her previous injuries while filling her magic storage." Ruminona intervened. "I apologize, but isn''t that something a Remnant of Life can do?" There was logic in thinking like that, but. "It should be possible for every Remnant, isn''t it?" Orion shrugged while looking at the white dragon, before continuing. "Are the links built between the creator and the creations not proof of the possibility? It just means that Tiohr-nam was more predisposed to find it than the others." "Oh. Now that you say that." The green dragon stopped asking questions. "Maybe, just maybe, you could form a soul link between us, and use my expelled overflow of magic to recover? Tiohr-nam as already mostly filled her tanks of magic." This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. But the moment this idea came in Orion''s mind, he shuddered. ''I-I don''t want to eat another weird thing. I would never drink dragon saliva!'' Seeing the frown on his face, Monolavir thought about something "Isn''t it dangerous for you? The amount our father requires might be too heavy for you to bear alone. It could leave you dry in no time, and that would-" "Kill me? I know." Orion cut him off. He already knew the consequences behind his previous words. "But that is the least I can do. If it works for one, it should work for two. He just have to show restraints and not kill me, or else he won''t even recover at all." "Ghh!" Velridar wanted to comment on it, but he knew that it was true. "You kill him, and all the lamias will turn against you with one of my word." With a face that showed her anger, Deveralna stood proud next to Orion. "You would go that far?" Said Ruminona in an impressed voice. "We just only felt our creator. The lamias don''t have that closeness that you dragons have with him. It would change nothing for us even if we denied everything." "..." More words kept piling on the dragon''s peace of mind. He was supposed to avoid killing one man, or else, a part of his creations would instantly turn against him. "Fine. I will do my utmost to only take the bare minimum. That is, if all of this plan works." Velridar closed his eyes, and tried to form a new link with the man that offered help. He focused on the little existence in front of him, but since it wasn''t his forte, it took him some time. Finding Orion''s magic signature wasn''t that easy, for him who could only feel his own overwhelming presence. But since Orion was still releasing his full magic capacity, he finally found it. A three layered magic aura that almost felt threatening to him. ''What is... that thing?'' While his mind was exploring Orion, in reality, a small thread of magic formed from the tip of his nose, and slowly, very slowly, floated toward him. Halfway through, the thread stopped and stayed there. "Ag-" The next moment, Orion grabbed his chest in what felt like a stab in his ribcage, where his heart was. He bit his lower lip to avoid making a sound. Same as Velridar, a small thread of magic formed, and joined the one waiting, coming from the white dragon. Deveralna, Monolavir, and Ruminona all stared at this scene breathtakingly. Nothing like this ever happened before, to their knowledge. The threads touched each other, before violently merging together, and vanishing as if nothing ever happened. "I don''t... feel any different." Orion looked at his hands and chest, and inspected his own soul to find any problems. ''No problems. The draining is... not that much. A little heavy.'' ''...'' ''A little?!'' Orion found himself in a dark place, darker than his own soul. There, in the middle of the space, a massive spiral of colorless magic was, with the seed Tiohr-nam had gifted him, siphoning his magic. Above the spiral, two glowing serpent eyes were staring at this scene, and he truly felt what having a link to the Remnant of Power meant. Just looking in his glowing eyes, Orion understood how immature in his path to strengthening his self, body and mind. The difference between him and the dragon only now registered. The magic beam was terrifying, but the dragon himself could pulverize the continent in half a day. Why he didn''t do that? Simply because he had no reason to, and because his children lived on it. He had perfect control over his power, compared to Orion. "You have something very interesting in you." Those words forced him back to reality. "W-What?" With astonishment, Orion looked at Velridar. "Do not mind the words of an old dragon. I would get the ire of that tree if I spoke more on this topic. She seems quite protective, and got flustered when I appeared in your soul." Orion could imagine Tiohr-nam getting agitated right now. He thanked the world knowing that the sisters where with her at this very moment. But this ''interesting'' thing inside of him bothered him a little. Her and Velridar knew something he didn''t about himself, and that bothered him greatly. "That ''soul'' connection you talked about, I can definitely feel it now. I never knew out power were capable of such developments. There is a lot we have to learn about ourselves yet." "I will closely watch the amount of magic you release. That tree will be acting as a dispenser too it seems, so you shouldn''t worry about dying anytime soon." He looked at the lamia woman, who had come to help him. "You won''t have to worry like this, young lamia. I wish you children would one day forgive this fool for not noticing your suffering." Closing his eyes, and pushing his nose in the ground, he appeared seriously apologetic to her, and her ancestors. "I will discuss about it with the lamias faction later. Many will mostly reject you, let''s be honest." "Yes." She was the Queen, even if it had only been a few months. It didn''t change the fact that she knew the factions like the palm of her hand. "But I will do my utmost to make it right. What happened might have been something out of the control a Remnant." ''But that ''something''... to manipulate a bond for so many years. I cannot imagine such a Remnant falling for the corruption like this without being corrupted itself. Maybe Velridar was too powerful to be corrupted, or the Miasma had something to do about it, I have no idea.'' While Orion closely listened to Deveralna, he already tried to understand what could have happened at the same time. ''Maybe Remnant themselves are hard to corrupt? That''s why Tiohr-nam was on the brink of death? That would make sense for why she wasn''t being corrupted to begin with.'' While thinking, the whole ordeal came to an end, with Orion happily nodding about the fact that he didn''t swallow any weird item. "Alright, I''ll lead everyone back home safely. What are you going to do?" He turned to Velridar, and asked him, curious. "I will rest in the sea until I have enough strength to move again. I am an easy target on land for that matter." "Right." Having obtained his answer, Orion opened a portal. "Then, I''ll return to my mission after that. There is still somewhere I have to go to." Slowly, the dragon''s body returned to the sea. His body got submerged in a matter of second, as his head scraped the sand of the beach, before also disappearing in the sea. "Thank you helping an old Remnant." The voice died down, with no follow-up. ''Do not mention it.'' Orion smiled, taking everyone back to the dragon''s den first, and then Deveralna back to her palace, unscathed. It took a whole afternoon for her to describe what happened to her mother, and began preparing a speech for her citizens about Velridar, their creator. While Orion finally managed to find Bandir, a few kilometers south of his previous stop. Chapter 181: Burnt remains. The sky remained greyed by the clouds, even further away from the coast. Risks of rains were upon them, as the group stood at the edge of what remained of a village that seemingly thrived twenty years prior to this moment. Orion had decided to keep the event with Velridar to himself for now, as it would take a long time to explain. Telling them what happened in Horizon was a smartest move than speaking in the middle of Auro. When he returned to pick them up, he noticed the fear on their faces. Really, that giant beam of raw magic and the roar that came before it certainly shook all livings to their core. He took a little moment to calm them down, but immediately after that, they came through the portal. "T-This is..." Amelia stared in front of her while biting her lips, feeling a mix of emotions surging inside her head. "Bandir. Or what''s left of it, really." The one who already saw this mess of a place, Orion, spoke to confirm. A village able to contain a few hundreds people had been reduced to a field of burnt wood, ashes, and a darkened earth. ''There''s not a single house remaining at all.'' Karteira thought, looking at Amelia. "Amelia. Let''s continue." ''Really, I''m not sure if this is a good idea. I had my doubts, but am I making her more miserable by making her come here?'' Grimacing slightly, Orion walked in front of the girls, killing his feelings in the process to not make the matter worse for Amelia. ''Whatever happens, or what she find out, I''ll be there. Karteira and I will support her.'' Silently, Amelia caught up to him, and grabbed his hand without a word. Orion, noticing the trembling of her hand, silently held it with strength. Karteira followed on the other side of Orion, sometimes glancing at her two friends faces. ''Amelia is having a hard time looking around, and Orion is doing is best not to let his emotions control him. I know he doesn''t want her here, but we''re not sure if this area is truly her birth place.'' Both Karteira and Orion''s mind thought the exact same thing. ''Until we know or not she was born from this place, we have to stay.'' They walked between the broken building, that looked more like pilled rubble. Every once in a while, you could actually find a burnt corpse, that left a bad aftertaste in their mouth. Unrecognizable, nobody even cared about burying these poor people. That is what happens when an history become hidden by the top members of a society. Nobody came back, or even cared, because for them, the Azur Dragon was responsible for burning Bandir. With time, what was known as a small city on the edge of the east coast, it disappeared from everyone''s memories. No many remember it nowadays, except the Apostles, and the few who survived the Dragon''s Rampage. Walking further in, they followed what looked like a path made of bricks. At one point, they arrived in an area that was quite big, and completely burnt. "This is the area were the fire blast started, isn''t it?" Analyzing the area, Karteira saw that there was not many destroyed building around them, and that there was something strange about a specific spot in the surroundings. "It is, most likely. And there is clearly where everything happened." Orion and Amelia also noticed the spot instantly. A piece of the ground was in a pristine condition, as if the fire wasn''t able to damage it at all. Ten meters away from that spot, a two meters circle of ground had been completely melted. This was the starting area. "If that is where Kelvin was standing, then this is..." Switching between the two spots, a clear conclusion came to the three. "My mother''s." Amelia gripped Orion''s hand stronger, which he responded in kind. "But no one said she could use magic. Leaving the ground like this means she managed to protect herself." "Or me." Silence fell, giving time for Amelia to get her emotions together. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. - "... you... mind?!" - Surprise appeared on Amelia''s face. Her complexion suddenly changed, and her eyes closed involuntarily. "Amelia? Are you feeling alright?" Noticing her grip weakening, Orion called out to her, but she had already fell into the deepest part of herself. Her past was about to be revealed. ~ Twenty years ago, in the town of Bandir. A woman with golden, long curled hair walked around the town''s plaza with a child in her arms. She a small shopping bag held by her right wrist, that was holding the baby. She was considered as the most beautiful woman in the town, because of her snow white, yet healthy skin. You could even consider her beauty to be unrivaled in Triazils. Golden blond hair naturally curling, with an unequal band of hair on her right side falling past her shoulder, a face capable of capturing the attention of anyone glancing in her direction, sky blue colored irises, and always displaying a smile in all circumstances. She was always dressing casually too, never in a flashy way. She wore a grey turtleneck that day, because of the chilly weather that came from the sea, and a straight blue jeans, which was her perfect combination to create maximum appeal. Her low boots also helped elevate her height a little, giving her a defined style at the time. Around town, this woman was known for the care she showed to her child, even though she was a widow. Thanks to her husbands previous work, she had no need to work either, making her a hot topic among housewives. That is to say, she was by no mean hated. In fact, she sometimes joined them to talk, and was always happy to give them advices that could help in their daily life. The woman''s name was Henrietta. "Well, we''ve got everything we need for tonight''s dinner. Isn''t it too cold for you? Let''s get home quickly." Her sultry voice went toward the little life that looked at her with the most unusual type of irises in the world. As she walked, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. "I guess it is time again." Looking at the sky, her eyes, that had a color similar to it, glowed a darker blue. She turned around, and saw a man, quite young at that, walking with haste toward her. "HENRIETTA!" His voice echoed with an anger that took the whole town''s people by surprise. But once they knew who it was, they instantly disappeared from the area in a rush. "It''s the son of Dellthord again! Quick!" "Hurry up!" "Mama! Let''s go back home!" Henrietta narrowed her eyes at that. ''As always, it never changes. This man brings disaster each time he comes here.'' She really didn''t like him. Now alone in the middle of town, Kelvin Dellthord, twenty at the time, stopped in front of her. Typical of the Dellthord family, he was in full armor. A shining silver knightly armor. His skin was whiter than Henrietta, since he lived in a snowy area. He had dark grey hair, long in the back, and short on the sides. One of his bangs covered his left eyes, which you could sometimes see when he moved. He clearly was in an awful mood right know. "I came to pick you up this time, I won''t accept your refusal." Forcefully, he tried to grab one of her arms. "If you touch me, be prepared to lose your hand." Once again, her eyes glowed, and four blades of water appeared around his wrist. "Tsk! What did I say?! Do not refuse my offer!" "Stop acting like a child. I said it how many times by now? I do not, and will never follow you. You dared threaten the life of my child, and mocked my late husband''s name." She was also in a bad mood now that he had appeared. "That bastard child! I don''t care at all about it! Just send her somewhere, and come with me, damn it! The dragon is coming, don''t you know?! Only I can defend you!" With a devious smile, he stood his arm extended, afraid to lose it. Making wide gestures with his free arm, he tried everything to make her follow him. "You do not love me at all. I don''t understand how you can fool yourself in thinking that, but I am not stupid enough to even believe a single moment you do. If you had accepted my little girl, maybe I would have considered it, but you are in the end so much inferior to my husband." She turned around with her child. "Leave this town be. I have no reason to believe your words, and no dragon will bother this village. It has never offended a dragon to begin with." "Kuh!" Kelvin made a pitiful noise at her words. As she walked away, she released her magic. "Leave this place immediately, and never come back. The next time, your head will roll. I cannot have you in her life." Standing motionless, Kelvin stared at the ground, his rage boiling. He clenched both fists and shouted toward the sky. "WHY DOES NOTHING GO MY WAY! THE DRAGON! THE WOMAN I WANT! FATHER''S LEGACY! MOTHER''S LOVE!" "WHY?!" Henrietta stopped in her tracks and simply glance back over her shoulder, silent. "Why can''t I have a little relief?! Why is life like this?!" The air around him began to heat, creating a mist instantly when it hit the cold air. "If I can''t have you..." His words suddenly felt wrong. His eyes glowed a little red, and his voice felt inhuman in many ways. With the next words, came the worst fate for anyone living in Bandir. "NOBODY WILL!" A huge booming sound echoed, as his body stood there like a puppet. His face slowly moved up, and he stared at Henrietta. With fear in her eyes, Henrietta stood still. ''I should have killed him when I had the opportunity... but.'' She looked at her child. Kelvin opened his hands, and two large spheres of fire grew from his palms. The air grew heavier, making it hard to breath. At that moment, the world fell silent. Birds already left the surroundings a long time ago. The wind had stopped blowing for whatever reasons, and the people stopped making sounds. It was pure silence. The terrible silence that made you realize how bad of a situation you were in. "S...O...LAR..." That simple word brought the end of Bandir. Kelvin, his eyes completely red, clashed the two spheres together with such a force that he made them collapse into each other, releasing the fire magic''s deadliest potential. The ball of fire became a hot sun, and it began to expand. Until it exploded again. *FUSSSSSS* Everything melted around him, as the fire burned without caring of what was on its way. Buildings, people, animals, ground, nothing escaped it. Only Henrietta, who had time to use her magic, managed to react in time. "D-Damn it!" She had placed a tremendous amount of layers made of water around her. She could protect her and her child from the fire, but not the heat, and it was making both of them dizzy. "I don''t have much time, so I''ll speak quickly." Looking at her daughter, she smiled. "Your mother was unable to protect your life, and for that, she is terribly sorry. I wish it would have ended differently, but I won''t be around to see you grow it seems." As she smiled, a single tear fell on the baby''s cheek, who she embraced without caring about the layers vanishing at an incredible pace. "Your life will be challenging, there is no doubt about it. There is more to that of course. Find someone you love, and be happy. That is the end goal of any living being. That is the only thing I can teach you." "..." She placed her child on the floor, before casting multiple layers of water magic around her. "Amelia. Grow strong and beautiful." The baby was about to lose consciousness, when she saw the fire break the last barrier, engulfing Henrietta. Chapter 182: No corpse? Breaking free of her flashback, Amelia''s knees gave out. Karteira and Orion both caught an arm each and dropped her carefully on the scorched earth. "Are you alright Amelia?" Asking while taking a bottle of water from her bag, Karteira then handed it to her. She took the bottle, and stared at the area where the ground wasn''t burned. ''I am really from this place, and my mother was the woman named Henrietta.'' Feeling a little sick, she opened the bottle and drunk it. "Amelia, did you see something?" Orion crouched next to her and caressed her head, trying to help her relax. "Yes, this is indeed my birthplace, and this is where I was left." She pointed at the area not burnt. "I don''t know what happened after that, but I saw my mother get attacked by that Apostle, like it Kamala described." ''She is a beautiful woman. Why did this have to happen to her?'' Amelia thought about Henrietta, until something caught her attention. ''Is?! Why did I think that instead of ''was''?'' She opened her eyes wide, and looked around her. Broken buildings, burnt bodies, all of it scorched by the horrendous fire magic of Kelvin. Hurriedly, she stood up, and walked to the spot. "Amelia?" Orion watched as she followed her gut feelings, as she looked around the burnt crater. "There''s nothing! How could this be?" The other two joined her, worried. "Orion, there''s no corpse! My mother''s corpse is not here!" She was right, because the attack left bodies behind. Even it was hot, in her memories, the explosion only engulfed Kelvin, shown by the melted crater around the center. Her and Henrietta weren''t inside of the attack, only getting hit by the blast of fire that came after. If her mother succumbed to the same attack as the townspeople, she should have left a body behind. ''Where?! Where is she?!'' Even while looking frantically, she was unable to find any corpse in the surroundings. While she was having a panicking moment, Orion and Karteira exchanged their thoughts. "Orion, we don''t know what happened, but are you able to imagine it?" "I think I can picture from the damage. And I believe she might be right. A body should have been left behind, but there is not." Amelia stopped walking around, and listened to Orion quietly. "There are three options in that case. Maybe four, but that might be a stretch." "I can also think of three options, can I go first?" Karteira waited for Orion''s nod, before talking again. "First, she died without leaving any remains behind. She was the closest to the origin point of the attack, and it looked destructive enough to be able to do that." To that Orion shook his head. "If that was the case, I believe Amelia would have died too. I don''t know by which mean she managed to protect her, but she definitely used magic, which we didn''t knew about." "Her magic was strong enough to protect Amelia, so why did it fail her?" With a hand on her chin, she answered him. "Maybe it was easier to focus magic on a smaller target?" "Let''s go with that. Next option?" Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. "The body was removed. Most likely by the culprit, or someone who came here before us and knew about her." Karteira looked around. "But that seems improbable. If that was the case, they would have turned the whole continent upside down to get her child." "The Apostle wouldn''t have left Amelia alive either. Since we don''t know what happened after the blast, I doubt he would bother with anything related to her. He wouldn''t bother with a burnt corpse either." To that, Orion agreed. "She would have been unrecognizable, so there would have been no pride in recovering the body. This is out of the question." Amelia returned to them, and added the last option. "Or she survived the blast. I don''t know how, but if it was the case, she either got captured by the Apostle, or managed to hide herself." The words of Kamala surfaced once again in their mind. "She wasn''t captured, that is for sure. If that was the case, we would have known. The other Apostles definitely investigated him, and what more, his city was destroyed when he returned after destroying Bandir." Orion wasn''t concerned about this part. ''There is no she would have let Amelia alone until now. Either she really died, and we will never know, or she is alive, but there are circumstances that makes it impossible for her to return. Either a coma, amnesia, or even worse.'' "What about that fourth option you spoke about?" At Karteira''s words, he stopped thinking, and returned to reality. "Hmm. About that." A long silence fell, as he weighted the validity of the claim. Was it worthy enough to be brought up, even at the cost of angering Amelia? "This is just speculation at this point, don''t forget. I don''t mean anything by it." He exchanged a long gaze with Amelia. She understood that his next words could be incredibly painful to hear. "What if all of this was a setup made by herself?" "Explain..." Amelia immediately felt intrigued as why he thought that. "She might have known a day like this would happen. That woman had to stay alive somehow, and had something to accomplish, even at the expanse of her own child''s growth." "Tell me, how did you manage to get placed in Auro''s orphanage if no one came here besides the Apostles? Don''t you think one of them would have found you and either adopted you or brought you to their city?" "Why Auro, a beastman village? This doesn''t make sense." Karteira looked at Orion, than at Amelia. "Are you saying that she survived the attack, and brought Amelia herself to Auro?" "Karteira, you might not know, but a few weeks before this carnage happened, a pillar of light fell near Albriar. Guess who was at its base?" Thinking, the answer came to her naturally. Orion explained to her in the past how he came to be alive in this period, and where that was. "You! You appeared during the Dragon''s Rampage. Impossible, are you saying she knew about you?" He shook his head with a smile. "That why I said it was a stretch. There is no way to claim the truth of those words." But it was different from Amelia. "Then that would explain a lot of things. If she knew about you, the Shackles, and me, the Key, then obviously, we would inevitably end up together." "Amelia, you can''t think this is seriously happening? Orianne and Reon told me that it was a impossible to separate the two. I don''t like to use that word, but in that case, it is our ''fate'' to end up together." ''Not entirely though. There was a chance we would never get the chance to know each other, or even be on bad terms.'' He knew that he was lucky the world gave him everything he needed to start his journey before it was too late. "And I find it strange now that we think about it. What if she is still alive somewhere?!" "Amelia." Karteira immediately stopped Amelia by calling her name. Once she caught her attention, she shook her head. "!" ''Why am I acting like that? When Orion has to live knowing his parents sacrificed everything for his survival. I cannot believe how stupid I am.'' She looked at Orion with worry, and apologized. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to make it about me." "But it is about you, isn''t it? It would be nice if you were able see your mother after all these years." He smiled, not caring that much about what happened. There was still the hope of seeing his parents in the future just by keeping the bracelet. "No, don''t worry. Like you said, everything we''ve said is only speculation. We have no lead on her, and from what I remember, she got swallowed by the flames, so there is little reason to believe she is still alive." Her mind made a full recovery, and she began to tell what she saw. ~ "So, she found out. What do you think about that? Was I wrong to believe that you would be found out?" "Tia, shut up." "You know I can''t anymore. They completely read through your actions. Is that the first time it happened? Be real with me." From the darkness, two women emerged once again. This time, the conversation was incredibly heavy. There was no sign of the usual joke between them, or any playfulness from the woman named Tia. *sigh* "What answer are you expecting? Yes, that boy is terrifying. He managed to pinpoint my plan, even though it is just ''speculation'' for him." "Enri..." The room that was usually completely dark, suddenly lightened lightly. From the ceiling a little orb of light shined with a small light, enough to make it able to see the room. There was nothing in display. It was a grey cubic room, with only the table, and two chairs. What was extremely strange was that there was no doors or windows. It was a completely sealed place. The two women finally revealed their appearance. One was Tia-Norun, the woman that had helped Noah in the past. With her pink hair, her pink eyes, and her incredibly large cleavage, she was unmistakably the same person as Dramia and Drania remembered. The second woman, was Enri-Ann. Long curled blonde hair, blue eyes... there was no way around it. She was Henrietta, Amelia''s mother. What was different about her was the lack of a smile on her face. She looked way more stern and stoic right now. "It''s not like they know. So it doesn''t change anything for us." Tia-Norun shook her head vigorously while spreading her arms on her sides. "You can''t say that! You''ve seen her reaction. She''s supposed to be your daughter, so why can''t you just make an exception?" To that, Enri-Ann sighed once again, and looked at the water in the center of the table. "Because exceptions only make it harder, and only leads to bad results." "Wait... You''ve... Why haven''t you told me anything about that?!" "Because it''s unnecessary to you. Just remember, if I told you not to move outside for long periods, it is for a reason." The two women stared at the group they observed since the beginning. "Their next battle is upon them. We simply have to look at the various changes, and prepare for the next conflict. In three months, everything will be decided." What plans do these woman have, only them would know. Chapter 183: Rain. After explaining what she remembered, Amelia, Orion, and Karteira all walked away of the destroyed Bandir. Just as they were getting back on the dirt path, the rain finally began to fall. Taking shelter under a tree for the time being, they had multiple options at the moment. "What do we do now? We can return to Horizon if you want?" The first one to talk was Karteira. "We can do that. At first, I thought about moving south immediately, but I should learn to take breaks. I also have a few things to tell you." While agreeing with her, Orion now wanted to tell them what happened with Velridar. "Can we... enjoy the rain for a moment?" The meek voice of Amelia was almost drown as the rainfall fell louder each passing seconds. It began to become harder to hear her words. Orion and Karteira both knew that she still had to process and register what had happened. After twenty-three years, she found her real home, but completely destroyed. For some reasons unknown to them, she even managed to remember details that should be impossible to remember, as she was only one year old. Letting her back slide on the tree trunk, she ended up sitting on the dirt. "Sure, we can take our time. It has been a while since we''ve seen rain." Nodding, Orion placed his back on the tree''s trunk, crossing his arms. "Last time was when we trained in the morning in our realm. You sure were strong during that training. Now that I think of it, if it had been a one-on-one during our fight, I would have probably lost." Karteira said, sitting next to Amelia. The cold air, paired with the sound of the rain, caused their body to relax. It was similar to laying on a cold bed. "Don''t fret about the past. That goes for both of you." Orion closed his eyes, reminiscing on everything that happened in an instant. "There is nothing in this world that will ever force us apart. Since the moment both of you decided to follow me, and become important to me, I decided to never betray your feelings." "So, if you have anything on your mind, speak up. There is nothing wrong in depending on me." ''I already depend a lot on them both, even though I won''t say it.'' He knew that his life in Horizon would be a horrible experience without everyone. This wouldn''t be a home for him in that case. ''I get to eat great meals, talk with people I recently met, some even previously enemies. I can train to my heart''s content, and enjoy my time with these two as much as I want.'' ''There has not been a single day where I regretted having them with me. But again, I won''t say it.'' Hiding a little smile, Orion opened his eyes and stared at the grey clouds in the sky in silence. Karteira and Amelia also looked at the sky, sat on the ground. Even their mind was calm in front of that curtain of rain. Luckily, there wasn''t any signs of a thunderstorm anywhere near. If there was, Orion would have returned to Horizon already. Staying under a tree during a storm is a terrible idea, which could cost you your life for that matter. "I don''t regret coming to Bandir." Amelia''s voice suddenly broke the silence, taking Orion by surprise. "There was a part of me that felt like running away. I had no reason to confirm that I was from Bandir. No personal attachments, no need to return, no memories..." Her eyes moved on Orion. With a grateful smile, she said to him. "But because you and Karteira helped me get other my concerns, I managed to saw my mother, even if it was in my memories. I can speak for certain now, that I had a loving mother too." "It is too bad I couldn''t get memories of my father though." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Even while saying that, her smile didn''t die down. For Amelia, simply knowing who her mother was and what she looked like was relief. Karteira knew that if she hadn''t had that discussion with her before they moved out of Auro, she wouldn''t have showed the same reaction. ''Am I acting like a good friend? Am I able to support her as much as she supported me back then?'' Hugging her knees, she smiled too. "Then this little trip had been worth it. I believe we won''t return to this place, but I''ll try to get either Kamala or Florian to send people to bury the bodies. This is the least we can do for walking in here uninvited." With a nod, Amelia''s expression changed back to neutral. "Yes, that would be for the best. They can''t stay like this forever." There was a little more than a hundred corpses littered all over the town, buried under the destroyed building, or in the middle of what was supposed to be streets. It was sickening to think they stayed in the open without anyone properly burying them. "And to think a human town ended up like this too." Karteira was amazed at how bad the state of it was. But for Orion, it remained him only one thing. ''That was similar to how the last stand of the angels and demons ended. Corpses everywhere, destroyed environment, and a single human ravaging the people.'' The picture of Reon and Orianne standing in front of Elliot, with the tremendous amount of sacrificed faction members, just for the pretense of justice. ''It sickens me.'' That is why he understood the her pain. Amelia''s people had died a long time ago, and she was the last survivor of this tragedy. This type of tragedy was something that many who were acquainted to Orion had in common. Orion lost everything because of Elliot. Amelia lost her hometown and mother thanks to an Apostle. Dramia and Drania were left behind due to an invasion of corrupted beast. Because of her mother losing her mind, Kamala almost ended up broken forever. Karteira was constantly struggling to fight against forces that were impossible to fight alone, going as far as to come back with injuries so bad it affected her judgment. Deveralna had to remain hidden from the world from her birth to just recently, because otherwise, she would have being assaulted by the Apostle like many of her faction members. Florian had fought all of his life to break the troubling relationships between the factions the humans so wrongfully armed for no reason other than the Apostles'' orders. And last but not least, Sirius, the abandoned dog that found his way inside Horizon. All of them had trouble that were impossible to resolve by any normal means. ... The time flew by as they talked under the tree, until the rain finally stopped. "Alright, let''s return home." Orion moved away from the tree, and opened a portal back to Horizon. "Sure. You had something to tell us right?" "About the the roar and large beam of light." Amelia and Karteira walked through without wasting any more time, before stopping on the other side. "What''s happening?" Closing the portal behind him, Orion looked over their shoulders. *Woof* Sirius had been waiting for them at the portal hub patiently. "Have you been waiting all this time, Sirius?" Amelia dropped to her knees and patted the top of his head. Karteira did the same but caressed his back. He wagged his tail in happiness while letting himself be caressed, but keeping his gaze on Orion. "Have you been good while we were away?" The dog tilted his head and barked, before leaving in a rush toward the house. They all chuckled while walking back to their house. "He looks healthier than before isn''t it?" "Sure does. You haven''t told us, how was it sleeping with a dog yesterday?" Orion stared at them. "It was nothing special." He walked past them, as they both smirked. "You liked it, but you don''t want to say it." "That''s what happens when you give a grown man a companion. His back turned to them, they noticed a little red hue on his ears. "Shut it, both of you." Following Sirius, Orion left the two girls behind. "He can be so cute sometimes." "I''m beginning to understand too." Amelia and Karteira laughed together, before joining back Orion. ... An hour later. "The Remnant of Power... I can''t believe you''ve built another connection to one of them." "Mother won''t be happy about it." While Amelia was more amazed knowing the identity of the dragons and lamias creator, Karteira was more concerned about her mother. "Velridar said that she would ration the mana between them, but I think they will find a common ground soon enough." "It''s mother were talking about, she can be quite troublesome to deal with when someone get in between of her children. I believe she considers you as important as us, so she will be hard to deal with for a while." "Leave that part to the twins, they will be able to find common ground, because they told me that this Remnant also helped them during their errand in the Northern Sea." Orion believed Dramia and Drania capable of making her acknowledge that he was not trying to overtake her boundaries. In fact, if Orion decided to not help, he would have vanished for hundreds, even thousands of years before reappearing, and that could also be troublesome for his creations. Also, Orion had to thank him for saving the sisters from the anomaly before. "But I can''t believe the corruption is even able to block someone''s perception. Isn''t that trouble?" Knowing this, a few things were noticed by the girls. "Does that mean many Remnants, the ones that stayed on Triazils, were all corrupted in some ways that affected them without straight up corruption them?" Karteira said, understanding the corruption more and more each days. "The range at which it encroach itself to any being is more defined each time we get infos on it. Corruption had a wider range than we expected. If it can corrupt your feeling but not your body, it is definitely worse. You would know about it, just like the Remnant of Power." With a hand on her chin, Amelia said what the two other thought. "Let''s keep that information in a part of our mind, and just relax today." Orion relaxed his body on the couch, and stopped bothering with what had happened. "Sure, I''ll go prepare some coffee for you." "I''ll keep you company. What do you want to do?" Amelia stood up and walked to the kitchen, while Karteira worked toward getting closer to him. Their day ended with them forgetting an important event that was about to happen in Triazils. ~ "Everyone! Get ready! They will appear at any moment!" "YES!" Twenty minutes later. *BOOM* *ROAR!* "Here they come! Everyone!" "CHARGE!" Eric Layman, Turric''s Lord, and Apostle, was about to fight his yearly battle at the edge of the Frigoria Plains to push back the Corrupted Beasts'' Invasion. Chapter 184: The shields of Triazils. After Orion returned to Horizon with Amelia and Karteira. Triazils entered its roughest period. The annual defense at the border of the Frigoria Plains was happening, with the group oblivious to this event. To understand how it come to this, we have to return a few hours before. ~ *ROAR* The ground shook in Turric. Many stalls broke, and a few people were lightly injured, but nothing grave other than that happened. "What in the love of the world is happening?!" Eric Layman, Turric''s Lord, stood up from his couch and immediately ran out of his house to check outside. "Caroline said she was at the market if I remember right. I''ll go get her while checking if everyone is alright." He ran through the city, toward the marketplace. Turric was a peculiar city. It had no defensive walls like Hocride or Albriar, and was mostly protected by a serious amount of soldiers. Every five meters around the city, a soldier was posted. Why was there no walls? Because it had proved to be the most useless expense against the corrupted beasts in the past. Instead, the expense went to pay the soldiers, who were more than grateful for that. The city was separated by a river, with the east side being the living area, where the citizens could enjoy a peaceful moment away of the always bustling west part, which was where the marketplace and soldiers training ground was located. Of course, Eric''s house was also on the eastern part, and like his peers, he had a normal house. Nothing extravagant like a castle or a manor. As Eric ran on the bridge leading to the marketplace, he saw a giant beam of light in his peripheral vision. Turning his head in terror, his eyes never broke away from it, until it finally died down. ''W-What in the world?'' The feeling coming from this beam of energy reminded him of his past fight against the Azur Dragon, Monolavir. "Caroline!" His senses returned as he remembered his wife, and began to run again. Once across the bridge, he saw the damage. "I knew it. I''ll have to carefully navigate around." Some of the stalls were blocking his path, so he had to find another path. Until. "Please! Someone!" He was about to walk to his right, but stop in his tracks to look at a young boy crouched on the ground next to a pile of broken wood pieces. Without hesitation, Eric ran to the boy, and stop next to him. "Can you move away a little?" "Lord Eric!" The boy nodded even though he was surprised. "Alright. Just wait a little bit, and brace yourself in case something falls on you." He bent his knees slightly, and grabbed the lowest piece of wood, before pulling effortlessly the whole pile. "Hup!" Pushing the wood away, it crashed a meter further on another pile of rubble. "Mom!" Eric saved the boy''s mother, who wasn''t looking very well. The woman had blood flowing from her mouth. He crouched next to the woman and examined her body without touching it. ''From what I can noticed, she might have a broken rib or two, and most likely a punctured lung. You don''t spit blood without an internal injury. There''s nothing I can do.'' Standing up, he was about to shout at the top of his lungs, but was interrupted before being able to. "Lord Eric! We are here! We will take over this matter." "What awful damages! Everyone, move out and rescue as many as possible!" "Not as many, save everyone! We can''t let a single life get lost!" Many soldiers finally arrived in the marketplace from all sides of the city. They began to rummage through the destroyed stalls, finding more and more citizens who needed rescue. Two of the soldiers came with a stretcher, and carefully took the woman and her son with her to the hospital. "Caroline, where are you?" "Right there." With surprise, he looked on his right. "I was scared to death you would be injured. Thank the world." He let out a sigh of relief. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "That''s why I love you." Caroline, Eric''s wife, jump on her husband and wrapped her legs around his waist, and grabbed his head between her hands. She stared deep in his eyes, and spoke. "Even though you were worried about me, you still prioritized saving your people. I will always be proud to have you in my life." "Were you watching?" "I was on my way home when this happened, away from the damaged area." Short black hair, a thin yet fit body, as tall as Eric himself, and a little tomboyish, she was a few years younger than him. Eric was forty two, while she was thirty eight. They were childhood friends, and had gone through quite a lot of problems to end up being together. "Thank goodness you are al- HMF!" Without warning, she kissed him. ''As wild as ever.'' The soldiers that were around looked at them for a second, before returning to their duties, slightly jealous. "Ah. You were worried that much, huh?" *slurp* Caroline removed the saliva from her lips, and dropped her feet to the ground. "I was. Have you seen that beam of magic?" "I did." Both of them looked in the direction where the light came from earlier. With a frown on his face, Eric turned to the south. "I have a bad feeling about this. There is always an indication when the invasion will start, could it be that..." She finished his sentence. "This was the sign? Are you going to move toward the wall?" "Hmm." Eric nodded. "Alright, I''m going to prepare our stuff. Finish directing your men, we will need them once this is done." "Sure. Wait for me at home." Walking away from Eric, Caroline returned back to her home to prepare their gear. "You sure have a great wife, Lord Eric." One of the soldiers approached him. "You''ll find someone too, May. Don''t lose hope." "If you say so." The woman who was dressed as a simple soldier was his aid, June. She was an ordinary woman, yet she was a rare fire magic user. She was a redhead, also a rare occurrence in this cold area of the continent, and there was a good reason for that. This young lady had been saved by Eric, before becoming his aid. With her long hair in a bun, and her helmet under her arm, she really looked like an ordinary soldier. "Anyway, you want my orders, right?" "Yes, Lord Eric. I already told the soldiers to rescue the citizens, but it seems to be almost done, as only six people were found." "Casualties?" "None. Only the woman you found is in grave danger." "Alright. The moment everything has been clean, I want every single soldier of Turric in the training ground. I''ll meet with you in thirty minutes there." May saluted her Lord, before leaving in a hurry to give the order. She had half an hour to round up all of the soldiers. ''Time to get serious.'' Eric turned around and prepared himself in case his feeling was right. ''If I am right, then it is too early. I hoped it would have been at least two months before it happened, like usual.'' But checking wouldn''t cost him anything. The wall was only a few hours on foot from Turric, so it was not a long excursion that would exhaust his men. ~ Thirty minutes later. "Is everyone here?" Eric asked May, even though he knew she always completed her orders perfectly. "Every single one of your army is here. Since you haven''t told me why you needed them, I wasn''t able to tell them the reason." He nodded, and walked on stage without a word. All soldiers saluted their Lord the moment they saw him and May walk in front of them. "You can rest easy now." Were his words as he lifted his hand to make them stop. After walking to the middle of the stage, he stopped, placed his arms on his hips, and looked at his soldiers. "You all did a great job getting our people out of danger. Once all of this is done, I''ll order a large quantity of wine, beer, and food from Albriar as a reward." "Oooh!" Many voices began to echo in elation. "BUT!" Silence fell when they understand that something more important was coming. "I apologize for getting your hopes high like this. I want all of you to follow me toward the wall right now." "What?!" Questions filled the mind and mouth of the soldiers. "Lord Eric, could you explain?" May, looked a little shocked at his words. She was, just like everyone, not prepared to hear that. *Cough* Catching everyone''s attention to make them listen, Eric continued. "All of you felt that tremor earlier, and seen the damage it did. But have you seen the magic beam travelling to the sky right after?" Many nodded. "I believe it was the beginning of the invasion. If not, then it would be a good thing for all of us, but I won''t risk yours and Triazils lives for the simple reason of ''This wasn''t the corresponding time''. "Nothing in life is definite. If the invasion truly happens, then it will take us by surprise, and all of us, your family, and the one you cherish, will perish before your eyes." Eric crossed his arms and looked with determination at his soldiers. "The time has come to defend our continent once again. Prepare your weapons, and follow me to battle!" An two-handed earthen axe formed in his right hand, which he was able to wield with only one hand. "Yes, my Lord!" Everyone cheered loudly, as they prepared for battle. ~ Three hours later, they arrived at the wall separating Triazils to the Frigoria Plains. The cold was unbearable past the wall, and everything was snowy around them. Behind the wall, a constant blizzard existed, which never stopped for reasons unknown. A high wall of polished stone, build from the work of many earth magic users over two thousand years created this masterpiece. How was it still standing, even if the creators already died long ago? The rule of magic was that any construction made with it, if not fed, would vanish into nothing. Only that this wall had a catalyst that maintained its shape constantly. All they had to do was to replenish the crystal once a year after each invasion, and it would hold forever. Only Eric knew where that catalyst was currently. Talking about Eric, him and his army stopped, looking at the horrible sight in front of him. "They are about to breach the door..." "Lord Eric, your intuition was right all along." *BOOM* *SLAM* The sound of creatures slamming the giant iron door echoed in the surrounding. The door looked close to breaking down already. "We don''t have time to prepare, everyone, get ready for a breach." He turned around to look at his soldiers, who all looked determined. "We are the shields of Triazils! But even then, I went you all to return alive. Do not sacrifice your life in vain. Be a hero that returns, not one that is written in books. Fight in groups of three against one beast, and do not take oversized one. Me, Caroline and May will deal with them." "I can go wild, right?" "Do not go overboard, Lady Caroline. It would be bad if something were to happen to you." "Oh, you cutie. Can I count on you then?" "Of course. Leave your back to me." Fire began to cover May, as her appearance changed. "Combustion." Her whole body began to burn, thawing the snow around her. She was another fire user able to use the Linked Elemental Mastery, just like Amelia. "Truly a monster. I like you." Eric shouted at his soldiers to get their blood pumping, like he always did each time he fought the Invasion. "Everyone! Get ready! They will appear at any moment!" "YES!" ... Twenty minutes later, the soldiers were finishing readying themselves. *CRACK* The sides of the doors, where the hinges were, began to crack. "Here they come!" *BANG* The doors hinges exploded, leading the doors to fall on the snow. Behind it was an army of bloodthirsty corrupted beasts, ready to kill anything on their path. Eric gripped his axe, and placed his left hand near the holster on his right thigh. "Balmung, time to go wild." He took a blue gun from it, and pointed at the beast running toward him that looked like a wolf. *BAM* Pressing the trigger, a bullet flew straight, and pierced the wolfs head, leaving it dead in an instant. *ROAR* "Here they come! Everyone!" "CHARGE!" Chapter 185: First time in the southern part of Triazils. In the early morning. A portal opened under a tree near the eastern coast. One person emerged from it, ready to continue their journey. "Another cold day. I guess that''s what you should expect when you try to go south." Orion, and none of the girls had a problem with colder areas. They trained their body not to get influenced that much, though Amelia was still easily affected by it. She was but a human compared to the others. As he looked at the sky, its rosy orange showed that the storm had cleared a long time ago. The sun had just showed itself in Triazils, and Orion was about to move to Logran, Dylan''s village. ''Hmm?'' Orion looked toward the distance, further south. ''What is this feeling? I don''t remember being able to sense magic this clearly before.'' He felt a large mass of magic in the distance, but he didn''t knew what it was, or how he was able to feel it. ''Maybe it has something to do with the connection I formed with Velridar. Who knows. Anyways, time to move.'' Picking up the pace, while also not really knowing where was that beastman village, he warped away. ... ''Why am I feeling uneasiness the more I move south? That pressure is not normal.'' Orion grabbed his chest while frowning, hoping to remove that feeling. As he stopped to take a break, he found himself far inside the southern area of Triazils, where the snow was a natural occurrence, and where the air was the coldest. ''The diversity of our continent is quite surprising. Triazils possess a desert, lush areas, snow fields, and even mountains.'' Thinking of the continent''s location, he thought about the position of Triazils in the world. ''From one of N''s book, I remember him saying something about the planet''s poles and hemispheres. We have low temperatures because the poles are where the sun''s heat is less effective, and high temperatures because the closer you are to the center, the equator, the easier it is for heat to take place.'' ''That means that Triazils is on the lower hemisphere.''We don''t know how large the Frigoria Plains are, but we can expect it to be quite large from the number of corrupted beasts coming from it.'' Placing a head on his chin, he tried to understand a little bit about his next stop, Turric, and the wall protecting the continent. That was also a way to forget about the feeling of anxiety he had. ''I don''t understand the reason why corrupted beasts are coming from that area. The only reason would be that this is where the Miasma is currently, creating them before releasing them to attack our cities, but that doesn''t make sense either.'' His eyes became sharper, letting his inner thoughts escape. "Miasma isn''t so stupid as to waste the ressources he has. I am sure of that." "There is not a single chance of this being the Miasma''s product. There is something else behind this problem." Pacing left and right, he finally stopped. "I need to check this. It is way too unusual to leave it like that." He didn''t knew why, but he had a need to look for the reason. Having a new aim in sight, Orion prepared himself to warp. And once again, after regaining some magic and stamina, he warped closer to the south, looking for Logran. But that didn''t last long. "Someone! Please help us!" "Damn it! There''s no one around us!" "I can''t die here!" In the middle of a warp, Orion heard the terrified voices of multiple people requesting aid. ''What is happening? Is there a corrupted beast around here?'' Without waiting, Orion warped in the direction of the voices. From afar, he saw a caravan on its side, with around ten people trying to lift it back in place, while two others, looking like fighters, were holding their weapons against three beasts resembling cats. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Not tiny one, they were huge. Two meters high, and three meters long without the tail. Their grey ash fur and black lines was the sign that they were fighting corrupted beasts, but the red eyes was the most pronounced confirmation for Orion. "Hold it! If they manage to put the cart on its wheels, we can escape." "I wouldn''t hope on that, friend. Do you think we can hold three of them?" "..." The two fighters prepared themselves to their inevitable end, as one of the cats pounced on the leftmost fighter. In an instant, a crunching sound echoed, with the lower half of the man remaining on the ground, blood splattering everywhere. The corrupted cat returned to its previous position with the now dead man between its jaws. "I was right, you know." The rightmost fighter''s legs began to tremble, but he remained strong. ''Damn it, I was too late!'' Orion, who was still far away, unable to warp directly to them because of the distance, was only now in range. The next thing he saw before his last warp was one of the beasts leaping with its claws moving downward on the man. He defended one of the attack with his sword, which shattered to pieces, while the second attack ripped his clothes and chest, causing life threatening injuries to him. *Cough* As blood exploded everywhere, Orion finally warped in front of the caravan. At his sudden apparition, the three beasts growled and took a step back. "W..ho?" Orion glanced behind him, and looked at the dying man on the white snow, his blood coloring it a diluted red. "Don''t talk, I''ll come for you in a minute." His magic got released, and two crossbows appeared in his hands. ''Alcyone, Taygeta, let''s make it quick.'' Without waiting, he threw himself toward the three beasts. The cat in the middle came running toward him. It jumped at Orion without bothering about anything else. It didn''t care about his two other companions. Orion dodged and fired a slowing arrow from Taygeta, but the beast jumped over it, before trying to pounce at him a second time. This time, he jumped too, higher than the cat. He flipped his body while falling down, and kicked downward at its face. ''Second Gear. I''ll crush your head.'' *SLAM* A big rumble took the ones lifting the caravan by surprise making them notice the battle that was happening, as well as the state of the two fighters. The cat beast came crashing on the ground, its head crushed, with its eyes bulging out of it. Dead on impact, just like Orion wanted. As he began to fall to the ground, he noticed the two other cats trying a pincer attack on him while he was in the air. The moment the beasts tried to jump at him, he fired a pulse arrow above him, forcing him to fall to the ground faster. He looked as the two beasts colliding against one another, and pointed a crossbow at each of them. Taygeta fired a slowing arrow on the left beast, and Alcyone fired a swift arrow on the right one. The slowed beast fell to the ground like it should, but felt incredibly sluggish, while the other fell to the ground convulsing, a hole in its chest, blood seeping from it. Not caring to finish it, Orion fired a bleeding arrow toward it, before looking at the last beast trying to shake the effect of the arrow. He then decided to warp on top of its back. ''I don''t have time for you. Now just die.'' He pointed Alcyone at its head, and fired without hesitation. The body fell to the ground lifeless, with the beast not knowing it had died. The last agonizing beast finally expelled its last breath too, from excessive bleeding. Orion jumped from the beast''s back, and rushed toward the bleeding fighter. He kneeled and got ready to heal him. "I''ll heal your injuries, stay still." As he was about to start, the man placed his hand on his with difficulty. "Y..ou don''t h-ha...ve to. Thank... you." Just before Orion was about to start, the man''s life came to an end, right in front him. ''...'' Orion closed the man''s eyes, and stood up, staring at the man''s smile. "I can''t say you two fought well, but you stood valiantly. Be proud." He let the man there, and moved toward the caravan. Everyone near it moved away, looking at him with fear and interest. Grabbing the top of the cart, he activated the Arm Overdrive, and lifted it back on its wheels, under the eyes of the shocked travelers. "Alright, now you can go. But before that." Turning around, he crossed his arms and placed his back on the caravan''s wooden frame. "What happened?" ~ "Fuck... This is bad." Orion watched as the caravan drove away, with the people waving at him inside. He nodded to them, before turning around, creating a portal back to Horizon. The moment he stepped out, he warped immediately from the portal hub to the front door of the house. Opening the door, he surprised Amelia and Karteira who were talking in the dining room, sipping coffee and eating cookies. "O-Orion? You''re already back?" "I thought it would take longer than that?" He shook his head. Without panicking, he closed the front door, and walked to his chair before sitting down. "I have bad news. Very bad news." The mood immediately turned heavy. ''You''re not lying...'' Karteira, who could understand him better, realized how serious it was. "Did something happen to Logran and Dylan?" The first thing in Amelia''s mind was that something bad happened to their current destination, but Orion shook his head once again. "Don''t worry, it has nothing to do with Dylan. Or at least, for now." "For now? How bad of an event are we talking about?" Noticing the little details, Karteira asked. "We''re talking about ''Corrupted Invasion from the Frigoria Plains'' kind of event." "!" Both girls instantly understood. This was a threat to Triazils as a whole, that couldn''t be ignored. "How far are you from the wall currently?" Amelia asked, readying herself to move at any moment. "Maybe an hour with constant warping. I just saved a bunch of people getting attacked by corrupted beasts that managed to get past the army deployed at the border to stop the invasion, but it seems that the amount is unusual." "People are getting worried that they would die, so some of them are fleeing. Which wasn''t their best idea so far if I have to be honest." Saying that Orion stood up. "The moment I arrive, I will open the portal to my location. I want you two to prepare for that moment." "We will." With a nod, both finished their drink, ate one last cookie, and stood up. Amelia took a bunch of cookies and gave them to Orion. "Here, eat that. We don''t know when we will be able to eat, so take them." "Thanks." A water bottle flew toward him, which he caught without problems. "Drink too. You are tired, right? Better be hydrated than not during such a time." He smiled, and placed the bottle in a pocket inside his mantle. "I will." The girls watched him before walking out of the room together to prepare whatever was needed during that battle. ''What would I do without these two?'' Orion looked at the empty doorframe leading to the corridor, and bit into one of the cookies. "White chocolate." He walked out of the house with a number of cookies in his hands, a smile on his face. Chapter 186: The Invasion. (Part 1) In a hurry, Orion did his best to arrive at the border of the Frigoria Plains before it was too late. While warping, he finished the white chocolate cookies Amelia gave him before leaving, and drank some water that Karteira gave him, knowing he needed it. Just like he said, he arrived at the wall under an hour, but this wasn''t the area where the invasion was happening. ''I need to travel west now. I''ll arrive at one point.'' Going east would only lead you to the sea, so that was a waste of precious time to try going there. Instead, going west was the right choice. Once he went west, it took him only twenty minutes to arrive. Warping between fifty to a hundred meters at a time made him able to travel a few kilometers per minutes, though, he needed to take long breaks to be able to continue. It was a case of making tens of kilometers in one minute, but having to rest for five. In the end, it was still faster to travel like this, but it was excruciatingly exhausting to do so. To avoid being tired once he arrived at the defense point, he tried to take more breaks, to conserve his magic to a certain point. The rest would have to get replenish during combat. Saying that he was surprised to see humans fight so efficiently was an understatement. ''They all look strong, and I don''t see any dead humans. There''s only corrupted beasts corpses everywhere.'' That was the strength given by Eric himself, and the constant battle against this invasion over the years that built these people to a strong army with no flaws. The only problem was that they were close to their limits. Some of them looked out of it, exhausted, or outright out of battle behind the front line. Having an invasion holding up to the next day was something unusual for them. They haven''t been able to sleep, and at one point, even the adrenaline would wear off, leading to drowsiness. And in a battle such as this, this would lead to horrible results. ''This is bad, if they fall, Triazils is lost.'' Orion opened a portal being him while releasing his magic. The moment Amelia and Karteira walked out of the portal, many of the invading beasts turned to look at them, or more accurately, at Orion. "Orion, we''re ready." "What do we do?" With Alcyone in his hands, Orion stared at the battlefield. ''We need to take some burden out of the soldiers. They have to rest, even if it is a few minutes.'' He nodded, and without looking at them, he pointed with his free hand. "You two, you''re coming with me. We''ll fight together at the entrance of the plains." "Oh, a rare joint attack? It has been a while." Amelia looked happy. She hasn''t fought with Orion since the fairy realm underground event. "Can we try what we''ve talked about?" Turning to her, Karteira asked. With widened eyes, Amelia fell in deep thoughts. "Are you sure you are ready about that? I don''t want it to hurt you." "It should be fine. I''ll be careful. We''ve already got it close to perfection, so now I just want to try it on live targets." "Alright. Do what you want." With a shrug, she smiled and agreed to Karteira''s wish. "You two ready?" Orion was about to rush in, but he got stopped. "Wait!" "What?" He glanced at Amelia. "When we ask you to warp to us, do it." "I''ll do that." With that said, he ran with the girls to battle. ... On the other side, the soldiers were doing their best. Luckily, there had been no casualties so far, but a lot suffered from minor to heavy injuries. The lack of sleep was catching up rapidly, clouding their judgment. The only one fighting without this problem were Eric, Caroline, and May. "This is going nowhere! Why are they coming non-stop at us?! I thought it wouldn''t last longer than a few hours, but we''ve been defending through the night until now!" Caroline said, ripping a beast in half with her bare hands. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "There''s no sign of it ending anytime soon! Stop complaining and kill them faster!" Said May, melting a few beasts with a beam of fire. "May! How''s your magic supply? Don''t you have to take a break?" Both of their back touched, with Caroline jumping forward. "HOT!" "Don''t worry about me. Though, you are right, I''m starting to get low. I don''t think I''ll be able to fight any longer in an hour." A corrupted bear ran toward both of them, trying to rip them apart. "May, Caroline, go take a break in the back row. I''ll hold them off!" Eric slashed the bear with his axe, separating the torso from the rest of its body. He pointed his gun, Balmung, at the two women, and fired. The bullet flew between them, and lodged itself in the head of a reindeer beast charging at them. "We can''t do that Eric, I''m sure your own magic is about to be depleted! If we walk away, how long will you last?!" "Enough for you to rest. Now go!" He ran past them, and continued the carnage, protecting his soldiers at the same time while dual-wielding a massive axe, and his gun. "You know we can''t do that!" Caroline clenched her teeth in anger. Not at her husband, but at herself. Her arms were sore, and she was slowly losing her strength at this point. She through one glance at the redhead next to her, and gave up. "May, let''s go. We can''t fight like this." "But-" As she was about to retort, they both forgot where they stood. Multiple beasts came for them at that moment, when they were vulnerable. "May! Watch out!" Caroline burned her hand pushing May away of the charging grey boar, and grabbed the tusks, forcing its charge to stop. "Miss Caroline! Damn it!" May recovered her balance, and noticed another boar charging from the side toward Caroline. "No you won''t!" She threw a beam of fire at the charging boar. Or that was what she was expecting, as nothing came out of her hand. Instead, she fell, planting her knees in the dirt. To make the matter worse, her magic completely dried out, forcing her transformation to stop. "No! Not now!" Looking with terror, and expecting the worst to happen, she watched as the boar charged Caroline. "I''m sorry Eric. We''ve messed up." With a smile on her face, Caroline readied herself for the end. With one boar being held, she couldn''t do anything about the other. "Ey!" *FLASH* A voice they never heard made her way through the massive charging boar. To be exact, she punched through it. "Amelia! This is awesome!" "Of course it is." One of the woman had lightning sparking from her hands and feet. The other slashed at the boar Caroline was holding still with what seemed to be a dagger. Under both Caroline and May''s shocked expression, the boar fell lifeless to the ground, sliced in two by wind blades. "Orion, there are two flying corrupted in the air." "Leave it to me." *Bump* *Bump* Two corrupted birds fell from the sky, a gap in their chest. The exhausted women looked at the three of them, knowing that they weren''t part of their army, until it clicked. ''Orion... Amelia...?!'' Both knew from Eric. They needed to confirm it first though. "A-Are you perhaps Orion and Amelia? The ones fighting the Apostles?" "Hmm?" Orion turned his face toward Caroline. "Sure, that''s us." "Are you alright? You don''t seem hurt at all, which is good." Amelia went to look at Caroline, while Karteira helped May standing up. "Can you stand?" "Ah! Yes, thank you." With a glance, Orion knew they fought until exhaustion. They reminded him of Amelia and Karteira when he was training with them. "S-Sir Orion! Are you here for my husband?" "Your husband?" Not understanding, he tilted his head, before firing his crossbow at an incoming beast. "Eric Layman. Are you here to kill him?" He stared at Caroline now that he understood the meaning of her words. ''So she''s his wife. Good thing we''ve saved her then.'' Another opportunity to have an Apostle indebted in case something went wrong. "No. At least not currently. We are here to avoid a successful invasion." Caroline and May looked relieved, but then, became serious. "T-Then! Could you go help him! He his at his limits too." "Sir Eric has been defending everyone through the night! I''m sure he won''t last long like that!" "Please!" Both women bent forward as low as they could, not bothering about the battle anymore. "Hmm." Orion looked around. Turric''s soldiers were all fighting with the will to win and to return home. He very much liked their attitude. ''Eric''s men are still fighting, even though they are simple humans, with no magic abilities. This is different than what I had expected, but thinking about it, these guys have defended Triazils for years.'' ''We can''t let any of them die. They aren''t corrupted either.'' He made up his mind. "Amelia, Karteira. Go wild. Wilder than usual. Erase every single beasts from the surrounding and push them toward the entrance of the plains." "Orion? But the soldiers?" Amelia said, knowing that she would inevitably hurt or kill them. "I''m sure one of you has the authority to make them fall back. Do that immediately." "..." May stared at him, pondering if she was to listen to this man or not. ''Can we trust him?'' She looked at Amelia, who looked worried, then, at Karteira next to her. She had that wild smile on her face, as if she was delighted to fight, which was a spot-on observation. Orion continued to kill the beasts that came near them, until she gave her answer. "Lady Caroline, let''s fall back. I will ensue the order to retreat." "May? Are you sure?" She nodded. "I will take responsibility with my life if the worst came to happen." Her gaze fell on Orion. "I will trust your words. We are in dire need of rest, please help us." Orion smiled. He liked honesty and determination, and this woman had it together. "Then go rest, and watch from afar. We''ll get your Lord back to you alive." May walked a little further away from the group, and opened her mouth, taking a giant breath of cold air. Her hair changed color, using the little amount of magic that she recovered. Lifting both hands above her head, she expelled a huge fireball from them, who exploded in the air. All soldiers instantly understood that it was a signal. The signal to retreat at all cost. "RETREAT!" Even Eric, who was fighting further, saw it, though he decided to continue fighting. ''Something important might have happened for May to do that. I''ll manage the frontline alone for now. Everyone needs to rest.'' The bulky and massive human that was Eric gripped his axe stronger, and destroyed every lifeform in front of him. "Guh!" Until his arm was unable to lift the axe. He stopped forcing his arm to hold it, and instead, focused on using Balmung, his gun. That gun was very special to him. It was a blue revolver type of gun that used magic to fire icy bullets. These bullets were horrifyingly powerful, similar to an icicle falling at top speed. Its piercing power was unrivaled, capable of piercing multiple beasts before the bullet shattered. This weapon was a gift in battle, for him who could only use the earth element. With this, he was able to prioritize close range combat, while sparsely using long range attacks. "I''m not done yet, you monsters! Come at me!" The horde of beasts ran toward him, ready to rip his body to shreds. Sadly for them, it never happened. *FUUUUSH* A massive flame engulfed all the beasts in front of him, leaving only ashes behind once it stopped. "It worked wonderfully! Karteira, how''s your tail?" "It''s hot, but it''s fine." Eric looked toward the voices, when he saw a woman on all four with a scorpion tail in full plated armor, and another one with her hands on the tail. Lastly, he recognized the man coming toward him. With no beast alive behind him, Eric understood why all the soldiers were asked to retreat. "Hi, young man." With a smile, Eric dropped the arm holding Balmung down. "Hi. We came to help." Orion smiled back, his crossbow in hands. Chapter 187: The Invasion. (Part 2) "I believe you are Orion, right? I wasn''t expecting to see you during such an important event, but thank you for taking the time to help." Eric''s body felt a little relieved knowing that help had arrived, but he still remained conscious of Orion. ''This man could kill me at any moment. The fact that he has not pointed his weapon at me is reassuring, but no one said he will stay his hand after this problem is over.'' He remained calm, but still gripped Balmung tightly, just in case. "You will have to thank you wife for that later. She asked us to help. In fact, that redhead too did just that." "Orion! Do you think we have time for a little chat right now?!" Amelia shouted at him, reminding him of the place. "Don''t worry, I haven''t forgot. Anyway, you should rest too while we take over. We''re not here for your life at all, so you can release the pressure on your gun." Orion ran past Eric, and began to shoot arrows after arrows at the beast that were running after the retreating soldiers. "He''s way more efficient than me..." "Of course he his, we''ve fought worse than that." Amelia and Karteira also ran past him, but instead attacked the one coming from the broken gate. "How much long until you can fire that again?" "Around five minutes. I need to cool down a little after that." They both stood strong facing the various beasts coming from the Frigoria Plains, until Orion finished killing the isolated ones. "Alright, I''ll boost you up for now. Orion said to unleash everything, so here we go!" In one hand, Leima (lightning) formed, and in the other, Vesta (fire) appeared. Her appearance changed, revealing a calm but scorching fire enveloping various area of her body. "Another fire user, just like May..." Eric observed the changes, but noticed that it was different in many ways. ''May''s fire is more agitated. It has a brighter red than this girl too.'' Amelia''s hair turned red, along with her pupils, while she pointed Leima at Karteira. By doing that, a small electric arc formed between them, leading Karteira to receive a physical improvement, one she was able to withstand compared to Amelia. The electricity enhanced her punches, her movement speed, and her reaction time. This had a greater effect than Orion''s enhancement. "Seems like you''re good to go. Be prepared in case a corrupted start to eat a corpse, that''s when they mutate to a Lord." "I''ll watch out for that. I''ll kill on sight if that happens." "..." The two women looked at each other, before smiling wildly. "You want to bet?" "Who kills the most?" Without saying anymore, they both ran toward the monsters running toward them. From afar, Orion finished the last beasts running after the soldiers, and looked at his companion unleashing they had. ''I can''t with these two. When am I supposed to enter the fray at this point?'' He stared at Amelia burning, slicing, electrocuting, and ruthlessly destroy anything coming from the gate. The same could be said for Karteira. If Amelia was the backline attacker, she was the frontline. Punching, kicking, piercing, ripping... there was no end to the carnage. ''Amelia loved to fight, but she always followed her own principles. With Karteira next to her, she learned how to stop thinking and just let herself go wild.'' Orion remembered the shy Amelia from his childhood and smiled. ''We sure do change.'' The memory of Orion finding out everything about his parents, their story, his enemy, and what he had to do resurfaced, and his expression darkened. ''We do change indeed.'' He fired an arrow at a beast that managed to get past both of them. Never in his childhood would he have thought that he would risk his life like this. The worst would be to tell his younger self that Amelia joined him in battle. But how could he regret anything anymore, when she was at a point where she was able to block his most powerful attack. ''I should stop thinking about that. Getting worked up for nothing in a battle is equal to making mistakes.'' *sigh* The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. ''I can''t let them on the front row every single time a large number of enemies appear. I always deal with single target.'' ''...'' A little smile appeared on the corner of his face, and his gaze became intense. ''I also want to unleash my power on them.'' With just that, Orion crouched, and using the Second Gear plus a warp, he jumped in front of the girls with Alcyone in his hands. *Click* *Click* Orion fired Alcyone, or more accurately, Alcyone fired by itself, while Orion aimed at them. "Orion?!" They both finished the enemy in front of them and looked at Orion, with his mantle flowing freely behind him. "Do you mind if I join?" He smiled at them, instantly boosting their moral. "Of course!" "You''re late! Do you think you can kill more than us?" Turning around, the three positioned themselves, before leaping to battle, under the amazed gaze of Eric. Orion was standing straight, his crossbow aimed in front of him, Amelia was semi-crouched with her arms crossed in an X shape, and Karteira bumped her plated covered fists together, her tail arched over her head, ready to pierce. "Girls, let''s show them. Triazils'' defense will not fall today." *Click* Orion fired an arrow the moment a corrupted moose approached him at high speed, and thus began their fight as a trio. Both Amelia and Karteira leaped past Orion, and went in close range the moment the arrow hit its target. With Vesta and Leima in hands, Amelia danced amongst the beasts, avoiding each and every attacks against her. No corrupted beast was able to lend a single hit on her. Slicing with Leima, and piercing with Vesta, she managed to alternate between electrical blades attacks, and internal explosion and burns. She could at any moment switch with her other three daggers, but right now, she used Vesta to avoid getting affected by the cold, and Leima was used to improve Karteira. If she changed now, the situation could change, so she kept using these daggers. Talking of Karteira, she was more of a ruthless beast, more dangerous than any beasts in front of her. If in the past, she showed difficulty fighting the corrupted of the underground, she would be able to clear most of it by herself right now. Alternating between her Aegis, Armor, and Storm form, she brought havoc into any beings coming near her. Swiping, piercing and throwing with her tail became more natural now that she gained strength at the base of her tail. With the help of Amelia''s lightning element, she was faster, and more powerful. She could unleash devastating moves, like the one that made her punch through the thick boar''s skin from earlier. Together, these women were a terrible force, akin to a natural disaster. Wherever their gaze fell, death came with it. But, these beasts were weak. Orion confirmed it. They were the same as the beasts he killed so far. All they had was their numbers. ''Honestly, it feels a little boring. They''re dying so fast.'' Here was Orion, carefully aiming at the beasts trying to either avoid his girlfriends onslaught, or those that tried to attack them from behind. ''Hmm?'' He turned his head and looked on the side, where another boar seemed to charge him. ''What is it with boars around here? Aren''t there too many?'' From afar, Eric looked at all of this situation, when he heard a pair of footsteps in the snow coming near him. "What a carnage." Caroline said in awe. "This is one-sided. None of us is able to even accomplish a fraction of what they are currently doing." Having recovered some colors, May looked at Amelia intently, who showed the same characteristics as her. "You''re right. Our army managed to subdue a large number of the beasts, but they pushed back the fighting area to be close to the entrance of the plains. Maybe we haven''t been fighting correctly until now?" The three looked at Orion kick the boar sideways, throwing it past Karteira, as it crashed in other beasts. "What in the world?!" Said May, who noticed how effortlessly he kicked a two meters large beast. "I think we should forget what is common when looking at them. Now I can understand why that man dares to attack our ranks. He has more than what it takes." Wincing, Caroline looked at her husband. "Are you saying that you would lost against him?" He shrugged and smiled. "Is that a joke? I can''t push a boar like he just did. You haven''t seen it earlier, but this man instantly vanished from his spot to join his friends. There was no running, he simply appeared where he is standing." "No way..." For Orion, Karteira, and Amelia, fighting anything related to the corruption was a duty at this point. The source of the continent''s problem seemed to largely be influenced by it, if not the main reason. The battle continued for a few hours. ... "What is the matter with the Frigoria Plains!" Said Amelia, tired of slicing beasts after beasts. The body piled up in a few minutes unless she burned them down to ashes, but even then, it took only a moment for it to return to the same size. "I don''t know, but this is going nowhere. They keep coming as if they are infinite." Karteira punched a bear in the face after jumping at it, sending it rolling on the side, dead. She dropped to the ground and rushed to another one. "The situation might have changed a little, but you''re right, it''s not improving at all." Orion dodged a giant eagle''s claws and kicked it with the Second Gear, breaking its legs before firing a swift arrow in its back. After fighting for a long time, more and more flying beasts began to appear, which was unusual for an invasion. There had never been any record of flying types in the past. The army had recovered quite a lot thanks to them, and could take over at any time, but the group had still a lot of magic stored in them, and a lot of stamina to expand. Orion''s training showed during those moments. "We can''t even see past the gate with this stupid blizzard! How many more are left anyways?!" Amelia was losing it, not because she was tired, but because it became boring. There was not even a sign of a Corrupted Lord. "I find it strange that the blizzard is contained behind the wall. Why is it like this?" "Maybe it''s just like this to hide the beasts coming from it. Or something is hidden in the area and the blizzard is a defensive effect so nobody finds it?" Also being bored, Orion and Karteira exchanged words while fighting side by side. "Huh?" At that moment, there seemed to be less beasts coming out of the entrance. "Are we done?!" "Don''t say that! It brings bad lu-" *BOOM* Just when Amelia and Karteira talked about the situation getting better, something no one could have expected happened. A shadow was casted over the wall and over the group. Everyone, army included, saw a massive head looking down on them. "O-Orion... is that a giant?" "You haven''t seen Velridar..." "What even is this thing?" The three of them looked at the beast, as it ignored them and walked over the wall. A mix between a bull and a rhinoceros, fifteen meters high, which was five meters higher than the wall itself, and a size impossible to measure since a part of its body was still in the snowstorm. "Can we even do something against this?" Said Amelia, before both Orion and Karteira went for its knee. The arrow pierced the leg just like it should, and Karteira''s punch made it react too. "I guess we can make it fall." "We''ll help." Eric, Caroline, and May walked next to Orion. "Are you sure?" "We''ve rested enough. Let my soldier deal with the rest, while we do something about this one." Said Eric, his axe and gun in hands. "Yes! What would happened if this thing went further inland?" "I bet it would just destroy everything." Caroline and May talked to each other, each preparing themselves. "Alright. Let''s fell this big boy!" Amelia stood next to May as both switched to their Linked Elemental form, Karteira and Caroline exchanged a long gaze as they felt a familiar feel between them, while Orion and Eric stood ready to unleash everything they had to stop the beast. While the army returned to defend the entrance from other small beasts, the six strongest people teamed up together to kill this giant creature. ... From afar, a shadow watched carefully for an opportunity to strike. Chapter 188: Hunting down a giant beast. The battle suddenly changed when an enormous beast appeared out of the Frigoria Plains. It was so massive it was to wonder if there was more than this one out there. As the Shield of Triazils, Eric''s army returned to its duty to defend against the now small amount of normal corrupted beasts, the sudden alliance of Eric and Orion against the bull took place. "Amelia, unlock everything. I won''t go easy on this thing." "Fine, but try to avoid destroying the wall." Orion felt the power of the Third Gear and the Arm Overdrive flow freely inside him. He closed his eyes for a second, the wind blowing his hair left and right. "I''m ready. Time to kill this thing." The moment he opened his eyes, Taygeta appeared in his other hand. "Wait, Orion! Look!" Karteira pointed at the knee that they attacked a minute ago. "It''s regenerating... Which means that what we have here is a Corrupted Lord." "A Corrupted Lord?" Eric asked, ignorant of this type of corrupted beast. "We don''t have much time, so I''ll explain rapidly. A Corrupted Lord is a stronger beasts that can use magic. It possesses dark cores on and in its body that we need to destroy, or else it will remain alive and regenerate forever. All cores need to be destroyed around the same time too." Eric, Caroline, and May all understood. "Then first, we have to find the cores if we want to win. Caroline, bring it down. May, support us from afar. If you see any signs of magic being used, retaliate immediately." "I''m on it." Caroline nodded, readying her fists. "I will do that, Lord Eric." May walked away, followed by Amelia. "Why are you following me?" She looked a little tense to be around someone she didn''t know. "I will act as support this time around. I''ve already had my moment with a giant corrupted, I will let this one to other." Amelia flipped her hand up, sending Vesta in the air. It vanished, and Amelia returned to normal. Instead, she made Ceres appear to replace Vesta. With Ceres and Leima in hands, she was ready to support them. "How many elements can you use?!" Seeing that Amelia could use three elements, May fell in shock but couldn''t help to ask. "All five of them. It is too bad I only have two hands though." Immediately after that, Amelia prepared herself. "It''s not the time to be stunned. Get ready, or you will die." With a single glare, Amelia brought back May''s serious side. ''She''s right, I can''t fail in my duties now. We need to stop this giant!'' Powerful, unfiltered fire magic covered her body, as if she became fire itself. "We''re good to go!" Said Amelia, letting Orion know that the back row was ready. During that whole moment, one of the hind leg of the bull and rhinoceros hybrid got over the wall and shook the ground when it landed. Now, it''s full size was on display. "That''s massive. Do you think we can manage to bring it down?" Caroline asked Karteira. She stared at the peculiar attributes that made Karteira a fairy, her scorpion tail, and her plated armor. "That is for us to see. Even if we can''t, we will have to find a way, isn''t it." Karteira''s plate changed from the Armor type to the Storm type. She decided to use her speed to find the cores. She looked toward Orion. "I''m going to look for the cores, until I found them all, try to make it stay in place." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "Don''t forget about your surroundings. We''re not repeating the last battle." Nodding, she warmed up before running toward Amelia. When she walked past, Amelia pointed Leima at her, and once empowered, she used her steam to lift her body from the ground with her steam. Like a hawk, she began to look all around the beast. "I''ll look under it. I''ll also need to be useful!" Caroline followed Karteira''s idea, and ran under the giant to find the dark cores. "Be careful!" Eric couldn''t help but be worried, though he placed his whole trust in her. She made a thumbs up, and began to search under the twenty meters long beast while avoiding getting stomped on. "Our job is to stop it in its track. Are you ready?" "I am. This will be my second time against a giant." "First was Monolavir, right?" "How did yo- No, I''ll ask for the details later. Let''s focus on the task at hand." Orion readied himself. First, he shot a slowing arrow at the beast''s leg, which seemed to work as it looked way slower than it already was. "Let''s go. Show me the power of the Lord of Turric." Eric gripped his weapons strongly, and rushed alongside Orion. ''First, making it fall to the ground. We''ll break one of its leg to immobilize it.'' Faster than Eric with his Third Gear, Orion arrived first and gave a kick with all of his strength behind it. *CRACK* ''That easy, huh?'' With just one hit, the bone shattered in half, and the bull fell to the ground. But that also seemed to make the beast realize that he couldn''t ignore the little flies around it. As if it was a natural for the beast using earth magic, it began to create protections around its legs. But compared to the centipede that Orion fought alone in the underground area right under Tiohr-nam, it was quite different. It wasn''t simple refined dirt, or anything close to rocks. It was a stronger element. Still, it was weaken than Julian''s shield ability. Yet, it was a rock capable of withstanding Orion''s strongest kicks. "My turn!" Eric ran past Orion with his axe in hand. He pointed Balmung at the rock formation, changing the type of effect he wanted from the bullet. Once shot, the bullet hit the aimed spot, freezing a good chunk of it. Eric swung his axe with all his strength, making a big exploding noise. He got pushed by the recoil, while managing to break the frozen portion of rock. "We can still do it!" "I have a better idea." Orion stopped Eric from sliding further away, and turned to Amelia and May, as the beast hybrid healed its broken leg and was about to stand back up. "You! The fire girl!" "Y-Yes!" May stuttered, but listened to his order. "Heat up the rocks! A big fireball should be enough, like you did earlier!" Nodding, she immediately went to work on it. After a few seconds, she fired a fireball of medium size toward the rocks. "Fire your icy bullets where the fire landed!" Eric followed his words. He aimed, and fired. Once the bullet made contact, Orion ran toward the leg that was completely healed, and kicked it again. *CRACK* His kick managed to break the rock and the leg at the same time, rendering the giant unable to stand again. ''Mixing fire and ice can brittle anything, even the toughest of steel, or so that was what was written in those books. I''m glad it worked.'' "Repeat that until the cores are found! Karteira, how it-" But Orion couldn''t finish his sentence. The giant bull, with its wide side horns, scraped the ground in Orion and Eric''s direction. "Dodge!" Eric felt the ground shake, making it hard for him to run away. ''Tch! No choice!'' Making an instant decision, Orion warped behind Eric and kicked his back, making him fly through another portal that dropped him in front of Amelia and May. "T-Thank you." "I won''t do it again." This was still an Apostle he had next to him. If he was unable to defend himself, then why as he holding that status. ''Something''s strange about him.'' This was his honest thoughts. ''How can a man that managed to fight Monolavir and survive, look this out of it? Is it still tired? Or did he lost his touch?'' ''It''s been twenty years, I get it, but Florian too fought this battle.'' Karteira dropped to the ground with a slide, stopping a few meters away from Orion in a cloud of steam. Caroline also returned. "There''s no cores on its back. There is one behind the frontal horn though. That''s all I''ve managed to see from above." "I''ve found what looked like a dark rock between the interior of the right hind leg, and the stomach. There is also a purple like color on his torso, so I thought it would be interesting to bring it up." Caroline managed to find more than Karteira, making a total of three cores. "Three cores? For such a massive creature?" Amelia couldn''t believe it. "Depends on their size. What about that Karteira?" "It''s boulder size near the horn." "It was the same under." ''Then we''ve got an idea of where to strike. If it doesn''t die when the cores are busted, then there will be more hidden.'' Just then, Orion looked at the bull stand up again. "Shit! We''ve wasted time talking! Let''s make it fall again!" Taking by surprise, May and Eric twitched, before immediately going for the rocks so that Orion could break its leg. But this time, it wouldn''t happen the same, as the beast wasn''t stupid enough to let them try again. Launching a terrifying glare, it created multiple boulders that were hurled at them. "No you won''t!" Amelia, with the help of Ceres, created multiple metal walls in front of them to defend. The power of one boulder was enough to create a huge dent and even bend the metal. "I''ll defend, you guys bring it down!" Eric and May ran on the side of the walls to put one attack on the leg, before retreating, while Orion continued past the attacks to kick the brittled protection. *CRACK* Once again, the beast remained on the same spot. Now, its attention turned fully to the pests stopping its progression. "I''ll deal with the cores behind the front horn. You deal with the one you''ve found." Karteira gave an order to Caroline without caring about her status, which she didn''t mind in this situation. "Sure! Tell me when you attack. We need to coordinate our strike isn''t it?" "Orion will give you the go, listen for his voice." With a burst of steam, Karteira flew in the air. The beast noticed her and tried to hit her with boulders, but she managed to dodge them with ease. ''I don''t have much steam left. There will be only one attack, and only one, unless I ask Amelia for help.'' Caroline got in position, Karteira was ready to strike, and Orion stopped under the purple spot on the chest area. ''One, two, three...'' "NOW!" Karteira punched the dark core with the last of her steam used as propellant, Caroline used her own ability mixed with her incredible physical strength to send a shockwave at the core on its hind leg, and Orion fired a rotating arrow with Alcyone. Orion warped away to avoid the purple liquid from covering him. The boulder throws stopped, and the beast crashed to the ground. "Did we make it?" Everyone turned to look at Caroline, who said this, a single thought on their mind. ''Don''t say that!'' And as if to confirm everyone''s thought, the giant opened its eyes again, and stood up strong once again. "There was another core..." This was the first time they did not manage to kill a Corrupted Lord in a single coordinated attack. Chapter 189: A strangers help. Failing to kill the giant bull and rhinoceros hybrid in one try, the group stood ready to react at anything thrown at them. "It''s still alive!" That failure was a real shock for Eric, who expected to quickly dispatch the beast. "I was expecting that from the beginning. There was no reason to believe only three cores were formed inside a body like this. There should be at least one very well hidden somewhere inside its body." The Corrupted Lord finally recovered from its injuries, its cores healed from any damages. It moved its head rapidly toward them, and glared at them with furry in its eyes. "Oops... It doesn''t look very happy." Said Caroline, returning to the group. Orion looked above the beast, and noticed that Karteira was having trouble maintaining her flight. ''She''s going to fall isn''t it?'' The moment Karteira''s steam storage were empty, her body fell toward the back of the enemy, who didn''t miss that opportunity. It fired multiple boulders at her, trying to remove her before the other. ''Don''t even try.'' His expression darkened, remembering him a recent memories. He extended his arm toward her, creating a warping portal below her. "OOF!" She fell through, falling directly in his arms. "Oh. Thanks." Over his shoulder, she looked at Amelia. "I need more heat." Both women looked at each other, until Amelia threw Leima in the air, replacing it with Vesta. "Sure, come here." Karteira''s feet touched the ground, before walking toward her. While this was happening, Amelia let her guard down, as one of the boulder managed to bounce over the metal wall, directly toward May. "A-" "Shit!" Amelia cursed her inattention and jumped in front of her, trying to defend with Ceres and Vesta. She forced Vesta to use a lot of magic creating a beam of powerful fire, which managed to stop the boulder made of the toughest rock in the world over their head. It wasn''t hot enough to burn it down, but this was all she was able to do. Little by little, the boulder got closer and closer. That was until Orion warped in mid-air and kicked it back to the Corrupted Lord''s face. "You''re alright?" Orion dropped in the snow and looked at a stupefied May, who stared at him like a puppy. "I-I am fine." "Amelia?" *Huff* *Huff* "I''m good, thanks. I''ve just used too much magic on this one." While recovering her breath, she smiled at Orion. "Take a break after helping Amelia." Checking the protective wall, Orion noticed that it was about to break down. "Eric, do something about the boulders." Orion''s expression wasn''t pretty. He felt strongly that Eric was hiding his full potential, and he didn''t understand why. "I... can''t. I don''t have a the strength you expect of me." He started at his axe. "Bullshit." "What?" To say that Orion wasn''t happy would be a terrible lie. In fact, he was furious. "That''s pitiful if that is true. An Apostle not able to lift a finger? Are you sure you''ve not usurped the title? Who fought Monolavir twenty years ago?" "I can''t believe it was a weak person like you. In the end, Florian carried the whole defense alone?" Eric''s eyes opened wide. ''I knows about Florian? And what with that familiarity?'' ''Did they meet after their encounter near the Talviera mountains?'' Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. He was still older than Orion, and didn''t liked being taken lightly, but he also didn''t want to show his cards. That was until Caroline walked to him. "You should do it." "Caro-" "I know how hard you try to hide it, and I know how painful it is. But sometimes, you have to make sacrifices, right?" She smiled, preparing herself for his answer. "Do you really want me to?" With only the sound of the boulders hitting the walls Amelia created, she nodded. "..." Eric looked at Orion with anger, before switching to the beast. "I hate you for making me do that. Having to sacrifice my life for something this stupid." In a loud bang, Eric slammed his axe in the ground and put Balmung back into the holster. Orion began to doubt if what he did was the right decision, from how heavy the air began and how important it sounded. "Sensory Overload." Grabbing his head in pain, he gritted his teeth, until his eyes changed to pure void. There was no sign of his personality anymore. "Eric..." Caroline looked incredibly pained looking at his state. Like a machine, Eric grabbed his axe, and lifted it in the air. He proceeded to slam the hilt of the two-handed axe on the ground, making the soil around him break and float toward him. An armor made of rock, dirt, and mud, compacted into a thin layer of extremely solid protection enveloped him. Without saying a single word, he began to run toward the metal walls that were on the verge of breaking. The axe that he held with two-hands now glowed in his hands. *Swing* With a simple swing, he cut down the walls, and continued to mindlessly slash the incoming boulders. "So that''s his strength?" Said Karteira, interested in testing the man''s strength. Caroline nodded to that, but didn''t look very happy. May too, looked slightly bothered. "What''s the drawback?" "Is that so obvious?" Orion couldn''t ignore their reaction. There was something going on that he didn''t knew. "It is. Was it a mistake to make him go all out?" "Yes and no. This is a powerful ability in its right way, but there is also the fact that every time Lord Eric uses it, he loses a third of his existing memories." Astonishment appeared on Orion, Amelia, and Karteira''s face. "How... many times?" Amelia asked carefully. "How many times has he forgotten most about us? Three times. I fear that he will definitely forget about us this time." "I didn''t knew... He has the right to hate me for forcing him." Feeling incredibly wrong, Orion imagined himself forgetting about his parents, Amelia, and Karteira. How strongly his life would be impacted. ''This is not what I wanted. I wasn''t expecting that an ability could cause such effects.'' But he remembered Karteira''s sudden loss of control while he was close to death. This could be considered as an ability too, and it was pretty similar. It affected the mind of the person. In Karteira''s case, she lost all reasoning, but in Eric''s case, he lost his memories the longer the ability lasted. ''I see why Monolavir recognized this man''s power.'' Eric seemed to be done slicing boulders, as he began to prepare his body to retaliate. He placed his axe behind his back as if he was holding a bat, and with the flat of the axe, slammed it toward the beasts face, just like Orion did previously. After the fifth shot, the boulder hit back and broke the Corrupted Lords frontal horn. It looked extremely painful too. The group was still watching carefully for any sudden apparition of a core that would help them finish it off. Luckily for them, the Corrupted Lord seemed to keep his distance, not moving from its spot once. Maybe because of its gigantism, it was incredibly slow moving, so the characteristics of the bull or rhino was mostly negated. It couldn''t run at them. It was when the horn began to heal that Orion noticed the last core. "There! Look!" In the middle of the beast''s forehead, an opening with a dark purple gem appeared. It glowed with a powerful light while creating an ominous feeling to those watching it. "Scatter!" Orion noticed in time that it was a powerful attack, and before it was too late, he ordered everyone to move away. May and Caroline ran to the right, Amelia and Karteira to the left, while Orion ran toward Eric, tackling him in the process to make him fall to the ground out of the way. The light that finished gathering on the jewel got released toward the tip of the horn, which send it in the straight line where the ground previously was. That beam of corruption ripped through the dirt and snow across a hundred meters, creating a meter deep trench. "I said I wouldn''t save you a second time, but here I am." Orion stood up in a hurry, turning to Karteira. "Hurry up, before the core vanishes!" Both Amelia and Karteira nodded. Karteira remained in her Storm form, while Amelia placed Vesta on her side. The dagger began to heat the plates, making her body heat up at an incredible rate. At the same time, Karteira stored a small amount of fire magic inside the armor to make the production of steam longer. "I''m going!" Once ready, Karteira immediately went to the air. "Wait!" She stopped in mid-air, and stared at Orion, but saw something flying at her. She caught it effortlessly, and noticed that it was Dusk, the dagger form of Orion''s dark element. Understanding that her role was to break two cores in a moment, the core behind the horn, and the forehead core, she nodded at him before leaving in a cloud of steam. "I''m going to the core on the back immediately!" Caroline walked away, running at full speed. "I''ll go support Lord Eric!" May ran toward Eric, who was ready to defend any attack coming at him, still mindlessly. Amelia stayed behind to look for any other surprise from the beasts, while carefully trying to stay out of danger. The last member of the team, Orion, stood under the chest of the Corrupted Lord once again. ''Let''s hope this is the last core.'' ''One, two, three...'' "NOW!" The moment they heard his command, they moved. Caroline repeated her shockwave attack and exploded the core on the hind leg''s interior, Orion pierced through the chest with a spinning arrow, and Karteira destroyed both cores on top of the beast. She first threw Dusk at the core behind the horn, which spun out of control before planting itself inside it. As if it reacted to an formatted order, Dusk activated itself, extending inside the core, successfully breaking it in half. For the finish, Karteira went for a powerful kick, using the ability ''Steam Burst'', to propel herself by releasing all of the steam she possessed in the storage units. *CRACK* All the cores exploded, the Corrupted Lord fell on the ground lifelessly. Karteira fell to the ground safely with the little steam she managed to regain, while Orion checked for any signs of movement from the beast. "Did we make it this time?" Caroline once again spoke her mind openly, making everyone fear for the worst. And it happened again. The beast opened its eyes, and stood once again. "The last core..." Orion looked at the opening on the Corrupted Lord''s back. A massive cores had been hiding, disguised as a hump on its back. The cores were starting to heal, and Orion had only one thought. "I''ll go!" He warped over the beast, and aimed with Alcyone. But the moment he got ready to shoot, rocks formed around the core to defend it. ''Damn it!'' "Rending Fang!" A voice Orion never heard before echoed above him, and a person fell from the sky directly on top of the rocks. The sudden attack destroyed the rocks, revealing the core to Orion. ''I won''t miss the chance!'' *Click* Orion''s arrow flew straight inside the core, ripping it in pieces as it spun inside. It broke all the way to the base, and broke the last core in half before the other were healed. The stranger fell to the ground like a wild animal, while Orion warped to the ground. Once on the ground, the stranger took a defensive stance with the metal claws he used as weapons, while Orion aimed at him immediately. Chapter 190: Brothers? "Who are you?" "I could ask the same to you." Orion and the stranger looked at each other, though Orion couldn''t see any features under the hood. In fact, Orion was only able to observe the man''s arms that were past the long hooded cape that the man was wearing. ''To begin with, from the voice, it is a man.'' Orion looked briefly behind the man, and noticed that the Corrupted Lord was slowly vanishing into nothingness. ''Well, I have to thank him at least. Even if he was cautious of the man, he had to give credits when it is necessary. "Thank you for the help, though, you will have to excuse me for pointing my weapon at you. Let''s say that I have many enemies." The stranger scrutinized Orion for a few seconds. Orion did the same, until both of them twitched. ''This man''s posture, even though he uses claws, his stance his close to Amelia''s when she wields her daggers.'' The same realization was happening for the stranger, but different. Orion and the man looked at each other, before asking a question at the same time. "Are you related to Dylan / my father?" With astonishment, they remained on the spot, thinking about their next move, until Orion dropped Alcyone first. "I have no reason to attack you." ''If my intuition is right, then this man is...'' The stranger retracted his hands inside the cape, and removed his claws. Once removed, he removed his hood. Both men approached each other. "I''m Nylon, son of the beastman ''Savior'' Dylan." ''I was right.'' Long white hair flowed behind the beastman''s nape, stopping at his shoulder blades, pointy ears, and fangs. The typical beastman indeed. "Orion Feales. Orphan rescued by Dylan." "I recognized father''s teaching in your posture. Not many humans possess the hunting abilities that my father teaches." Shaking his head, Orion corrected Nylon. "I''m not human." This little declaration took Nylon slightly by surprise, but it wasn''t the time to question him right now. *Thump* Orion heard a loud noise behind him. He turned around to see that Eric had lost consciousness, and his body fell in the snow, with Caroline and May at his side. "Can you excuse me? There is something I must do." "Sure. We''ll talk later." Amelia and Karteira stood ready to attack the whole time, but when they realized that Orion wasn''t about to hurt that stranger, they returned to neutral, accompanying Orion who went to help Eric. "Could you two move aside for a moment?" Orion patiently waited for the two women to voluntarily move away. He knew that it was a tall request to ask, but he could try to help Eric. Caroline and May stared at each other, before standing up and walked a step back. "Thank you." He kneeled, and began to do his magic. Literally. By using his light element to heal the man. ''I have no idea if my element can heal traumas, or what seems to be brain damage, but if it was caused by an ability, it should be able to return to normal.'' With his hand on Eric''s head, he applied healing, while also looking for the small amount of corruption in his body, like he did for Kamala and Florian before. ''Same as others, too small to cause any harm unless contact with the corruption is made.'' The wounds that were accumulating since last night disappeared, before making a grunting noise, showing signs that he was waking up. "Where..." Eric lifted his upper body from the ground, and looked at the beast who was almost completely gone. "I guess we''ve won?" "Eric?" He turned his head when he heard Caroline''s voice. The moment his gaze fell on his wife, many years of memories came back to him in an instant. His eyes opened wide, before turning to Orion. "I... It makes no sense." "Did that do anything to you?" A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. As Orion asked this, Eric sat on the cold snow. He looked around him, touched the snow, and watched his hands. "So many things I had forgotten. The battles I''ve fought her, the whole fight against the Azur Dragon and our struggle, my childhoos with Caroline, and May''s..." ''Seems like I''ve managed to remove that effect. That makes me wonder how much the light element can affect people. It can heal almost any afflictions, and the most dangerous injuries.'' A thought began to develop in his mind. ''Maybe... just maybe, I could bring back a dead person?'' But he shook his head instantly. ''No, it''s not right to think of that. Unless a soul is intact, it would be impossible to bring back the dead.'' ''I should learn more about the ''souls'' before attempting something so dangerous.'' While Orion was in deep thoughts, Eric stood up and hugged Caroline without saying another word. "Eric?" After a moment of silence, he finally spoke. "I remember everything again. Thank you for staying with me through the years. I can''t believe I worried you for so long." "You... remember? You''re not pulling my leg?" Having his brain restored to its pristine state, the part that stored memories worked once again like it should have. Eric had forgotten more than two third of his life before Orion healed his condition caused by his ability. "I''m not. I''m really not. What was random flashes of the past got restored. I remember everything, really." He stopped hugging her, and composed himself. "How are my men handling the invading beasts?" The group looked at the wall''s entrance, where his three hundred soldiers were. With a serious expression, he got ready to finish the fight, but there was no need, as his men managed to hold their ground. "UOOOOOH!" He heard the cheers of his soldiers when they saw their Lord walk toward them. Their fist high in the air, and with pride, they fought off this years invasion without a single loss. Eric smiled happily and held his fist high, walking to reunited with everyone. It wasn''t unusual for them to win without any casualties, but this year was more dangerous than the previous ones. The length of the invasion, the numbers of beasts, and that massive Corrupted Lord were all out of the ordinary. In fact, if not for Orion''s group, the invasion would have most likely be successful. With Eric, Caroline, and May leaving to complete their duties, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira stood behind to deal with Nylon. "So, you''re my brother dad kept talking about? You''re not quite the person I imagined you were. Less stylish, and less muscular." "Brother? I don''t remember having one." Orion didn''t understand, as he made a confused expression. "I don''t blame you for not understanding. Dad has always pestered us about the man named Orion, and that he always regretted not adopting him. I believe that Orion is you, or am I wrong?" "In fact, I won''t accept ''no'' for an answer. You won''t fool me, that stance you took when aiming at me is the perfect textbook form of his teaching." ''''The Art of the Hunt''... I won''t be able to fool the man''s son.'' Remembering that it was thanks to this knowledge that he was able to grow stronger, he lowered his guard slightly. "But how did you realize I was related to father?" "The same as you. Your posture." Since he was still in his magic activated form, Orion formed Dawn and Dusk out of thin air, and grabbed them while making the same posture as Amelia before she threw herself in battle. In fact, it was a perfect copy of Nylon''s stance when he was facing Orion. "So you''ve also learned the other part of his teaching? That is impressive. I couldn''t manage the crossbow, so I went with ''The Art of Assassination''." Amelia twitched slightly when she heard that the name of the ability she was taught by Orion himself was in reality an assassination type. "I''ve only taught you the basic form. I haven''t taught you anything related to what Dylan spoke about to me. The fact is, I only know the names of the attacks. I can''t reproduce them, because I am not a beastman. The only thing we can imitate is the overall stance, not the abilities." She breathed a sigh of relief, because for a moment, she thought he kept important details from her again, but in fact did not. "Well, you''re right. We beastmen are built different from humans, and... whatever you are. I''m sorry if that sounded condescending. You said you weren''t humans earlier, but since I don''t know anything about you except what dad told me, I don''t want to be too disrespectful." "I don''t mind. From outside, anyone would guess that I am human. To be fair, I would prefer waiting before revealing more about me." Amelia walked forward and spoke. "We were on the road to Logran before this ''invasion'' stuff happened. I kind of forced him to have a talk with Dylan before moving anywhere else." "You should be Amelia, right? Dad said that there was a human girl who always found herself near Orion, and that she was a sweet person. Blonde hair, strange eyes, and..." Nylon looked at Amelia''s body without ill intent, and checked the boxes that his father used to describe Amelia. "Yes, that checks out. Glad to meet you." He bowed his head in a respectful manner. How could she be mad when the man was acting normally. As for Orion, he didn''t mind him looking at Amelia. Looking wasn''t a crime, but looking with a lecherous gaze would definitely make Orion angry. "I''m sorry for asking, but why are you here? I know Logran is not far from Turric, but I don''t understand why a beastman, moreso the son of Dylan, came to the border between Triazils and the Frigoria Plains." Orion was a little suspicious. Even if this was a relative to Dylan, he couldn''t trust him on the spot. ''He appeared out of nowhere, and even though he helped me, I can''t find any reasons for why he is here.'' Nylon looked at the wall, then east. "Did you know that each year, before the invasion happens, there is a sign signaling it to us? As if it was a signal for us to be prepared." Shaking his head, Orion stayed silent. "Lightning strikes, halos, birds, earthquakes, there are a lot of ways the signal can manifest. But this is the very first time a roar managed to echo loudly, followed by a beam of magic that made father sweat profusely." "If that wasn''t a sign, I don''t know what that was. It was so bad, I decided to check the state of the gate alone, and how surprised I was when I saw the usual invasion happening, and that the Turric''s Lord also had that instinctive reaction to check on the gate." "I chose to not get involved unless it was necessary, but when I saw that massive beast coming over the wall, I knew I had to join at some point. I couldn''t join in the middle like ''Hey, guys, I''m here to help.''... I''m an assassin, if I show myself at every occasion, I''m not fit for the role." Orion nodded, satisfied with the answer. ''Now I get it. This guys really Dylan''s son. I guess it''s in their blood to help people.'' When he realized it, a little smile appeared in the corner of his mouth. ''I guess I''m the same. His way of thinking is contagious.'' - "The ones with power have the responsibility to manage the life of those who do not have that power." "Use it to protect their lives, and you will understand the meaning behind it. Wrongfully use it, and it will come and bite you back later on." "Remember, you can''t save everyone, but saving the ones you can, is a step forward toward your own inner peace." - Those words were the first thing Dylan taught Orion, and the words he heard every years during his birthday. "Anyways, we need to deal with the aftermath, meeting with Dylan will have to wait." "Sure, I''ll help you with that. I''ll return home with you, it will surprise him quite a bit. Also, my mother really wants to meet you." Orion''s face stayed neutral, but he was a little shocked knowing that Dylan managed to speak so much about him that they all wanted to see him. "Also, you won''t mind me considering you as my ''brother'' from now on, right? If not for dad''s stupid choice to let you be, you would have been part of our family." ''Is that even normal?'' He was truly shocked. Out of nowhere, he had now a brother. "Sure, do what you want." Orion walked away toward the place Eric was, followed by Karteira. "He''s quite a hard person to read." "Not really. Give him time to know you, and time for you to understand him." Amelia smiled at Nylon, before catching up to him. "There is a lot I need to learn, isn''t it?" Nylon looked at the sky, thinking. Chapter 191: The mess the Apostles were in. Later that same day. Orion''s group, and Eric''s army, followed by Nylon, all returned to Turric after cleaning the battleground. By cleaning, it was more a need to confirm that the cores inside the beasts were definitely broken, and if not, make it so. With a few hundred people, it only took two hours. Another problem was the broken doors. The beasts destroyed it before anyone could open them. The soldiers would return later to fix them, while a platoon stayed to guard the entrance to prevent the beasts from crossing the border. After giving orders to his troops, Eric led everyone to his house. "Make yourself comfortable." Caroline forced everyone to sit on their second couch, but there was not enough space for the four of them, so Orion and Nylon chose to stand behind it. Eric and Caroline sat on the one right in front of them, and the discussion finally began. "I will go straight to the point. Orion Feales, why are you here? How come you came straight to our aid?" The man in question placed his hands on the backrest of the couch. "To make it simple, I help a few people fleeing from the invasion who were attacked by beasts that most likely managed to get past you. When they told me that corrupted beasts were invading, what choice did I had but to help?" "If the beasts were to successfully invade, all of my plans and hard work until now would just fly out the window. That alone, I can''t tolerate." "We were planning to stop at Logran first, and then go to Turric to have a few words with you, just so you get the idea that it wasn''t planned for us either." Eric nodded. "This invasion came out way earlier than it was supposed to. It was also the most dangerous so far." "I understand you coming to help the invasion, though I did not picture you as being an fighter for us humans. I was sure you hated us, and most especially us Apostles." Amelia smiled, while Orion displayed a dark expression. She knew his answer like the back of her hand, so she stole the moment, to avoid him messing up the conversation. "He does hate us humans, but he also understands that not of them are to be blamed for his circumstances. For the Apostles, the situation has changed." Orion stared at her with surprise, but returned to normal when his mind seemed to have understood why she spoke before him. "The situation? Can you develop? Is there something we don''t know?" Slightly suspicious, Caroline asked. "More than you''d think. First of all, we''ve allied ourselves with Kamala and Eric, so you understand where I''m coming at." Eric closed his eyes. ''So that Florian... he really managed to get this man on our side... or is it the opposite? I think it''s the opposite. They joined this man''s fight.'' With his memories back, he remembered the small details, and remembered that he was at first friend with Florian. Fighting the Azur Dragon, Monolavir, made them acknowledge each other. But he had forgotten about that, which is the reason why he never thought of going to see him previously. Now, he felt weird because of his interaction with him when they formed their alliance in the Apostles'' temple. "At first, Orion and I left to fight off Elliot''s pawns, the Apostles. The reason why was to avoid being swarmed by powerful humans, while Orion dealt with him." Returning to the conversation, Eric opened his eyes and listened. This whole conversation was a cold shower for Nylon, who alternated his gaze between Orion and Amelia. ''I''m sure dad doesn''t know either." "But something changed along the way. To be exact, it was when Orion and Kamala fought Ivan." Both listeners opened their eyes wide and exclaimed in shock. "What?!" Amelia explained what happened briefly to them during Kamala''s retaliation on Kaios. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. ... "..." Both stayed silent. It was too hard to believe her words, but if this was true, then the whole meaning of being an Apostle changed. "Killing all of his citizens with a single order. What a sick bastard." Eric couldn''t believe it. Him, who valued every people in the city, felt sick. True, he did not respect them for just being people, but because of their roles. Civilians bring money, which is used to make the army greater. In exchanged for this, he vowed to protect the continent by making a mighty army. The Apostle before him was also the same, though, he wasn''t a good father. "And Kamala in all of that? How did she ended up?" There was worry in his eyes, which Amelia changed with her next words. "She managed to rally the surviving citizens of Kaios under her wing, and even gained in charisma after the fight. Though, she''s been swarmed with paperwork since then. We occasionally meet up with her when we can." "Wha- How? Hocride isn''t next door, you know? It''s a month and a half from here on foot." Orion interjected at this point. "Once this conversation is done, I''ll show you." Eric regained his composure with a cough, and continued to listen to Amelia. "You''re story isn''t done, I believe? There is still Florian. You wouldn''t have brought him up if he had no reason to be included." With a nod, Amelia went on the next topic. "Albriar''s war." "!" To anyone not used to his expressions, the only thing on his face would be shock, but to Caroline, he was angry. Very much so. ''Who! Who attacked Florian?! How is he doing?'' There was a few things that Eric couldn''t forgive. Attacking his city, getting in his way of defending the continent, trying to lay a hand on his wife, and others hurting his friends. "We were unknown to the whole happening while we were in Hocride, but during that time, he was dealing with two Apostles murdering the lamias male in Lahro." Once again, Amelia explained that Orion managed to arrive at the moment Florian killed one of them. Going over the situation with the lamias, she went straight to them learning of an army going toward Albriar while Florian was away. The rest was the fight against Julian. ... "And that''s how it ended. After that, we went east to deal with a few personal matters, and then we moved south until Orion came across those people in need." Eric nodded, satisfied to hear that Florian was unarmed, and still as strong as ever. At that point, Orion sat on the backseat, and patted Amelia. "Thank you for the summary, you did great." She laughed lightly and smiled at him. "You always do it, so I thought that this time you could take a break." Making Karteira jealous on the side, and making it obvious to everyone that they had that ''special'' relationship, he stopped not long after. "Alright, I''ll take over from here. Now that you have a summary of our recent fights, isn''t there something you can gather from it? The ''change'' Amelia brought earlier." Orion tried to lead Eric and Caroline on the right path. "Well, first of all, I know it happened a few times in the past two thousand years, but this is the first time that in a single year, four out of thirteen Apostles died." "..." He changed his view on the matter in an instant. "To be exact, it''s even worse, four of us are deserters in disguise. We''ve joined together to be on your side, so we already noticed something wrong with the other Apostles." "Why four of us refused to drink that mixture of beast cores? I always had my worries, that''s why I always brought very little cores with me. Laylah should have known I had more cores than that." "We''re killing more than a thousand beasts during the invasion. Sure, we destroy cores in the battle, but not that much. The only core I take with me are the ones from the beasts appearing inside the continent." Eric frowned. "You haven''t given much details about that second form that Ivan and this moron Julian took. Can I believe it had something to do with the mixture?" "Eric?" To be fair, Eric wasn''t necessarily the most intelligent. Behind Florian, he was the muscles. Caroline knew it very well, so she felt weird when he seemed to have found out something. "I always had my doubts. The more they drunk that stuff, the more they changed the next year. They were wilder in their actions, as if they returned to simple beasts. The first answer was always a fight with them." "I''m not the smartest, but even I understand strategy and how to order my men. Without that, this city would have disappeared from the map a long time ago." "Now, we have three Apostles that died because they made the wrong choices. I do believe no one in their right mind would simply throw everything away for something as stupid as wanting to take another Apostle''s territory, or attack out of spite because their plan to hurt a powerless faction was thwarted." Caroline began to understand. "Is there something else pushing the current Apostle to commit atrocities?" He turned to look at her, and answered. "If you placed a civilians in my spot, so you think his first though would be to invade another Apostle''s territory?" With just a thought, the answer was clear. "Of course not. Unless they already are missing a few brain cells, that shouldn''t happen." Satisfied, Eric looked at Orion. "Julian and Leonis were fairly new to our ranks. Two years for Leonis, and three for Julian. Kiel was in our ranks for five years." "There is no reason to their sudden need to punish the lamias." Caroline and Eric both winced in disgust when they recalled how horrible the lamias were treated by them in the past. "Tell me Orion, am I right to think that the mixture had something to do in the Apostles'' change of behaviour?" Orion nodded. "For someone who said that he doesn''t possess the smarts to think, you sure got on the right path." "Thank you for the compliment." Eric smiled, glad to hear he did not make a fool of himself. "Alright, the whole thing might be a little complicated, but think of the mixture as if it was a parasite." With his explanation, Eric and Caroline understood the underlying danger of drinking the mixture made of dark cores. "We''ve discovered that in all Apostles, the ones that succeeded their parents, there is a small seed of corruption inside them. That mixture, once drunk, make this seed grow more and more, until it takes over the hosts way of thinking." "At one point, it is so encroached that it kills the host, and transform it into an hybrid of human and corrupted. That is also the same for animals, creating corrupted beasts with time." "What happened to Ivan and Julian was something worse. Once they died, the corruption took over instantly, forcing them to become husks able to use their ability, but more efficiently." Orion stood up, and walked on the side of the couch. "Do you understand now?" He crossed his arms and looked at his companions. "Corruption... the thing that we were fighting so far was inside our ranks... no inside us the whole time? This is so stupid now that I think about it." "Drinking a mixture of beasts cores, cores that were created by corrupting said animal. What was the point?" He knew, in his heart, that the answer was way simpler. "Power, and control." The answer came out easier than expected. Chapter 192: Amelias interest in May. "That part with Velridar, what''s your thoughts on it?" "Huh? Isn''t that rare, you asking for my opinion first?" Tia-Norun and Enri-Ann were enjoying a moment of peace and quiet, away from the all-seeing table. They were drinking a beverage that looked like tea together. Enri-Ann was the one who asked the question. She simply closed her eyes and sipped the content of her cup silently. "I''m just curious." "Coming from you, there is nothing more suspicious than curiosity itself. There''s something behind that question you don''t want to tell me?" Tia-Norun knew her friend pretty well, that''s why she tried to always notice the hidden meanings behind her questions. "Can you stop trying to find meanings behind everything I say? For once, there''s really nothing more to it. So, your thoughts?" She recalled the question, and thought on it while drinking. "Hmm... First, that''s something knew isn''t it? This is the first time a Remnant has been subjected to corruption not by being corrupted itself, but by having one of the ability to feel its children directly influenced." "That is true, I also thought about that. You and I haven''t made any children like the other Remnants, which makes it harder to understand how it could affect the mind." They both placed their cup on the table. "What about his sudden outburst? It made the place rumble like crazy. I fear that the massive release of magic energy that happened will influence the area where it happened. Worst case scenario, won''t it cause a constant birth of magic beings?" That was a real worry for Tia-Norun. More variations in their plan would only bring detrimental effects later on, and the one who will have to deal with it will eventually be Orion. "Don''t bother thinking about that. On the contrary, it will have a positive effect on the surrounding area. To begin with, it will only makes ''them'' come back." Enri-Ann once again took a sip of tea, while her friend looked confused. "''Them''? Oh, you mean... But weren''t they out of the pictures? You''ve said we couldn''t get a hold of them previously?" Silence remained after that question. "I hate it when you do that." "I know." Tia-Norun rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Anyway, you want me to guess the rest since you almighty being won''t deign giving me an answer." She took a sip of her tea in false anger, and thought about the subject. "Well, I know that they feed on magic, and that the flow of magic in Triazils had been stagnating. We haven''t found the source of magic yet, so we don''t know why it behaved like this but we know it even transcend realms." "Right." Enri-Ann nodded. "If they feed on magic, and if a massive pile of pure magic was to be released there... Oh." She placed her hand on her brows and rubbed them. "I understand now." "Exactly as you thought. It will take a long time for most of them to return, but the youngest will be back in a few days." "But Enri, is it a good thing? I know they are more on the instinctual side of things, but won''t they cause trouble?" "Not really, they never caused problems before, and I think they will be most intrigued by the boy, more than anything else." Tia-Norun placed her index finger on her chin, and thought of something. "I might have an idea to smooth things up." "Don''t do something stupid, alright?" "I won''t. Anyways I have another question." "The annual invasion coming from the southern continent?" She nodded, a little surprised. "Don''t look so surprised, this was obvious following the conversation. I will answer this one directly." "Oh, thanks, almighty being." Enri-Ann glared at her, which made Tia-Norun play with her pink hair while looking away. *sigh* The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. She sighed, and went to explain what she got from the whole thing. "Velridar''s pure magic seemed to have affected the beings in that area. How much, how bad, how many, you and I can only guess." "I believe that multiple giant type corrupted are in this part of the world, out of any civilization, in the harshest environment possible. Either most of them are dead, frozen, or asleep, and Velridar awakened one." This was what Enri-Ann came to after thinking about it. "But what about the invasion itself? There was too many beasts. If not for them, the worst case scenario would have happened, with armies of monsters invading Triazils." "That''s..." "You don''t know?" But all Enri-Ann could do to answer Tia-Norun was shacking her head. "All I can think of is that the pure magic attracted them. Instead of being hungry near the end of the year, they were forced to notice it, and like honey, they went for it." Tia-Norun smiled in frustration. "I guess we won''t know. Let''s change topics, alright?" "Sure." As they stopped thinking about what happened related to Velridar, they finished their little break, then soon returned to watch over Orion and his companions. ~ "So, Nylon, right? Son of Dylan of the beastmen, you came to help us too when we needed it right?" Eric placed his chin on the back of his hands, his elbows on his knees. "Yes, Lord Eric. Since you''ve been kind to us for many years, I decided with father''s authorization to aid Turric in case the invasion happened." "Then, you have my thanks. I had never ordered the beastmen to help us, because it is our duty since long ago. If not for you, we would still be fighting that giant creature." Orion and Karteira explained on the way back to Turric what a Corrupted Lord was. He was thankful nothing as dangerous as these beasts never invaded in the previous years. "But why did something like this suddenly appeared?" Caroline wasn''t expecting an answer, as she was thinking out loud. "It would be weird to think that they''re not evolving. It was really just a matter of time." She heard Eric answer it as best as he could. Orion wasn''t of the same opinion, but there was no need to reveal the details about Velridar to anyone else other than Deveralna. Right after, Eric turned to Orion. "You said you would show me how you managed to check on Kamala. I hope you haven''t forgotten?" He was about to open a portal, but Amelia stopped him before that. "I would like to request something before that. Can I?" Eric stared at her for a moment, trying to guess what she would request, but he couldn''t find anything. "I don''t see what you would want from me, but sure, ask anyway." "Could you make that woman who fought with us earlier follow us? I would like to have a talk with her." Caroline gathered immediately that she was interested in May. "May right? She should be off-duty right now, right?" With a nod, Eric confirmed her words. "She is. I couldn''t leave her working when she exhausted herself that much. Do you mind calling her?" With a smile, she immediately went out of the front door, and ran outside. "Give her a minute, she will be there with May in just a moment." Before anyone could even feel bored, Caroline returned with a confused May. "Miss Caroline, please! Where are you dragging me-" When her eyes fell on Orion''s group, she felt a lot of problems coming her way. ''Damn it! I wanted to rest in peace!'' She bit her lips in frustration, but remained normal afterwards. "Alright, since everyone is ready, let us go." Orion finally opened the portal to Horizon. Amelia and Karteira walked through it first. "This is like a door. Once you are through, I''ll be following right after." Nylon and Eric looked at Orion as if he was a rare animal. Caroline dragged May without thinking much through the portal without waiting for Eric, who blinked a few times from how sudden it was. "Miss Caroline! Wait, we don''t kno-" May''s voice was drowned out once she went through. "My friends went through first. If this was dangerous, I would have made them go last." "That''s true." With that said, Nylon shrugged and walked nonchalantly through it. "What about you?" Orion said at Eric with a gentle smile. "Caroline already went through, so what choice do I have?" He walked in anxiously, and found himself in a space almost completely white. The sky was white with many glistening dark stars, there was two houses in the distance, the sound of the sea could be heard on his left side, and he could see a tree in the distance. *woof* A sudden barking noise made him jump. He looked down and noticed a white dog wiggling its tail at him. "O-Oh. Hello there." He kneeled on the ground, and patted the dogs head gently. "That''s Sirius. We''ve made him a part of our family recently." Karteira explained, before Orion walked through the portal at last, and closed it behind him. "What is this place?" He continued to scratch behind Sirius'' ears while Nylon asked that. "This is Horizon, a place Orion created with his magic. It is out of Triazils, in a different realm. It''s easier to understand like this." After Karteira gave a short explanation, Orion looked around. "Where is Amelia? And those two women too, where have they gone?" "Hmm... about that." Karteira avoided his gaze, and looked a little perplexed. "When the woman named Caroline saw the sea, she rushed toward it with the other one. Amelia went after them in panic." Both Orion and Eric looked at each other, and covered their eyes with their hand, already exhausted. "I''m sorry about my wife..." "Well, she is not causing problems as of now. Let''s just follow after them. We''ll talk once there." ... "I haven''t seen the sea since we were young!" Caroline''s eyes sparkled, ecstatic in front of the beautiful sea. Strangely silent, May stared at water with mixed emotions. ''If miss Caroline did not force me to come here, would I have ever seen the sea?'' May never saw the sea before. This was the first time she even heard of its calming sound. "This is technically not a natural sea. It was created by me and Orion, so it is artificial." Amelia managed to catch up to them. "Artificial? For what reason would you even need to create a sea?" "Well..." There was a need to keep the sirens hidden from prying eyes, but was it her right to say it to strangers? "Because of us." Senia''s head popped out of the water, followed by two others. "Huh?" Caroline turned her head to Amelia while pointing at the sirens, astonished. ''There''s no reason to hide it if Senia showed herself.'' Amelia made up her mind, and quickly described them. "They are sirens, a faction, or species which doesn''t exist on Triazils. They lived on another continent, but were captured by a slave trader, or prize catcher, something in those lines." "Orion found them inadvertently, and saved all of them. To avoid the sirens being captured again, he thought of creating a place for them to live in peacefully, hence the creation of the Siren Sea." May and Caroline''s opinion on Orion and his group went through the roof in an instant. "Amelia." Orion appeared behind her with Eric, Karteira, Nylon and Sirius from a portal. "Oh, it''s the dog." It seemed that May''s interest was on Sirius, so she walked toward him to pet him, which he obviously did not refuse. "It''s name is Sirius, he likes to be petted almost everywhere, but only Orion is able to make him growl in happiness, for some strange reasons." Amelia crouched next to her while patting Sirius'' back. While these two were engrossed on the dog, Orion, Karteira, Nylon, Eric, and Caroline all went to discuss about other things. Mostly, how did he create such a place to begin with, and for that, he needed someone else. Chapter 193: Fire users support each others. "Eric Layman?!" A surprised Kamala exclaimed after she followed Orion from her house. "When you said this was important, you meant it was about Eric? Why didn''t you say it immediately?" "What''s good about revealing the surprise?" Orion smiled while teasing her. "So it was true... you really have a way to bridge long distances." Eric blinked a few times seeing the chocolate skin color specific to Kamala. He wouldn''t mistake her for anyone else. Though, there was something different about her. "You seem more relaxed than you were during the Apostles'' meeting. I haven''t heard you talk that much either." From the beginning, everyone knew her as a calm, composed, and mysterious woman. It wasn''t wrong to think like this, but this was before she got over her own problems. But it would be strange to not be surprised by her new self. "Hello." Caroline bowed politely in front of Kamala. Now that she acknowledged Orion, and that she also knew the Apostle Kamala by name, she tried her best to avoid getting on their wrong side, mostly for Eric''s sake. But she did not expect a sweet smile coming from Kamala. "Hello. I''m Kamala Genathis, Lord of Hocride. Who might you be?" She straightened herself, and introduced herself properly. "I''m Caroline Layman. Eric''s wife. It is a pleasure to meet another Apostle." With slight surprise, Kamala looked at Eric. "You were married? Where is your ring?" This question was one Eric rarely got to answer. "Here." He grabbed a thread tied around his neck, and pulled on it until a ring appeared, previously hidden under his shirt. "Around your neck? Isn''t it supposed to be at your finger?" Even Orion thought that it was strange. "I can''t keep it on my finger! What if I break it using Balmung? Its recoil is no joke, I broke my fingers multiple time when I started firing it!" While they agreed it was a reasonable reason, they returned to the subject of at hands. "Anyways, you wanted to know how I happened to create this place, so I brought Kamala." "You made me come all this way for that?! Really, I''m happy to see Eric is well, but some of us are busy." Orion''s lifted his chin a little higher, and took a deep breath. "Right." Kamala felt something similar happened before. ''Oh... I might have messed up there. I know this expression.'' She tried to look away in a hurry, avoiding his gaze as much as possible. "I was thinking about taking a few days off to train. I''m sure you would be interested in that too. Right?" Bringing her hands in front of her chest while making panicked movements with them, she looked like a child about to cry. "RIGHT?" ''Scary! What happened for Kamala to look like this in front of this man?!" Eric couldn''t believe it. "P-Please be gentle..." When she gave up, Orion smiled warmly. "I''ll come pick you up when it''ll happen. It certainly has been a while, I hope you haven''t forgotten to train your skills." "That I am confident I didn''t!" With conviction, she stared straight in his eyes. "Good. I like strong willed people. We''ll work on that ability you''ve lost later, maybe we can make some progress." Kamala nodded, then both her and Orion turned to Eric and Caroline, with Nylon listening quietly on the side. Nylon was taught to behave like an assassin. To learn the most in a conversation, he simply had to listen until someone asked for his opinion. Doing that, he wouldn''t look out of place. The problem was that it also affected his everyday life sometimes, like this very moment. There was no need for him to be silent currently. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "To begin with, look at this." Orion opened his hands, and two elements unknown to them appeared. He closed his hands to make them vanish, and created the last element by approaching his hands together. "That''s my elements." ~ "I''m Amelia Diom, that man''s companion." May looked at Amelia pointing back at Orion. They were both done petting Sirius, and didn''t particularly wanted to join the others, so they walked along the shore of the Siren Sea together, followed by Sirius himself, who happily ran around. "May. I don''t have a last name." Amelia didn''t particularly mind that detail. "You don''t seem upset at all?" "Why should I? My other companion doesn''t have a last name either." It was true that Karteira had no last name. "Why are you saying that to me?" "F-For no particular reason." The redhead looked at the sea, evading the question. "Too bad for you, it won''t work on me. I understand others pretty well, and I''ve lived with someone who hides his thoughts as much as possible. I played dumb because I thought you would talk about it, but you still chose to hide matter nonetheless." With a fast turn of the heels, Amelia found herself face to face with May. "Others have said bad things to you because of that, isn''t it? If I had to guess, Eric and his wife are the only one who were never bothered by it, so you''ve chosen to stick around them." "Ha-haha..." A dry laugh escaped May''s mouth. "Spot on, right?" With a wink followed by a smile, Amelia broke through her defenses in a single strike. "Why the sudden interest? Are you looking for something in me, or are you doing that to anyone you see, miss Amelia?" A big frown appeared on Amelia''s face. "Remove the ''miss'', I really can''t stand that coming from another woman. Call me Amelia, plain and simple." "S-Sure... A-Amelia." May found herself in a difficult situation, where her disagreement would lead nowhere. She could only comply. "That''s better. So, to answer your question." ''Vesta.'' A vortex of fire exploded from Amelia''s hand, before forming the dagger she named Vesta. Bright, colorful, yet scorching, that was Amelia''s fire. Instinctively, May reacted to it, and extended her hand in front of her, forcing her fire out of her body. A pale red flame formed. It was quite different from Amelia''s, as it did not take any particular shape. It was the purest, most primal form of fire. Yet, it burned with the intensity of an incinerator. "That is one beautiful fire." This was Amelia''s first and honest thought. "It doesn''t compare to your flames. Mine is bland, with no particularities. At least it helps me repay Lord Eric in his duties." "Do you hate your flames?" To that, May shook her head. "No. It might look like it, but I love this little fire. It has never failed me, and will always stay with me. How could I hate a part of me?" Amelia realized that this woman had already accepted the element as a part of her, something she had a difficult time doing until recently. "Then." She approached Vesta to May''s flames. Instinctively, May retracted her hand to her chest, but seeing the warm smile on the blonde woman in front of her, she timidly held it in front of her again. Vesta''s edge made contact with May''s flames. At first, it showed no change. Only after a few seconds, did the first sign showed. The pale flame absorbed some of the colorful red, mixing together to form a beautiful flame that contained both colors. Even after Amelia made Vesta disappear, May''s flame kept its change. "That''s all I can do for you. It doesn''t do anything in particular, it just makes it brighter. Did I do something I shouldn''t have perhaps?" "You''re asking that now?" May''s bright smile took Amelia by surprise. ''Seems like I managed to bring a smile to her face. She reminds me of myself after the orphanage fire.'' "You have a really beautiful smile. When I saw you for the first time, I saw myself. I couldn''t help myself but try to do something good for you." "Life isn''t kind to us fire users isn''t it?" Her smile slowly reversed, as she began to bite her lower lip. "..." With the pale and bright red flame between her hands, May brought it closer to her chest, and as if she was hugging it, closed her eyes. "Thank you... thank you." The only thing Amelia could do for her, was to caress her red hair. ''It is surprisingly smooth.'' Sirius watched all of this from afar quietly, but when he noticed his time, he jumped at his next victim. He ran toward May, and sat next to her. Silently, he stared at her until she noticed him. She erased her flame, and crouched to hug the dog. "Why are you all so kind to me? We were strangers until a few hours ago." "We took that from the best." Amelia looked in Orion''s direction. "That man. He seems very important to you. Not only you, but your friend too." With a giggle, Amelia sat on the sand. "You have no idea. Not only me and Karteira, but there''s also three more woman very interested in him. There is no end to the competition, and I don''t know how many will join later on." "At least, I will always be number one. No to brag, but I''m his childhood friend." "Do you want to hear why he his so important to us?" A serious expression on her face, Amelia prepared herself to explain. May also sat on the sand, and nodded. "Tell me, please." ''I want to know if I can trust him.'' "Alright." The mood lightened, as Amelia began to talk with a smile on her face. While this was happening, Senia was quietly listening not far from them. To say that she wasn''t interested would be a lie, but she also didn''t want to look like she was eavesdropping, so she popped out of the water and dragged herself on land. "C-Can I listen too?" "Sure. May, this is Senia, a siren. Senia, this is May, my new friend." "H-Hi." "Nice to meet you." The two women greeted each other with a smile, before turning to Amelia. "You see, Orion and I are orphans. Since he was a kid, I''ve always watched over him-" Going over what made Orion the greatest man for her and Karteira, May and Senia arrived at the conclusion that her love was heavy. But they understood the appeal of a man like Orion. There was no one like him in this world, a rare occurrence, someone with a clear mind, never doubting, and always cherishing his family and friends. A lone wolf at first, who changed to depend more on the ones around him. Saving people wherever he went, yet somehow finding himself in trouble when he was expecting it the least. Someone with great ingenuity, always coming up with ways to make others shine in their own light. Though obsessed with training, his body was toned to its maximum from constant workouts. And this was only the top of the iceberg. The conversation dragged on until Orion, Karteira, and Kamala finished to tell how Horizon came to be, and even managed to get Kamala updated on what happened recently. Thanks to Orion lowering the speed at which time was flowing in Horizon, it was still midday on Triazils. ... "Orion, are you planning on following me to Logran?" Nylon asked the question, though he knew the answer already. "Yes. I''ve had trouble finding it since I don''t know the southern area very well." "How''s tomorrow morning sounds like?" "Sure." Next day''s destination, Logran. Once Amelia and May returned, and Senia went back to the sea with a burning face, he walked Kamala back home, and made Eric, Caroline, and May return back to Turric. Just before walking through the portal, May stood still and looked intently at Orion, before nodding and going through the portal. Orion questioned her strange behavior, but quickly erased it from his mind. Nylon also returned to Turric to find a place to sleep at, not wanting to impose himself on his newfound brother. With Amelia in an awfully good mood compared to usual, she prepared a great dinner that nobody complained about. They went to sleep like usual, took a day off to look over Horizon''s many new features requiring attention, and exited the next day. Chapter 194: Snowball training. "Alright girls, see you in bit." "It shouldn''t take too long right? That Nylon guy said Logran wasn''t that far from Turric." Orion, Karteira, and Amelia were chatting in the portal hub. "That ''Nylon guy'' is Dylan''s son, the person who taught Orion everything related to fights and abilities." "Oh, sorry. I wasn''t trying to be disrespectful." Karteira ended up a little embarrassed. "I''m sure he won''t mind. I''ll be back in an hour or two." He turned around and waved with his back toward them, before vanishing in the portal. ... ''It''s colder today.'' Orion stepped out of his portal, and looked at the blue sky slightly covered with white clouds. He wasn''t cold, but he still felt the difference, just as much as the heat of the Parsmata Desert was unable to affect him. Maybe that was an attribute of his mixed blood, or maybe his trained body could endure the harsh environments, but he didn''t know the answer to that. ''So, I''m supposed to wait for Nylon? Or should I go out of the city?'' Currently, he was in front of Eric''s house. He was about to walk away aimlessly, when May came out of the house next door in full soldier uniform. ''Red hair, white uniform, a nice contrast.'' There was a certain appeal that Orion appreciated. Comparing both of them, there was less than twenty centimeters of difference between them, with Orion at 192cm (6.3 feet), and May at 175cm (5.7 feet). She did not notice Orion standing there, and locked her door before walking the opposite way. For some reason, that made him a little frustrated. He wanted to do something while waiting for Nylon, so why not talk to someone else. Though, he knew she had her duty as a high ranking officer of Eric''s army. She was also his aid, though Caroline already took care of that part, so she only had to care about giving orders to the men under her, and it was good enough for her. Orion forgot about his need to talk to her, and walked the other way. Until he walked on the snow. An ominous smile appeared on his face as he scooped a bit of the snow with his hand. On the other side, May was thinking about what to do. ''These past few days... were tough. First the invasion, and then this group of people. Another fire user, Amelia. I still can''t accept how easily she managed to understand me.'' She brought her right hand out of her pockets, and placed her index and middle fingers on her lower lip, thinking harder than she usually allowed herself to. ''From what I''ve heard, this man, Orion, might be trustworthy enough to help, but I don''t want to make a wrong move. Who knows what would happen the moment he gets to learn more abou-'' May couldn''t finish her thought, because of a snowball that exploded on the back of her head. "Ah, I have never played with snow before! I should bring everyone next time to make a training using snowballs to fight! What a great idea!" The voice of who she recognized as the culprit was heard behind her. She did not take the offense of having a snowball thrown at her lightly. Angry, she turned around to see the person she was thinking about making a pile of snowballs. "You... what are you doing? Aren''t you supposed to move out of town today?" Calming her fury to a tolerable level, she walked toward Orion. "As you can see, I''ve never played with snow before, and I though it would be great for training. Do you mind giving me a hand?" Orion picked up half of the snowball he made, and forcefully gave them to May. He picked up the rest and walked past her, while May remained there confused. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "What are you waiting for?" "Huh?" When she turned around, she saw Orion looking at her with expression saying ''Hurry up!''. May''s legs moved out of her control, joining him out of the city. She couldn''t stop thinking about why she was following him. After a few minutes, they were out of Turric. When Orion found a good spot out of prying eyes, he placed the snowballs on the snow, and picked one from the pile. ''What am I doing following him? I still have my job to attend t-'' "BFFFA!" Once again, she couldn''t finish her thought. Another snowball crashed on her, this time directly at her face. "What was that for?!" Angrily, she wiped the snow off of her and stared at Orion. "You''re thinking too much. Pay attention to what''s around you, or you will build bad habits that could potentially bring harm to you and others around you." ''What is he talking about now? Why is he trying to teach me?'' Orion picked another one and prepared himself to throw another one at her. ''Not this time!'' May opened her hand, creating her pale flame in her palm. When the snowball closed in on her, she swiped at the snowball with the flame, melting it instantly. "That''s better, now you''re paying attention." Satisfied, Orion stopped throwing snow at her, and went to the main point. "I would like to request your help for a moment. Only until Nylon find us." He bent over and picked up another snowball, before putting a lot of strength into his arm. With his natural strength, he threw the snow fifty meters in the air. "That''s... quite high. I can''t even see it." "I can." Orion released his magic, making his hair change color. In his left hand, Alcyone appeared, which he used to aim at the air. *click* The crossbow fired when he locked on the target. The arrow traveled rapidly, and pierced through the snowball that was falling back down. Particles of snow fell back on them. "I already knew you were powerful. If you are trying to impress me, you are losing your time." May stared at him with mocking smile. To that, Orion shrugged. "As if I wanted to impress anyone. I simply want you to throw snowballs in the air so I can shoot at them." He picked another snowball and threw it in the air. "As you can see, it is quite inefficient by myself." "That''s... it? Really?" She couldn''t believe it. ''I knew he loved to train, but to this extent? Why did he not call one of his companions?'' Watching Orion aim and pulverize another snowball, she could only remained confused. "You just want me to throw snowballs in the air? I can''t threw them as high as you though." She picked up one and threw it slightly above the tallest tree. "Threw them randomly in the air, that will be enough." Orion stayed still while aiming. His focus was now unbreakable. ''I guess I can do that.'' May brought her arm holding the ball behind her, and threw it with average strength. The snowball traveled in an arc in front of Orion, and before it was pulled down by gravity, exploded. The same process was repeated again and again, until May felt like asking a question. "Why do you train so much? Do you like it? Or is it an obligation maybe?" Two snowballs entered Orion''s field of view. ''Interesting. But I''ve done worse fighting Amelia.'' Though he needed the Arm Overdrive to fire repeatedly, he could still fire arrows rapidly. And now that his crossbows are firing automatically, the process of firing volleys was easier. *Click-Click* Two light arrows pierced the snowballs, continuing in the air until they vanished. Orion dropped his arms and turned to May. "A little bit of both. I like to train, and it is an obligation." "I''ve had two things while in the orphanage that kept me entertained. Books, and my old crossbow. I could only fire efficiently once trained, because believe it or not, pulling the string is harder than you would expect." He pulled on Alcyone''s string lightly, effortlessly moving it backward. "The moment I learned who I was, I had two choices given to me. Flee from my problems, and forget about it, or survive in this chaos, putting my life on the line." "That man is not someone I can hope to defeat without proper training. I am not necessarily pessimistic, but the chance of winning is pretty slim." With a sad expression on his face, he stopped playing with Alcyone, and turned around. "Does that answer your question?" Alcyone disappeared, and Orion walked under one of the trees, before looking up. "I''m done, sorry for making you wait." Up the trees was Nylon, silently waiting, but once he was noticed, he jumped down. "Since when did you notice?" As Nylon''s feet touched the snow, he asked. "From the fourth arrow I fired. I believe it was easy to find me?" He smiled, knowing that firing light arrows in the air could only indicate one thing for the beastman. His location. "I thought I was well hidden." Nylon shrugged. "Anyway, if you are ready, let''s move out." Both men walked past May, who was thinking about Orion''s answer. When she noticed that Orion was leaving, she turned in a hurry, barely missing the perfect opportunity. "W-Wait! Can I ask you something else?" "Hmm?" Orion glanced at her, his back turned toward her. "Could you come back later? I would like to tell you something important. Something very important to me." "..." The idea of ignoring the woman certainly crossed Orion''s mind, but by doing that, he could injure the new friendship Amelia seemed to have formed with her. ''I have no reason to accept, yet refusing would only leave Amelia in a bad spot. Listening to her is all I can do though.'' He turned his head forward, and answered. "I don''t know what you would want from me, but sure. I''ll listen to you once my visit in Logran is done. I''ll check with you tomorrow, same time, same place." Without waiting for an answer, he left the forest. "G-Great." May nodded, a little shocked he accepted so easily. Now that her mind was set on telling him her secret, she could only commit to it. Once she regained her composure, she returned to Turric. Luckily, no one said anything to her being late. Instead, a weird rumor began to spread around the soldiers that May had been seen with a tall man going out of the city, playing with snowballs. ~ Nylon and Orion exited the forest. "Logran is this way." Pointing his finger north-east, he looked eager to return home. "Do you think you can keep up with me?" He stretched his legs, and left Orion behind. A trail of powdered snow followed behind him. "Who are you taking me for?" Orion shrugged, and caught up with Nylon by using his Second Gear. In the end, it was Nylon that had to keep up with him. Thirty minutes later, they both arrived at Logran, the beastman village protected by their ''Savior'', Dylan Ravale. Chapter 195: A new project? "We''ve got a little time before he comes back. What are we doing in the meantime?" Unknowing of the events that were happening with Orion, Amelia and Karteira both looked at the closed portal in front of them. "I was thinking of having a look at the tablet. If we have some notices to complete, it might be best doing them now." "You''re right. We don''t even need Orion for that." They both turned around and were about to leave. *Brrrrrrrrrr* When they heard the sound of a portal opening, it made them turn around again. "Have Orion forgotten something?" Karteira looked at the portal behind them, but it remained inactive, which meant that it was another portal opening. Since the portal to Turric was the most recent, it was located on the far left. The very first one on the right side was the portal leading to Hocride. "If it''s not this portal, which one-" Before Amelia could finish her sentence, two women walked through the second portal. "Sis! Move your feet faster!" "I know! Stop dragging me around!" Drania and Dramia came through the portal leading to the fairy realm, in quite a rush. Once they stopped, they noticed the girls on their right a few meters away. "Amelia, Karteira!" Drania used her fastest speed and stopped in front of them. Dramia caught up with them on foot. *Brrrrrrrrrr* Halfway through, the fifth portal also opened, with another individual slithering through right in front of Dramia. The two women looked at each other, surprised. "Uh... Have I taken the wrong portal?" Deveralna, who appeared from the portal in her palace situated in Lahro, thought that she found herself somewhere she shouldn''t be. "I don''t think so." With her usual cold tone, Dramia crossed her arms and answered. "That''s a relief. I thought that I inadvertently went to the fairy realm. I was ready for diplomatic problems." They both knew each other from the birthday event, though, they weren''t friends. Dramia relaxed a little and let out a strained smile. "Even if you had come in the fairy realm, we wouldn''t have gone this far. We know how to receive guests, even uninvited ones. Though, that''s a fair expectation coming from a queen." She remembered Orion and Amelia''s first arrival in the fairy realm. There was no other uninvited guests besides them anyway. Kamala was also a guest, but she was not uninvited since the agreement between her and Tiohr-nam took place. "Thank you for understanding. Might I ask why you are here, if it''s not too disrespectful?" Having finished explaining everything to Amelia and Karteira, Drania suddenly appeared in front of Deveralna. "Tiohr is furious! She wants to see Orion immediately!" With a worried expression, she spoke without giving any answer. Dramia hid her eyes and shook her head in exasperation. "Did you explain the same thing to them? I knew I should be the one to tell them." But Karteira arrived to calm the situation. "You don''t have to worry, we managed to understand. Mother is furious because Orion formed a connection with another Remnant? I should have expected that." Removing her hand from her face, Dramia shook her head. "Not only that. She was expecting Orion to pay her a visit to explain himself, but he did not come at all. Even though we told her multiple times that we came back just to tell her everything that we learned." Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. She shrugged in exasperation. "..." Deveralna stayed silent, since she also had a part in this. "Why are you here, Queen Deveralna of the lamias?" Amelia approached everyone too. "I said it before, you can drop the honorifics. Out of the throne room, I am but an ignorant person." ''Just like us.'' Dramia kept this to herself, though she wasn''t a perfect ''Queen'' from a genetic perspective, just like her sister. If they could maintain their position until now, it was because they were the oldest ''fairies'', and the ones caring for the Fairy Tree. "I''m here because I wanted to get some insight from Orion about our father. The lamias have been troubled, and there has been a separation between those who reject him, and those who accept him." She looked quite bothered. "Well, I''m sorry. Orion left moments before you all came." With an apologetic smile, Amelia left the portal hub, and walked toward her house. "That''s how it. If you need something from him, you can either wait until he returns, or you can come back tomorrow. But that doesn''t guarantee that he will be there tomorrow at this time." "And since it looks like these are matters neither Amelia nor I can resolve." Karteira followed behind Amelia and returned home. Dramia, Drania, and Deveralna looked at them leaving, before they stared at each other. "What do we do, sis?" "Good question. If we return now, I can picture how Tiohr will react." "The same will happen with my mother. She wants helps from Orion, the cause of all of this, at all cost. I can''t return empty handed." They all had the same problem, but the answer was relatively easier to find. "I guess we stay here until he returns?" Drania disappeared after that. She went to ask Amelia if it was alright to stay. Once she got the answer, she made a thumbs up in their direction. "She''s quite the energetic kind, your sister." "You have no idea." Both Dramia and Deveralna caught up with the others. ... While Orion was having fun with May, the girls were checking the tablet. "So that''s the ''device'' that controls this space?" The lamia, completely ignorant of the technology in the world, looked with stars in her eyes. "Yes. We still don''t know everything about this place, but this will probably help us to uncover more in the future." Karteira answered, before Amelia took other. "For now, we can ''terraform'' the squares of ten by ten meters. We can dig, or create hills. We can''t create buildings, neither can we create life. It''s thanks to this tablet that we created the Siren Sea." Dramia and Drania knew the tablet existed, though only Dramia saw it in action before. "Can you change the white floor to anything?!" For some unknown reason, Drania was excited. "Not everything. We can''t create with compounds or forged materials. It has to be a completely natural element found in nature. You won''t be able to create a wooden floor, or a metallic flooring either." "Bummer..." Her disappointment was visible at Amelia''s answer. "So, all of this..." Deveralna drew a line between the dirt and grass, and the white areas. "Is free terrain? There is nothing on it?" Both Amelia and Karteira nodded. "All of the white part is considered as training ground for us, but we usually do it there, far from home. We have no need to create other projects unless it is necessary, like it was for the sirens." *Bip* A notice appeared in the corner of the tablet, catching everyone''s attention. "Warning! A new project has been found." Karteira spoke out loud what was written. A robotic voice entered his ears, confusing the poor dog even more. (Trials? What is happening?) But before he could get the answer to his question, the shadow howled, stunning Sirius on the spot. Terrified, Sirius trembled in front of the shadow, which approached slowly, with an intimidating aura. "Show your worth, or suffer eternal pain." "Show your worth, and share the burden of the Hero." "Show your worth, as this is your only fate." "Right. Your worth." "Who are you?" Sirius'' fate changed that day, where he inadvertently laid next to his resting master. A trial so horrifying would end up being etched in his soul, one he would never forget. ~ (This is the next trial?) Orion stood still in front of the side of a mountain. The landscape looked like the one Orion was used to while traveling through Triazils. Trees everywhere around him, grass sprouting under his feet, and a calm breeze flowing through his hair. When he turned around, he noticed immediately that it wasn''t going to be a simple trial. (The darkness...)The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Behind him, extending as far as his eyes could see, the void that chased him during his first trial returned. It wasn''t moving yet, but Orion knew. The same chase was about to happen once again. The only difference worth mentioning was that Orion had full control over his emotions this time. He felt no need to approach the edge between the darkness and the normal path, nor was he feeling panicked. He inhaled a long breath of air, and looked upward. Standing in front of him was a high mountain, even higher than the highest peak of the Talviera Mountain Range. The summit of the mountain was hidden by the clouds, making Orion shudder at the idea of climbing it. Its sides were steep, with no real footing available to climb safely. ''Are you telling me to climb this thing? This is madness...'' When he took his first step forward, the darkness suddenly rushed toward him, not letting him time to prepare. (Kh!) Unprepared, Orion ran toward the steep incline of the mountain, and grabbed one protruding rock on the wall. He jumped from one rock to another, carefully choosing his path. Twenty meters above the ground, he looked down. ''These trials, they are no joke.'' The void seemed to only cover the ground he was previously standing on, while slowly rising upward. ''It''s telling me to hurry climbing, while leaving me enough time to do it. What a pain.'' He looked above him, before grabbing another rock. ''I just have to climb, right? I''ll show you, trials or not, I have the stamina to do anything.'' But what Orion wasn''t prepared for, was that the trial wasn''t testing his stamina, but his willpower. ... Climbing the side of the mountain, he felt like a few hours passed, while making very little progress. Fewer and fewer rocks appeared to help him ascend upward, while their spacing increased exponentially. ''I still can''t see the peak...'' Orion took a break, wrapping his arms around the large rock he was holding. His feet kept sliding on the rocky wall, which made it very difficult to not use energy to counter it. He was also getting winded. The more he climbed, the less air was available. There was the void pursuing him, and a threat he knew to be careful of: altitude sickness. Even Orion wasn''t exempt from altitude sickness. Even if his body could counteract the effect naturally, in this situation, where all of his innate and learned abilities were sealed, anything could happen to him. He was but a powerless agathion, with no way to mitigate the dizziness and exhaustion. But here was the problem. The more he climbed, the faster the void followed. He had no time to rest, as taking just five minutes could shorten the distance between the darkness and him, pressuring his mind to move faster, creating more opportunities to fail a critical jump. Although the climb was taxing on his stamina, he managed to find a pattern. If he only jumped twice, and rested for thirty seconds, he could keep the pace relatively fast. While doing that, he could also manage to repress the altitude sickness as much as possible, and retain a slow and steady breathing. The peak was still unreachable, but the clouds were getting closer to him. He felt that this trial was, in fact, rather easy. If he kept focusing on what his body reacted on, he could avoid failing this trial. Yet, he was unable to follow this mentality for long. His cautious nature came back faster and impossible to ignore. ''Something''s off. It''s far too easy.'' ''Compared to the first trial, this is nothing. There is definitely something else.'' ''If I have to guess when...'' He looked at the clouds. ''It''s above these clouds.'' He climbed, and climbed, higher and higher, until finally, Orion jumped past the clouds. Grabbing a small piece of rock, he looked upward, and opened his eyes wide. ''I knew it.'' Above the clouds, many frozen bodies holding a stone anchored in the wall, were standing in his path. The sun was exactly staying behind the summit, and radiated a dangerous light that threatened to blind him. In fact, Orion felt strange looking at that sun. ''Why does this sun feel so unnatural?'' He looked for a few seconds, before his eyes looked around to find the next stone to jump at. A sudden sound, akin to a pulse of energy, caught his attention. (!) He frantically looked for a stone, before looking at one of the frozen corpses. (Sorry!) Orion jumped, and kicked the ice, shattering it into shards that fell down the mountain, before a massive ray of light traveled where he was resting previously. It grazed the walls of the mountain, and burned it to a crisp. ''So that''s where the real trial starts. Bring it on!'' Immediately, Orion found the next stepping stone. He was about to jump, but changed his mind. He looked at the sun, and waited until the very last second. The pulse happened once again, and erased everything on its path, be it frozen corpses, or parts of the mountain. This destruction caused more problems for him, as numerous falling rocks fell toward the bottom of the mountain. Avoiding the sun''s death ray, Orion grabbed the stone and began to count in his head. He waited, until the very last second, once again. ''Thirty seconds.'' That was the time it took for the sun to fire at him. Knowing that, what he had to do now was simple in theory. He had to climb higher while carefully managing the altitude sickness, even more than before as air became sparse. The stones he had to grab were getting more difficult to attain, which meant that the rest of his ascension relied on jumping long distance, which could put him in danger in a single failed jump. All of this, while counting thirty seconds in his head, and avoid the sun''s destructive ray of light. (...) Orion glanced under him and looked at the void devouring the clouds. Lastly, he had to watch out for the rapidly ascending darkness that threatened to swallow him whole if he took too long. ''I''m going to die.'' With a smile on his face, he lifted his mood with a joke, and jumped toward another frozen statue. He destroyed it, and looked at the shards fall into the void. His ascension continued, progressively picking up the pace, as the darkness relentlessly climbed faster. With determination filling his being, Orion kept his gaze on the path in front of him. He carefully picked the next stone, and jumped. *Crack* The moment Orion touched the stone, it broke in half. Orion barely had time to understand what was happening, as his body dived toward the vast darkness under him. Not only that, but the sun''s ray was about to be fired. Time seemed to flow slowly, as his mind focused on one thing. ''I''m not done yet!'' Orion glared at the sun, before looking at the wall rapidly moving in front of him. He slammed his arms and feet on the wall, and rapidly slowed down thanks to the friction, while frantically looking on both sides. Suddenly, a rock he previously grabbed while climbing entered his sight. Without hesitation, Orion jumped toward it. The ray of light fired at that exact moment, rapidly closing on him. The light illuminated his body, as a bead of sweat dropped from his forehead. Lady Luck was on his side. He looked at his right foot after grabbing the stone. The back of it had barely made contact with the heat ray, melting a part of it in the process. (...) Ignoring everything else at this point, he stopped thinking. With the void so close behind him, there were no mistakes possible. Climbing was his only option. He held his breath as long as possible, and only inhaled when necessary. Fatigue was starting to bother his movements, but he ignored it too. Only the goal in front of him became important. Until, at last, Orion grabbed the edge of the summit. A large rocky platform that overlooked everything. His hands trembled as he pulled himself up, and with emotions so overwhelming, Orion sighed from relief. (Aaaaah! I''m done!) Back on solid ground, he threw his tired body toward the ground, and laid there, unable to move for a minute. The sun stopped its attacks, and fell toward the Horizon, until a beautiful orange sunset replaced the blue sky. As Orion rested, he realized that the void wasn''t climbing anymore. He forced his legs to stand up, and approached the edge carefully. From his spot, he could see that the darkness had stopped ascending. ''I made it. I completed the third trial.'' Thinking that everything was done, Orion sat on the edge and looked in the distance. ''After I''ve recovered, I''ll jump.'' He knew what had to be done. All that was left now, was to jump in the void, similar to the first trial. Chapter 312: A Lords first love. Once Orion recovered his stamina, he stood up from the ground, and glanced down at the dark expanse. (I''m ready.) He took a step back, before throwing himself off the edge. One last time, he looked at the beautiful sunset in the distance, before everything became darker. His body dropped into the darkness like a droplet of water, before the world the trial made vanished, devoured by the void as if all of it was fake. ~ ''The third trial...'' Orianne watched as the circle of dark matter shrank surrounding her son. Reon quietly watched the screen, while he got the gist of the situation just by looking at what was happening. ''He made it.'' All of these trials were difficult, making every part a fight against one''s self. But Orianne knew, nothing could be harder than the fourth trial. Reverence. A challenging trial that Orianne almost failed, because of its unnecessary lack of explanation. Until the very end, she gave her everything to break through her weaknesses, just to have a chance to obtain an overwhelming power. To walk on the same path as the man she loved, who destroyed his body repeatedly and entered a different realm than everyone else during their life. With her eyes fixed on the screen, she thought. ''Don''t fall into a trap, Orion. Hang in there.'' With confidence in her heart that he would succeed after going this far, Orianne wished him luck. ~ "When?!" A group of women suddenly exclaimed in the middle of town. That group composed of Amelia, Olivia, Tetra, Deveralna, and Senia. The rest were escorting Stella around town now that their swimsuits were completed. "..." Kamala looked away with a faint red tint on her cheeks. "You have to tell us!" With curiosity taking over her, the lamia Queen, Deveralna, asked her. "A few days after returning from the fairy village." Their mouths opened similar to a fish, as they stared at her with excitement. "What happened?" Amelia, who loved these kinds of developments, pressed Kamala to answer. The poor woman avoided her gaze as much as possible, before sighing. "I should''ve kept quiet." "Oh! Please. It would''ve been obvious at some point. I had no idea Florian would go out of his way to ask you out, though." "As if I were expecting that either. He took me by surprise." With stars in her eyes, Olivia looked at her. "So? What happened?" Like Amelia, her curiosity required answers. "Fine, fine." Finally giving up, Kamala dropped her shoulders in defeat. "After returning from Horizon, he took me home to rest. While he still had his duty to fulfill in Albriar, he ignored them and stayed with me." "Once he saw that I had recovered plenty, he dragged me out of the house, and pulled me along into one of the restaurants I told only once I liked." "..." She stopped speaking and thought, seemingly bothered by her own words. "I say dragged, but he gallantly escorted me. I have never been treated this perfectly, ever. Other than blushing, I was unable to think rationally until we arrived." Everyone in the group held their breath, and nodded, imagining the whole scene in their head. "We had dinner, unbothered by the usual noisy atmosphere of the restaurant, and before long, we walked out of it."Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "He took my hand as we walked into town. We enjoyed the night-life of Hocride, and while it was very fun and incredibly peaceful, time went by rapidly." Her eyes turned to the harbor area, which was bustling with various people, be it traders, tourists, or citizens. "Before I knew it, we were walking on the beach, in the middle of the night. We looked at the stars while listening to the waves crashing on the beach. The flickering lights of the boats made it even more beautiful than I remembered, which is probably why..." Hesitantly, she looked down. "I wasn''t prepared to be proposed on the spot." "Woaaaah!" A loud outcry of elation escaped their mouths. "And?! What did you answer?" "I..." Kamala placed her hands on her face in embarrassment. "Accepted." Happiness filled the group. "Awesome!" "We''re happy for you." "Congratulations." Celebrating the sudden news, they genuinely felt happy for the woman. She did not speak about the exact words that Florian told her that day, but they didn''t need to hear them to believe he did a great job getting through Kamala. Amelia suddenly stopped smiling and placed her hand under her chin. "Hmm~" A devious scheme formed in her head, one that would make the picnic more interesting. She looked at Olivia, and spoke frankly. "Why don''t we invite Florian too?" "Eh?!" Kamala removed her hands from her face and looked at them with a shocked expression. ''You wouldn''t do that, right?'' That thought was so obvious that it made them smile even more. Her expression was pretty cute for a woman her age. "Sure. One more person is fine. I''m sure that Stella would be happy too." "Kh... The two of you are disgustingly devious." "Thank you. I''ll take that as a compliment." Amelia looked at her with a smug face. "Joking aside, this is a good opportunity to have a long chat with him. You have some unanswered questions you want to ask him, don''t you?" "I''m pretty sure it went over your head, and you don''t know how to face him." She stopped playing around and seriously asked Kamala. "..." Choosing the silent option, she looked at the situation, before she nodded. "You''re right. It might be the perfect chance to clear everything up." Seeing that they were thinking about her seriously, she accepted the help. "Then it''s settled. We won''t interfere nor spy on you during that time, so you can relax. It''s best to hear it directly from you anyway." They all nodded with a smile on their faces. "Thank you." With a warm smile, Kamala thanked them. But on the side, a certain Remnant woman was licking her lips. ''I knew I smelled love from her. She already seems to have her answer on what to do, so I most likely have no need to push her in the right direction.'' She decided not to interfere either, and simply observe. With that conversation out of the way, they continued on their shopping spree, and joined with the other group before long. ~ Orion stood in the middle of a platform with three paths, leading to three other platforms of the same type. ''This place. It''s different once again.'' Compared to the previous trials, this one had no road to run on, no mountain to climb, and no matches to see. Just three paths that led to people he recognized. In front of him, on the largest platform, a woman with long blonde hair sat on a throne and glared at him with her pearl colored eyes. This was an emotion he had never seen on that person, which worried him. On his left side, another woman he knew. Crimson hair that flew elegantly, and a piercing orange reptilian eyes that could petrify anyone enthralled by them. Her long snake tail vibrated, showing her animosity. Lastly, on Orion''s right, a blonde man stood motionless, both hands on a sword''s hilt. The long blade of the sword was firmly planted into the ground, radiating a dangerous gleam of light. The man was patiently waiting, his eyes closed. Orion wasn''t sure what to make of this trial. Even though he knew those three, he felt something was off with them. Still, he had to complete the trial. ''Who do I start with?'' While thinking, he looked in front of him, directly at the blond woman, who looked down upon him with a deadly glare. ''Amelia...'' His feet moved, but instead of continuing forward, he turned left. (I''ll start with Deveralna. I want to see what this is all about before going to these two.) Each step echoed in the white void, with each one growing louder. The path seemed incredibly long for Orion, even though just a few meters separated them. In front of him, the path kept growing longer, making it impossible to reach the next platform. (I see. Just getting to them will be a pain. Fine by me.) Orion placed his hands in his pockets, and nonchalantly walked forward, as if he was on a stroll. With nothing on his mind, he continued forward. (...) After walking for what seemed like half-an-hour, the path returned to normal. Orion stepped on the platform, greeted by a lamia was seemed very upset to have him in her presence. "Who are you?" Her threatening tone made Orion frown. (I am Orion Feales. An agathion.) They stared at each other for a minute, before she slid on the ground away from him. Behind her, a throne with snakes engraved in them appeared, which she sat on it instantly. "You are in the presence of the lamia Queen. Be it a peasant, or an agathion, I will have you kneel in front of me." ''There it is, the feeling that something isn''t quite normal.'' The Deveralna in front of him seemed incredibly distrustful. She had the same appearance and voice as the lamia he knew, but she was acting so high and mighty that it irked him. ''Deveralna isn''t this overbearing. I don''t know what this is about, but I''m not going to bow in front of a pale copy.'' Orion glared at the clone, and crossed his arms. (Why should I kneel in front of you? I have no reason to without knowing who you are. Be it a Queen or a King, unless you introduce yourself, what blood flows in your veins is of no importance to me.) Her head slowly inclined backward, as her eyes squinted. Her dark orange eyes displayed a dissatisfied expression at his words. But, even though she looked angered, his words seemed to have made it across. "I understand your point. I am Deveralna, Queen of the lamias. From your perspective, my status may be insignificant, yet, I can''t have you show disrespect." "Either kneel, or leave. If your pride cannot tolerate such an act, you are not fit to walk on the path of ascension." "Now, choose. Will you let go of your pride, or refuse to do so?" Two choices, one correct answer. Orion glared at the lamia, and prepared to turn around. ''I''m not bowing in front of a fake.'' The moment his right foot left the ground, he suddenly stopped himself. (A fake?) His eyes returned to the fake Deveralna. "..." She ignored his words, and placed her head on the back of her hand, looking down upon him. ''What if this Deveralna was one of many paths she was meant to go through? Would it justify my attitude?'' He pondered for a moment. ''Even if she is a fake, I swore to respect her.'' Orion made up his mind. He took a step forward and answered her. (I will kneel in front of Deveralna, the lamia Queen.) Chapter 313: The fourth Trial. (Part 1) Having said he would kneel in front of the fake Deveralna, Orion approached the lamia Queen sitting on her throne. He stopped a few meters away from her, and bent his right knee to the floor, his eyes locked on hers. "Good. A leader such as myself requires the due respect it deserves. It isn''t the mark of weak and overbearing leaders, but the natural orders of society." Without moving a muscle, she continued. "A ruler possesses the virtue, the patience, the dignity, and the nobility it is born with. How it uses it is purely dependent on their upbringing, as just a small step outside the righteous path can lead to terrible consequences." "For the people, but also for the ruler itself." What she said made sense. The preceding lamia Queens all displayed those qualities, creating a fair and respected society for all lamias living on the continent. "No one under the rule of a fair King will cry unfairness. No one will despair, and no one will attempt to revolt against them." (You are right.) The fake Deveralna frowned at his words, thinking that he had interrupted them. Yet, something in her mind forced her to ask a question instead. "From the looks of it, you have experienced the fall of a ruler already. What have you learned from it?" Orion looked down at the floor, and remembered a specific memory of his travel around Triazils. (I had a goal. To kill the men who manipulated others through various heinous acts.) (One of them was a ruler, of far worse status than you. That man seemed to have pushed his followers to their limits in terms of physical and mental suffering, leading to a revolt with consequences impossible to forget.) With the pictures of a pile of lacerated and dismembered corpses of civilians, and a burning wooden pole with the charred remains of a man attached to it, he winced. The smell of burning flesh and the smell of blood were still etched in his brain, as a clear reminder of the event. (I came to kill him, yet, when we arrived, the followers had already brought the man down, at the cost of their lives.) "..." (If he had made different choices, if he had cared for his people, if he hadn''t been corrupted by his greed for power, then maybe nothing of such would have happened.) (But all of these are only locked paths that are closed now. ''If'' is only pure speculation at this point, and it will do no good to think about these unavailable futures.) He looked in her eyes, and with conviction, spoke. (I have great respect for those who work toward protecting the people under them. Many ignore the arduous path a ruler has to take, the sacrifices they have gone through to protect others, yet, without them, chaos would ensue inevitably.) "Correct." The lamia Queen removed her arm holding her head and straightened on her throne. She entwined her fingers, her elbows placed on both armrests of the throne. Her face dropped, as she lost her threatening aura. "As you seem to understand the inner workings of the royalty, I acknowledge the man in front of me as an equal." "I can feel it from your aura. The blood carried through your veins isn''t as pure as mine, yet, it is powerful nonetheless. It is..." She hesitated, searching for the right word to describe it. Her eyes opened wider, removing any traces of her overbearing attitude from before. "Yes, I would describe it as magnificent. Like me, you possess a virtue. The many people you protect show respect for you, and recognize you as their righteous sovereign." Her eyes lost their focus, and like a puppet, she slowly lost her strength while she continued to explain. "Be it humans, who caused terrible scars to other factions, or the many factions that have been rescued from utter destruction, your noble heart accepts them all." "Under his wings, the Abyssal Sovereign will rewrite the wrongs of this world. I, the proud and respectful lamia Queen..." The voice turned monotone, and lost the tone the real Deveralna used completely. "Will acknowledge your status as an equal. The path you will take from now on, is up to you." Like a puppet who found its strings cut, the fake Deveralna slid on her throne, breaking the illusion. Her body turned to dust, and vanished in front of him. (Thank you.) Orion placed a hand on his chest, and dropped his face in respect. From the vanishing body, a black droplet of magic rippled through the air, and traveled toward him. It entered moved toward his chest, before entering it without making any sounds. Hearing the sudden warning, Orion stood up, and turned around. He glanced at the throne behind him, before taking the straight path leading to the center platform.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Hurriedly, he ran back, and right before the path crumbled into nothing, he stepped on the central platform. ''That was closer than I was expecting. Two minutes to make it back is way too short.'' Looking back, as if nothing had happened at all, Orion remembered the first part of this trial. ''Am I going to have to kneel in front of them too?'' He looked toward his left, where a blond man was standing, motionless, before looking in front of him. A glaring Amelia stared at him from the distance, sat on a throne larger than herself. Still, Orion ignored her and looked again to the left. (Elliott...) The man Orion fought with everything he had. He only remembered shards of their fight, yet, the memories of him strangling Amelia''s throat and punching Karteira in the stomach were as vivid as they could possibly be. ''I hate myself for laying my hands on them. I am lucky enough that they still chose to stay by my side, even after all I made them endure.'' Forgiving himself was out of the question. The choices he made after leaving Auro concerning these two were still fresh wounds for him. ''If I had taken the time to really think about them, then the path would''ve been pretty different.'' Letting his feet move him toward the next platform, Orion fell into deep thoughts. He imagined what life could have been if his choices were different. If he had given more thoughts to his and Amelia''s relationship. The world around him turned dark, until Orion disappeared completely. ... "Wake up." "Nnh?" Orion opened his eyes. Above his face, a blonde woman smiled at him. "Good morning, sleepyhead. Here, your kiss." She kissed his right cheek and giggled. Confused, he touched the place her lips touched, before he sat in his bed. "Where am I?" He scanned the room, and noticed that he was inside a log cabin. "Have you hit your head in your sleep? We''re home." "Home?" "Yes, home. Orion, is something the matter? You seem a little out of it." Ignoring her question, he dragged his feet out of the double bed, and stood up. ''Something''s not right. I can''t remember anything...'' He seemed to have completely forgotten about everything prior to this day. He clearly remembered the woman sitting in the bed, but he couldn''t remember how they had met, or how they came here. "Amelia, where are we exactly?" Glancing at her, he asked with a genuine confusion. "Hmm? We''re on Atrophos. Why do you ask so suddenly?" ''Atrophos?'' He racked his brain, until memories returned to him. Atrophos was the name of the continent west of Triazils. It was a continent where many marvelous heroes lived, protecting their lands from invaders. Remembering the path he took to come here, he nodded. ''Right. We''ve left Triazils after learning Elliott would return.'' With a smile, he looked at Amelia. "That''s right. Sorry, I seem to have been half-awake for a moment." Amelia breathed a sigh of relief and smiled dryly. "I was afraid for a moment you had lost your memories. What would I have done if you developed amnesia all of a sudden?" "My bad. Really, I am fine." Still, Orion couldn''t shake the feeling that something was not quite the way it should be. ''Forget about it, Orion. It''s probably nothing.'' He walked to the cupboard, and looked into the mirror attached to one of its doors. His body was younger than he realized, and blinked furiously before scratching his head. ''This is weird...'' Once again, he ignored that strange feeling, and dressed himself. "What have we planned for today again?" While buttoning his shirt, he asked. "We have to do some shopping, and help the elders deal with some pests ravaging the fields." "Pests? Like rats?" "Yeah." ''Yeah?'' Orion was once again confused, he had never heard this lack of proper wording coming from Amelia before, or so he seemed not to remember. "Alright. Let''s go then." "Sure." Amelia stood up, and walked to the door. She was ready to go out when she woke him up. This little incongruity stuck to him like glue, as he questioned his sanity. ''What is happening to me today?'' ... After leaving the house, the two walked around the large village. It was definitely bigger than Auro, but not at the right size to be called a city yet. They walked into various stores, greeted people with familiar faces, and bought the necessaries for their daily life. All the while, Orion kept pondering about his current life. Not long after returning home after buying their groceries, they left for the fields. Orion grabbed his trusty wooden crossbow, and hunted every pest he could find. The villagers thanked him for his work, giving him a few coins for his outstanding aim and precision. Before the sun had completely set past the horizon, they were back home, snuggling in bed. Life continued like this for a week, with no signs of change. Until something strange happened. ... "Amelia, why did we leave Auro?" He couldn''t remember anything about that decision. "Why you ask? Isn''t it because of the orphanage fire?" "The... orphanage?" A weird feeling invaded his mind. "Yes? After you''ve rescued me from that fire, you strangely insisted on leaving our hometown. You haven''t told me anything about the reason, so I can''t help you with that. In fact, shouldn''t you be the one to tell me why we left?" She crossed her arms, seemingly dissatisfied. "I... can''t recall." Orion looked at his hands. Inside the palms of his hands, a light flashed, invading the deepest parts of his mind. His entire life played back in front of him, before the world before him cracks like glass. The world shattered, and Orion opened his eyes. (What a shitty joke.) Anger filled his heart. In front of him, a fake Elliott stood with a smile on his face. "Tell me, where you happy?" His voice carried a tone that hid multiple meanings. (Happy?) Clenching his fists, he repressed his need to punch the man. "This could have been the life you were supposed to live. A life away from constant suffering, liberated from the vengeance you sought to accomplish." The memories of a quiet and relaxed life with Amelia returned to him. For him, those weren''t fabricated memories, they were as real as he believed them to be. Opening his hands, he contemplated his past. Even more than ever, he felt awful for what he did. Yet, Orion clenched his teeth... And punched himself with his full strength. The fake Elliott frowned in front of that brutal scene. Blood dripped from Orion''s mouth, slowly staining the white floor. (Sure, I regret not having treated her better during our travels.) (But showing me a life that is unreachable is unacceptable! Disrespecting my choices is one thing, but disregarding the many sacrifices Amelia made to stay by my side is even more unacceptable!) He approached the fake Elliott, and frustratingly glared at him from up close. (I respect her choices, and always will. Never underestimate my love for her, or anyone else I treasure.) "Even if it means trampling your own happiness? Would you sacrifice everything to make her... them, happy." The two glared at each other for a minute, before Orion nodded. (I will. The only thing I will never forfeit is my life, and theirs.) Following a long pause, the fake Elliott nodded. "So be it. Your loyalty to your friends is something praiseworthy. Not only did you refuse to accept a perfect dream created to lure you away, but you also convinced me that your feelings are genuinely turned toward the ones close to you." "The path of the Abyssal Sovereign is a path that cannot be taken alone. Never forget the ones who pushed you forward, and true power will follow suit." Like the fake Deveralna, the fake Elliott crumbled into dust, leaving behind a dark droplet of magic that entered his body. Orion calmed his raging heart, and arranged his thoughts. Though, he couldn''t do that for long, as a robotic voice pressed him to return. Shocked, he hurriedly turned around and began to run. ''This trial. It''s pissing me off.'' With less time to return to the central platform than before, he ran. Chapter 314: The fourth Trial. (Part 2) Orion barely made it to the central platform before it vanished. Anger from before lingered in his heart, as he recalled the fabricated life shown to him on his way to the fake Elliott. The fact that Orion hadn''t completely forgiven Elliott, even after knowing the story behind his actions, was what nourished his current state of mind. (Why Elliott, of all people? To show me such a world, what point is it trying to make?) He closed his eyes, before deciding to sit on the edge of the platform. (I need to make sense of what happened. It went a little too fast, so I haven''t had an opportunity to process what he said.) Even if the life out of Triazils was a fake reality, in Orion''s mind, it truly happened. Those weeks he lived doing simple chores and peacefully living with Amelia weren''t bad at all, but ultimately, this wasn''t the life he desired. ''If I had chosen the path of a coward, this would have probably happened. Being a coward isn''t necessarily a detrimental trait, as it helps by placing more value to one''s life more than anything else.'' ''Though, it isn''t how I see things. I had picked vengeance, even if it was a worthless option. And it truly was. If not for those little changes Henrietta spoke about, everything would have been for naught.'' Orion remembered what his choices brought him, and the words the fake Elliott said. ''Loyalty to my friends... I never saw it like this. Is it really loyalty, though? Or am I mistaking those feelings for something else? Is it not because I am an overprotecting person?'' Knowing very well how possessive he was toward the one he loved, he smiled. ''Without that part of me, I would still be a lonely man today. Meeting so many people, separating those who were enemies to those who weren''t, connecting to many people I would''ve never met otherwise...'' ''Loyalty. I think it is not quite right, as I am not that great. I only recently decided to devote my life to making other people''s lives better.'' ''Call it loyalty or whatever it is, it won''t change anytime soon. Getting rid of Miasma is the first step in improving our lives. For me, and everyone close to me.'' He pictured the people dear to him in front of him. They weren''t many, but they were precious parts of his world. If either one of them were to disappear, his world would lose its colors. The number of people loving him was astonishing, so much that he chuckled lightly just thinking about it. Eight beautiful women. They were all too great for him, yet, for some reason, they chose him. A man who simply held his hand toward them when they needed it the most. ''Oh. That''s probably why. Saving others can have this effect. I remember reading that in one of N''s book.'' ''Though, I wouldn''t give it a second thought, as they are all strong women. They most likely decided to join us after pondering seriously about it.'' And that was what angered Orion so much. The fake life he went through was one foreign to those precious people. In this world, everyone would undoubtedly die in horrible ways. Him living peacefully was something he wouldn''t accept, as he knew the possibilities to save all of them existed. As told by Tiohr-nam, there was only one Hero on the continent, and it was Orion. Even if the worst fate was waiting for him, he would keep his head high, and push forward without regrets. (Hmm?) That''s when something suddenly popped in his head. The thought that this trial wasn''t just created to enrage him suddenly caught his attention. (Wait... First, the fake Deveralna, and then, the fake Elliott.) He stood up from the edge and turned around the platform in a circle, his index finger on his chin. (During the first encounter, she asked me to show respect toward her, but what if it wasn''t toward the person herself, but toward the status that she held?)You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. (I had to show respect for Kings and Queens? To show deference toward people of high status?) Orion couldn''t understand the point. Why should he show respect for those people if he were to never meet them? (Something''s not clear... This trial is about testing me, not others. I showed respect because it was Deveralna because I respect her as an individual, but also as a great ruler. Yet, the same could be said for Dramia and Drania... even though the latter isn''t perfect at her job.) With a mocking smile, he briefly recalled the fairy lazily sprawled on the table, leaving her sister do everything. He rapidly shook his head and focused back on his previous thought, before two sentences surfaced from the depths of his memories. - "Under his wings, the Abyssal Sovereign will rewrite the wrongs of this world." "The path of the Abyssal Sovereign is a path that cannot be taken alone." - These were the most important details Orion had missed until now. ''Why have I missed that detail? Did I not register the words when I heard them?'' Orion racked his brain, and forced the actual memories back to replay in his mind. - "Under his wings, #&$¨´ will rewrite the wrongs of this world." "The path of the #&$¨´ is a path that cannot be taken alone." - Only gibberish words were recalled. His ears did not betray him, there had been something blocking his senses until this very moment. (I was right... Was it so that I wouldn''t ask questions? Or because they don''t have them?) He turned to the last path remaining, and looked at the fake Amelia waiting for him on her throne. ''The Abyssal Sovereign. A name worthy of respect...'' Then, Orion opened his eyes wide, which trembled from the sudden realization. (This is me?! The Abyssal Sovereign?) Looking at his hands that were perfectly normal, he breathed in and out repeatedly. ''Calm down, Orion. It is most likely why those trials exist to begin with. If the reward is more power, then it''s not a bad thing.'' ''Still, what does that title even mean? Abyssal means something from the depths, or maybe something related to darkness?'' ''The dark element?'' Pieces of the puzzle slowly clicked together. ''And Sovereign... Is it why it asked me to show respect? Because the title itself demands some sort of respect? By showing my respect for others with a similar title, I become able to shoulder it?'' Orion stopped in his tracks. When his eyes met Amelia''s, he noticed a tiny smile forming at the corner of her mouth. (Heh.) A small chuckle escaped his mouth. Seems like his thoughts were influencing the trials in some ways. His muffled voice and his inner voice both acted as one in this place. (Time to get to the end of it, I suppose?) Feeling that he had taken enough time to think about what happened, Orion stepped on the path and walked toward his last encounter. ~ "..." Tiohr-nam''s Avatar frowned. Her eyes seemed to get lost on one precise spot, even though she herself couldn''t see what was over there. "Orion, what is happening to you? Right after we have talked about your recent breakthrough, too." Her connection to him screamed another evolution, yet more terrifying than the previous one. Deep into his soul, where his newly created reservoirs formed, the second one began to fill at an incredible pace, rapidly pushing past the light magic reservoir''s current threshold. "It is not stopping... Could it be?" She tried to trace its origin, but rapidly aborted her attempt. "Velridar..." An old friend suddenly caught her attention. The link he had forged with Orion to help recover from the release of his power was easily accessible and manageable for her, so every time something happened, she knew instantly. It seemed like the dragon Remnant, father of dragons and lamias, was forfeiting his life. Day after day, his magic reservoirs, full to the brim of an astounding and potent amount of pure magic energy, decreased. The last of his reservoirs was dry of magic, his life sustained only by Orion''s magic. She was witnessing the death of one of her friend, who decided to give the new title of Remnant to one of his creation. "Are you tired of living, or are you taking responsibilities for the mistakes you have done? Perhaps your power was too great for this world. With so much power at your disposal, you were unable to even enjoy it." "An entity capable of ravaging a continent with a single breath... It is not that I cannot understand, but sacrificing yourself is not what I would call smart." Her words echoed in the room, talking to him as if he were in front of her. "What happened was out of your control. Can you not understand that?" With a frown, she angrily shouted. "Do not! Destroying your only lifeline now is-" *Snap* The link that Velridar had formed with Orion snapped like a threat being pulled on. A long sigh left her mouth, as the dragon fell into a deep, deep sleep, one he would never wake up from. Deep into the Palafas Sea, the giant body of Velridar laid still, joining with the world that created him in the first place. A relic of the past, a gentle yet powerful father perished, swallowed by his regrets. "What am I supposed to do with that now?" The Avatar removed her arms from the trunk enveloping them, and looked into her hands. There, a sigil that wasn''t hers floated freely. "What a shame. What was supposed to be the symbol of perseverance itself crumbled under the weight of his shame." A white cross-like sigil. That was Velridar''s proof of being a Remnant. Before dying, he transferred the sigil to her through the link, and asked her to give it to his successor. Tiohr-nam absorbed the sigil, and kept it hidden until the day she would give it to its rightful owner, Deveralna. While this was a terrible moment for Tiohr-nam, the same could be said for the dragons and the lamias. The presence of their creator and father vanished, and out of nowhere, their links shattered completely, leaving both parties in shambles. Ruminona ended up being the one the most affected, but as a dragon, she proudly dealt with the pain, and focused on the eggs she had laid recently, as the new generation was too important for her to ignore. "Old fool..." Tiohr-nam closed her eyes, and focused her consciousness into the tree itself. "The least I can do is celebrate your departure." The Tree of Life suddenly radiated a green, healthy aura, before flowers began to bloom on its branches. "Rest plenty, my friend." A spectacle all of Horizon''s inhabitants observed in awe happened, oblivious to the significance of the event. Chapter 315: The path to ascension. The path to the fake Amelia ended up being relatively straightforward. He arrived a few minutes after leaving the main platform, without going through a long time of mindless walking, or a simulated life that could''ve happened. Nevertheless, the moment he stepped on the last remaining platform, his view shifted. Orion stood still while decors morphed from the white void, creating a castle-like hall, with a blonde woman sitting on the very top of the stairs, overlooking him with a chilling glare. Pillars formed to support the ceiling, stained-glass created from the void shone various tales from Orion''s life that he recognized instantly. His eyes scanned each decoration of the room, before a long black carpet rolled from the top of the stairs, kicked by Amelia. "Welcome, at last." Her somber tone caught his attention. Since this Amelia wasn''t related in any ways to the real one apart from her physical appearance, he cautiously took a step forward, and stepped on the black carpet. The very moment the sole of his shoe touched the carpet, Amelia opened her right hand, and attacked Orion. A heavy pressure crashed on him, making him unable to take a step forward. "Let''s have a little game, shall we?" While fighting the force pushing on him from above, he glared at her. "Come before me, and you win. If you fail, I will take your life." The pearl colored eyes of Amelia shone a variation of multiple colors, similar to a rainbow. ''A mixture of lightning and wind magic. If Amelia were to combine her elements, she would become incredibly powerful.'' His spirit wasn''t in any means crushed, since he was expecting this last encounter to be even harder than the two previous ones. One step at a time, he dragged his body forward. "Don''t think it will be easy. At the end of the day, I am the daughter of Henrietta. I also possess the blood of Valkyries in me." Orion''s eyes opened wide. (Val...kyries...) He looked at the woman, who crossed her legs sensually. On both sides of her throne, an exhibit of many weapons were visible. Karambit knives, spears, chained daggers, scimitars, scythes, and lastly, a gun Orion couldn''t recognize. Instantly, Orion realized that this Amelia was clearly created to torture his mind. She was so similar to the real Amelia that it made him hesitate. ''If I have a Valkyrie in front of me, and not Amelia... I won''t be able to win this trial.'' ''But...'' With a determined glint in his eyes, Orion slammed his left foot on the ground, and gritted his teeth. (Throw everything you can at me. Just know that you will be unable to stop me!) A maniacal laugh echoed in the hall, coming from Amelia. "Sure, sure. A Valkyrie against a struggling wannabe Hero." She wiped the tears threatening to leave the corner of her eyes with her finger, and nodded. "Make it interesting, alright?" Clapping in her hands, she proudly sat on her throne with an amused expression. ''Just you wait...'' Orion approached the first step leading to Amelia''s throne. He placed his foot on it, before the gravity pushing on him drastically increased. (Kh!) He felt his shoulders tremble, and his knees buckle down slightly. Yet, he still glared at Amelia. "The path toward Ascension isn''t just for show. If it were available to everyone, nothing would remain of this world." Suddenly, the mood changed. Amelia''s smile changed to a frown, before she leaned on one side of her big throne. "Do you remember your first steps?" (I... do.) One of the stained-glass on the wall suddenly shone brightly, before Orion''s mind was thrown into a short display of his own past. * As if those were still pictures succeeding one another, he watched them silently. "A little boy, left in an orphanage. No parents, no family, only himself. It took him a long time to realize the truth, yet those were the happiest days of his life." A baby Orion, struggling to stand, appeared, before walking off the pictures. * He blinked, finding himself back to the hall. "Each step you take is a part of your past being reenacted. If you were a normal demon, like Olivia, none of this would have happened." Behind Amelia, Orion noticed the shadow of the giant flame being he met at the beginning, Diramoi.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. This is when he understood. The trial was fair, it just pushed the limits of the person being challenged. "Curse your mother for placing this burden on you." Orion glared at her, and angrily forced his voice out. (I would... never!) "Which is fine. In fact, it is certainly reassuring to hear that. Anyway, here." Placing his other foot on the second step, the pressure once again crushed him the moment Amelia nonchalantly pointed at the ceiling. * Orion looked at himself standing in front of a burning building. "The orphanage itself wasn''t what the young Orion was terrified about. It was the fear of losing the only person standing by his side." The pictures showed Orion throwing himself into the burning orphanage, before switching to him and Amelia hugging each other in the middle of her room. "With the truth revealed, the young man chose to follow the path of vengeance. With saving the young woman from the fire as his very first task, he escaped the scene, before collapsing." * Seeing his life being played in front of him was frustrating. He wanted to close his eyes, and ignore everything. Feeling his bones creaking from the weight, he painfully stepped on the third step. ''How many more?'' He looked at the path leading to the throne. Unable to see clearly because of the air distorting in front of his eyes, he ignored it and pushed forward. * "After many efforts, the young man grew up. Now an adult, he left his hometown, and traveled to the nest of his enemies." "Yet, without the intervention of a mythical dragon, his story would have ended in a very tragic way." Monolavir appeared behind a cornered Orion, before everything returned to normal. * "Do you realize how lucky you are in life? With the world reset for you continuously, is it even worth taking it so seriously?" Looking at her nails, Amelia said. (...) "Oh, sorry. You can''t talk right now." She mocked him, before adding another layer of pressure on him. The moment he stepped on the fourth step, the floor cracked, showing how much strength was forced on him. * "At first cautious, the now adult Orion moved for others instead of egoistically caring for his own benefits." Orion talking to the fairy Queens for the first time was reenacted. "With his trusty followers, he accepted to save the Remnant of Life, and entered the tunnels under the tree to remove the corrupted threat." "Alas, this came at a cost." Staring at his transformation, Orion frowned. "With the help of the Remnant of Space and Time, he obtained the power to vanquish the enemy, not realizing that he was used by the Remnant to protect her friend from death." The picture switched to Orion holding his broken arm on top of a massive centipede corpse. In a room littered with bug parts, punctured by arrows that started to vanish into particles. "He successfully protected the Tree of Life from certain death, and recovered the ring his father had left behind." When Orion saw himself holding the ring, his vision faded. * "Your face is asking how long it will keep going." The pressure was starting to really hurt him. Not only was he enduring physical pain while walking up the stairs, but he was also enduring a mental strain by seeing his past. "Well, there''s still..." Holding her hand in front of her, she smiled cutely, releasing another wave of gravity pushing downward. "Quite more." Orion''s neck cracked violently. He felt his consciousness fade from the shock. His right knee dropped forcefully on the step, while he placed his hands on his left hand, holding his balance. "Is that it? Four steps?" With a mocking tone, the fake Amelia glared at him. Rapidly, his vision turned black, while the sounds faded. ''This is... it... I have no strength left.'' Feeling his system shut down, he thought the end had arrived. Until a light flashed in his head. (Kh-) "Aaaah!" An aura of white magic enveloped his body, which broke the seal on his voice. He healed his injured body and glared at Amelia. "Oh~ Splendid. Not only did you break your limitations, but you''ve also destroyed the chains I''ve placed upon you." Through the clone, Diramoi spoke, amazed. "Is it your unyielding spirit? Or is it your fear to betray expectations? Either way, I am impressed." His voice stopped, replaced by Amelia''s. "Playtime''s over, I suppose. Come." Without a word, Orion stepped on the fifth step. * "After leaving the fairies, Orion, and his friends walked toward their next stop. A coastal city ruled by a fair and gentle Lord, supposed to be his enemy." The pictures showed Kamala, moments before she would be pierced by Ivan''s lightning spear. "He saved the woman, and forced the other Lord to flee back to his city. However, he realized that something strange was happening with the corrupted humans. They seemed to focus on him more than others." "Oblivious of the curse placed on him, he escorted the injured Lord back to her quarters, and healed her." "Yet, this choice turned out to be the most important of his life. By saving her, he obtained the knowledge to create a new element." Orion holding a sphere of starry void between his hands in a messy room appeared in the next frame. "This was the birth of the spatial plane named Horizon." A picture of Orion looking amazed into a wide void expanse flashed by, before disappearing. * "Your path did not happen by chance. It was created thanks to the Remnants of Fate, and Space and Time. Do you think it is fair to say that your life is your own?" "..." Enveloped in white magic, Orion constantly healed his body from the gravity pushing on him. He stood one foot on the fifth step, and one on the fourth, with a neutral expression. He was neither angry, not sad. "Everything you went through happened because other ''you'' died, trying to accomplish the same thing. Yet, you are the only one who made it this far." Orion stepped on the sixth step without caring for the next part. * "You could at least listen, but fine." Irritated, the fake Amelia snorted and continued narrating his life. "After killing his second Apostle, Orion chained the kills." Ivan, Leonis, Julian, Kelvin, Horace, and Neon. All of these Apostles died, some killed by circumstances, other at his hands. "He removed the threat of the people, and approached the end of his travels." A massive pillar of corruption rose to the sky. "Nonetheless, the moment had arrived. The fateful encounter between the Second Hero, and the Corrupted Elliott, was close." * Orion ignored everything, even the pain, and stepped on the seventh step without blinking. * "The fight between the two was spectacular. On one side, Elliott had freed himself from the claws of his father, and Orion had lost control over his emotions, creating an uncontrollable creature devoid of reasoning." Looking at his transformation, and the rapid exchange of blows between him and Elliott, he couldn''t help but bit his lower lips, waiting for that hateful moment. "Lacking any kind of thinking, the berserk Orion attacked his allies, and threatened to kill them. If not for Elliott, everyone would have been enveloped in the blast realized at the end." A large explosion, created by himself, sent the four flying in the air. "Noticing something strange over her head, the kind Lord Olivia caught the group before it was too late." An injured Orion, laying in bed, was all he saw before the light darkened. * "Is that it?" Orion stood in front of Amelia. "It''s all I needed to show you. The recent events are unnecessary. You still haven''t fully unlocked the potential of the light magic, but that is something I cannot help you with." Her face turned sideways, before she smiled. "I''ll probably have ''her'' help you." She glanced back at Orion, before he sighed. "Was this trial..." "Meant to make you acknowledge and respect the other iterations of yourself? It sure was." Amelia, with Diramoi''s voice, finished his sentence, as everything he thought was plainly read through her. "Not only that, you also needed to understand the status a true demon like yourself were about to hold." Orion nodded. "The Abyssal Sovereign." "Yes. It is a title I created. It has no value besides its name, but once the trial will be completed, that tree should be able to see it attached to you." Amelia crumbled into dust, leaving the last droplet of dark magic to fuse with his being. Diramoi''s voice echoed around Orion''s as the world around him crumbled to dust. "The title is nothing. What''s truly important is the power it represents." With a solemn tone, Diramoi asked him. "Orion, are you ready to fight for your life?" "Are you ready to show your worth?" "Do you wish to..." Determination gleamed in Orion''s eyes. "Become stronger?" With a nod, the next and last phase of the trials started. "May your ascension be successful." Chapter 316: The last trial, Phase 1. The surroundings changed into a vast plain. Green grass, caressed gently by a breeze, extended to an infinite point on all sides. Orion looked around him, only to notice that he was alone. "What do I have to do now?" His answer came from a deep voice, speaking from everywhere at the same time. "The last trial consists of two phases." Diramoi explained the last trial, as he had acknowledged Orion being a worthy individual. "You will begin by surviving waves of creatures in this plane as created. For your information, they are immune to all sorts of damage. It is purely a test of your survivability." "What about the second phase?" "You will fight yourself." A frown formed on his face. "That''s what you meant when by ''fight for your life''..." "Indeed. It is up to you to resist the first phase, and enter the last in perfect conditions. As a little piece of information, your mother barely made it out, only for her to awaken her potential at the last second." Surprised, Orion opened his eyes wide. "Mom did?" "Now, you should begin. I don''t think it is wise to postpone the last trial any longer. May you survive until the very end." The rough voice stopped talking, leaving Orion to a deafening silence. "I should be fine." He closed and opened his hands, confirming that he could use his power. "While I can only bring a fraction of light magic out, it is enough to heal. I still can''t use neither dark nor void magic, which is pretty bothersome, but whatever." "Now, where are those enemies?" Orion looked around, but nothing seemed to move, or at least, nothing worth mentioning. *Cut* Suddenly, a cut appeared on his arm, which began to bleed. "!" Leaping backward, Orion looked at his arm, before healing it. He placed his hand on his wound while looking carefully at his surroundings. Nothing looked different. Until something attacked his back. Orion, pushed by the sudden impact, rolled on the grass. "What is happening?! There''s nothing around me!" Confused, he heightened his senses, in case he had missed something. ''Rustling grass, that''s all I hear.'' No sounds of walking, no breathing, no presence, absolutely nothing. ''I don''t understand.'' With fast head movement, he scanned once again the plane. "!" Orion felt a sudden ripple in the air, right in front of him, aimed at his throat. He crouched to dodge it, and with a swift spin of his waist, kicked the air where the ''thing'' that attacked him was supposed to be. ''Nothing...'' His foot kicked in the air without showing any resistance. *Cut* Another cut appeared, this time on his leg. He also felt a pressure on it, similar to someone grabbing it and clenching their hand around it. While remaining calm, Orion acknowledged that his tactics were completely useless in this very situation. ''Invisible enemies, intangible enemies, one-way strikes... this is a first.'' Pulling his leg from the clutch, he stood up and hurriedly composed himself. ''First, I need to find a way to identify where my enemies are. There''s no doubt about it, they are more than one.''Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Focusing his senses on feeling the ripple he felt before being attacked, he closed his eyes. ''...'' "!" Orion dodged out of the way by letting his body fall sideways, yet, a cut appeared on his chest nonetheless. ''There was more than one strike.'' Healing the cut, he began to think. ''The more I wait, the more enemies will appear, that''s what my instincts are telling me. From what Diramoi said, a horde of enemies is probably what will attack me.'' ''I need to find a way to-'' *Stab* Something pierced his shoulder, cutting his thinking short. Orion grabbed his shoulder in pain while withdrawing. "Kh!" While healing his injury, another attack came from behind. Something stabbed his right thigh from behind, forcing him to kneel on the ground. "!" Orion clenched his teeth and hurriedly healed. He stood up, and began to run in a random direction. ''If I run, then they shouldn''t-'' *Wham* His face fell first in the grass, before his body rolled once again in the grass. An invisible force pulled on his legs, making him trip over and crash. Frustration began to grow in his heart, yet, he kept it sealed. With a long breath, Orion stood up, and looked around him. ''Great. I''m surrounded.'' He could feel it. There was no escape anymore. While he was being introduced to the difficulty of this trial, the number of enemies ranked up exponentially. While closing his eyes once again, Orion switched his way of thinking. ''If I can''t see them, I just need to feel them.'' A white aura enveloped his body, before it began to expand in the shape of a dome. Everything in a five meters radius entered the magic was scanned. ''...'' His sixth sense activated, Orion began to ''see'' the things attacking him. Dark and shapeless forms approached him, baring their sharp claws at him. One of them, from the distance, threw its arm-like tendril, to slash at him. Orion, with his eyes closed, bent backward to let the tendril move past, before crouching out of another attack. This time, one of the shadowy figures rapidly closed on him and slashed at his back after he had dodged. With a frown, he kept moving out of many attacks. The more he dodged, the more those ''things'' attacked. Long-range, close-range, he had to dodge everything. Still, surrounded by thousands of those things, some attacks were unavoidable. One such attack sneakily happened when he was dodging two ranged attacks. A sneaky shadow leaped through the dome in the blink of an eye, closed the distance between it and Orion, and stabbed him on the right side. Orion ignored the pain while putting some distance between him and the shadows, avoiding the other strikes launched at him in the process. His wound closed as if it never happened, but the pain was slowly eroding his mind. Surrounded by creatures he couldn''t see nor attack, with no idea on how long he had to hold on for, and enduring a terrible amount of physical pain, Orion was at his wits end. The point of the last trial was, in a way, the culmination of everything he had seen. ... After surviving for what seemed like an eternity, Orion became accustomed to the rhythm of attacks. (Left, slash. Back, ranged piercing attack.) With swift movements, he avoided the attacks, and turned his face toward the right. (Front, leg swipe. Right, sudden leap.) Suffering again and again from the same attacks, the pattern slowly revealed himself to him. Finding it out was what helped Orion minimize the number of attacks landing on him to a great extent. Now, he simply followed his muscle memory, and let his body do the rest. (Upward, slam. Left and right, double ranged piercing attacks.) Whispering the orders of attacks as if in a trance, the attacks came exactly as he expected. While he had lost track of time, Orion decided to turn this trial into a training session. He listened closely to his muscles, and carefully managed his stamina. Taking the little breaks between attacks to breathe in and out, micromanaged every movement of his body to make each one as fluid and effortless as possible. More and more enemies attacks, increasing the pace at which he had to dodge, yet, these creatures were unable to cause more than grazes to him. Around Orion, the land was covered in shadow. Through his sixth sense, he couldn''t see past a meter around him, as they came closer and closer to him, while still putting some distance not to overwhelm him. Orion realized that if this was a real situation, he would be submerged by the terrifying number of creatures in a blink of an eye, ripped to shreds by their claws. ''Thank the world, it is only a test.'' It was what he thought when he acknowledged the dangers of this trial. In fact, all the trials so far put the knowledge he obtained to its limit. * The first trial, to have faith in his own qualities. The second trial, analyzing his surrounding carefully and precisely. The third trial, how to manage his energy correctly. And the fourth trial, to trust in himself, and to push forward, in the name of power. * Orion''s eyes gleamed with a dark hue. His gray colored eyes darkened as time went on. Without realizing it, his body, which was covered in white magic, changed to a darker color. Nothing changed on him, but his body was accumulating the surrounding darkness. What he was unable to know, was that the shadows that grazed him had a part of their body absorbed by him in the process. He was too focused on the rhythm to notice. Rapidly, his whole body became covered by the same darkness the beings attacking him were formed from. Only his eyes, glowing through the dark void, were visible. In shape and form, Orion turned into one of the creatures. Dark tendrils erupted from his back. Time suddenly stopped. Everything turned still. The shadowy beings dropped to the ground, forming puddles of dark matter that merged into a sea of darkness. In the middle of it, stood a single creature, almost indiscernible from the ground. Only its eyes made it noticeable. The grass turned black, the sky became red, and the wind stopped blowing. From the creature''s body, bubbles appeared to grow on its body, before its body split in two. Suddenly, from the dark shape, Orion came out. He jumped out from the being''s body, and distanced himself. Tendrils wrapped themselves around the opened chest of the ''thing'', and repaired its body, while its gray eyes fell on Orion. "So, is this the last part of the trial?" When the gap in its torso closed, the dark entity hugged its body, before letting out a shriek that caused Orion to take a step back. "RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" The creature''s back began to swell, before its tendrils pierced it. They ripped its body apart, releasing two pairs of in -black draconic wings. Two horns sprouted from the sides of its head, right above the ears. Its gray irises took the shape of a reptile, while a long tail dropped to the ground, making a loud thud the moment it appeared. It absorbed the darkness into its body, before outlining a shape and form that was closely resembling Orion. In fact, it was exactly like Orion, except it looked demonic in nature. "..." When done, the other Orion, glared at the real one. "Fighting myself... sounds interesting in practice." Orion cracked his knuckles, and stretched while he had the chance to. "The others won''t believe me." He said to himself, before throwing himself toward his demonic clone. Chapter 317: Orion versus Orion, Phase 2. Orion closed the distance between him and his shadowy clone instantly. While the other seemed to observe his movements, it remained still, waiting for the moment to strike back. Now in range, Orion threw a punch toward the demonic Orion, in hope of striking it down rapidly. ''How''s that?'' The clone barely moved. Instead, it let the punch meet its cheek without being fazed by it. "I can''t use the Arm Overdrive, I should have kn-" *BAM* While Orion rapidly removed his hand from the clone''s face, and tried to put some distance between them, the tail came crashing on his side, sending him flying in the distance. His body rolled a few times in the grass, before he stopped by slamming his hands on the ground. After ripping the grass out of the dirt in a long trail, he glared at his clone, who glanced at him from the same position. A white glow disappeared from his side, where he suffered from the impact. ''That''s a level of strength similar to Elliott. Just one strike made me realize how lacking I am without my usual powers. What am I supposed to do without them?'' He tried to think about a way to deal with the demonic clone, but the enemy let him no time to do so. It vanished from his spot after flapping its big wings, and leaped toward Orion. "Sh-" The clone grabbed Orion''s head with one hand, spun around twice, before throwing him in the distance. While Orion was trying to stabilize himself in the air, the clone pointed at him. With no time to adjust to the rapid succession of attacks, he was barely understanding what was happening. From the tip of the clone''s finger, a dark orb appeared. Orion''s feet touched the ground and slid for a moment, before the clone flicked the orb. It began to writhe, bubble, and swell, until it exploded into a large beam of dark matter, directly aimed at Orion. ''Do I jump away?! Or...'' With no time to think, Orion followed his instincts and jumped on the side to roll out of the way. Though, his reaction time ended up being a little too late. "Aaa-" He rolled on the ground, grabbing his right leg. When he looked at it, everything past his knee had been disintegrated. "Damn it! Damn it!" The pain was just as bad as when he broke his bones in the past, but an injury like that would take at least a minute to heal. What was on his mind, although, was the clone. In such a bad situation, he was an easy target. ''Huh?'' Confused, Orion noticed the clone simply observing him, with no intent to pursue him. ''What is happening? Why isn''t it finishing me?'' His leg began to reform from nothing. Light magic traced the outline of his missing leg, before forming the bones, muscles, veins, and nerves from within. The only thing he couldn''t recreate was his blood, but his heart was already working plenty toward pumping enough to sustain his body. After a minute of intense staring, Orion''s leg completely healed, as if the previous attack never happened. But the moment the white magic stopped, the clone returned on the offensive. "What do you want from me?!" Orion barely dodged the grabbing hand closing on his face, and slid away. He took this opportunity to strike back at his clone by tackling its side. "I''ve caught you, no-" An elbow slammed on his nape, making him lose consciousness for a split second, before the tail slammed him upward on his ribs. His body went flying a few meters above the ground, before crashing down in a cloud of dust. "Cough!" Blood dripped from his mouth, as he had trouble breathing due to his broken ribs. Once again, the clone stopped from attacking and simply watched. Once again, Orion healed his broken body while glaring at his demonic self. ''It''s... toying with me.'' Having trouble to focus on his thoughts thanks to being hit on the nape, he kept his thinking to a bare minimum for now. His body healed again, before the clone appeared in front of Orion, using its speed to mimic the warping ability Orion used in the past. It threw a punch that he somehow managed to dodge.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Orion tried his best to avoid the punches thrown at him. They were incredibly fast, so fast his eyes could barely follow them. They grazed his face, his shoulders, and his neck. He knew that just one would be enough to break his jaw with a single strike. "!" Suddenly, the clone attacked with the back of its hand in a large motion, expected to hit Orion''s cheek. Seeing the telegraphed motion, he crouched. The hand grazed the top of his head, removing some strands of hair in the process. Yet, it wasn''t the end. Orion blinked and looked forward in hope of taking this moment to turn the table on the clone, but what he saw destroyed that hope. The clone was already in a motion to kick him. Its foot touched Orion''s chest, and pushed down. It slammed Orion into the ground, creating a large pressure that cracked the ground into a spider-web pattern. "Ka-ha!" All the air in Orion''s lungs were forced outside, before he coughed a large quantity of blood out of his mouth. "W...hat...in...the..." He couldn''t understand why this thing was so strong. His eyes trembled, unable to focus on the figure trampling him. Still, he forced his eyes to focus. That''s when he really understood. He was fighting himself. Not a simple clone, but a perfect copy of himself, with more power than him. Everything he used against it would be rendered useless, as it used the same tactics, baiting him to act in certain ways. "Ha...haha... Cough..." Orion began to heal once again. The clone flapped its wings, and distanced himself from him in a split second. "How am I... supposed to fight a stronger version of myself... when I''m this weak?" He sat on the ground while holding his chest. "This isn''t even a fight. I cannot find a single opportunity to land a strike against it." While fumbling a little, Orion stood up. He wasn''t completely healed yet, which meant the other Orion would simply watch until the moment he was done. Its piercing gray eyes kept looking at him, like a mindless beast, watching his every move. Even if it was a perfect clone of him with instincts as good as the real one, Orion noticed that it had no intellect. ''I could use it... or not. I don''t have the capacities to use it against its instincts.'' ''It''s also using its tail as a weapon. I''m lacking that.'' He opened his free hand, and tried to invoke Alcyone, in vain. Light magic refused to gather to form his trusty crossbow. "As expected..." With a sad smile, he closed his hand. He then frowned, and looked at his opponent. ''Maybe I relied too much on Alcyone until now. No, not only on it. I relied too much on my given power.'' ''I was proud of my strength and stamina, but when it came to it, I truly was a fool.'' "Haaaaa~" Orion breathed out a long cloud of heated air. His body had healed, which meant the next battle was about to begin. "Karteira, I will borrow your fighting style for a moment." He closed his eyes, and recalled everything he experienced from training with her. Her stance, her moves, her strikes, everything that was unrelated to her scorpion tail. When he opened them, he clenched his fists, dragged one foot behind him, and glared at the clone. "Come." His words weren''t repeated twice. The clone leaped at Orion, stopped in front of him, and punched at his face with everything it had. "Kh!" With one arm, Orion blocked the hit. Without Karteira''s plates to transfer the shock, his arm broke. Still, he endured the hit, and barely flinched. He immediately healed his broken arm, while throwing the free one toward the clone''s chest in an uppercut. The tail slammed on the ground, before being directed at the punch to stop it. Expecting something like this, Orion stopped his strike, took a step back, and chose to crouch. The tail moved past where he was standing, confirming that the tail was also meant to strike his chest. The next step was to avoid getting crushed by the clone''s stomp. Orion noticed its right foot being lifted off the ground, and took his chance. ''Now!'' He swiped his leg in a circular motion, trying to take its balance away. The clone flapped its wings, before it disappeared from its spot, leaving Orion to swipe the air. "Where- Gah!" When he searched for it, it had moved behind him. The moment Orion turned around, it grabbed his throat, lifting him in the air, where his feet dangled above the ground. "Release...me!" The two stared at each other for a minute, before the clone clenched its free hand. It was ready to punch Orion straight in his face, without holding back. ''This is going to kill me. I''m sure of it.'' ''What unfair challenge. It''s impossible to win in these conditions. If it was mirroring myself as I was now, I could probably win.'' Orion clenched his fists with frustration. He was having difficult to breathe, and had lost hope in fighting back. ''This feels the same as when I saw Elliott. I am powerless...'' "..." The clone glared at Orion. It seemed incredibly dissatisfied. ''What do you want from me? To strike back? Only to be beaten again?'' He smiled. "So...rry. I''m not into... masochistic... tendencies." It closed its eyes, and dropped its head. Its face turned sideways, before it opened its eyes. ''Those eyes... I don''t understand.'' Feeling that there was more to it than the eyes met, Orion began to think rapidly. ''This copy of myself isn''t trying to kill me. It either wants to tell me something, or teach me something?'' ''...'' Orion looked lifted his hands, and placed them on the clone''s arm holding his throat. On one hand, he had a white star. And on the other, he had black star. "!" He gritted his teeth in anger. ''Am I stupid?!'' With shame, Orion opened his mouth. "Grant me your power!" At first, nothing happened. Until his fist began to glow a black hue. It expanded to his body, covering it from head to toe. The clone removed his grip, before Orion fell to the ground. It took a few steps back with a smile on its face. "I am a fool. I have been undertaking a trial to awaken my demon blood, yet, I''ve relied entirely on my angel blood so far." "Light doesn''t mix well with darkness, still, I have both in me. Forgetting one is an insult to my origins." Covered in dark flames, Orion''s voice escaped from this fascinating sight. "You are me, and I am you. What you can do, I can also do." "Conquer your fears. Conquer yourself." With his determination set, the flames dissipated. "Because it is the path I will follow!" A large pillar of darkness rose from the ground, into the sky. Half of the sky recovered its blue color, while the other half remained red. Everything behind Orion recovered its normal color, with the grass turning green again. Only what was behind the clone remained red and covered in darkness. When the darkness subsided, Orion appeared from its center. Ink black draconic wings sprouted from his back. Horns exuding a sense of overwhelming power, and a dragon tail that could snap a tree in half just by slamming it against its trunk. His reptilian eyes were the same as his mother, except they were gray. "You, and me. One last time." Orion pointed his left fist toward his clone, before it got covered in a dark flame. "..." The clone took the same stance, and prepared its attack. They leaped at toward each other. Crossing each other, they exchanged positions, before turning once again. Encountering one last time at the center of the plane, where colors conflicted against one another, Orion and his clone exchanged a flurry of devastating blows that ripped the air and destroyed the ground. Their tails countered each other''s, and their fists crashed against the other. Orion countered one of the fists of his clone by using Karteira''s fighting style without hindering his own style, and redirected it above his shoulder. He clenched his left hand, covered in a dark flame, and threw an uppercut straight into his clone''s chest. His fist met its target, creating a blast of pressurized air that traveled a long-distance behind the clone''s back, ripping the grass from its roots. As the clone fell to the ground and began to disintegrate into dark particles, Orion stared at the sky. "..." "Thank you." The plane began to shatter, as Orion successfully won against himself, and learned an important lesson. Chapter 318: The Abyssal Sovereign awakens. "Orianne!" Reon suddenly shouted with a worried expression. "I know..." She was as concerned as much as him. Still, she composed herself, and observed. The black puddle under Orion had retracted to only a fifth of its size, only to expend again, this time, two times the size of the original one. Not only that, Sirius''s entire body disappeared into the puddle. Where he was laying, a large bubble replaced him. Dark tendrils erupted from the circle, before everything stopped still. The tendrils slowly fell on Orion, wrapping themselves around his limbs. Lifted in the air, Orion remained unconscious during the whole process, until suddenly, his eyes opened wide. At the same time, a large pillar of dark matter arose from the dark matter, that crashed into the ceiling of Horizon. The device''s screen suddenly froze, and stopped working, leaving the rest of the scene unavailable for the two to see. In frustration, both of them looked at each other, and silently waited. ''If the device hasn''t shut down completely, then he is alright.'' Was what Reon thought. ... All living beings of the plane observed as darkness invaded the air, right after the Tree of Life had bloomed beautifully. Yet, no one felt threatened. Instead, they fell the instinctive feeling to respect it. It wasn''t an oppressive force like the corruption, but a more primordial energy, like the natural order of night and day. At the center of it, Orion, covered in dark energy, placed his feet on the ground. His consciousness hadn''t completely recovered, as he moved, controlled by the dark tendrils. Until the light in his eyes returned, the tendrils kept him still, as the moment he blinked, they released him. They returned into the void under his feet after that. "..." Orion clenched his fists repeatedly, before he looked at them. "Am I back?" He tried to look around him, but couldn''t see a thing thanks to the pillar of energy erupting from the ground. "Right." He placed a hand on his chest, located the source of the surge of magic, and closed it. With his other hand, he swiped the magic away, finally breaking through the pillar. Disintegrating into particles, the dark magic fell upon the plane as dark snow. It vanished upon touching the ground, or anything it made contact with without affecting it. A demonic Orion emerged from the pillar. His power had awakened completely, compared to his angel form. With two pairs of wings on his back, a tail and two horns, Orion appeared entirely different. The surrounding air was choking full of magic, and his overall presence asked for reverence. Internally, he was still himself. Nothing changed about his way of reasoning, or the way he saw others. If anyone wanted to show their respect, they could. Otherwise, he didn''t care. "Huh? Sirius?" His eyes fell on the bubble floating next to him. It was getting bigger and bigger. Orion felt a familiar feeling coming from it, similar to the magic he was using. For a moment, he frowned at the sight, but sighed and smiled instead. "Grrrrrrrr!" From the bubble, a loud growl was heard. Orion placed his hand on the bubble, before it popped like a balloon. A dark figure fell from the bubble, whose four legs stepped on the ground without problem. It elegantly stretched its lengthy body, and looked at its master with its pitch-black eyes. "I had no idea you would end up like this. Are you alright?" While the two of them observed each other, they understood everything about the other instantly. The magic they displayed was the same, their bonds stronger than ever before. Sirius, who was previously white, had taken a darker color. His fur turned as black as a starless night, while golden threads flowed between the darkest fur. His body, which was originally big, sized up greatly. He was a bit longer than a meter before, but now, he was larger than two meters. Not only did that, but he also became taller. From 60 cm, he now towered at a meter and half, gaining more than half his previous height.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. A crown of fur surrounded his neck, with more golden accents toward the edges. Behind him, a bushy tail fell downward, ending up like the tip of a brush. Its long and thick limbs were very different from before. Just with a glance, Orion noticed how built he became. The neck area, in particular, was more muscular than he remembered. The previous dog that Orion knew was no more. Sirius evolved from a dog, to his more ancestral roots, a wolf. But, only when the Abyssal Sovereign was activated. When Orion returned to normal, so would Sirius. All in all, his dog became a terrifying and deadly hunter. A powerful and trusty ally that would help his master in his times of need. Yet, he exuded the same air as his master, a refined and worthy beast overall. *Snort* Sirius turned his head away while snorting, showing his discontentment. "I know. How was I supposed to know you would also undertake a trial?" Orion crouched next to him. The dog, or wolf now, was bigger than he in this position. Sirius looked at his master and licked his face. "I''m glad you''re fine, though." He began to ruffle the giant wolf''s fur, which felt incredibly smooth to the touch. Once done, Orion stood back up, and looked at his clothes. He touched his horns and tail, and flapped his wings, before nodding, satisfied. "Nothing wrong." His eyes fell on the bracelet. "Error?" Reading the barely visible letters on the corner of the bracelet, Orion tilted his head. He tapped on it a few times, before the words disappeared. "Oh. It seems like it''s good now." Inside the bracelet, the screen unfroze, making both of them sighed in relief after seeing their son and his dog safe and sound. Orion stretched his arms, before looking at Sirius. "Aren''t you curious about your new capabilities?" A gleam appeared in their eyes. As Orion was about to open a portal, Sirius snorted. When his master looked at him, Orion saw his friend slowly sink into his shadow, which turned into a puddle of dark matter. With a smirk, he shrugged. "That''s pretty useful." With the need to create a portal removed, Orion turned toward the training area. "Alright, let''s move." He bent his knees, flapped his wings, and activated his seals. Now that he could use everything again, his mood greatly improved. With the Fourth Gear activated, Orion threw himself forward. At first, he jumped a hundred meters quickly, but that wasn''t enough for him. That felt too close to his warp ability. So, he kept trying. He let his body do the work, and focused on his wings. They flapped, again, and again. Until something incredible happened. *BOOM* Orion broke the speed of sound. His ears began to ring from the sudden but absurd event. So, he stopped, and stood in place while feeling dizzy. "Did I... I feel sick." It took him a minute to feel better. This was how badly going faster than sound itself went. Still, there was only one thing in Orion''s mind. "I have to get used to it." With that said, he continued forward. On his way to the training grounds, he broke the sound barrier two more times. ~ The sun was setting in on Triazils. "What a day." "I''m tired." The group of women living in Horizon finally returned. Karteira and Dramia were the first to walk through. They walked through the portal of Hocride back into Horizon with a smile on their faces, and bags in their hands. "What about you, Stella?" Tetra looked at the girl holding her hand. The bright look on her face couldn''t describe the joy in her heart. "I''m tired too." "Haha~ I bet. Shall we return home then?" *BOOM* Just when Tetra finished her sentence, a massive explosion shook the ground, and scared them. "I thought Orion was supposed to rest today..." Olivia frowned, remembering the words of the man himself. "You know him. Something probably happened, or he was bored." Amelia shrugged, yet she still glanced in the direction of the sound. *BOOM* Another large exploding sound came from the distance. They could see some sort of movements all the way from their spot, until a beam of dark matter fired from the ground toward the sky. "Eh?!" May exclaimed in horror. "What was that thing?" She asked, feeling that it was different from what Orion trained usually. "Isn''t there a portal that leads to the training ground?" Without being too affected by it, Deveralna asked. "There''s one, but not many uses it. It should be..." Amelia''s eyes began to search for the closed portal in the hub. She blinked, before they picked up what she was looking for. "There." Pointing in an empty space, they all blinked, confused. "Amelia, there''s nothing there." Tilting her head, Senia pointed at the same place too. "Oh. Right." What Amelia was seeing was what Orion was seeing. Other people couldn''t see the portals when closed, unless they possessed the void magic. "Well, just wait." She walked to the closed rift, placed her right hand on it, and focused her senses. *Brrrrr* A portal suddenly appeared from the empty space. "Amelia?!" Surprised, Henrietta called out to her daughter. "Hehe~ Incredible, right? I asked Orion to teach me how to open them." Everyone ended up speechless. "Let''s go?" With a smile, she pointed at the portal, before she entered it. "R-Right." Henrietta followed her daughter inside, before everyone followed suit. When they walked through, they noticed that Amelia had frozen in place, her gaze locked on an incredible scene. Their eyes looked past her, and fell on a man exchanging blows with a dark wolf, stepping on air. "Is that all you''ve got?!" *Slam* The draconic tail of the man slammed on the ground, before he leaped toward the wolf. With Orion approaching, Sirius jumped backward, his paws covered in dark matter that he used as a stepping stone to stay above ground. He turned his body into a dark wisp that flew toward Orion like a bullet. The two clashed, creating another shockwave. Sirius gnawed at Orion''s arm, while he smiled wildly, a dark orb in his hand. "Take that!" He slammed his open hand toward Sirius'' side, but the wolf released his master''s arm from his jaw, and vanished into thin air, only to reappear behind him. Suddenly, Sirius stopped and sniffed the air. "Sirius?" Orion noticed his dog losing interest in fighting, before also looking around him. "..." His gaze ended up on a group of women, their eyes, and mouths wide open. The large wolf noticed Stella, and ran toward her. Surprised, she took a step back without thinking, but blinked confused at the lack of fear at seeing such a beast approach her. Sirius, larger than her, sat in front of her in all his glory, and waited. "Is that you, Sirius?" She placed her hands on his chest, and began to caress his fur. "Eh?!" Drania exclaimed in surprise. "Sirius?!" She kneeled next to him and poked his side. "Wroof!" He barked like a dog, even though his appearance was closer to a wolf. "I guess I have some explaining to do..." Orion scratched his head, before approaching them. "O-Orion." As he walked, they couldn''t look away. His demonic form made them somehow conscious of their status. They felt the sudden urge to bow in front of him, but they repressed it. His ink black draconic wings, his curved horns pointing backward, and his thick tail that stayed perfectly still behind him. Everything felt so different, yet, they recognized Orion in instantly. His dry smile clarified it. "Well..." His transformation vanished, and he returned to normal. Sirius also returned to his dog form. "How was your day?" "..." Unable to establish a single thought, they blankly stared at him. Chapter 319: At the beach. Shortly after Orion successfully won against his other self. Before his real body changed according to the awakening of his demon blood, he found himself back in the dark and empty void, in front of the fire beast, Diramoi. "Why am I here? Didn''t I succeeded the trials?" Orion looked at the creature with frustration. "Be patient, Orion. Your body is adjusting to the changes." "I see." With no other choice than to wait, he sat on the ground, or what was supposed to be the ground, and closed his eyes, remembering everything that he did so far. "While you wait, I will answer one of your question. Ask anything, but only what I can offer. There are many things I do not know." With a dry smile, he remembered his ancestors. He nodded, and looked into the eyes of the large beast. "What-..." He suddenly stopped in mid-sentence, before frowning. ''What are you?'' Was what he wanted to know, but in reality, it wasn''t the question in his mind. "Why Amelia, Deveralna, and Elliott? Why did they appear?" Surprise seemed to take over Diramoi, as it slowly stretched his massive neck upward. It looked at Orion with confusion, before he understood. "During the fourth trial? The three individuals who appeared?" "Yes. I know all of them." Diramoi''s head dropped closer to his level, before he continued. "For the man, the trial itself brought him. He represented your largest fear and despair, but also your determination to push forward." "The two women''s cases are more complicated." Leaving a long silence, Orion felt like asking another question. "Behind Amelia were many weapons I did not recognize. Why is that?" I knew that Diramoi had no reason to answer him since he already asked his question, yet, the giant creature gifted him the answer nonetheless. "They are in some way related to me. One by blood, one by contract. With a single glance, I understood one, but the other, it was way difficult." "I extracted all the information into that woman currently available. Her actual abilities aren''t awakened, but just like you are, they need to be awakened." "But by any means, do not try to bring them out. This is something she has to bring out by herself." Orion shook his head. "I had no plan to. I am only fueled by curiosity." "Then, I have nothing to warn you about." The flames around the giant being suddenly disappeared, with Diramoi. "It is time. Your body has adjusted to the change." His voice kept echoing in the void while Orion''s vision turned darker. "There was also an... unexpected evolution happening at the same time you''ve undertaken the trials. It worked very hard, which was rewarded accordingly." Before recovering his consciousness, one last sentence entered his ears. "Orion, congratulations." ~ Two days later, the day of the picnic. The ones who prepared everything were the most thorough: Amelia, Dramia, and May. Henrietta also helped when she could, but ended up being mainly bothered by Tetra, who couldn''t stop talking. Amelia and Dramia focused on preparing their meals, with Olivia''s help. May took time to carefully double-check that everything was packed correctly. Deveralna ended up joining her, as it looked liked hard work. Orion was taking care of his little girl, who was so excited she was unable to contain herself. Senia and Drania already went to the beach, to choose the picnic spot. Senia searched for a place that had not many algae and shallow enough for Stella, while Drania mainly came to play, but got bored a few minutes later because she was alone. Instead, she seriously searched for the perfect place to settle their little picnic area where Senia told her to. This ended up leaving Karteira, who was left with nothing to do. She was feeling guilty not being useful, but no one was really bothered by it. She joined Orion and Stella at one point.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Everything proceeded smoothly, and before noon, they were on their way to the Siren Sea. ... "Orion, help me set up the blanket." "Sure." Karteira and Orion each took a corner of the neatly folded blanket, and spread it on the sand. "Alright, let''s place everything. It''s almost lunchtime." Stella sat on the blanket after removing her shoes, and smiled brightly while looking at the sea, and everyone around her. "They should be waiting at their respective portals, so I''ll go get everyone." Orion warped away suddenly, leaving everyone to their own devices. "Let''s pick up the pace, then. The faster we are done, the earliest we''ll be able to go into the sea." The large blanket could receive more than twenty people on it. It was perfect for this sort of event. A portal opened further away from the group, where Orion and six other people walked out of it. Three couples joined the event, at the request of various members. A group asked for Kamala and Florian to join. Florian appeared pretty calm, but Kamala wasn''t at all. She was quite embarrassed. The second couple was asked to join by May. Eric and his wife, Caroline, happily joined everyone. They rarely had the opportunity to go out of Turric, so they were happy to come. The last request came from Orion. He wanted to see Dylan again, who agreed, but asked that Eliza came with him. There was no reason to refuse. "Hello everyone." "Thank you for having us." Eric and Caroline greeted everyone and followed Drania, who decided to choose seats for everyone. They both sat next to May after being leaded there. "This is so embarrassing..." "Am I embarrassing you? If so, I can always leave-" "No! It''s no you. I just not used to it yet." Kamala suddenly felt many gazes on her, so she looked around, and saw that they were grinning at her. "Hi. Will you follow me to your seat?" Drania suddenly popped in front of her, and politely asked while pointing behind her with her thumb. "O-Oh. Sure." "Please." Florian grabbed Kamala''s hand and followed Drania, which made them seat next to Amelia and Deveralna. Tetra inched her way out of Henrietta''s grasp and joined them a few minutes later. "Here, follow me." Orion personally led Dylan and Eliza toward their seat, where they sat next to him and Stella. "Oh! Is that the girl that you''ve adopted?" Eliza looked at Stella, who was smiling happily. "Yes, this is Stella. I''ve taken her in after a few things happened to her. She''s my daughter." "I see." Dylan nodded. He liked that about Orion. "Can I hug you?" Stella looked at the white-haired beastwoman, before nodding shyly. "Can I?" She looked at Orion and asked for confirmation. "Sure." "Thank you." Eliza gently moved behind Stella, picked her up, and sat her on her lap. She then caressed her hair while hugging her small body. "I had no idea little girls were so delicate. Now I wish I had a daughter." "You will have to settle for a granddaughter." "That''s good too, but maybe we can-" "Not now. Later." Dylan frowned and made sure those words kept sealed around Stella. "Oh... Sorry." Everyone began to happily chat between each other, until it was time to eat. ... With a smile, Orion finally relaxed. Groups were forming around the blanket, breaking and forming with other members. ''Family and friends...'' When he closed his eyes, he could see his parents with him. They were always with him, from the day he was born, to this very moment. He was suddenly brought back to reality when the girls talked about going into the sea. "Everyone has their swimsuit?" Amelia asked, before looking at everyone. Even the guests nodded, expect Dylan and Eliza. They were the type to walk along the beach together instead. Orion snapped his fingers, and a portal appeared. "I know some of you haven''t changed. This leads inside the house." "Thank you." Deveralna, Senia, May, Stella, Henrietta, and Karteira entered the portal. They returned a few minutes later wearing their brand-new swimsuits. The rest were already wearing it, so they simply removed the clothes above them. All the while, Orion closed his eyes to avoid making this unfair for the others. "Papa." Hearing the voice of his sweet daughter, Orion opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was her smile as she waved at him. She was wearing a cute white one-piece swimsuit with long sleeves. It showed a spiraling line that went from top to bottom, made of frills. "You look great in it." Orion nodded, and genuinely smiled at her. Just seeing her this happy made his day. "Hehe~" Stella turned around and joined the others, who waited for Orion''s opinion. "So, do you have anything to say?" The group was broken in two: the composed and the embarrassed. Amelia, Drania, Deveralna, Karteira, and Tetra were all waiting with a smile on their faces, while Dramia, Senia, Henrietta, May, and Olivia couldn''t look straight while fidgeting around. "..." His eyes wide opened, it took everything he had to avoid having Silka''s sigil activate. Starting with the ones who were proud of their body, Orion looked at them one by one. Then, he looked at the other group. There wasn''t very much to differentiate the swimsuits apart from their colors, but still, it was a sight for sore eyes. They were all wearing a two-pieces swimsuit that showed their stomach completely. Their proportions were so captivating that he forgot to breathe for a minute, until he blinked. "So?" His head slowly turned to Karteira, who asked the question. She was wearing a cerulean blue, similar to her hair color. She wore jeans shorts over her swimsuit, unbuttoned. Amelia was wearing white, but she was also wearing a see-through shirt over her top. The twins were wearing a lime green two-pieces with opposite covers on one side around their hips. May wore a black swimsuit, with her shoulders completely covered, made to contrast with her snow-white skin. It had long frills created to hide as much of her skin as possible, per her request. Only parts of her stomach were visible. Olivia wore a lemon-yellow dress that stopped at her knees. She also wore a straw hat that she used to hid her face with. She was trying to hide her chest at the same time, which was larger than everyone thought. The specially made swimsuit made for Deveralna and Senia were similar in a way, since their body couldn''t wear the same bottom part. Instead, it was composed in two parts. Under a side cover dress, a piece of clothes tightly wrapped around what was supposedly their hips. It hid perfectly what needed to be hidden, without fearing to reveal them. The cover acted as a second security, while also being considered a dress. Senia was wearing a deep blue swimsuit with frills on her chest and dress parts, while Deveralna had a crimson red with less frilly parts. Tetra and Henrietta weren''t in the group of Orion''s lovers, but still, he observed them carefully. While Henrietta was wearing a relatively more mature design, she had a ribbon sewn to her chest piece, and one on the right side of her bottom piece. Of course, it was the same color as her daughter, a clear white. The one being impossible to ignore was Tetra. Her rosy pink swimsuit was so prominent, Orion had to look away. The worst part was, she had the larger breasts of the group. At least, he wasn''t interested in her, which in a way, made her sad. "You all look gorgeous." He stood up, and joined with everyone, while the other couples watched silently with a smile. "Thank you." "Alright, everyone, let''s go!" Amelia and Karteira grabbed Orion''s wrists, and pulled him toward the water. "Shall we follow?" Eric said, before they all went their separate way to spend time with their significant other. Chapter 320: The end of a journey. At the same time, in the Frigoria Plains. "Elliott!" "On it!" The duo was in the middle of their last battle. In front of them, a grotesque spider glared at them, covered in thousands of its children. The ground was littered with dead spiders, as they fought fearlessly each corrupted that approached too close. *Slice* Elliott cleanly cut a jumping spider in half. Its organs and blood sprayed everywhere behind him, making this scene sickening. After noticing Elliott of the enemy jumping at him, Nylon lifted his right leg upward, and slammed it with great strength. *Squish* He crushed a spider under his foot, before glancing over his left shoulder. ''Trying to get me in my blind spot?'' Nylon kicked the first spider out of the way, before turning his waist. At the same time, he tightly clenched his iron claws, and with the rotating force, pierced the spider that threw itself at him. Blood gushed everywhere as its legs trembled and curved inward. Nylon slammed the corpse on the ground, before pushing on it with one foot to extract the claws that were stuck in its flesh. "I''ll rid us of all of them." "Please do." Elliott placed his weapon behind him, and began to concentrate. "Can you deal with the one attacking me?" "Leave it to me!" With Nylon protecting him, Elliott closed his eyes. From his core, he let the flow of energy converge into his muscles, and into the sword. "Move!" He shouted to Nylon, who kicked a spider away and ran past him. "!" His arm moved at such a speed, that it was barely visible. A large cross-like shockwave traveled toward the sea of spiderlings, before they were sent flying in the air. Right after, a dark and disturbing result that would leave anyone gagging happened. A second attack followed right after the shockwave, slicing the spiders. They fell into the snow in disgusting pieces of flesh and limbs. Elliott first sent them flying, then, from the second attack, sliced them. But that wasn''t all. It was an ability that continued to cut its victim after the first hit. With one cut, he multiplied it tenfold and stacked the same attack on each one of them, bringing the number of surviving spiders close to zero. "PSHAAAAAA!" The giant spider spat in anger at the carnage, and immediately followed with a devastating stomp. But it was nothing for Elliott. "Ira." A shield made of energy formed above him, before the leg made contact with it. After a massive shockwave that sent snow flying around him, Elliott smirked. "You need to do better than that because..." Vanitas glowed a powerful light. "I''m back at my peak." He slashed at the leg, cutting it in half. At first, he was worried his powers wouldn''t be enough to pass through the defense of the spider, but with this attack, everything became clear. The giant was pushed back from the recoil, and looked at its vertically sliced leg. It wasn''t showing pain, but it sure wasn''t looking fine. It plunged its jaws into its leg, and ripped it off. A giant spider leg crashed on the ground, before another one began to sprout from the wound. "Nylon, the core!" From behind him, an iron claw strapped to a rope flew toward the spider with incredible velocity.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. *Stuck* The claw pierced the head of the giant, before Nylon swung under it. Right on its underbelly, a bright violet jewel shone differently than the cores of the corrupted they encountered so far. He jumped from the rope, and with his agility, grabbed one of its back legs, which he used to jump again, this time toward the jewel. "Pshaa!" Two spiderlings jumped at him from under the giant, but Elliott had his back. Before Nylon could blink, the two spiders came crashing toward the ground, their bodies sliced into pieces. "One!" Nylon stabbed his remaining claw into the core, twisted his body to place on foot on it, and jumped toward the ground. The claw dug into the core, and traveled through the creature''s body. "That look suits you better." Elliott looked at the giant that writhed in agony as its core was shattered. Many spiderlings fell from their mother, only to get crushed under her stomps. On his way down, Nylon grabbed the rope, and safely landed on the ground. He ran toward Elliott, before pulling the rope. The claw ripped a considerable chunk of flesh from the giant''s face, revealing a second core under it. "Its head is the core..." Said Nylon, in utter shock. The little part visible was barely showing the true size of the core. "Seems like it." With one hand on the blade, and the other on the hilt, Elliott prepared to finish the beast. But the spider wasn''t finished. It covered its body in a layer of springy water, before dropping its body closer to the ground. A bubble that covered its whole body formed to protect it as it healed its broken core. "Sigh..." Elliott looked bored. "Let''s end this now. I''ll use one of mother''s technique." While sliding his hand on Vanitas, he let his thumb be cut by its blade. His blood flowed around the edges of the blade, before it glowed a reddish hue. When done, he lifted the sword above his head, and gripped it with both hands. "Blood Moon!" The moment Elliott dropped the sword toward the ground, a bloody crescent wave of energy formed, aimed at the giant. That crescent-shaped energy traveled at high speed and sliced everything on its way. Inside the bubble, the spider''s eyes focused on it, before its vision began to split in two. Everything went black, as cuts appeared in its sight, its eyes ripped to shreds by the destroying energy. The bubble exploded, the giant spider''s body crumbled into two parts, before vanishing into thin air, ravaged by the terrifying energy Elliott released. Nothing was left of the giant, not even a hair. Its remaining children met the very same end, destroyed by the crescent slash. "That was... rather easy." Nylon said, looking at the devastated landscape laying in front of him. If the deep gash into the earth wasn''t any indication of an incredible battle, nothing was. "Well, mostly for you." When Nylon looked at Elliott, he noticed that his complexion looked rather bad. "That attacked required a lot of my blood. If I''m not anemic after that, I''ll be lucky." With a relieved sigh, he placed Vanitas back into its scabbard, strapped behind his lower back. "Good work, Elliott. That was the last of the giant, right? You''ve removed the blizzard from your homeland at last." The great Elliott dropped on the ground, laid in the snow, and looked at the clouds over his head. The storm still hadn''t cleared, but he could imagine the clear blue sky behind the clouds. ''...'' Nylon scanned his surroundings. ''This sure is a disgusting view...'' For him, this sight had become normal. Everywhere they went, the scenery became littered with corpses. ''I survived all of this.'' But it was finally over. Nylon felt a weight disappear from his shoulders. He looked at his hands, and praised himself. ''Have I grown stronger?'' Only now was he feeling something surge in his body. He had no idea what it was, but he wanted to look into it later. "Elliott." "Hmm?" Elliott looked toward Nylon, before following his gaze. They both looked at one destroyed building, used by the giant spider as a nesting ground. "Right... we have to look at that before doing anything else. "It was part of Miasma''s experimentation grounds for creating corrupted, right?" "Indeed." Nylon helped Elliott stand up by offering his hand. They walked toward the dilapidated building together. The entrance was blocked by thick layers of spider threads, but it wasn''t a problem for Nylon''s claw. He ripped them from the walls, before they proceeded further inside. "It''s dark..." "..." Elliott quietly walked through the corridor with a frown. Broken rooms with destroyed roofs blocked their paths. "This room..." When Elliott looked inside a room he recognized, he was met with something that surprised him. "Nylon, our journey stops here." "Huh?" Before he could understand anything, Elliott brought out the crystal Orion gave him before he left, and crushed it in his hands. ~ "..." Orion, who was making a sand castle with Stella, suddenly looked toward the portal hub of Horizon. "Papa?" "Sorry, there''s something I need to check." He stood up, and rapidly approached the blanket where his clothes were. "Orion? Where are you going?" Everyone looked at his as he buttoned his shirt. He looked at Dylan and Eliza with a smile. "Your son has returned." Eliza had to take a second to realize what he meant, but quickly placed her hands to her mouth, and nodded. "I see. Nylon is back." Orion warped away right after. Those words were enough for everyone to understand their implications. ''Elliott has returned...'' And with that thought, another emerged. ''I hope everything will be fine.'' ... "Oh. So that''s the plane Orion created." "Yes." Elliott scanned the realm. ''There are a few names I recognize in here.'' With just a quick energy reading of the plane, he learned everything he needed to know. Tiohr-nam, in particular, was easy to see from where he was. All residents of Horizon were discovered, and analyzed. When he saw how prosperous this place was, Elliott smiled and patiently waited. "..." He looked toward his right. "You''ve returned at last." Orion warped a little distance away from him, and crossed his arms. He looked at Elliott, and then at Nylon. "With the help of your brother here, this expedition ended faster than I expected. I would''ve suffered greatly without him." They both looked at each other for a moment, before Orion nodded. "Thanks for bringing him back alive. It''s good to see you, Nylon." The two brothers looked at each others, and smiled. "Same. I''m glad to have made it alive." "You''ll tell me later. Go rest with everyone else for now." A portal opened next to Orion. ''Everyone?'' Nylon walked through the portal and disappeared. "Orion, would you mind following me for a moment?" "Have you find it?" "I believe so." A grave look appeared on both faces. "Alright, lead the way." Elliott turned around and entered the portal leading to the Frigoria Plains. With a serious expression, Orion followed him. Chapter 321: Alliance agreement. Orion and Elliott walked out of the portal together. At a glance, nothing of importance caught Orion''s eyes as he scanned the whole room. They were in a large room, similar to an experimentation laboratory. There were many broken cylinders capable of holding human sized creatures, broken instruments that appeared to have been used to dissect living creatures, and papers scattered everywhere, rotting from the passage of time. It was only when Orion looked above him that he noticed something. ''The ceiling''s broken...'' He looked at the weirdly shaped opening in the ceiling, which made it possible for the faint light of the sun, hiding by the dark clouds above, to enter. His eyes followed the trajectory of the supposed objects that broke through. "..." Orion opened his eyes wide, while Elliott glanced at him. A faint smile broke at the corner of his mouth. "I sure wasn''t expecting to see a familiar face among the many possibilities." Stepping on crumpled papers and broken glass instruments, Elliott approached the massive blue crystal embedded into the back wall of the room, and tapped on the glass carefully. "Reon Feales. I truly wasn''t expecting it." Once Elliott tapped on the crystal, its insides became clearer, revealing at its core a white-haired man perfectly preserved. "Dad." Carefully, Orion walked toward the crystal, and placed his hand on it. The emotions he felt seeing his father were the same as when he found his mother. A mixture of happiness and relief took over him, as he looked at his father''s frozen body. "I have no reason to antagonize you if that was on your mind. Feel free to retrieve him." Slowly, Orion looked at Elliott, and nodded. With a snap of his fingers, a portal formed over the crystal, sending it straight to where Orianne''s crystal was resting. "Well, my end of the bargain is done. I believe this is where we split ways." Elliott turned around, and walked toward the broken doorway. "I''ll deal with father so you won''t have to. You should just enjoy your life peacefully from now on." He placed his right hand on the wall, and was about to walk away, before Orion stopped him. "Who said you could go?" With a glare, Orion stopped Elliott. As he turned around, Elliott looked surprised when he saw Orion pointing toward the portal they came through earlier. "You''re coming with me. I''m not letting someone as powerful as you are roam aimlessly through the continent." "Why?" Gently and carefully, Elliott placed his hand on Vanitas'' hilt. "Trusting you before leaving Noctelagia was out of the question. As you probably know, I won''t forgive you for what happened to my parents." "A monster that easily overpowered me, and can easily do so in this very moment. A fearsome opponent indeed." Orion crossed his arms. "What do you say about an alliance?" Surprised by the sudden proposition, Elliott removed his hand from his sword. "Huh? With me?" "There''s no one else besides us." "An alliance? With some you despise?" "I am not na?ve enough to ignore a powerful help. If we can deal with Miasma in a timely and safer manner, I''d rather do that than to cling to a worthless vengeance." Following his sentence, he sighed. "And I hate you. I don''t despise you. There''s a difference."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Why all of a sudden? I was persuaded you''d avoid making too much contact with me." "For two reasons, which are pretty obvious if you think of them." Elliott sighed too. "Because I''ve protected your brother, and I found your father?" With a nod, Orion continued. "A man''s judgment can be rather simple, don''t you think? There is more to us than our past, as what we are today is the most important." "I am ready to turn a blind eye to what happened, going as far as to welcome you in Horizon. In exchange, I''ll use you to defeat Miasma." The situation between the two wasn''t that great, but Orion was doing his best to believe in the man Elliott actually was. "If we''re both working against Miasma, then I don''t see why I should let you struggle alone." A dark, spiraling wave of magic enveloped Orion, as his body transformed. "And I''m not as weak as I was before our first meeting." "The demon blood... you truly are an incredible individual." With a smile, Elliott remembered Orianne briefly, who fought with a similar appearance. "Before I agree, tell me. What are you going to do with that crystal? Why did you recover it?" Elliott pressed his shoulder against the wall, and crossed his arms, waiting for Orion to answer. He seemed to think if this was a good idea to tell him, but in the end, honestly answered. "I intend to merge their soul back into their bodies." "..." Orion watched the surprised expression on his face, until it turned into a grin. "Amazing. I suppose I have some apologies to go give them." "Fine, count me in. Thinking of walking the way back alone in this cold made me slightly discouraged. I''ll gladly follow you." The two walked toward each other. Orion undid his transformation, and held his hand toward Elliott. Elliott stared at his hand, before grabbing it with a smile. A handshake between the Knight, and the Sovereign. One that signified their acknowledgement toward each other, and signed the start of a friendship that would last until the end of time. ~ Eogis, the same day. "..." Laylah, controlled by Miasma, was walking around the edge of a crater somewhere north of Paraviel. He glared into the hole, trying to see if something could be scavenged from this ancient place. "There doesn''t seem to be anything useful..." While walking, he scanned the center, and its walls. It looked like a very ordinary crater. There were no traces of a meteorite at its center. "Strange. I do feel a pulse around here, but there''s no visible entity-" "Visible?" Miasma stopped, his red eyes glowing from having thought of something interesting. "Let the corruption consume you." He opened his hands, pointed toward the ground, and released corrupted fumes that began to imitate fog. "Haha... HAHAHA~" A devious and chilling laugh echoed through the purple mist, before the ground began to shake violently. "I knew it! It''s even better than I expected. Fuck! How can everyone ignore this thing?!" "Bunch of morons!" The ground split opened, starting from the center of the crater. A giant shadow rose from the opening, its blue eyes slowly changing to red. "Hmm~" Miasma looked at the creature, hidden in the fog, and thought. "It''s not fun like this. Eat more." The corrupted mist became thicker. "More! I said more!" He released an unfathomable amount of corruption, which entered the beast. "Kagalkan! I had no idea you were resting here. You poor fucker! How do you feel?" As the giant creature''s eyes turned from red to purple, a deep and ominous voice shook the air. "I... Where?" "You''ve been gravely injured, and went to rest in this kind of place? What happened to you?" "That... voice... You!" A giant club rose above the mist, bigger than a tree. "If I were you, I''d avoid doing that. It''s not like you could anyway. Hahaha~" The club began to sway left and right, before it fell to the ground. The purple eyes of the giant fell on his hands as they trembled. "What... did you do... to me?" "You''re now part of my army of corrupted. I hope you''re ready to cause havoc because there will be a lot to do." "Impossible..." Miasma crossed his arms, and glared at the shadow hidden in the fog. "Your children, don''t you want to avenge them? I know exactly who did it." "You... do?!" "My son. Elliott." "Your... son." The purple eyes of the creatures glowed brighter. "If you help him, I''ll give you the powers to avenge them." "Avenge... my children..." "I... will help. I... will avenge... my children." With a grin, Miasma turned around. ''You stupid moron. I was the one who killed them.'' ''But I need you to believe that, so I can manipulate you into stopping Elliott from bothering my plans again.'' ''Elliott, you will regret parting ways with your father. I''ll make you pay for insulting me!'' As he gritted his teeth in rage, a voice sealed deep inside his core called out to her Lord. (Lord Elliott... Please. Save me.) ~ Before walking through the portal, a chill ran down Elliott''s back. He felt as if someone was calling his name. "What''s the matter?" "Would you believe me if I said that I heard someone calling my name?" "Normally, I would think that you are crazy, but since it is you we''re talking about, someone is probably asking for your help. Do you have any idea who it might be?" "..." Elliott''s gaze dropped to the ground as he began to think. "I''ve heard this woman''s voice multiple times during this expedition. I wasn''t able to identify it, but I think I finally understand who that it belongs to." Orion used ''Calm Analysis'' to rapidly find the only person capable of remembering Elliott. "From what I know, everyone you knew is already long gone. I don''t believe Miasma to be that attached to you besides your importance toward his conquest, so that only leaves one person." "Right." They looked at each other, and nodded at the same time. "The Apostle Layla. / Layla." On the same page, they continued. "That fanatic, I can only think of her. Moreover, if it''s a woman, I have no other candidates." "I believe so, too. Father probably took control of her after I left. I made a mistake." "How so? I doubt this is entirely your fault." Elliott shook his head in disagreement. "I should''ve been more thorough. I was so focused on freeing myself from his control that I ignore everything else." "We wouldn''t have been in this situation if I had sealed his core after expelling it from my body. Thinking about it now, no wonder he came back that quickly." Orion had no reason to alleviate his guilt, so he kept quiet. "If Layla is asking for my help, then I will help her when I find her. Otherwise, there is nothing I can do right now." "Right." "Please, lead the way. We''ll talk about this matter another time. I''m sure you have better things to do than to focus on me right now." With a nod, Orion walked into the portal leading to Horizon. "I sure do." Elliott followed right after, before the portal closed behind them, never to be opened again. Chapter 322: Elliott, new resident. Orion and Elliott stepped out of a portal, leading them into the Elemental Shrine. There, two giant crystals holding his parents in their core gleamed peacefully. "This place, it is full of magic particles." Elliott looked around. He stared at the contraption at the center, which was emitting a constant ray of magic toward a vortex through a glass roof. "This is where the path to the elemental realm was created. This is most likely the reason for this massive concentration of magic." While answering him, Orion approached the crystals. On his left, Orianne, his mother. On his right, Reon, his father. ''I haven''t learned of a way to bring you back yet. I''m sorry.'' He closed his eyes, before glancing at the bracelet. "Is it possible to revive them?" Placing his back on the nearest wall, Elliott asked while crossing his arms. "I believe so. Using the void element as a spatial type magic, it should be possible to move the soul back into its original body." "Since their soul hadn''t suffered damage, protected by the device, it should proceed smoothly once I find a way to do that." Understanding the principle behind his idea, Elliott nodded. "What about the crystal itself?" "It should break the moment they awaken. In a way, it should be similar to the seal placed on you. Not that I really know, since I haven''t seen it." Elliott moved from the wall and walked to the nearest crystal, Orianne''s, and lightly tapped his fist against it. *Tink* The glass-like sound echoed in their ears, until Elliott opened his mouth. "This is the same seal. I think it has weakened in the same way mine did over the years, so once they open their eyes, it might be possible to break free using magic from within." "As I thought. That''s one worry I can forget about." Orion moved away from the crystals, and opened another portal. "Alright, follow me. I''ll introduce you to the place you will live in." "I''m right behind you." Elliott was expecting a simple place, somewhere secluded in the plane. Even sleeping in a forest around here would be fine. So when he walked through the portal, and he saw a house capable of holding dozens of people inside it, he blinked. "That''s the guest house. I built it with the help of many others in case we needed to receive numerous people at once, or in case of emergency. The portal closed behind them, as Orion opened the door of the finished building. Elliott followed closely behind him, bewildered. It was completely refurbished, upgraded, and more spacious than before. The furniture was brand new too, with everything made of wood built by Orion and Karteira themselves. With light steps, they entered the central room. It was a large area which turned out to be the living room, dining room, and kitchen in one place. On the sides of this room were the bedrooms, and past the kitchen, through another door, were the showers and toilets, separated between men and women. The showers were not as splendid as the ones in Orion''s home, though. After showing everything to Elliott, who was completely overwhelmed by the treatment, Orion looked at him. "I will let you choose any room you want. We also made a rule that if you want something, you can request it at any time." "But honestly, I suggest you do your groceries yourself. If you want to eat seafood, go talk to the sirens. Fresh vegetables, the arachnea are your friends. For anything else, take the portal to Albriar."Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. While blinking wildly, Elliott nodded. Orion took pleasure in seeing his bewilderment, shown by the mocking smile on his face. Still, it was very strange for Elliott, which made him ask involuntarily. "Why are you kind enough to give me a room?" "You aren''t my enemy anymore. Since we''re helping each other in dealing with Miasma, it''s the least I can do. I believe you haven''t rested peacefully in quite some time?" "Let me guess? Since the destruction of your home country?" Elliott, for the first time since losing everything, sincerely smiled. "I can''t remember when was the last time I relaxed." "Well, in that case, you can finally relax. Drop your stuff in a room, take a warm bath, eat a meal, and go rest in your bed. That''s all I can do for you." "That''s plenty enough. Thank you." Orion nodded, before walking past him. "When you''re feeling better, I hope to spar with you. I can''t wait to learn what secrets you''re hiding." With a smirk, Orion closed the front door, and returned to the others. "..." Frozen on the spot, Elliott thought for a moment, before he closed his eyes and nodded, a smile on his face. "Heh. Sure thing." ... "Orion, you''re back!" "Papa! Where did you go?" Everyone welcomed his back, while Stella ran to him to hug his legs. "I had to welcome someone. Don''t worry, I''m not leaving anymore." He crouched and patted his daughter''s head as she hugged his neck. "Alright. We still need to finish the castle." Orion stood up, removed his clothes, and picked up Stella. He looked around to find his brother, who had just returned. ''Nylon.'' On the blanket, Nylon was telling his journey to his father, while Eliza hugged him while crying, probably relieved to see her son safe and sound. ''I''m glad. If anything had happened to you...'' If those emotions Orion was feeling could be described, they would be similar to what a big brother felt when watching their younger siblings grow up. His gaze switched to Stella, who was happily humming on his arm, while swinging her legs back and forth. "Right, let''s go build that castle. It needs to be a gorgeous one worthy of this princess." "But I''m not a princess?" "You''re not?" Orion happily exchanged with his daughter as he walked toward the sand castle. ... The picnic came to an end at last. Stella had so much fun, her energy ran out before the sunset. The big sand castle on the beach was proof of her incredible imagination and hard work. While she fell asleep on the blanket, the same could be said for Orion, as for once, he also felt incredibly tired. For a rare moment in his life, he played with everyone at the beach, unfairly used his warping ability to catch everyone during a tag game. He also won a beach volley game with Drania and May against Amelia, Karteira, and Olivia. During a swimming competition, he lost against Deveralna and Senia. Thereafter, he dragged Dramia, who was reluctant at first, to the water and dived with her to explore the bounty of the sea, and walked with his lovers on the shore at the end of the day. They all managed to spread their wings, and spend some time with him. Florian and Kamala spent their time together swimming, strengthening their new bonds in the process. Dylan and Eliza both spent the rest of their day with Nylon, who had many incredible stories to tell them. Since they weren''t very interested in swimming to begin with, it was also a good way to relax. For Eric and Caroline, they disappeared at some point as they walked the whole shoreline together, peacefully and quietly, only to return at sunset. Tetra and Henrietta both laid on the sand to sunbathe, even though there was no sun in Horizon, with no way to get a tan whatsoever. It''s the thought that matter, right? It was now time to pack up and return home. Orion led the guests back to their home, before returning to his house. He sat on the couch, and sighed, exhausted. "I''ve laid Stella in her bed. She seemed too tired to be able to eat dinner, so we''ve let her rest." Said Amelia, with a smile. "Thanks." As he looked at the ceiling with no particular thought, he slowly began to close his eyes. Orion felt warmth on his lap, before opening his eyes to look down. "I''m tired." "Same, sis." Then, someone else pressed her shoulder to his, sighing from exhaustion too. Dramia, without feeling embarrassed about it, laid her head on Orion''s lap, while Drania rested her head on his shoulder. "That''s rare of you two to stay this close to me." "I''m just too tired to bother." Dramia shrugged with a faint smile. "..." "Drania?" Orion glanced at the energetic fairy, realizing that she had fallen asleep already. "To make the great Drania fall asleep is an achievement not many can achieve." "That''s to show how much fun she had. How about you?" Slowly, Orion placed his left hand on Dramia''s head, and caressed her green hair. "Hnn." Feeling the gentle caresses, she closed her eyes. "I had fun too. I had no idea so much life there actually was in the sea." "Was there something you liked?" "The turtle." "I see." "..." With a smile, Orion closed his eyes. ''She also fell asleep.'' As he kept stroking her hair, he enjoyed this little moment of peace, until he looked toward the doorway. "..." He silently glared at the women who hid around the edges of the doorway, staring at the twins with amazement. Choosing to ignore them, he closed his eyes again, pampering the fairy Queens at the same time. They stayed like this until dinner, when Orion had to wake them up. After dinner, everyone returned to their room, only to instantly fall asleep the moment their head touched the pillow. A picnic, which was at first prepared for Stella, became a significant memory for everyone. As they closed their eyes and drifted to the dream world, they internally thanked the little girl for this opportunity. ... The next morning. "Deveralna- No." Dramia and Drania approached the lamia Queen first thing in the morning. She froze up the moment she was called out, and quietly listened. "Queen Deveralna. Tiohr-nam, the Remnant of Life, as an important matter to discuss with you. Would you mind following us later today?" ''Finally...'' As her gaze fell toward the ground, she remembered the feeling of emptiness in her soul. She looked straight into Dramia''s eyes, before nodding. "Gladly." Following her awakening to magic, and the words her creator spoke to her, she knew it was only a matter of time. A matter of time, before she became the next Remnant of Strength. Chapter 323: Deveralnas choice. Deveralna, following Dramia and Drania, entered the tree room. As it was her first time coming here, she rapidly scanned her surroundings, before looking at the massive tree breaking through the back wall. "Welcome, Queen of the Lamia." Before her eyes, the bark split in two, moving to the sides, revealing a beautiful green-haired woman from its core. "Thank you." As she looked at the Avatar, someone else caught her attention. "Orion?!" She exclaimed while backing off slightly. "Hey. Don''t mind me, I''m only here in case of emergency." "..." Orion waved at her gently, before placing his back against the wall next to Tiohr-nam, his arms crossed. ''Emergency he said... Well, I don''t think it is wrong to think something will go wrong.'' Since she knew why she was asked to come, she proceeded to ignore Orion, and focused on the situation at hand. "Miss Deveralna, I do not think going around the matter will do us any help, so I will be frank with you, as a symbol of my respect." Dramia and Drania walked all the way across the room, and for the very first time, stood on both sides of Tiohr-nam, instead of sitting in their usual spot. Between Queens, it was the way they chose to show their respect for her. She gulped, staring straight into Tiohr-nam''s emerald eyes. "Velridar''s soul has left our world a few days ago." Deveralna clenched her fist after listening to her words. Her tail wiggled faintly, before her shoulders dropped. ''Feeling it and hearing about it are two entirely different feelings.'' Her throat dried instantly from the emotions she was feeling. Even if she wasn''t familiar with her creator, she still saw his majestic and imposing body once. "From the looks of it, you know why it happened." "Yes. Before Orion brought me to this plane, I had a dream." Recalling the dream, she continued. "More than a dream, it was a conversation between me and Velridar, through our bond." "At the end of it, I was shocked to learn that he wanted me to take the mantle of the Remnant of Strength. I also..." Lifting her right hand in front of her, she opened it, and in the palm of her hand, a few arcs of lightning rhythmically traveled to the tips of her fingers, before she closed her hand. "Obtained the ability to use magic from him. I became the first lamia to use magic." Tiohr-nam closed her eyes, before letting out a long sigh. "I will be honest with you, this is far too early for you to receive his sigil. You can barely control your current powers, and cannot understand what the title of Remnant represents." This was by no means an insult toward her, and she knew it. Tiohr-nam was always thinking of the wellbeing of everyone around her. "If not careful with it, your soul will be devoured by the tremendous amount of energy, and combust into nothingness. I am not trying to deter you, but think carefully." "It was the previous holder of the sigil of Strength, Velridar''s will, to bestow it to you. I have no reason to hinder that wish, as it is not my place to meddle in the matter." The Avatar closed its eyes, and leaned back. "Still, from the moment that thick-headed dragon passed away and returned the sigil to me, it became my responsibility to look over it at this time." "You are the only one who can receive this power, as you already possess the title, so it is inevitable. Although, since you are a significant and precious part of Orion''s life, I want you to really think about what you are about to undergo."Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. She opened her eyes, revealing the Remnant of Life sigil, as a green aura covered her entire body. "This is the sigil of Strength." Tiohr-nam pressed her hands together. The moment she made them part away, the air became heavier. A terrible pressure crashed on everyone''s shoulders, as the sigil appeared in front of everyone. Removing the tampering of its strength, even she was feeling sicker by the second just holding it. "Hnn..." Deveralna struggled to keep her eyes opened. The sigil was too sickening to look at, inducing nausea each time she looked at it. ''Am I... to inherit that? Do I have the power to resist it?'' Hesitation filled her heart. - "Look, mama! I can use magic!" "I can''t believe you two. Orion came to take you away, and you woke up able to use magic after speaking to our creator in your dreams..." "Don''t look so tired, it''s not the end of the world." Deveralna suddenly remembered the last conversation she had with her mother, Palarvina. "This is why you are too young to understand." "Huh? What do you mean?" Exhausted, Palarvina cupped her face within her hands. "Why do you want so much power? It is going to consume you." "The reason lamia don''t possess the ability to use magic like our dragons'' siblings is obvious. If we had, we would''ve been subjugated a long time ago." With a long sighed, she leaned on her chair and glared at her daughter. "What are you going to do with the power to destroy the world?" "Destroy the world? Why would I do that?" "I am not joking, why do you think a being like Velridar hid all this time? His power was much too unfiltered to be used. Just remembering the amount of energy he released with a single blast makes me shudder in terror." A moment of silence. "You asked me what I would do with it." Deveralna created a few arcs of lightning between her hands with a smile. "I''ll use it to destroy everything that hinders Orion''s ambitions. I don''t mean to use it in every situation. I am perfectly aware that I have my duty as Queen''s of the Lamias to fulfill." "And what kind of ruler uses her strength against her subjects? I still remember your teachings." Palarvina simply looked at her daughter with a tired expression. "But mama... Can''t I use it to improve this continent? Velridar is too large to roam the continent, but what about me?" "Can''t I support Orion in creating a peaceful world for everyone? I have no need for destroying it, I just want to protect it." - She grabbed her chest and opened her eyes wide. Her orange reptilian eyes stared at the sigil without looking away a single time. ''She''s made up her mind.'' Though Orion with a smile. He seemed barely affected by the sigil''s overwhelming aura. "I see you have chosen your path." Tiohr-nam closed her hands, absorbing the sigil back into her soul. Drania and Dramia both breathed a sigh of relief after the pressure was released, and straightened without a word. "I will keep my thoughts to myself then. Know that I have warned you. Whatever happens next is not part of my responsibilities." "Orion..." She glanced at Orion, noticing a faint nod from him. "Fine." Tiohr-nam began to exert an imposing pressure from her body. "Queen Deveralna." "Yes." "Move forward." With a nod, Deveralna slithered closer to the tree. When she believed it was the moment to stop, she did so. "From this point onward, you will become the new Remnant of Strength." "Good luck." "Hang in there." Dramia and Drania both bowed forward slightly while encouraging her. She smiled warmly at them, before her expression turned serious. Four thin roots emerged from Tiohr-nam back. They moved stiffly toward Deveralna, until their tips touched her face. Two on each sides of her jaw, and two on each side above her ears. "Close your eyes. And remember, do not let it consume you." With one last nod, she closed her eyes. A green energy traveled from Tiohr-nam to her roots, before a white aura overtook them, rapidly moving toward Deveralna. "It has begun." The aura began to very slowly cover her whole body. From her head, it traveled to her shoulders, her chest, her arms, and toward her waist. Then, it finished with her tail. Deveralna, covered by a white aura, wasn''t feeling particularly different. Until her heart began to rapidly thump in her chest. Tiohr-nam removed the roots around Deveralna when she felt the sigil had been successfully transferred, and gazed anxiously at the woman in front of her. "..." Orion frowned. He knew that something was going to happen, so he stayed on high alert. Before anything happened, his demon blood awakened, changing to his Abyssal Sovereign form. Deveralna opened her eyes. ''The sigil has been perfectly transferred.'' Though Tiohr-nam, seeing the cross-shaped sigil, embedded in the irises of the lamia. Her hair began to float in the air, as static electricity cracked all around her. ''It begins...'' In the blink of an eye, Orion leaped in front of Deveralna, picked her up, and left the room through a portal. "..." Tiohr-nam closed her eyes in fear. ... Orion threw Deveralna on the sand. "Aaa- Wait- I can''t- Wait!" Deveralna felt a sudden jolt of energy traveling in her core, that grew more powerful the more she struggled to keep it under control. She began to writhe in agony on the ground as her energy overflowed. A large shockwave exploded from her body, sending sand flying in every direction. Then another, and another. With difficulty to breathe, she grabbed her chest, and looked at the clear blue sky above her. That was the last thing she saw before bursting into white flames, induced by her lightning magic. "Aaaaaah!" Her body began to burn incessantly, threatening to snuffle the life she held so preciously until now. Killing his heart, Orion looked at this scene with a blank expression. "You were right, Dramia. Good luck indeed." Lightning bolts began to travel out of her body, burning everything in a hundred-meter radius. The bright white flashes became brighter the more she struggled, reducing everything to ashes. Only Orion remained unaffected, as he negated any attack thrown at him with dark matter tendrils. Suddenly, Deveralna dropped lifelessly on the ground. ''I''m genuinely sorry about what''s going to happen.'' He crouched in front of her, and grabbed her tail, while his body changed to his angel form. Covered by a white aura, Orion healed himself from the striking lightning bolt while healing Deveralna''s body. Moments later, her screams echoed once again. "I won''t let you die. You have to control your power if you want to survive." "I''m! Tryiiiiingh- A-Aaaaah!" Engulfed into a sea of white flames and devoured by electricity from within, Deveralna''s nightmare continued. Chapter 324: Making the sigils energy her own. A rough breathing echoed, isolated from the constant screaming of a suffering lamia. Healing the injuries inflicted by the overload of magic energy bursting from Deveralna was tremendously exhausting, yet, Orion continued. He stood up after having used his power, and switched forms to prepare for the next outburst. ''It''s been three hours.'' He looked at her with anxiety, while she laid on the sand, her eyes glaring at the sun. "Kuh!" She grabbed her chest in pain, before a shockwave pulsed from her body. A few seconds later, her body began to ignite once again. Deveralna''s loud screams traveled far and wide, as the intensity of the energy amplified. ''If you don''t find the balance, I fear your mind won''t hold much longer.'' "Deveralna..." The moment she stopped thrashing, he healed her. Again, and again. She couldn''t even lose consciousness to ignore the pain. Her mind''s stability was chipping away bit by bit, yet, her unwavering spirit help strong. When she opened her eyes again, she slowly glanced at Orion with a smile. "Don''t...worry." "How am I supposed not to worry?" Orion shrugged and smiled faintly. "Hnn!" While she tried to convince herself and Orion that she was fine, in fact, she wasn''t. ''How do I control this surge of power? I don''t know.'' ''I don''t know! What can I-'' Her thoughts stopped when the pain became unbearable. She blacked out, only to awaken a few seconds later. ''I''m tired...'' While looking at the blue sky above her, she held her hand above her, in an attempt to touch it, knowing full well it was impossible. ''If I could control this power, what kind of world would I be able to create?'' ''With a supply of energy as vast as the sky.'' She closed her hand and dropped it on the sand. Rapidly, she felt another surge of power welling in her core. ''Contain! I have to contain it!'' ''I can''t... depend on him any longer!'' Small flames appeared on her shoulders and stomach, ready to eat her away at any moment. ''I haven''t been suffering for nothing. Still, how can I hold this?'' ''There''s no way I can contain this for long.'' With a sigh, she let go of her resistance, letting the flame consume her. Orion watched with a frown as she screamed in agony. This time, she kept her eyes closed. ''What are my options? Did I miss something obvious?'' ''Did Tiohr-nam hinted at something? No...'' She began to rack her brain to attain maximum efficiency. ''Ah! Too slow! Even if I have to fry my brain, I''ll find a way!'' Different from her previous attempts, she focused on her lightning element. It began to focus on her head, forcing her neurons to work past their limits. Her nose began to bleed, but her thoughts became twice as fast. Until the last second, she had already crossed numerous options. ''Suppressing it with magic?'' ''Letting it consume me?'' ''Force the power outside my body? I can try.'' With a smile, she grabbed her chest with both hands and looked at Orion. "Move...away." With a nod, Orion warped further away from her. She looked at the sky, and writhed in pain as a large ball of lightning energy formed above her chest.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. It grew larger at an incredible pace, creating arching lightning bolts that ravaged the surrounding ground. A mixture of pure unfiltered energy and lightning magic the size of a bear loomed over her, until she released it. The ball sent a shockwave of static energy, electrifying everything in a hundred meters radius, before traveling at a ludicrous speed toward the sky. Her eyes were glued to the rising sphere, until it became a second sun in the sky. Literally. Following an explosion of tremendous force, a second sun formed in the sky, way larger than the real one. Microbursts shook the ground in repetition, until it vanished into nothing. Luckily, there was no one to see this, as they would have collapsed on the ground in terror. "Are you alright?" Orion moved his body from hers, and wiped the sand off his clothes and wings. "I... think I am for now." In a split moment after the ball was sent, Orion warped next to her, crouched down, and sheltered her from the crashing force. She sat on the ground with difficulty while looking at her hands. Feeling that her physical strength had deteriorated, she couldn''t even clench her fist correctly. "It''s temporary, isn''t it?" "Yes, as much as I want to disagree." With a dry smile, she nodded. "But it''s the perfect opportunity to find a way to control it now that the energy isn''t constantly being released." "How much time did that give you?" "Probably around fifteen minutes. Maybe less than that." After sitting next to her, Orion crossed his arms. "Hang in there." "I will." She placed her head on his left shoulder, and slowly closed her eyes. Even thought she was tired and wanted to fall asleep, she couldn''t. The energy in her core wasn''t letting her rest. Even if she expelled parts of the energy, it was rapidly building up, threatening to restart the vicious cycle of self-destruction. "Orion..." "What is it?" "How can I access my soul? Can you tell me how you do it?" Surprised, he thought for a second, before giving his answer. "It is impossible to access the soul in normal circumstances. I learned that from Tiohr-nam." "I see." Feeling that her options were thinning, she barely opened her eyes. "But..." Orion glanced at her with a serious look on his face. "I should be able to help you access it." "Really?" Her eyes opened wide, and a bright smile replaced her gloomy expression. "Yes." He gently pushed her away to stand up, and changed to his demon form. "Close your eyes." A puddle of dark matter traveled from his feet toward her. Dark tendrils began to latch on her, before her whole body was covered in darkness. She felt the cold feeling seep into her body, as it became numb, until she closed her eyes. Enveloped in a cocoon of darkness, Deveralna felt her consciousness fade away. ... "Where...?" *Bzzt* A lightning bolt crashed next to her, surprising her in the process. The static electricity made her hair fly up for a brief second, before she looked at the origin of the attack. "..." In utter shock, she opened her mouth. "How? How am I supposed to control that?!" A raging orb, three times the size of Albriar, loomed over her. It acted as the core, releasing in rhythm arms made of lightning in every direction, until it formed a perfect tesseract of pure plasma. All of this happened in fractions of seconds, appearing to create three times in a single second. She felt the sickening energy pulse uncontrollably, as the tesseract appeared to rotate after each released of energy. "Haha~ What in the..." Deveralna felt that this was impossible. She had chewed on more than she could swallow, as she began to desperate. Alone with this horrible power, she felt insignificant. "How could I think to contain such a powerful power?" Feeling the strength in her tail give out, she dropped to the ground. Tears welled up at the corner of her eyes, but she contained them. She was still a Queen, and her dignity couldn''t allow this pitiful state to worsen any further. While gritting her teeth, she shook her head, and recalled what she had said. "Until the bitter end, I''ll struggle! I''ll prove to Velridar that he was right in leaving his power in my hands!" She glared at the intense energy in her soul, her eyes glowing a white hue over her orange irises. The path to becoming a Remnant was full of dangers, but for a strong-willed Deveralna, it was only the beginning. "I will absorb you! You will be mine, and you will follow my orders!" Suddenly, a lightning bolt flew straight at her, threatening to injure her. If she took too much damage in this state, she could permanently injure her soul, or even lose her life. "Two can play this game." Pointing her right palm at the lightning, she sent a bolt of lightning to counter it. "I subdue you before it is too late. Trust me." Standing her ground, she glared at the orb. The confrontation rapidly worsened, as more and more attacks rained on her. Since plasma was an incredible matter state, Deveralna could barely keep up while countering each strikes. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead, before one bolt of plasma grazed her right arm. ''!'' She looked at her arm, and noticed that it didn''t hurt, and it wasn''t injured at all. ''What?'' Feeling a small energy in her core being refilled, confusion arose in her head. Then, an idea formed. If her suggestion were correct, then this matter would find an end sooner than later, without her suffering too much. Opening her arms wide, she welcomed the next bolts, which pierced her body from top to bottom, avoiding her head. "Kh!" The recoil made her slide a few meters backward, but she was fine. ''Process it! Quickly!'' She began to melt the energy inside her, as her body absorbed it. Away from her sight, a single container began to light up, filled with only a fraction of what it could hold. ''Faster!'' The next strikes were already pummeling her. She began to avoid and counter those she had no certainty she could absorb, while processing the ones in her core. Rapidly, the first energy container ended up being filled to the brim. A second one began to fill next to it. ''I feel lighter.'' The white glow in her eyes became stronger. It began to take over her irises natural color the more she absorbed the plasma bolts. At the same time, the tesseract began shrinking. Fewer and fewer plasma bolt hailed on her, as the fourth energy container filled up. Deveralna''s red scales turned white the more she processed the energy, until her whole tail became as white as snow. Her hair also turned whiter. A pure white, devoid of impurities. Now, she looked very similar to Velridar. Finally, the tesseract stopped appearing, leaving a feeble and blinking orb behind. "I... absorbed it all?" She looked at her hands in shock. "What is this strange feeling? I feel power swelling inside of me, but it''s not difficult to control." When she closed her eyes, she could see herself floating in the sky, a sky made of the energy she processed and made it her own. All that was left was to absorb the last piece, the orb, and all seven energy containers would be filled, marking the birth of the new Remnant of Strength. As she pointed her palm at it, an arc of plasma traveled from it to the orb, and it began to take the last of its power. Transferring everything to her, the orb vanished, absorbed. At last, a cross-like symbol formed in her eyes, symbolizing her success. When she felt complete, Deveralna awakened. Chapter 325: A lamia, yet also a Remnant. With the setting sun behind his back, Orion anxiously waited. Inside the black cocoon, no sign of movements or surge of energy happened, even after hours of waiting. Orion kept using his power to help Deveralna, but has she shown no signs of recovering consciousness, he could only doubt. "..." Not a single second went by without him staring at the cocoon. His attention was solely turned to her, in the hope she would break free. But his magic supply was starting to run dry. The Abyssal Sovereign form was constantly draining a fixed amount of his magic energy, and even more while materializing dark matter. Patiently, he kept on hoping for the best. It was when the sun disappeared past the horizon. A low breath, followed by a groan, caught his attention. Relief filled his heart, as a small smile replaced his previous expression. The cocoon began to rip from the bottom, until a white tail dropped to the ground with a large thumping sound. It slithered slowly, as if the one inside the cocoon awakened in a daze. Hands ripped the top wide open, before a yawning Deveralna emerged from it. She stretched her back while lifting her arms, and looked around her. "Oh. When did it get so dark?" "That shows how long you stayed unconscious." Her eyes fell on Orion, before she smiled brightly. "I see. Thanks to you, I managed somehow." Orion nodded, before looking at her carefully. "You''ve changed quite a lot." "Hmm?" She grabbed a strand of hair, and glared at it. "Ah! My hair!" When she looked down, she noticed her tail, similarly sharing the same color. "My tail! Why are they white?" "Your eyes too." As she touched her cheeks with confusion, Deveralna cursed her new power. "Damn it! I liked how I looked before..." "Those wings too. They are white." "Wings?" Deveralna looked at Orion''s wings. "Not those, the ones behind your back." With a mocking smile, he pointed at the pair of wings on her back, tightly glued to her waist, hips, and tail. They seemed pretty large at first glance, until Deveralna stretched them to acknowledge their existence, which she hadn''t noticed until Orion pointed them out. An elegant gleam of particles caught Orion off guard the moment her beautiful, untainted wings flapped. Around a meter of length, they had a strong base, capable of lifting her in the air with ease. "You''re... not a lamia anymore." "Seems... like it." As both of them were acknowledging the fact that Deveralna had changed, they both looked confused. Deveralna especially, as she began to move her wings however she wanted. Their elasticity was greatly surprising, as she bent them upward and downward, even bending them above her and in front of her. Moving them independently was also possible, even though it looked difficult, showed by her frown when she tried. Physically, they were similar to a dragon''s wings, compared to Orion''s weird wings made of dark matter. While Orion had two pairs, both of different shapes and forms, he couldn''t move them at will like her, as they weren''t part of his body. The difference between Deveralna, and a dragon like Monolavir, was that her wings were more of a symbol than an actual necessity compared to Monolavir, who needed them to move his massive and heavy body.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. A basic dragon wing couldn''t move that freely, as its only states were in soaring mode, or resting mode. "Now that I think about it, Velridar had no wings. Why did they sprout out so suddenly?" "That''s probably an evolutionary thing. You are a Remnant now, not a lamia. Well, I think you still are a lamia, but a more advanced type. You became the leader of the lamias, and the dragons." Orion nodded to himself. "Yes, I think it''s correct to assume you needed some sort of dignified traits to show that you are capable of leading both factions." "And what better than dragon wings to show that you are now part of them, as their new Remnant." Deveralna sighed loudly, as she glued her wings to her skin. "There''s a lot to process. By the way, where are we?" Now that she had everything under control, she could take her time to look around. "I know where on the continent. From the looks of it, this is the Parsmata Desert?" Behind her, the Talviera Mountain Range appeared in sight, with the Northern Sea barely entering her line of sight on her left. "You''re correct. This is where we fought our first Apostle. If you look behind me, you''ll see the ruins of Kaios." When Orion moved aside to let her see, all she noticed was a few broken walls covered in sand. There were no rests of the city, flattened by Ivan at the time. "These broken stones over there? Really?" With a smile, Orion looked at her. "Deveralna." She glanced at him, her eyes glowing brightly. The sigil of Strength appeared in her eyes, before vanishing, as if they were never here in the first place. "It might be late to ask, but are you fine?" Releasing his demon form, he walked closer in front of her. "I''m perfectly fine. There doesn''t seem to be any rejec-" Orion pulled her toward him, and hugged her tightly. Surprised, Deveralna took a few seconds to understand what had happened. With her head buried in his chest, she slowly reached for his back, and hugged him back. "That''s great." She glanced at him, unable to contain her words from leaving her mouth the moment she saw his expression of relief. "Were you scared?" "Of course I was. I have no intend to let you go anytime soon." "Well, I''m deeply sorry about that." "You don''t have to be. It was your choice." "..." Deveralna looked down for a moment. "What''s wrong?" "You..." She struggled to form words, but Orion didn''t care. He would wait until she was ready to speak her mind, however long it would take. "Don''t you hate me now? I''ve changed so much." "Why?" Suddenly, she felt a hand touch her hair and caress her gently. ''Aah...'' All the nervousness in her mind was instantly lifted. Her body relaxed, and she gave in to the feeling, pressing her body further against Orion''s. ''As much as I enjoy this, focus, Orion.'' He felt the power of Silka surge from within, but contained it. Orion was slowly adjusting to it, making it possible to avoid situations like what happened with Amelia. "Did you change inside? Are you not the same lovely lamia I met and shared a night with?" "No. I''m still the same." "Then it''s good enough. Just because your body adjusted to your Remnant power, doesn''t mean you are different." "..." Orion stopped for a moment, before smiling dryly. "Well, if you had completely turned into a dragon, it would''ve been pretty difficult to ignore the changes at that point." "Haha~ For sure." While giggling, she pushed him away slowly. "So, I''m glad to hear you don''t have anything against the new me, but what about my powers? Are you interested?" Crossing his arms, Orion nodded. "Of course I am. Show me what you can do." Deveralna nodded, before turning around. She turned once again, and glanced at him with a frown. "I can''t use very much energy, so it''ll only be a small demonstration." Orion shook his head. "Don''t use your full power anyway. I don''t want you to erase Triazils accidentally." "I wouldn''t do that even you asked! Stupid!" They exchanged a faint smile, before Deveralna pointed her left palm in the air. "I have no interest in destruction. If I were like Velridar, I probably wouldn''t care, yet, I''m different." A sphere of plasma appeared in her hand, the size of a watermelon. ''Such pure raw magic.'' Orion couldn''t look away. Compared to Velridar, who used the energy in the world to condense it into his own energy, Deveralna used the lightning magic as a medium to manifest that energy. It crackled violently in the air, before she slammed it in her stomach. A field of static electricity enveloped her, before a white glow covered every inch of her body. Her eyes turned bright white, and her thoughts became sharper. *Flash* Deveralna vanished from the spot, leaving behind her an afterimage of herself that lasted for five seconds. "Impressive." Orion opened his mouth wide, and tried to keep up with her speed using his eyes. "She''s..." *BAM* In the distance, Orion recognized a familiar sound, before a burst of static air caressed his cheeks and blew his hair backward. "Hahaha~ So easily." Seeing her break the sound barrier so easily without feeling the aftereffects made him laugh out loud. He couldn''t believe it. "I believe it is a principle similar to Florian''s movements? Too bad I can''t use lightning magic." While shrugging, he noticed Deveralna turning around in the blink of an eye, slithered her tail in the sand toward a large rock, and stopped in front of it. From his spot, he saw her talk to herself. ''Might as well use it.'' Is what he read on her lips, before her wings stretched on her sides. Deveralna flew a few meters above ground, and dropped toward the ground while flipping her body. Her tail crashed with the rock, splitting it in half. Before Orion could blink, a loud thunder like growl echoed in the desert. A white bolt of lightning crashed where Deveralna hit the rock. It twisted and merged into the shape of a massive dragon, before disintegrating everything around her. Even though he was far away, Orion was forced to leap backward a few times. "..." Amazed, Orion observed the roaring lightning-shaped dragon until it disappeared. In its center, Deveralna stood among the burnt sand, unarmed. She disappeared, only to stop inches from Orion''s face. "So? What do you think?" Her aura vanished, as the energy filling her magic ran dry. "You became rather terrifying." "Is that so?" "Yes, so much, I would love to fight you right now." "Please don''t." "I said I would, not that I was about to." "That''s a relief. I''m too exhausted for that." Orion nodded, and opened a portal next to him. "Let''s return, then. We''ll stop by the fairy village to notify Tiohr-nam about your success, and then we''ll go home." Deveralna smiled and grabbed his arm. "I wonder what the others will say about my new look." Both disappeared from the Parsmata Desert, not knowing that they scared the living daylight out of Hocride''s citizens, who heard a dreadful sound coming from far into the desert. That night, many heard a thundering roar from the desert, creating the legend of a giant monster dwelling in the sand. Chapter 326: Miasmas discovery. The next week went on relatively peacefully for Triazils and Horizon''s inhabitants. Everyone seemed to have forgotten the dome covering Eogis, unaware of the events happening inside of it, while only a few people actually focused on keeping a close watch on it. Those people were the Lords who previously had the titles of Apostles. Florian, after discussing with Orion and Monolavir, began to monitor the dome''s behavior in search for the missing dragon, while also keeping a close watch on whatever would approach its border, be it a faction''s member, or a corrupted beast. On the other side of the continent, Kamala, who resided in Hocride, discreetly listened to rumors and stories told by the traveling merchants and sailors around town. Through her soldiers, she began to gather a lot of information. South from them, Eric began to instruct his army, which had nothing to work for anymore. With the threat of the Frigoria Plains removed, their purpose vanished with it. But for him, nothing was settled yet, as he prepared his men for the terrible fight destined to happen. In Horizon, nothing especially different happened. The usual training for those in need, and the constant work on the plane, made the time fly by rapidly. The ones improving by leaps and bonds were Amelia, Deveralna, and Senia. Everyone else was lacking the magic energy to be equal to them. If there had been one change, it was Elliott. "Is that all you can do? Father''s not going to give you a chance, you understand that?" He blocked Orion''s punch and clenched it with a force enough to shatter a boulder. "How many times have you said that already?" "I''ll repeat it as long as you stay like this." Having recovered completely, Elliott became Orion''s training partner during their spare time. Compared to their first encounter, Orion was fairing slightly worse against him, yet, with the Abyssal Sovereign power, managed to survive against a serious Elliott without taking heavy damage. Of course, they were training, so the two only exchanged powerful blows with such force a normal person would break in half, literally. "I have to say, this is better than that uncontrollable mess you were before. Swift movements, precise counters, and careful planning. That''s what I see when I''m against the current you." "Thanks for the compliments, but why so suddenly?" Orion pulled his hand away and leaped backward. "Well..." Elliott bent his left knee and dropped his body downward while keeping his gaze locked on him. "Hard work needs to be..." Rapidly, Orion turned around and defended against a sideways kick aimed at his hip. While he grabbed Elliott''s ankle, he pushed him away. "To be?" "Rewarded. That was my mother''s favorite saying." With a side glance, Orion began to think about it, before nodding. "I agree." His black ink wings flapped, before he vanished from the spot. He appeared behind Elliott, and tried to jab his back with his hand. With a smile, Elliott side-stepped away, and knee-kicked Orion''s elbow. "Kh..." "You''re trying too hard to be predictable?" A vein bulged on Orion''s forehead as he checked if his arm had been broken. "What do you mean by that? Of course not." "I''m going to ask this then. What''s the point of going behind your opponent if you disappear from his sight? Evidently, the natural reaction would be to watch out for their blind spots." "That makes sense." Orion let go of his arm, which was fine, and listened to Elliott. "You''re a hunter. I won''t tell you to compare your current self to the previous Hero, as you two are entirely different types. Yet, there are many tactics that would be most useful."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. "While a crossbow is great for long-ranged attacks, what happens at close range? Are you going to defend yourself with your fists every time? Don''t expect your opponent to remain at long range once they notice your weakness." Overall, Elliott was a great teacher. Everything he had learned from his mother in the past was practical, as he instructed Orion on how to remove his weaknesses. "Then..." Once again, Orion vanished from the spot, only to appear behind him once again. ''Did he not learn?'' A simple thought crossed Elliott''s mind, before he focused on the incoming attack. But unexpectedly, when he turned his head to look at Orion behind him, no one was there. A look of surprise painted his face, before he suddenly held his opened right hand in front of his face, catching a fist that aimed for his head. "How?!" Orion exclaimed while trying to pull his hand away, unsuccessfully. "How could I catch your hand even thought I couldn''t see you?" He clenched the fist and pulled on it, forcing Orion to take a few steps forward. As he lost his balance and fell forward, Elliott crouched under him, before throwing an uppercut into his gut so powerful it created a shockwave that traveled through his body, and far behind him in a diagonal angle. "Gah!" The powerful punch forced Orion to kneel on the ground while grabbing his stomach with his free hand. Elliott released him, and took a few steps back. Orion removed his demon form and assumed his angel form to heal. "Hmm~ This looks rather inefficient. You should work on making the transformation as seamless as possible." With his arms crossed, he continued. "Anyway, to answer your question. I always have an energy barrier erected around me to detect threats. Call it a bad habit from staying too long in a land filled with corrupted beasts trying to bite my throat off and eat my guts." "I...see." With pain, Orion stood up. The punch did serious damage to his internal organs, as it took a rather long time to heal, but after a few seconds, his expression eased up. "We should stop there for today. If I keep you too long, a certain person will be in trouble." Elliott shook his head and shrugged. "Having so many women would be a curse to me. I do not envy you." "Thank you for the comment." Once again, feeling insulted, Orion glared at him. ''This guy certainly knows how to get on my bad side.'' He closed his eyes, and remembered what he had learned during his sparring. "I''ll think about the blind spot matter, and the transitions between angel and demon forms." "That should be your priority now. I do not doubt the answer will take long for you to find." "You trust me a lot. Why is that?" Confusion showed on Elliott''s face. "Can''t I? I simply respect your ambitions. Protecting the people regardless of their origins is something only a handful of people actually bothered to push forward." "I am all for that, even if I was the one who... eradicated a few of them." While frowning, he looked surprisingly bothered by the past. "If it was your fault, you wouldn''t be here." Orion couldn''t understand his feelings, as he never took lives while being under control of someone else. Still, he could support him a little. He turned around, and began to walk away. Moments later, he warped away. "Unexpected kind words. I''ll accept them gratefully." With nothing else to do for the day, Elliott looked toward the east, and walk in the direction of the arachnea forest. ~ Along the northern coast of Eogis. Two shadowy figures walked behind a woman. "..." Miasma stopped in his track, and looked inside a cave full of crystals. "Too late, huh? This is where her magic signature led to, but there''s nothing of value in sight." The shadows entered the cave, and carefully examined the walls, in case something would catch their eyes. "Return. There''s nothing in here anymore." Rage began to fill Miasma''s heart, as he was expecting to see a familiar face resting in this place. "That bitch... I wanted her for myself. Just imagining the face her son would make..." A twisted smile deformed his face, but it quickly turned into a sour glare. "I said, return!" Panicked, the two ran toward their master, and bowed without a word. "Tsk! Useless trash. You just have to listen to my orders. If I have to repeat myself another time, I''ll turn you into dragon feed." "Do you want to end up like all those wonderful people? Sacrificing a whole city to make a single creature even more powerful." His twisted smile returned, recalling the terror and agony inflicted on Paraviel''s citizens. Deeply buried in her soul, Layla was also agonizing. Everything her family had built, it all came crashing down in a single night. Nothing was left of the city besides broken buildings and dried blood on the pavement. Each of the citizens was eaten by the terrifying creature he had created, making the whole matter even more painful for her. "Walk. We''re not done yet." Miasma continued walking on the sand, followed by his two followers. As he continued further away from the cave, he suddenly stopped before walking under a massive rock formation. "An arch... there''s a very strange feeling about this place." "This magic signature, it''s Orion." He created a pillar of corruption under his feet, which began to lift him up into the air. When he arrived at the top of the arch, he placed a hand on his chin, and observed. "Strange." Pointing his palm toward the ''thing'' in front of him, a cloud of corruption emerged and traveled to it. The two energies clashed, before a portal revealed itself in front of Miasma. "Oh. Oh! Is that it?" A maniacal laugh loudly echoed through the shoreline and the surrounding forests. "Orion. Poor Orion." Miasma stepped on the arch and walked into the portal. *Bzzt* Rejection immediately ensued. "What the-" The portal blinked wildly at the approach of an unauthorized entity. It began to push him away, while closing on itself. "Fuck!" Before it was too late, Miasma jumped out of the portal, and fell on the sand, cursing. A cracking sound caught his attention, as the portal consumed itself, successfully self-destructing itself. "..." An enraged Miasma stood up and wiped the sand off his body. He glared at the rock formation, and attacked it. "Why is nothing going the way I want?! Why?!" As he pummeled the base of the arch, it broke from the onslaught of corrupted blast, falling into pieces toward the ground. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fu-" "Huh?" Suddenly, his mood changed as he felt an unexpected magic signature. "Haha... Hahaha~" "That is splendid. Truly, what a masterpiece!" "I had no idea you two were still alive." A dark veil covered his eyes, before his notorious twisted smile returned. "So much to do, really. I''ll make this a priority." "We return. Follow me." As the two followers bowed, Miasma turned around and left the coast. Chapter 327: Working on a heinous plan. Having taken the ruined Paraviel as his main base, Miasma sat on the throne made for the Lord of the city. As he pondered his next move, his army composed of mindless corrupted humans and beasts patiently waited for their next order. At his side, three shadowy figures waited, with two of them anxiously glancing at their master from time to time. Behind him, a broken wall stood, barely supporting its weight after the carnage that took place in the city. Past it, two giant figures could be seen peeking through one of the broken parts. One had deep purple colored irises, while the other had a vivid yellow, almost as bright as the sun itself. At some point, Miasma turned his head and stared at an empty space of the room, intently focused on something. (Maybe...) He mumbled something, before closing his eyes for a brief instant. "Hey." Suddenly, he turned his head to one of his followers. "What is it, master?" "Where did that explosion happen at again?" "Explosion?" "You''re the one who mentioned it recently. Can''t you remember?" With a sharp glare, his follower couldn''t help but straightened and think carefully. "T-The one caused by Elliott?" "This one. Not that there was another. So, where did it happen?" Miasma began to tap his finger on the throne''s arm with impatience. "I believe it happened near the border between Eogis and the main continent." "Is it still inside the barrier?" "It should be?" "Hmm~" Returning to his thoughts, Miasma brought one finger to his chin, while his follower breathed a sigh of relief. On the side, the third cloaked follower began to fumble around, before suddenly tripping over its own feet, missing one of the steps in the process. It began rolling down the stairs, before crashing into one of the pillars supporting the ceiling. A faint groan escaped the follower''s mouth as it struggled to get up. "You imbecile..." Miasma glared at it, before closing his eyes. "Somebody, pick up this fool and bring it back up here." One of the nearest mindless soldiers turned to the fallen figure, and approached it. It grabbed the figure, and placed it over its shoulder, before going up the stairs. At the top, it threw it on the ground, and walked downstairs to return to its original spot. "Good job. You can have a reward." Miasma opened his hands and shot a beam of concentrated corruption toward the soldier, who showed no signs of reaction. The beam entered its body, before changes began to appear. Its teeth began to clatter loudly, as it grabbed its head. The legs gave out in a loud thud as they dropped to the ground, before it lifelessly arched its body backward. A few seconds later, its left hand began to twitch, before it awakened. The red glow in its eyes was no more, replaced by a deep purple. Its muscles grew in size, surpassing those of its former self, and it grew in height during this process. The puny sword it had bent weirdly the moment it picked it up, before throwing it on the ground. "Master, I broke the sword." "Good luck finding a new one." "Yes." The new follower kneeled in front of its master without hesitation, and closed its eyes. "How do you feel, now that you have free will again?" "I don''t feel like I have free will, though?" "Hahaha~ Well, that''s true." Miasma laughed for a second, before standing up. "I''m impressed you had what it takes to change. Less than ten percent manage to mutate without problem. You will be put to good use."Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. "Thank you." While taking his time, Miasma walked down the stairs. Using Layla''s graceful appearance, he quite liked to put on a show. "You should be able to remove that bead inside of you, now that you''ve evolved." "Is that so?" The transformed soldier looked at his hand, before plunging it into his chest. When it removed his hand, a dark core rolled into his open hand, as the wound closed by itself. After stopping in front of him, his master picked up the core and crushed it in his hand. "So?" "I feel no different." "Perfect." Miasma opened his mouth and sprinkled the core''s dust into it, before swallowing. "Alright, we move. You and me. The others are staying here." "Yes, master." They all bent forward to his words, before Miasma walked past the soldiers. Only him and the new addition to his force walked out of the dilapidated castle. ~ "How do I stop that?!" "I don''t know?! Do something?!" Amelia, Deveralna, and Karteira were all running around the training ground. "I told you so! I said to wait for Orion!" The three of them were panicking, dodging the rain of plasma falling on them. - A few minutes before. "Are you sure you don''t need Orion to look over you?" Amelia, who was in her lightning mastery form, asked while spinning her chain dagger. "I don''t intend on using a lot of power. What I need to do is getting accustomed to the intensity." "Be careful. Orion would probably scold you if you damage the area too badly." With Karteira next to her, Deveralna couldn''t help but smile dryly at the thought. "Do you need him every time you try to improve?" "N-No..." It was true, both were the same. They couldn''t wait for Orion most of the time, and kept improving regardless. "Since he''s gone to check on his brother, there''s nothing we can do." With a serious face, Deveralna said. After becoming a Remnant, she also became more confident in her way of thinking and talking. At first, they were shocked to see the changes, but after a few minutes, they immediately registered that she hadn''t changed at all. "You''re more proactive now than you were before. Are you sure you''re alright?" With a smirk, Karteira jabbed her elbow into her rib. "Are you trying to say I became nuts after evolving? That''s rude." "Everyone in this group who has power is nuts..." Amelia shrugged and confessed the reality of things. "Of course, I am, too." "Haha... That''s... quite right." With an awkward smile, Karteira placed her hand behind her head and looked away. "Don''t forget that most of us have powers that surpass even the strongest beings on the continent. That''s probably because of Orion, but still." "Even Remnants cannot stand a chance against you now. That''s how absurd the power you''ve obtained is." Deveralna recalled the awful feeling she felt in front of the tesseract. With that in mind, she agreed. "You''re not wrong. But that''s why I want to control it. I have no idea how to gauge the amount of energy I release, so in any case, I need to try." "We''ll be looking on the side then." Karteira and Amelia began to walk away, losing sight of Deveralna for only a split second. "Eh? Hah!" The moment they turned their back, she pointed her palm toward the sky, and released a bright ball of plasma. It traveled high into the air, until it exploded like fireworks into millions of minuscule particles of energized plasma. - Back to the current time. "I swear! If you burn down the place!" Said Amelia, spinning her dagger chains wherever a plasma particle dropped around her. She managed to block them with her lightning weapons without suffering. "At least..." Karteira appeared next to her before vanishing from her spot, only to reappear on a few meters away on her right. "It''s good training for me." She then moved rapidly to avoid another spark, leaving a trail of light behind her. "Hieeee!" With her hands on her head, Deveralna braced herself, scared by her own power. "She''s definitely...not used to fighting. Even training for that matter." "Can you blame her? She''s been thrown into our world without preparations." Both Amelia and Karteira began to leisurely chat with each other while avoiding the rain of particles in their own ways. Compared to what they usually went through against Orion, this was barely challenging. "This will either require our help, or Orion''s? Which do you prefer?" With a serious face, Amelia looked at Karteira, just to realized she was already gone from her spot. "Well..." The rain of particles finally subsided. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the grass'' state was another story. Fire had consumed the grass, propagating rapidly in all directions. If nothing were done, it would devastate the trees farther away. That''s when Karteira''s power shone the brightest. She snuffed the fire using her high speed before it could do more damage. Just running past the flames extinguished them, and before Amelia could blink, there was no other danger in the horizon. Karteira stopped in front of Amelia, whipping the sweat from her forehead. "Fuu~" "Good work." Amelia held her hand in the air, hoping the other party would answer. It didn''t take look for Karteira to slap her hand with her own. *Slap* The two smiled at each other, before turning to Deveralna, who was slowly getting out of her panicked state. "To answer your question." Listening to Karteira, Amelia glanced at her. "I think it would be for the best if we helped her." "The reason?" "Orion can be quite... hard on you during training. I fear she won''t be improving much if she''s constantly stressed out." With a nod, Amelia agreed. "I see. She was normal until now. Since Orion always goes all out without thinking, it could definitely hinder her learning." "Yes, I wouldn''t want her to suddenly be sparring against Orion in his demon form. That form''s scary, even for me." The two shuddered in unison. "Those dark tentacles... They''re repulsive to no end." "Agreed." Deveralna looked around her with a worried look, before finding the two she was looking for. "A-Are you alright?" "We''re fine. What about you?" She checked herself, only to notice that nothing was wrong. "I''m fine." "Then that''s the most important." Anxiously, Deveralna looked at the burnt grass. "Hum... What about this? Am I going to get in trouble?" "That?" Karteira pointed at the ground with a confused look. She turned to look at Amelia, before she began to laugh. "Don''t worry." Just when Amelia said that, the grass began to heal, returning to its previous state. "This whole area is blessed with Tiohr-nam''s power. It automatically returns to normal after a few minutes." Wiping her tears away, Karteira continued. "If not, this place would be turned into a barren land because of us. Though, it is only this place. Don''t go burning other places." "I''ll try..." With a dejected look, the lamia Remnant looked at the ground. "Don''t look so down. Were you expecting to be able to control it on the first try?" "..." "Since nothing major happened, you should continue to strive for success. Nothing is obtained without effort, so keep trying." "She''s right. We''ll keep looking over you, so try again, and again, until you get the right amount of power you''re trying to get." Feeling the sincerity from her two friends, she recovered her spirit. Having given hoped, she continued to push herself the rest of the day, with both Amelia and Karteira at her side. At the end of the day, little progress was made. Chapter 328: Beastman evolution. Dylan''s house, the same day. "Is it normal for beastmen?" Orion asked with a serious expression. "Definitely not. Something is happening to him, but we don''t know what." Looking very anxious, Dylan pressed his forehead on his hands. (Agh! Rhaaah!) Muffled screams of pain echoed through the house. (It''s alright! Nylon, close your eyes!) Hearing the agitated and concerned voice of Eliza, Orion frowned. "How long has it been going on?" "Two days ago... I dismissed his warning a few times, thinking it was aftereffects of his journey south, but I was wrong." "What did he say?" Dylan glanced at him, before leaning on his chair. "Before returning, after he had defeated the last corrupted, a strange sensation built in his chest. After taking the time to do a check, we''ve confirmed that nothing was wrong with him." "Yet, his complexion kept deteriorating, leading to our current situation." The beastmen were unable to find anything wrong with him, and yet, Nylon was in pain. ''I will need to look at it. There''s no way I''m letting him suffer on my watch.'' Determined to find the reason for this happening, Orion stood up. "Let''s start by bringing Eliza out. I''m going to thoroughly check his state." "A mother''s distress is something I would like to avoid at all cost, so focus on calming your nerves, and then appease your wife''s anguish." "Orion?" Dylan opened his mouth in disbelief. "Until I say so, nothing bad is currently happening. You heard me, right? So stop worrying, and take her outside." With a smile, he held his hand toward Dylan. The old beastman grabbed it with a firm grip, and nodded. "Right. You''re right. I''ll leave him in your hands." "Of course." ... "Dylan... are you sure?" Outside of Nylon''s room, Eliza was being hugged by her husband while being explained the situation. "Yes, we''ll leave it to Orion. You don''t have to worry, he should know what''s happening and resolve it." "If you say so." She glanced at Orion, showing some hesitation to let her son alone. "There''s no reason to doubt. I would never do something that could hurt him, or you two. If anything, I''ll do my best to ease his pain." But, she shook her head. "I know. That''s not what''s on my mind." "Oh?" Orion showed curiosity, he placed his hand on the door handle, and waited. "Don''t force yourself." "I will accept your concern. Now, please think about something else, and enjoy your time outside." "Thank you." Both Dylan and Eliza stared at his back until Orion closed the door. Suddenly, Nylon''s screams stopped echoing from his room, creating a disturbing silence. "Let''s go." Dylan pulled Eliza alongside him, before they both left the house. ... *Snap* Snapping his finger the moment he entered the dimly lit bedroom, Orion created a soundproof barrier to avoid worrying about the screams, be it Dylan and Eliza, or the beastmen living around their house. ''Alright.'' Confirming the barrier was working correctly, he approached Nylon, who was grabbing his chest in pain, lying on his bed. "Nylon, are you conscious?" With a piercing glare, Orion forced a bloodthirsty aura out of his body, thrown directly at his brother. "Ah!" Nylon opened his eyes suddenly, inhaling and exhaling at a high pace.Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. "Do you think you can talk to me?" Slowly, he nodded. "I should..." "Good. Still, take your time. I know your suffering, but you are in no rush. Talk slowly, and manage your breathing." Rapidly, Nylon''s breathing stabilized, as if he had remembered how to do it. Being in front of Orion, he found the strength to listen to his words, and successfully controlled his hurting body. The only things he couldn''t control were the thumbing in his chest, and the groans coming out of his mouth. "Are you healing me?" "I am. Does it make it more bearable?" Nylon noticed Orion''s hand on his shoulder, glowing a faint white light. "It does... thank you." "No problem." The two brothers glanced at each other for a moment, before Orion became serious. "So, tell me what you are feeling in detail. Don''t leave anything." "Right." ... Nylon explained what Orion had already heard, but with more detail, as asked. At first, the pain was barely noticeable. In fact, he ignored it at first. But as the days past, it grew stronger and stronger. No one could find the problem, before it became unbearable. What was new, was that Nylon guessed what the issue was. It wasn''t a physical anomaly, but something deep inside his being. Something was growing inside his core, but he couldn''t do anything about it. His muscles, organs, and blood were all working fine, so the only answer was: "Your soul..." "I think so." Orion placed his finger on his chin, and switched forms in front of an astonished Nylon. "That''s..." "Oh, I never showed you before. It is my demon form. The blood flowing in me is cut in half between angel and demon, making me able to draw out the traits of both factions." "Incredible." In his demon form, Orion''s eyes focused on Nylon''s chest. He peered deep inside it, searching for the reason of his pain. ''I can''t find it like this...'' "It''s going to be slightly unpleasant, but bear with it for now." He placed his left hand high above Nylon, and pointed his palm toward him. From his fingers, five tendrils slithered down and tapped on his body in various places. "..." Quietly observing what was happening, Nylon was marveling over Orion''s power. "!" "This is the same scenario..." Absorbing the dark matter back into him, Orion glared at Nylon. "Same scenario?" "Nylon. Have you come into contact with a powerful being?" "..." Recalling his journey with Elliott, nothing of such came to mind. "No. Until the very end, it was only Elliott and me." "I see... Then how? Or when did you contact it?" "What are you talking about?" With a frown, Orion looked at him. "You''re not quite becoming one, though. I think you''re evolving into something new." "I don''t follow you." Nylon was unable to understand anything Orion was saying. Seeing the confusion on his face, Orion snapped back to reality, and smiled dryly. "Sorry. Something happened similar to your situation last week. I thought it was the same, but it is not." "One of us became a Remnant. You''ll notice the next time you will visit." His eyes opened wide in shock. "Are you serious?" "Am I the type to joke about something that important?" "No... You''re not. So, you said it''s not the same, which means I''m not becoming a Remnant? I''m evolving?" Orion nodded. "That''s the most plausible explanation. I think you''ve attained the limits of what a beastman can accomplish. The Remnant who created your faction might have included something like this in your genes. You''re stronger than Dylan now." "Eh?" The reality was difficult to accept. "Because I killed a few giants?" "Because you ''killed'' a few giants. Do you know many people who managed that feat?" Slowly, he shook his head from left to right. "There you have it. You''ve exceeded the amount of strength your body is capable of holding, and it wants to evolve. It aims to progress further." Light shone inside his eyes as he listened. "I can open the floodgate. The problem with you is that your internal circuit is completely blocked." "Magic? Will I be able to use magic?!" "It''s a big ''maybe''. Don''t expect too much. As far as I understand you, your circuit will only spread that strength equally. That pain you''re feeling is that energy accumulating with no place to flow in." Orion switched form, as large white wings stretched behind him. "..." "Close your eyes. This might cause tremendous pain to you, the moment that energy permeates into every fiber of your being. The moment it dies down, you will begin showing signs of changes." Nylon, trusting Orion with his life, prepared himself. "Alright. One..." "Two..." "Three." Orion placed his hand above him, forcing the circuit inside Nylon''s body to open with his light magic. Suddenly, Nylon opened his eyes wide. He clenched his chest even harder than before, and opened his mouth. But the pain became so intense his voice couldn''t even form. A silent scream, that was all he could do. He felt his muscles being pulled, tore apart, and ripped to shreds. His organs began to burn, as if they were ignited by the most intense fire existing. His brain began to freeze from the intense pain, as his eyes rolled up. Foam formed around his mouth from the tearing pain. Orion looked calmly at this scene. After what happened with Deveralna, this was nothing for him. Still, the awful feeling in his hurt forced him to act. A white halo formed behind his back, bathing Nylon into it bright light. Particles of light magic traveled toward him, before being sprinkled like sand on him. "Aagh! Gak!" Nylon recovered his consciousness, and felt the pain all over his body lose its intensity. He struggled to catch his breath, as saliva dripped down the corner of his mouth. "That... fucking hurt." "I believe you." With a sneaky smile, Nylon glared at Orion, while Orion nodded with a faint smile of his own. "Focus. Don''t let the pain take over you." "I''ve been... badly injured a few... times already. Easy... thing." "Don''t act cocky now. It''s a little too late." "You... guessed it?" "How could I not?" They both laughed gently, before the second wave of suffering arrived to make Nylon ask for the release of death itself. Audible sounds of breaking bones echoed in the room, loud enough that even Orion found it disturbing. "Kh! Nnnnh!" Nylon clenched his teeth as hard as possible. He endured everything with the help of Orion''s healing magic, or otherwise, fainting wouldn''t be avoidable. *Crack* Nylon''s neck suddenly snapped loudly. It clouded his vision for a moment, before he bit his lower lip to keep his consciousness working. Blood dripped down his cheek, as he glared at the ceiling. "I... swear... If I don''t make it... out! I''ll curse... our creator!" "Even if you survive, you''ll probably curse him." "You''re not... wrong!" Lying in his bed powerlessly, Nylon couldn''t do much besides waiting for the torture to end. "It should be almost done. Your body is adjusting to the flow." Orion began to observe the changes. ''His limbs are nimbler than before, yet, they show great muscle strength. His muscles aren''t as big as mine, but they are definitely powerful enough to crush someone''s skull.'' ''Physically, he probably became as tall as me, too. And he is quite handsome, even more than before.'' Noticing that Nylon became the opposite of Orion in terms of body type, he smiled lightly. Suddenly, Nylon''s stopped holding his chest. His breathing stabilized, and he wiped the drool and blood off his mouth. He sat on his bed, and looked at his hands. "Am I thinner?" "You sure are. You''re also going to have quite a lot of trouble with women." "Hah?! What does that mean? I''m not you!" "Look at yourself in the mirror before dismissing my claim." Nylon stood up and walked to the mirror in his room. "Wait... What?!" He touched his face, which had become more pronounced. His thin and silky white hair glistened with vitality. Glistening dark eyes, akin to two onyx jewels, and a healthy skin color, entirely changing the air emanating from him. With a toned body, streamlined to its peak, strong but springy, and a build which would obviously make him stand out around his peers. While looking at himself, Nylon suddenly felt a magic signature inside his core. Feeling a pulse inside him, he opened his right hand, and turned to Orion slowly. "Is that... normal?" Orion stared at the power surging from it. "Well. That''s new." Chapter 329: Umbral Wolf. An ink black liquid poured from Nylon''s hand, seeping between his fingers and dripping unto the floor. "Is that water magic?" Said Orion with curiosity. He approached closer and touched the liquid. "Huh?" Surprised, he frowned. "What?" "I can''t touch it. It had no texture to me." "That''s strange, I can feel it flowing in my hand..." Nylon pressed his other hand on the watery liquid, and clapped his hands together. When he moved his hands apart, long threads of sticky fluid formed bridges between each hand, before dropping toward the floor like goo. "..." Orion began to scan the magic. He had no idea what it was, as it looked like water magic, but wasn''t acting like such. ''This feels very familiar for some reason. What could it be?'' The gooey liquid splashed on the ground, before slowly flowing toward Nylon''s feet. ''Could it be?!'' "Dark magic!" Concluding that the feeling he felt was similar to his magic, he exclaimed. "Impossible!" "I think it is. It might be a mixture of water and dark magic." Nylon''s reaction was fair. Never in his wildest dream did he ever thought of using magic. But a smile suddenly overthrew the surprised look he had. In fact, he felt incredibly happy. ''I can use the same element!'' He felt proud to have developed an affinity for dark magic, just like his brother. Still incredibly curious, Orion couldn''t help but ask. "Do you know how to use it?" "I... think so." The magic popped in his head when he thought of using it. In fact, it was already partially activated. "Hmm~" While tilting his head, Nylon looked at his shadow. "Like this?" "Woa-" In the blink of an eye, he fell through his shadow, leaving a ripple of water where his shadow was. "Eh?" Confused, Orion tried to comprehend what had happened. "Nylon?" Nothing. No answers. "Where is he?" Glancing to his left and right, he began to look for signs of Nylon, when he noticed a tiny shadow moving around the room. It traveled across the floor, climbed the walls, and stayed on the ceiling. At some point, it turned larger, and released Nylon, who dropped to the floor without crashing down. He straightened and smiled at Orion like a child receiving a new toy. "That was incredible!" "What did you do?" With excitement, Nylon explained what he went through. "I suddenly fell into that dark place. It felt... similar to being surrounded by water in all directions somehow, but it was very comfortable." "There was this opening where I could see through. Before I knew it, I began to move around to get used to the sensation, until I realized I was walking on the walls." "Wait, walking isn''t the right word. I feel like floating is the correct sensation. I went on the ceiling, and when I thought I had enough, I managed to come out of it without problem." While listening, Orion got a pretty good idea of what his brother did.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Shadow Walk. Let''s call your new ability that." "Sounds simple, I like it. It''s also very fitting." Orion smirked. "For an assassin, this is a miracle." Realization hit Nylon. "Oh... You''re right." "Have you thought of a name for your evolution? You are the first, and probably only beastman to have evolved. I think you can honor it by giving yourself a title?" The importance of the title was to differentiate him from other beastmen. He became the only member of the faction to attain such a new height, so what harm could it do. "That''s a good idea. Yet, I can''t think of anything on the fly..." "..." Both began to seriously think about it. After a few minutes of pure silence, they looked at each other and nodded. "You go first." Orion said, waiting for his suggestion. "Clawing Shadow... that''s all I can come up with, since I use iron claws as weapons." "Sounds edgy." "I know." They laughed for a minute, before Orion gave his idea. "Umbral Wolf." Nylon opened his eyes wide. The words echoed in his being, etching themselves on his very soul. The first beastman to ever cross the border of evolution of his faction embraced the name of Umbral Wolf. "A wolf that lives in shadows. I find it interesting. What do you think?" "Your naming sense is incredible too... I... Can I take it?" "Sure. I''m glad you liked it that much." The two brother stared at each other for a minute, before a knocking on the door caught their attention. With a one-sided anti-sound barrier, Orion heard the voice of a worried Eliza call out for him. "Orion? H-How is he doing?" Since she couldn''t hear the screams of her son, she couldn''t help but worry. In the end, she returned home after an hour, too preoccupied by Nylon''s health to enjoy her time away. ''That was expected. The fact that she managed to hold this long is an incredible feat by itself.'' He looked at Nylon, before confirming a few things with him. Nylon nodded, and with a smile, he approached the door. Before he placed his hand on the doorknob, Orion snapped his finger, removing the barrier cancelling sounds from leaving. The door slowly opened, and Eliza found herself in front of a very handsome man. "Dylan...?" To her, Nylon looked exactly like Dylan when he was younger, to the point she hesitatingly confused her son for him? "What?" The real Dylan walked toward her after hearing his name. She turned her face toward her husband, and blinked frantically. "Dad." Nylon walked through the doorway and greeted his father. Instantly, Dylan froze on the spot and opened his mouth wide. "N-Nylon? Is that you?" His parents stared at him for a minute, before breathing a sigh of relief. Especially Eliza, who hurriedly embraced him without hesitation. "Thank the world! You''re fine!" Dylan looked inside the room, and noticed Orion quietly observing from inside with a faint smile. (Not wanting to intrude, I suppose?) He whispered, watching Orion shook his head. (Not yet.) They stared at each other for an instant, before Dylan nodded. He turned around and placed his hand on his now taller son and ruffled his hair. "Come with us. Now that you''re feeling better, let''s go outside. Everyone is worried sick about you." "Oh. Sure." They were about to leave, before Eliza suddenly stopped. "Mom?" "A second." She entered Nylon''s room, and looked at Orion, taken over by nostalgia as he smiled while looking at his bracelet. "Hmm?" When he noticed Eliza in the corner of his eyes, he lifted his head and stared into her iron colored eyes. Suddenly, she stepped forward and closed on him, placing her hands around his neck. She pulled him closer to her chest, and hugged him tightly. "Thank you for saving Nylon. Sincerely." "..." Surprised by the sudden display of gratitude and affection, Orion remained still. "If you need anything in the future, don''t hesitate to speak with us. It can be anything, even the smallest of problems." She smiled while pushing her cheek on his silky black hair. "We''ll always, always be there for you. I promise you." Orion felt a vague feeling of gentleness, very close to what Orianne, his mother, displayed each time they met. She released him, and gently turned around, joining back with her family. "..." He straightened and stared at the doorway, now empty. His mind was calm, but he was unable to correctly process the feeling inside his heart. Was it gratitude for his actions? Being accepted as family? Or maybe both. He had no idea. Many people helped him, so it was fair to help them in turn, yet, the opposite never crossed his mind. He left Nylon''s bedroom, closed the door behind him, and walked to the living room. There, he sat down, and while waiting for their return, quietly thought about many a thing. ... Half-an-hour later, they returned. Nylon''s changed caused a lot of commotion in the village. While he kept the details for himself, he explained that he evolved into a higher type of beastman. That his power grew past its limit, and caused his health to deteriorate. The villagers accepted his words without doubting them, celebrating his return with happiness and joy. When Dylan, Eliza, and Nylon entered their house, they immediately sat at the dining table, and asked Orion to join them. There, he and Nylon explained everything. About his new power, how it came to be, and what he became. "An Umbral Wolf. It has a nice ring to it." "Right? I loved it the moment Orion named it." Dylan suddenly frowned. "Dad?" "I''m slightly jealous. After all the efforts I made as the beastmen''s ''Savior'', I never went close to evolving." "Of course, I am delighted that my son was the first to attain this state..." He closed his eyes and sighed. "But as a man, I can''t help but envy you." Eliza slapped him on the back of the head. "Oh! Come on! Men and you thirst for power. That''s the reason you gave me after rejecting my feelings the first time." "It''s stupid." Dylan looked down, and agreed. "I know. But that''s how it is. To defend what we hold dear, men like us need to be stronger. The slightest of mistakes can make our loved ones suffer more than we could ever imagine." Orion and Nylon understood where he came from. In fact, they entirely agreed with his way of thinking. Since they were taught how to live through Dylan, they both nodded, a solemn expression on their faces. "I get it. You''ve apologized enough already. I''m sure many of the other beastmen are grateful for everything you''ve done in the past. Still, you shouldn''t be thirsting for power." Eliza sat back next to Dylan, and cupped his face in her hands while looking straight in his eyes. "Power should come to you. Not the other way around." "Chasing it mindlessly will only break your will." With a faint smile, Dylan nodded. "If the strongest beastwoman says it, I can''t only back down." Orion suddenly blinked. "What?" All threw turned to him, and blinked. "Hmm? Have I said something strange?" Dylan asked with a confused look in his eyes. "Eliza is strong?" "Oh..." Both Dylan and Eliza stared at each other, before nodding. "Well, I don''t mind telling him." "If you say so." Eliza let go of Dylan, and stared at Orion with a grave frown. "You see..." Listening to the start of her story, Orion straightened and focused. "I should''ve been the ''Savior'' of the beastmen originally." Chapter 330: An old scar. "When we were young, Dylan and I grew up together." "We shared many things together, experienced the hardship of the previous Apostles'' rules, while learning how to defend ourselves." Eliza looked at the ceiling, reminiscing over her memories. Dylan closed his eyes, leaving her the opportunity to share her past. "The previous ''Savior'' formed a few members of our generation between the age of ten to fifteen. Many were talented, with above-average skills, but none had what it took to take his mantle." "Only the two of us managed to catch his attention." Orion quietly listened, curious. It was also a first for Nylon, so he joined his brother and placed his full attention on his mother''s words. "With astonishing reflexes and raw strength, we overcame every trial used to test us with ease. In fact, since we both did everything together, we were oblivious to our own talents. Shared strength, shared feelings, we were synchronized all the time, making every challenge a walk in the park." "Astonished, he took us both in, and focused everything he could on teaching us his intricate techniques and abilities." Her eyes became to glow yellow, which wasn''t missed by Orion. ''Eagle Eye.'' Recognizing the ability, he frowned. Looking at Eliza''s face, he noticed that she looked frustrated, and slightly in pain. "Don''t force yourself." Dylan put his hand on her back and gently stroked it from top to bottom repeatedly. With a nod, she stopped her demonstration. ''Something definitely happened. Dylan hinted at that a few times already, but I never asked.'' Respecting his privacy, Orion never tried to force him to tell stories he never openly discussed with him. If Dylan never told him, it meant that it was either a painful memory, or a bad experience. From the looks of it, it was a painful memory he wished to forget, but couldn''t. After her complexion looked better, she breathed a sigh of relief, and continued her story. "At the time, I was the strongest beastman among all the villages. I was even able to push back our teacher occasionally, while Dylan was keeping up relatively well. He was improving day by day, while I simply let my body work to complete the tasks given." "When I turned sixteen, a certain incident happened that changed everything." "Dylan and I were both working on finding who would become the next ''Savior''. After speaking with him, we decided that I would be our faction''s ''Savior'' while he worked alongside me to protect the places I couldn''t reach in time." "Our teacher agreed with our choice, and tenaciously made us learn how terrifying the world is." Her expression turned sour. "It was during one of our sorties out of the village." Dylan glanced at her, clenching his hands. Orion and Nylon could tell, he was seething inside, and it was showing on his face. "It was supposed to be a simple training session, where we had to clean a large perimeter around the village." "There had been sightings of multiple hordes of beasts fighting around town, which spelled trouble for our town. With our teacher, we went all out and dispatched the hordes without trouble." Eliza placed her right hand on her nape, before lifting her long silver hair. She turned her head toward Orion. "!" A very deep vertical scar, starting from the middle of her nape and hidden further past her clothes, made him understand. Of course, Nylon already knew his mother had this scar, but not the reason for its existence. She straightened, adjusting her hair back behind her, and looked at Orion with a blank expression. "We encountered two Apostles on our way back." The sounds of gnashing teeth coming from Dylan made it obvious that it was a painful part to remember. "I won''t forget their names. One was a male, called Dellthord." Orion winced, picturing a certain man he would very much prefer not to remember. ''Kelvin Dellthord''s father, probably.'' "Our teacher went and fought him while we faced the second one." "A woman named Planar." The name ringed into Orion''s ears. He knew that name, as he heard it only once. ''Planar?''This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. - A day after, Orion and Florian met with the dragons. "Orion, what are you going to do against the remaining Apostles?" Florian asked, curious about Orion''s plans. "Since we can''t do anything for now, I was going to ignore them. They aren''t strong enough to hold us anymore." Convinced that they wouldn''t pose a threat anymore, he answered. "I wouldn''t be so sure about Layla." "That''s a familiar name. Isn''t she the ''leader'' of the Apostles?" "She is. Layla Planar, the maniac obsessed with Elliott, and the only member of the Planar lineage." Orion frowned. "Are you telling me she''s..." "She doesn''t age. It''s been well over six hundred years, maintaining her spot at the top of the group. At least, she isn''t one of the original Apostles, that we know." - ''Layla Planar... we will have to rid the world from her presence in the near future.'' Seeing that Orion came out of his thoughts, Eliza continued. "She was a terrifying opponent. She single-handedly destroyed any hope we had in either fighting back, or fleeing. We learned that day how powerless those crushed under their feet felt." "As we fought, I learned that she was a ruthless, sadistic, and deranged human. Never did we encounter someone like her." Her hands trembled slightly on the table. "She separated us with her magic, and focused mainly on finishing me off." "Yet, at the last moment, she went for Dylan. I couldn''t tolerate losing him when I was supposed to be her opponent." "She attacked with thin blades of water, sharp enough to a line of trees without effort, and powerful enough to dig into the earth. I forced my way through the wall of water she had erected between Dylan and me, and threw my body in front of him. Dying with him wasn''t that bad of a fate." "The blade of water was almost there. I knew that none of us were going to survive, especially knowing how ruthless that woman was. Yet, before the blade actually sliced me, I heard a groan coming from her." Eliza touched her neck, remembering the intense pain she felt that day. "Mistakenly, or by her own volition, she made the blade travel downward instead." "It sliced my nape, and across my back, leaving me to bleed out. But it was better than having both of us suffer. Everything that happened after is blurry, as I lost consciousness, only to awaken two months later, unable to move correctly, and unable to continue my training." She smiled, letting go of her nape. "After that incident, our teacher suddenly vanished. I think he went somewhere far away to live the rest of his life quietly. That''s what we hoped for him, as he was a great person to be around. Kind-hearted and wise, while walking with the determination to protect the faction." "Somehow, Dylan adhered to his principles, and became just like him. He became exactly like our teacher." With a warm smile, she looked at him. This was one of the many reasons she fell in love with him in the first place. Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Dylan looked away. "Dylan chose to take over the title of ''Savior''. With the incident in mind, I couldn''t accept that everything fell ultimately on his shoulders. It was supposed to be us, together, but because of me, our whole lives came crumbling down." "I needed him, so for a few years, he stayed with me. But once I recovered enough to walk and do the most basics of tasks, he went away to protect our faction members." "While I kept pestering him to marry me because that was the only thing I could do for him, I lost hope in life. Dylan rarely came back, but when he did, he either stayed a few hours, or came covered in wounds and blood." "Still, this moron always managed to cover my needs. Thanks to him, I had everything I wanted, which was enough to make me feel better, that I wasn''t a burden to him. That I was important enough in his eyes." Orion saw his past self in her words. As he looked down and reflected upon his actions, he kept listening. "But..." A kind and warm smile, directed straight at him, caught Orion off guard. "Thanks to you, Orion, he returned home one day with a flower bouquet, a ring, and a teary face." "He apologized for an hour at least, telling me that he had neglected me because he couldn''t forgive himself for being weak at the time." "That a baby he had dropped in Auro made him wish for happiness, and that it couldn''t happen if it wasn''t me." Dylan was terribly embarrassed. Even Nylon looked slightly flustered. "Since then, my life has been changed from barely tolerable, to pure bliss. I have a son that I am proud of, a husband who cherishes me, and a second son I wish I had adopted." Orion stood suddenly stood up. They looked at him with confusion, as he walked around the table without a word. He stopped behind Eliza, and pushed her long hair aside. No one questioned his actions, as he simply placed his hand on her nape. *Flash* His body turned white, as two large angelic wings stretched around her, as if wanting to envelop her whole. "Relax." Confused, Eliza nodded, and closed her eyes. From his hand, a bright light glowed, before it transferred to her entire body. "It feels... warm. Comfortably warm." Nylon and Dylan stood up and before stopping at each side. With shock, they watched as the scar on her back glowed. ''It''s a pretty old scar. It''s going to take a bit of time.'' Orion focused not only on her injury, but also on her entire body. He removed all long-lasting physical abnormalities he found, and finally, removed the scar completely alongside everything. "E-Eliza!" "What? Why are you shouting all of a sudden?" Removing his transformation, Orion took a few steps back with a smile. "That''s all I can do for you. Kindness is answered with kindness, that''s what I was taught." "Huh?" Eliza stood up from her chair, touched her nape, her back, stretched, and sat back. "H-Huh?" Without even feeling it, tears rolled down her cheeks, and fell on the table. "I feel fine. My breathing is better than ever, and my spine doesn''t hurt anymore. That weight I always felt is also gone." Looking at her hands, she noticed a healthier pink color that she missed dearly. Her wolf ears, which were always limp above her head, began to rise. Though, at one point, she couldn''t see any more thanks to her tears blurring her vision. "W-Why? I..." Orion walked back to his chair, and sat down. "If I had known from the very beginning, I would''ve healed you nonetheless. In fact, I should apologize for not doing it sooner." "I don''t need a reason to heal someone important to me. This is neither my way of making you feel indebted." "And as I said, doing something good doesn''t cost me anything. It was in the range of my capabilities, which is why I did it." He smiled. "You''ve shown nothing but kindness toward me from the moment we''ve met. What kind of man would I be if I ignored your suffering?" Suddenly, Eliza stood up, wiped her eyes with her sleeve, and pushed the table aside effortlessly. Dylan and Nylon, who were holding their tears until now, instantly looked with horror, as she displayed a strength completely unusual to her. The table''s feet screeched while rubbing the floor, but she didn''t care. Orion observed with surprise, before she took a few steps forward. She grabbed one of Orion''s wrists, and pulled him. "Thank you so much! I will never forget what you''ve done for me!" Completely stunned, Orion looked at Dylan with a pleading gaze to help him. Yet, Dylan shook his head with a smile, telling him to give up. "Hnnf!" She pressed his face between her breasts, wrapped her long silvery tail around his waist, and embraced him powerfully while rubbing her cheeks on his hair. "How long has it been since I felt this lively? Not only did you save my son, but you also saved me the very same day!" "Ah! I wish you were my son!" With a faint smile, Dylan looked at his son. "That''s how she used to be. I guess she had a lot of repressed love to share. Be prepared, or she''ll crush your bones." "..." Fearing for his life, Nylon stared at his mother happily hugging Orion. ''Well, it should be fine.'' Chapter 331: The start of Miasmas scheme. "Three days..." Miasma, followed by the new addition to his force, stared at a crater in the distance. "Three days to make our way from our base to the edge of this land. Truly a waste of my time." In reality, it should''ve taken them even longer to come, if it wasn''t for is way of traveling through Eogis. Using corruption as a vehicle, he barely had to walk to get here. "My Lord, what is this?" The soldier, with his large build, looked in the same direction, and asked after noticing the crater. "This is supposedly where my son and Orion met. I heard there was a large explosion caused by one of them." "What happened to them?" "No clue. I only know they are alive, both of them." Miasma frowned. ''Not even capable of making my life easier.'' His inner voice was cursing Elliott for not getting rid of his enemy. "Why are we here, then?" "Can you stop asking questions? Just stay quiet." He glared at the soldier, who glanced at him with a neutral expression. "Sorry." Taking his first step forward, Miasma decided to get closer to the aftermath of Elliott and Orion''s battle. As he observed his surroundings, Miasma thought. ''Quite significant for a crater made from an energy burst. Not as large and deep as the one I recovered Kagalkan from, though.'' Approaching it, he felt a little uneasy. ''This feeling. What is it about this place?'' They arrived at the edge of the crater. It looked like two to three kilometers wide, and a meter deep around the edge, while going deeper the closer it got to the center. Feeling a familiar energy in the air from the residual energy that was released, he pondered. Suddenly, a memory suddenly surged from the depth of his mind. His teeth gnashed against one another, while a dark veil covered his face. "Noah!" The magical energy he felt reminded him of his battle against the previous Hero. "But it is impossible. Noah died, I saw him disintegrate into ash in front of me during his last stand. It can''t be him." He tried to make sense of his anxiety. "The only one who could do this, was probably Orion. Elliott was weakened, similar to me after breaking out of the seal, and his energy isn''t like this." ''If anything, it is more like her...'' A brave woman''s ghost appeared in the corner of his eyes, before vanishing into thin air. "What does that mean for us?" The soldier asked. "Didn''t I ask you to be quiet?" "..." Miasma glared at him, before sighing. "But, well, this is a good question. It means that our enemy has gotten closer to being a Hero himself. I''ll have to think of a way to preserve myself like I did in the past." "I don''t care about what happens to any of you, but I can''t have myself being killed before my goal is complete." Walking along the edge, Miasma began to look for something. His follower simply observed without any thoughts, and quietly followed his master around. ''Besides this disgusting feeling floating all around the crater, there are no traces of what I hoped to find...'' Making his way all around the crater, he looked past it, toward the edge of the dome covering Eogis.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. "We''re close to the barrier. Might as well check it out before going back. If there''s an insect loitering around the base, it might be best to remove it." After walking in the direction of the barrier, he arrived not long after. "Hmm~" His dark red eyes scanned the place outside the dark dome. ''I don''t see anything out of the ordinary. There are no signs of anyone having tried to force their way in. Not that they would. Only stupid people would dare to enter without thinking.'' He smirked, before turning around. "!" When he turned around, his senses picked up something not far from his location. "Finally! This is it!" Hurriedly, Miasma and the soldier traveled through a thicket of trees, and stopped in front of a peculiar tree. "There it is. I finally found it." Creating fumes of corruption between his hands, the area began to be covered by it just an instant. Only the area in front of him remained freed from his power. "Yes. This is it. It isn''t like the one I had found a few days ago. This is a real entrance!" "Unlucky Orion, you''ve failed to erase your tracks. At last, I will be able to get rid of you." *Shuffle* Miasma suddenly glared past the barrier, and toward a moving bush. ''A sneaky rat.'' He held his hand in front of him, pointing his palm in that direction. ''I''ll get rid of it now-'' As a corrupted accumulation formed in the palm of his hand, and before he could fire it, a boar suddenly jumped out of the bush, and looked at him. *Grunt* The boar turned around, and ran in another direction, seemingly startled by the two people staring at it. "Haha~" Clenching his fist to erase the attack, he chuckled. A dark grin appeared on his face, as he kept his stare on the bush. "Lucky rat. I could make an exemple today, but I believe it won''t change the outcome. Consider yourself very lucky." He looked at the soldier, and with the same grin, began to walk away. "We''re returning to prepare the assault." "Yes, my Lord." ... In the thickets near the dome. (Stop shaking.) (I can''t!) Two soldiers from Albriar, stationed here to observe anything happening around the corrupted dome, just escaped their end. They whispered to avoid attracting more attention to them, and were very unlucky a boar had decided to walk near their position. (We have to report to Lord Florian! If we do nothing, I fear something terrible would happen.) (Wasn''t ''Orion'' the man who helped us during the war?) (You are correct. If something were to happen to him, Lord Florian would have our heads for not telling him.) Quietly and slowly, they began to take a few steps back, until they were out of the thickets. "Fuu~" The scared soldier wiped the sweat having built up on his forehead thanked to his anxiety. "We need to return to base camp. If we ignore that, it could cause disorder." "Of course. Let''s go immediately. We don''t know how long we have before that monster''s plan is in action." "It''ll take us two weeks to return to Albriar on horse. There is no time to lose." These two soldiers rapidly packed their things, and ran toward the camp built for the soldiers to rest and take turn watching over the barrier. The moment they arrived, they went to their superior''s office, and explained in detail what they saw and heard. Before long, they were on a horse, en route toward Albriar. ~ "That''s better than before. You''re making progress in close quarters." "I would be surprised otherwise." Orion and Elliott had just finished their sparring session, and were moving toward the other group training in the distance. Amelia and Karteira were helping Deveralna controlling her power output. At their request, Orion agreed to let them it, while he focused on others. Days passed rapidly, and a week and a half had gone by since Orion went to see Nylon. "How is your demon form training going?" "It''s holding up. I''ve found a few techniques that will help." "And your dog? Nothing wrong with it?" "He''s fine. After checking him multiple times, I concluded that nothing had changed." *Boom* The ground shook from a large blast of energy. "Whoa!" As they were close to the other group, Orion suddenly heard Deveralna''s voice coming from above. Swiftly, Elliott moved away and left Orion without saying a word. Deveralna seemingly flew away after firing a powerful attack, and began to fall toward the ground. ''One... two... no three steps forward.'' Orion took those three steps and held his arms forward. Activating the Arm Overdrive, he waited with a smile. Before she even began to descend toward the ground, Karteira had already moved to catch her, but stopped when she noticed Orion in the distance. ''He''s going to catch her with no effort. Might as well let him act cool.'' In fact, she wanted to see it, so she watched instead of joining him. "Fly! Fly damn it!" While falling, she tried to flap her wings to stop her fall, with no success. She hadn''t managed to control them as she wanted until now. Unable to see under her, she could only see the white sky. Waiting for the ground to stop her fall, she closed her eyes. "Oof!" "Huh? The ground is..." "Not that hard?" She opened her eyes after hearing Orion''s voice. "Oh. Thank you for catching me." "No problem." Her tail rapidly wrapped itself around his left leg, as she placed her arms around his neck. "Get off him! What do you think you''re doing right now?!" Amelia came out of nowhere with an angry expression. Not only was she angry because her clothes had been slightly burnt, but also because she suddenly began seducing Orion. "Can''t you let me enjoy this for a moment?" "No! You still have a lot to work on. Don''t waste time!" Karteira and Amelia then grabbed her arms, and began to pull her away. "No fair..." "We never wasted time seducing him during training, so don''t do it. You will have time later." "Fine, fine. Let me go." They both released her, before she moved toward the training area she flew from, a dejected expression on her face. "Deveralna." "Yes?" She turned to Orion. "Keep at it. You will make it." "Thanks!" With a large smile on her face, she rapidly slithered away. "Thanks for helping her, you two." "It''s nothing." "That''s the least we can do." He waved at them as they followed Deveralna. "Why did you walk away?" Elliott suddenly reappeared next to him. As Orion asked, he let out a very faint sigh. "There''s nothing I can do about that. Your friends don''t seem to like me much." "Well, you''re not making it easier on yourself by avoiding them." "True. Still, it isn''t necessary for me to know them. I wouldn''t want to cause grief between you and me. By staying far away, it is better for both of us." Orion nodded. "If you say so. It is your choice." "Though, would it be fine if I spoke with the Tree of Life?" "Tiohr-nam? Sure. I''ll ask her if she''s alright with that." A dark expression formed on Elliott''s face. ''Seems like father is planning something. We need to be prepared, and think of our alternatives as fast as possible.'' As they made their way back toward the housing area, a rare visitor waited at the entrance of the portal hub. Chapter 332: Last minute planning. (Part 1) Orion felt someone coming through one of the portals in Horizon. ''From Albriar? Could it be Florian?'' Elliott seemed to have caught on too, just by looking at his expression. "Do you mind if I join you? I have a weird feeling about the whole thing." "I don''t mind." After taking a portal to where the guest was, they found Florian, waiting with a severe frown on his face. ''I was right. It is indeed Florian.'' Noticing Orion in his line of sight, he suddenly approached them. "Orion, Elliott. It is good to see you." With a quick bow, he greeted them. "Same, Florian. Something tells me you have a critical matter to discuss." After straightening, Florian nodded. "There is something I have to report to you." ... The three move inside Orion''s house to discuss in detail. Orion led them to the living room, where Florian began to explain the situation. "It appears Miasma found an entrance to Horizon." "!" A shocked expression replaced Orion''s neutral face. "How is that possible?! I''m supposed to be- Amelia and I are the only ones able to use the void element." "Allow me to explain what happens, and we''ll discuss in more detail after. Are you fine with that?" "..." Weighting his options, he finally nodded. "Sure. Please, go ahead." "Thank you." Florian told everything his soldiers stationed near the purple dome managed to see. The appearance of two individuals, a woman of small stature, rather young, and a tall and imposing man, who barely showed emotions. They explained that the woman began to cover the whole area in a cloud of dark purple energy, until a crack in the air appeared. In that crack, they could barely see stars sparkling in it from their position. At one point, they even heard the name ''Orion''. After hearing something related to an invasion, the two figures left the area. ... Orion placed one hand on his forehead, and leaned into the couch. "The portal I used before my battle against Elliott. I was too preoccupied to bother closing it." Thinking, Elliott placed a finger on his chin. ''I know who the woman is, but the man, I have no idea. Father definitely found ways to rebuild his army, which doesn''t make it easier for us.'' "That''s all I can tell you. From the looks of it, it might happen today, or this very week. We have no idea when exactly, but we''ve still made it in time before you were ambushed." "Florian, you have my thanks. Without you, this plane would''ve been ravaged by Miasma." "I''m doing the obvious. Posting a few units around there was your idea. We haven''t found any trace of the dragon, though." Elliott suddenly lifted his head, and stared at Florian. "A dragon, you said?" "Yes. There was a case of a dragon disappearing inside the dome, with the whole point of having guards there to find signs of its passage in case of a sudden attack." "..." A bead of sweat dripped down his temple. "This is terrible... I have a bad feeling about all of this." "Why?" Orion glanced toward him, and asked. "Do you know how corrupted Lords are created?" "They eat corrupted cores of other corrupted? It happened once on the battlefield." "Exactly. But now, do you know how giants are made from those Lords?" "..." Oblivious to the answer, both Florian and Orion shook their heads. "A tremendous number of lives have to be taken to make them evolve. I''m talking about ''any'' lifeforms. Animals, humans, beastmen, even marine creatures." "We''re talking about thousands here. Do you know how many people lives in Paraviel?" Elliott made a difficult face. You could see his eyes wander for an instant. "I should say ''lived''. There''s probably no one alive in that city anymore." A sudden shiver ran down the others'' spine. "Are you saying that Miasma forced the dragon he captured to eat five thousand people?!"This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Florian suddenly stood up from his seat and asked. "Probability wise? I''d say a hundred percent. I know him, and I know his method. From what Orion explained to me previously, he has already found a way to bypass Nature''s chains by removing the cores from his new creations." "That eel certainly missed visible or even internal cores. Its body was made of corrupted matter instead." Listening to Orion, Florian pushed his glasses back up his nose, and sighed. "This is getting dangerous... Not only for you, but for Triazils as a whole." "You are right about that." Elliott confirmed his worries. "Say, what if this whole plan was a double act?" Orion, his head deep in thought, asked. "What do you mean?" Confused, they looked at him. "On one hand, he enters Horizon to keep us at bay, and tries to get rid of us completely, while on the other, he attacks Triazils at the same time?" "!" Stunned, Florian sat back. He hid his mouth with his hands, and pondered on the matter. "You might be right about this. His plan hasn''t changed, even after being sealed for so long. Even after suffering many setbacks, he still works to eradicate the lives of every living beings of Triazils to invoke whatever creature he thinks exists." A long silence replaced their talks. The speed at which they racked their brain to find ways to counter this whole ordeal was unparalleled. "Florian." Orion suddenly broke the silence. "I know. I''ll have a talk with Kamala and Eric. We will focus on protecting the continent." Still in thought, Orion nodded. Then, he added something else. "I''ll talk with everyone, but I''m thinking of sending Amelia, Olivia, May, and Deveralna back to the continent." "Why? Isn''t splitting forces a bad thing for you?" But he shook his head. "This sounds like an act to me. He doesn''t need to get rid of me to win, he needs to kill everyone else. I have a feeling only a few of his underlings, and probably himself, will invade." Elliott also agreed with his assumptions. "Father will want to deal with you himself, like he did with Noah. He will be the first to step inside Horizon." Orion stared into his eyes, and asked carefully. "What about you, Elliott? What do you intend to do?" "..." At first, Elliott thought of keeping quiet, but against his better judgment, he spoke frankly. "You remember what I''ve told you before joining you?" Pondering for a second, Orion recalled an important detail. "The voice?" "Yes. I want to free Layla from my father''s manipulation. From what I can tell, she might have been freed from corruption. I managed to get a second chance, but she should too, even if she made mistakes in the past." He said that because he noticed the faint anger on Orion''s face. The moment he spoke her name, Elliott knew something happened to her. "If you do save her, and she regains her common sense, I''ll have her apologies to someone." "Fair enough. I did apologize to you for what I''ve done." "And I will never forgive you. The things we lost were too great to simply let bygones be bygones. You do understand that, do you?" "I do, and I don''t blame you for that. I robbed you of a life with your parents, and nothing I will do will change that fact. Yet, I want to believe our story isn''t simply one of hatred." Florian felt the tension in the subsides. "We''re allies now. I''ll help you when the moment arrives." "You have my thanks." They smiled at each other and nodded, before focusing back on the subject. "With that said, we need to think carefully. We can''t protect every corner of the continent. The dragons will remain neutral unless we find their kidnapped member, while most of the humans capable of fighting back are you, and Eric and his army." Florian agreed. "I have a proposal, but I don''t know how it will be received." "What about the beastmen? Can''t we ask them for help?" Orion pondered for a moment. "Dylan and Nylon might be disposed to help. They would probably act anyway the moment they notice attacks on other villages. It might be best to notify them now than later to avoid creating more casualties." The other two nodded. "I''ll immediately go and talk to the others. Eric''s army will be absolutely needed to drive off the corrupted, as they are more experienced. Kamala and I will have our forces to his." "Good idea. I will call everyone after this, and decide on what to do once I get their opinions on the matter. Then, I''ll go talk to the beastmen." With that said, the group broke up. Orion went looking for everyone separated in the plane, Elliott returned to his room to prepare himself, and Florian moved accordingly to his words. ... "We''re going to get attacked?!" May suddenly stood up and slammed her hands on the table in the dining room. "That''s precisely what I said. That''s why, I wanted to speak with everyone." The entire group was brought together, along with Henrietta and Tetra. "I will give you roles you will need to fulfill." "What?" Suddenly, they all glared at him. "Aren''t we going to fight alongside you?" "No." He shook his head, causing further anger among the group. "Before you say anything else, let me explain." Orion told them about Miasma¡¯s supposed double plan. "I see. Since only a few will come in Horizon, you want to focus on protecting Triazils... I understand, but it doesn''t make me willing to go through your plan." "Amelia''s right. You are asking us to leave you alone fighting Miasma. We can''t agree to that!" Dramia seemed rather displeased by his idea. "Let me be clear." His words caused the air to grow heavier. "I am not arrogant enough to think I will win alone against Miasma. What I''m asking you to do isn''t a hidden way to protect you from him." They all gulped loudly, except for Henrietta and Tetra. "What I''m asking is for you to stop his plan. If Miasma is trying to kill people across the continent, we can''t expect Florian, Kamala, and Eric to do it alone. The surface area is too great for three people to protect." He looked at Amelia and Karteira. "Do you remember that family we helped in Lavira, on our way to Hocride? Are you prepared to accept their death? Because that is what you are insinuating by refusing to follow my orders." They both looked down, recalling the children, Leon and Lila, and their mother, Crystal. After a moment, they seemed to have made up their mind. Not only them, but everyone around the table. The thought of letting innocents die suddenly seemed to have entered their mind, instead of focusing on Orion''s wellbeing. "I like those eyes better." He nodded, smiling warmly at them. "Alright, let me explain what I want from you." "Amelia, you will wait with the armies. I want you to find that dragon, and kill it." "Wha- Wait! You want me to kill a dragon?" "Yes. A dragon disappeared from Ormrdivin, and entered the dome covering Eogis, never to be seen again. Elliott, Florian, and I are on the same opinion. Miasma captured it, and transformed it into a corrupted creature." May and Deveralna gasped. "Monolavir and Ruminona will support you, so don''t hesitate to call them out. You are free to use the invocation at that point." After gazing into his eyes for a moment, Amelia made up her mind. "Alright. If you believe in me, I have no reason to doubt you." "Thank you. Next, Karteira." "..." She waited for his order. "You will remain in Horizon. Someone needs to protect the arachnea, and no one is better than you in that role." "Yes! After saving them, it would be a shame to let them die." "I wouldn''t be able to look Silka in the eyes if anything happened to them, so I''m counting on you." A determined nod signaled the beginning of her mental preparations. "Dramia, Drania." "Both of us?" "Yes. Protect Tiohr-nam and the fairy village. I want you to lead your army and defend the plane as much as possible, while limiting the number of casualties. If possible, reduce the number of deaths." With a frown, Dramia stared in his eyes. "That is easier said than done. What you are asking us is akin to a miracle." "Do you think I''m crazy?" "For believing in us? Definitely." Drania smiled childishly, before suddenly becoming serious. "If you want a miracle, then us fairies will bring you one. Just you wait!" "Drania... Fine. I guess I''ll take it more seriously than usual." Joining her sister''s mentality, Dramia became serious. With that, their only task was to prepare the fairy army, and prepare to join them in battle. "What about us?" Tetra asked for her and Henrietta. "Are we also joining in battle? We can help." "No. I need you two to hide. I haven''t forgotten the promise I made to you. Until the very end, you are under my protection." "..." Henrietta breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. The last thing we need is Miasma finding about us." "Meh... I wanted to fight, but I suppose there''s no way around it." Tetra crossed her arms, pushing her breasts higher at the same time. It made a few of the women''s around the table wish for them to disappear, but they stayed quiet. "Alright, next..." Orion continued to share his plan. Chapter 333: Last minute planning. (Part 2) Orion turned his gaze towards Deveralna. With anxiety, she began to frown. ''Can he really trust me while I can barely control my power?'' Thinking that she wasn''t worth giving such responsibility, Orion nodded. "Deveralna, if you could defend Lahro, it would be in your best interest." "What do you mean?" She blankly stared at him. "I know exactly what you are thinking. Anybody around this table can." "You don''t trust yourself, do you? You''ve been trying to control your power during the past few days, with very little success. We won''t blame you for thinking like this, but you can''t be sitting out either when your followers are in danger." Orion explained very clearly what it meant for her. "If you fail to protect them, you''re authority will be challenged. There is no doubt about it. Even if you possess the strength of the Remnant of Strength, some wounds are unable to heal." Deveralna looked at the table and nodded. ''We''ve been forsaken for so long through various circumstances. If it happens again...'' Just thinking about leaving her people to die horribly made her insides twist in anguish. Seeing her expression, Orion nodded and continued. "My opinion on this is that it will help you control that strength. If not, you''ll blow up the whole city and everyone in it. Putting something on the line is one way to force you into succeeding." All around the table looked her, and thought that this was a lot of responsibility thrown on her shoulder all of the sudden. "You want me to struggle? Isn''t that kind of unfair?" "I wouldn''t ask you if I thought you''d blow up half of the continent. My trust in you is unwavering, and I believe everything will turn out to be fine." His smile remove the stress building in her, and boosted her confidence in herself ever so slightly. "If you believe in me... I have to work hard, then." Having made up her mind, Deveralna nodded. "I''ll protect my people, and show them the power of their Queen." ''This is a lot of responsibilities, but the moment I became their Queen, I already had a lot to work on. There is no way I can ignore them now.'' With this matter settled, he turned to Senia. "Can I be of help too?" Anxiously, she asked. Orion kept his gaze on her for a moment, before letting his thoughts out. "Of course. No one around this table is so weak that they need protection." "Senia, you will stay in Horizon too and defend the Sea alongside the other sirens. Is that alright with you?" Thinking about what she could do, and what her friends could, she still felt incredibly anxious. "From the sirens, only me is able to use magic. I have no idea how you can expect much from us, as we aren''t fighters to begin with? The little water spouts we can perform aren''t useful enough to stop anything." "If so, we wouldn''t have been caught to begin with..." The fact that the sirens were peaceful by nature made it hard to believe someone like Senia managed to obtain the powers to defend them. Yet, she was the only one of her peers to have obtained it. When she required it, the world answered her call and gave her the magic she needed, to protect Orion. But the same haven''t happened to the other sirens. They remained powerless. "I leave the planning to you. Finding ideas to defend the sea as a group is your duty." "You''re leaving it to me?!"This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. He nodded at her exclamation. "If I were to be absent, you would look blankly as everyone gets hurt? I don''t think so." "We need as many leaders as possible. Think, and create your own plans, I trust your wits." Senia couldn''t believe his words. ''Me? A leader?'' Leaving her to her thoughts, Orion looked at the next person. Only May and Olivia remained from the group, and they pretty much already knew what he was about to say. So, the moment he looked at May, she nodded and spoke instead. "You want me to take orders from Lord Eric again, don''t you?" But to her surprise, Orion shook his head. "It is only partially right. I don''t want you to join his army, I want you to ravage the battlefield alongside them." "You are not a part of it anymore, and I won''t have you rejoin the army again. As much as you would want, you are a member of our family." "If you were to leave, it would leave a massive hole in our ranks." May blanked out. Her expression was a mixture of happiness and confusion. "If- If you say so..." "That''s why, I want you to forget your old rank, and simply act according to your own feelings. Amelia trained you for a long time, I believe you are ready to display your potential." While thinking about the hardship she went through improving during the past months, she looked at Amelia, who nodded with a warm smile on her face. "You can do it. As he said, believe in yourself, and only focus on doing what you want." She looked at her hands, which were still showing her strange constitution. ''Can I really face Lord Eric and ignore his orders? Am I strong enough to act independently now compared to before?'' ''Would it be truly alright?'' With questions on her mind, she suddenly remembered the conversation she held with Eric when she met him near the border to the Frigoria Plains. ''I suppose... it wouldn''t be fine. Our paths may be different, but our goals are the same. I will support his army as much as possible while carefully dispatching our enemies.'' Her expression lightened, as she closed her hands strongly. "Alright. I''ll do as you asked. I''ll get rid of the threats trying to destroy Triazils, and return victorious." "Good." Olivia, who was fidgeting impatiently, finally felt like it was her turn. "Why me last?" "No reason. I simply followed my thoughts." "Oh." With a quick nod, she continued. "I''m going to defend Noctelagia, right?" Orion smiled. "Yes?" "I had a feeling you wanted more from me..." Expelling a long sigh from her mouth, Olivia nodded. "I''ll try to contact Saffira to get the help of the kelpies. If we want to be completely prepared to defend the continent, it would be best to also cover the ocean." "Right?" The others looked at her with amazement. "There aren''t many people capable of fighting in Noctelagia, so I''ll need to be careful." She suddenly felt a piercing gaze on her. Her eyes met Orion, who was silently smiling, as if he already know everything. "Aaah~ Sure, alright. I should have known you''d found out." "I''ll get my maids on duty too. I won''t leave them out of it." Amelia looked at her with confusion. "What does your maids have anything to do with defending Noctelagia?" Orion looked at her and answered. "Those maids, they are incredibly strong. I believe they are stronger than the Apostles we fought on our journey." "What?!" All gazes fell on Olivia. "Is that true?!" "..." After looking down, embarrassed, she explained. "It''s as Orion said. I personally trained these girls. They are all women I grew up with, and helped me change the city." "I''ve taught them from the very beginning everything I could, and trust them with my life. That''s why I wasn''t afraid of leaving Noctelagia in their hands." Orion crossed his arms. "So, in terms of strength, on which scale are we putting them?" "The strongest non-magi humans..." A long silence took over the room. "This is a joke, right?" May said while pressing her temple. "They can overwhelm and kill an Apostle with ease, but if possible, I would like to keep their strength hidden from the world." "We''ve all suffered in our youth, so..." She looked down, recalling the struggles she and her friends went through. ''I won''t betray them.'' "Don''t worry. None of us will blatantly reveal your secret. I would even thank them for supporting you until now." Karteira''s voice suddenly caught everyone''s attention, though, she didn''t realized she was talking to herself. "I get it now. It was strange to think only Olivia managed to overthrow the whole reign of a previous Apostle. That makes more sense to think she had other people aid her in her plans to take over Noctelagia." "..." Olivia looked away. Her past conquest got revealed in an instant, as she felt even more embarrassed. "How many of them are under your orders?" "27 maids..." "No wonder." They all agreed. If their capabilities were truly as great as she said, then they would understand. "I would love to see their potential next time I have the opportunity. Is that possible?" "I''ll ask Marie. I don''t know if she''ll agree, but I''ll try to smooth the process however I can." "Thanks." Then, she looked straight in Orion''s eyes. "Was that all you wanted from me?" "That was exactly what I was going to say. Noctelagia is in your hands." "Alright. I''ll be sure nothing happens to it." With that, the conversation came to an end. "We can expect the invasion to happen in a few days at most. I''ll move around to transport everyone to their relative position, before returning to Horizon." "All of you..." They all stared at him with a severe expression. "Do not hold back. Show Miasma that his goals will never realistically happen unless we are here." "But most of all, protect yourself. I won''t be able to protect you like usual, as you will be on your own." "Get ready, because the moment everything goes to shit, we won''t have time for anything else." It was very rare for Orion to curse. They knew this time was serious business. ''This is war. You asked for it, Miasma, and you will get it.'' ~ Later that day, Orion traveled through his portals to meet with Florian, Kamala, and Eric. The three of them had ordered their armies to ready themselves to leave, and were waiting to be deployed. Orion traveled to Lahro, and hurriedly traveled north-west. In the middle of a plain, far away from the lamia city, he opened three massive portals. Out of them, the three armies emerged. They hurriedly prepared their tents, while the three Lords grouped up to form their center of command. The first joint forces of the humans, composed of humans and beastmen, took place this very day. It was only a matter of time before Miasma made his move. Until then, Triazils'' inhabitants began to fear the end. A terrifying war that would cost the lives of many was on the Horizon. Chapter 334: A Hero in the eyes of a child. Two days later, early in the morning. "Papa!" "Stella?" Orion was getting dressed in his room before his daughter barged in his room frantically. "Are you going to fight?" She threw herself at his leg and hugged it tightly, unbothered by his exposed chest, showing his immaculate muscles. "Stella! You promised me not to tell him!" Amelia suddenly entered the room with a frown on her face, and a box in her hands. "But!" "It''s fine. I was planning to tell her anyway." He gently unwrapped her arms glued to his leg, and crouched in front of Stella. Placing a hand on her head, he stared into her eyes. "It is true. I''m about to fight a very dangerous entity that wants to destroy the world, and your home." "Why?" "Because this entity hates me. I''ve been stopping his wrongdoings since way before I met you. That''s why I can''t ignore it." Orion gently caressed her cheek and smiled. "You don''t want your house to be destroyed, right? Countless people will be hurt too if I don''t stop him." "I don''t want you to get hurt, either. There are some matters that, as adults, we cannot ignore, and this is one of those rare cases." Stella dropped her gaze toward the ground. "Until everything is settled, I want you to stay put with your Henrietta and Tetra." While unable to understand completely, Stella still timidly nodded. After standing up, Orion looked at Amelia. "So? What''s this in your hands?" "This?" Amelia looked at the box in her hands, confused. "Oh. The box. Yes." She walked into the room, and approached Orion. "Open it." Holding the box, Amelia waited for him to open it with a smile. ''What about the box? Should I open it now?'' With a few questions in his mind, he hesitated before slowly reaching for the box. Not a single sound escaped the box as its sides slid against each other. After opening it, Orion peered inside before opening his eyes wide. "This is... When did you..." Carefully, he took out the outfit from the box and scanned it rapidly. On his left arm was a black vest with many intricacies carefully sewn into its sleeves and shoulders. Black pants rested on his right arm, decorated with golden threads stretching from the top of the belt area all the way down the legs. Inside the box, a long mantle was carefully folded. Orion instantly recognized the outfit and even felt like shedding a tear due to his happiness. "When we went to Hocride to get our swimsuits, I thought to bring your ripped outfit to that shop, and asked our friend if he could repair it for you." "He was delighted to hear you liked his work that much, so he made a few arrangements to the previous design. I didn''t find anything different besides the embroidery, but you should understand more than me." A glint of pride shone in his eyes, before he turned to Amelia. "Could you take Stella outside for a few seconds?" "Alright. Stella?" She held her hand toward the young girl, who looked at her with confusion. Stella grabbed Amelia''s hand, and they both walked out of the room, not forgetting to close the door behind them. ... Moments later, the door opened. Stella opened her eyes wide at the sight of her father.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Looking good. Black suits you well." "Thank you. I like it a lot." Orion, now wearing his favorite clothes V2, walked out of his room with heavy footsteps. Something about his aura seemed different, so much that Stella couldn''t turn her gaze away. "Papa... Are you a hero?" The two adults suddenly stopped smiling at each other, and blinked. They dropped their gaze and looked at Stella with a dumbfounded expression. "W-Why do you think that?" Perplexed, Amelia asked her. It was a fact that only a few people in the house knew Orion''s title, given by Nature, the entity managing the world. Orion, Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, Drania, and Tiohr-nam knew about this. Henrietta and Tetra, too, knew, but everyone else was kept in the dark. So why would Stella suddenly ask such a question. "I don''t know. Papa looks like a hero from a book." "Stella." While feeling conflicted about the matter, Orion suddenly realized that her eyes were showing a spinning galaxy inside them. It was very faint, but her power seemed to have caused her senses to become sharper. "Yes?" "I am not a hero. A true hero is someone who fights for everyone, not for selfish goals." Confuses, Stella tilted her head. "Then, why are you fighting?" Orion nodded, and stared at her with a severe and almost scary expression. "I fight to protect everyone in this house. To protect you. That''s the only reason I fight. If I had to be honest, I do not care about anyone else. But my family, my friends, and my daughter, those are too precious to lose." "You still don''t like humans, do you?" Amelia asked him with a smile. "I never will. But at least I can tolerate them. If they can change, so can I. This fight is also a way to keep the work of Kamala, Florian, and Eric from becoming worthless." "You''re right. We can''t let it end like this. Until all the factions are united, right?" With a strong nod, Orion looked at Stella. "In your eyes, I might be a hero, and that is fine. But know that many will think differently depending on their perspective." "Why?" Orion pondered for a moment. ''She''s too young to understand, but it might be best to let her think over it.'' He crouched, making his cape drop and crease onto the floor. "Imagine that I have to save you from another person. A strong adult with a knife." Stella nodded. She quickly imagined the situation in her head. "The man wants to cut, but I''m a hero. What do I do?" "You stop the bad man?" "Correct." "But what if, while we fight, he trips and stab himself? His mother, who was watching the scene in horror until now, rushes to her son and cries." "I would have protected you, but I would have also caused someone to be sad." "..." Stella looked down. She did not understand the underlying matter hidden between the words, but it was enough to make her agree that a hero wasn''t always ''white''. "That''s why I will never be a Hero. I take lives to defend our peace, to avoid having certain people threaten the ones I love." "I get it." Suddenly, Stella looked at Orion with a serious expression, her hands clenched into fists. ''She seems to be holding something inside her, but unless she wants to tell me, I shouldn''t ask.'' Orion straightened his posture before patting his daughter. They both stared at each other for a moment, until Orion took a step forward. Without a word, he walked downstairs, leaving her with Amelia. "..." Amelia looked at Stella, who was clenching the sides of her dress, with a disheartened expression. ''It''s going to be difficult for her to accept it. For her, Orion is her savior and her hero. If there is a time she is indeed forced to face critics about his actions, she will prioritize him over anything else.'' ''Orion was probably trying to make her realize that one action, depending on the side, can ultimately result in either a heroic or a heinous act.'' ''A Hero''s reputation is centered around killing his enemies. And for those exact enemies, the Hero can only be considered a cursed being.'' ''That is why Orion will never see himself as a Hero, even if the world names him so.'' ... Wearing his brand-new outfit, Orion walked into the living room and sat in his usual spot on the sofa. He sighed quietly and looked at the ceiling. ''What am I supposed to do?'' Placing his arms on the sofa''s backrest, he thought about possible futures resulting from his fight against Miasma. ''Ultimately, the answer is simple. I live, or I die.'' ''Easier said than done, though.'' His eyes closed slowly. ''I am fighting a Remnant who turned to despair. A terrifying monster who manipulated others to destroy our continent for a goal no one would even dare to imagine.'' ''His determination isn''t lacking and is probably greater than my own. I might be strong, but against him, will I be able to hold my ground?'' When he opened his eyes, he felt eyes on him. Glancing on the side, he watched a beautiful red-head walk in front of him, wearing her battle outfit. "May." She stood in front of the sofa opposite to Orion, and glanced in his direction with an unfamiliar expression. "..." "You''re leaving in a bit, right?" "I am. That''s why I wanted to see you." Orion straightened. "That is unusual, coming from you. I was sure you would have left without saying a word." She nodded. "We haven''t known each other for long, but you know me well." Without waiting for his answer, she stood up from the couch, walked around the coffee table, and held his face between her fingers. "..." Silently, Orion stared into her eyes. "I would usually refuse to let you see me like this, but in case something were to happen to me..." "At least, I wanted you to know that I love you. You, the only man who would accept an anomaly like me with open arms." Gently, she pressed her lips against his, before moving away as fast as she arrived. She stopped near the doorway. With her back turned to him, she spoke. "I''m joining everyone on the battlefield. Don''t you dare die before me." "If you promise to value your life, I''ll agree to it." "You''re the only weirdo who would place value on this forsaken life anyway. But fine, just for you, I''ll return in one piece." The red jewel on her nape gleamed dangerously, as if agreeing with her. Orion smiled the moment his eyes fell on her. "Don''t hold back anything. Show everyone that messing with you end with death." "Haha~" May stepped forward, opened the front door, and walked out of the house toward the portal hub. ''Be careful, May. We don''t know what we''re up against.'' ~ While Orion was anxiously waiting for the first signs of war, an army began to appear near the border between Eogis and Triazils, where the edge of the corrupted dome was. Miasma and his fifty thousand forces were about to start their assault. Walking by his side, three shrouded figures and a powerful soldier, his most powerful subordinates, seemed to be waiting impatiently for the start of the carnage. With Layla''s body covered in a battle dress made of corrupted matter, and a malicious smile on her face, her words echoed in the empty fields surrounding her. "Begin the attack!" With her face darkened by malice, Layla looked at her troops marching forward. ''Orion, let''s start our war.'' The start of a war named ''The Tainted War'' was about to begin, engulfing the entirety of Triazils in the flames of corruption. Chapter 335: Two battlefields. The world shook, signaling the start of the war. "What?!" The three armies, now united, stood their ground as the ground shook. *ROOOOAR* A bone-chilling scream froze every single being who heard it, before subsiding into a faint rumble. Florian, Kamala, and Eric all stared toward the corrupted dome that barely appeared in their line of sight. "It''s time." May, standing on the side, glared into the distance, a sword in hand. She clenched its hilt and touched the jewel on her nape. ''Let''s do everything we can. Together.'' ''---'' Hearing the faint voice of the elemental, she nodded. "Lord Eric, from this point onward, I''ll be acting independently, as we''ve agreed." "I will support our men as much as possible while erasing the corrupted with magic." Eric glanced in her direction, before nodding. "Please, stay safe." "No need to tell me. I''ve already promised to return alive." While keeping her gaze straightforward, she walked away. A strong wind followed her, making everyone turn to her. A lone commander silently walked past ranks of men and women who vowed to defend their continent. Some of them were her previous subordinates, others learned of her feat as a powerful commander who defended the southern border from invasions all these years prior. With each step, flames rose with each imprint she left behind her. Her short hair, which had a natural orange color, began to float upward as if gravity were non-existent. Scorching red flame covered her hair, creating a distorting effect around her from the intense heat. "Elemental, we''ve been told to go all out. It would be a shame not to meet everyone''s expectations, don''t you think." She placed her hand on her left shoulder and unclasped a small metal notch. Her outfit, which seemed like a very normal officer set of clothes, was slightly improved before she went to battle. A long, crimson cloak rolled down from her shoulder, before waving in the wind freely. It was brought up by Karteira before she went to battle. - "A cloak? On one shoulder only? Not a cape?" "Exactly. But really, it could be anything that distinguishes you from the rest." May placed a finger on her chin. "But why? Isn''t it weird to wear something different on the battlefield?" "See it however you want, but the fact that you aren''t part of the army needs to be accounted for. You are part of our family now, and we need to make everyone understand." Karteira walked behind her with a rolled-up piece of cloth, and began to sew it on her shoulder. "We must be careful how people see us from now on. Attracting unwanted attention is unavoidable, so we have to demonstrate that we are independent of most factions." "Tell me, May. Who are you?" "Is this a trick question?" "..." Hearing her silence, May understood that it definitely was a critical question. ''I can''t afford to mess up this question, can I?'' She fell into deep thoughts, which made Karteira smile without noticing. "In normal circumstances, I would say that I am human." "Right?" "..." But May shook her head. ''I see what she meant. We''re not part of any faction now.'' "Alright, I''m done." Karteira moved away and returned to her seat. "So, do you have your answer?" "Yes." - She gripped her sword and lifted it in the air. Taking a deep breath, she stood in front of the three armies and screamed at the top of her lungs. "I am May, member of the Agathions!" "I stand here in front of you for one single reason!"You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Twisting her body, she glared behind her while dropping her sword in the direction of the dome. "To get rid of the corruption encroaching on our land! To protect the citizens under our care!" "Prepare yourself for battle, as this will turn into the worst battle of your life!" "Grasp every chance, and shelter your own life from the enemy!" Turning her back to the men and women behind her, she pierced the ground with her sword. "Do not fear your enemy! I will stand with you from the beginning to the very end!" Dust clouds began to appear in her vision. ''Here they come.'' May closed her eyes, before delicately opening them again. "Soldiers, are you ready to place your lives in my hands?" She glanced at them from behind with a smile, which calmed and soothed the worries of the soldiers. "YES!" A unanimous shout thundered through the air. "Then clench your weapon, and never lose sight of it!" "To battle!" She grabbed her sword, pulled it from the ground, and immediately stepped forward. In formation, soldiers ran past her from both sides, their weapons in hand. With a smile, May followed the courageous humans and beastmen. From his spot, Eric smiled. ''She''s become even more confident. Letting her live freely was a good idea.'' He grabbed his earthen axe, and touched the holster around his waist containing his precious gun made from half of Monolavir''s scale. "You''re going too?" Florian asked with a friendly smile. "I was never meant to stay on the sideline." "We''ll join you once we notice any changes in their forces." With a frown, Kamala spoke. The three of them nodded at each other, knowing that this war wouldn''t stop with just a few corrupted beasts. "Alright, see you later." With heavy footsteps, Eric walked out of the base, and hurriedly joined his men on the battlefield. "Now... We observe." "Yes. We haven''t seen the creature that roared earlier either." Florian and Kamala remained, waiting for the right moment to show themselves. ~ At the same time, in Noctelagia. "Olivia!" A humanoid being made of water entered the castle and rushed into the main hall, where Olivia and her twenty-seven maids were waiting. "Saffira. Did something happen?" "It''s as bad as you were expecting it to be. Twenty thousand corrupted beasts are making their way through the sea and are coming this way!" With a nod, Olivia acknowledged her information. "Sea creatures, I believe. I have to wonder, though. How are they supposed to invade inland?" She shook her head with a faint smile. "That will have to wait. Saffira, did you retreat the kelpies in a safe place?" Saffira looked at her with a confused expression. "No?" "Huh?" Both of them looked at each other with confusion. "Olivia, we''re going to fight alongside you. We kelpies have a debt of life toward you and that man." "This time, it''s our moment to protect you." Olivia blinked furiously and took a second to understand what she had heard. "I thought the kelpies were a peaceful faction? Why are you taking part in the war?" "Do I really need to spell it for you?" With a faint smile, Saffira asked, but noticing even more confusion on Olivia''s face, she sighed. "Because we''re friends. Do I need a better reason?" "Oh..." The young Lord suddenly felt her brain freeze. She wasn''t expecting such an answer, yet, it made her heart warm up. Each maid behind her showed a smile too. "I-I see. Well, I''m glad to hear you feel the same way." She coughed dramatically to switch the subject to a more serious one. "So, where are your forces?" Saffira nodded, losing the smile she had previously. Everyone in the room became serious once again. "They are waiting a little away from the shallows." "Can you make them come on land?" "It should be possible? Why?" Olivia turned to her maids, and answered. "I would like to avoid having them inadvertently injured." Marie, the head maid and most trusted confidant of Olivia, suddenly opened her eyes and looked at her master. "Milady, are you trying to say that we would hurt innocent people ''inadvertently''?" "That what I said. Marie, are you sure you will be able to contain your strength without causing me trouble?" "..." Her friend looked down for a moment, before looking at her in the eyes. "I don''t think so." "Of course you won''t. That''s why I want the kelpies to act as support in that case." Olivia turned to Saffira. "Now that I have the kelpies'' help, I have the perfect plan to defend Noctelagia." A scary smile formed on her face. All the maids closed their eyes, and faintly smiled. ''That''s our master.'' They all thought the same thing. ... On the beach leading to the Carmel Sea, the defenses were installed. A direct order issued from Olivia, the Lord of Noctelagia, forced the citizens to stay inside their houses. No one was authorized to leave it. In the middle of her own battlefield, Olivia looked at her outfit. "Is it better?" "I think so, Milady." "I hope it is. I don''t wish to repeat the same mistake again." This time, she removed her personalized maid outfit and changed into a battle dress made of linen cloth. Olivia, who rarely wore anything else than a dress, unexpectedly switched to dark gray pants that were easy to move in. She wore a gray shirt under a black coat with long sleeves that stopped slightly under her hips. To keep the coat from hindering her movements, she strapped a belt around her waist to tightly maintain it in place. Moreover, to avoid tripping needlessly, she changed her previous shoes, which had elevated heels, to a pair with no heels. "You look great in that outfit. Are you going to show it to your lover?" Olivia glanced at Marie, and frowned. "Are you mocking me? I thought you disliked him?" "I tried to lift the mood a little." "Marie... Why do you hate him so much? Is it because he-" "Yes. Because he took you away from us. But to be fair, I don''t dislike him as much anymore." "Why?" Her maid looked into the water crashing on the beach. "Because he placed your life above his, just like us." "He also goes to great length to protect the very things you worked your whole life to build." All the maids nodded alongside her words. "So, the incident with the kelpies the turning point for you?" "Exactly. I have learned to respect him, and wouldn''t mind following his orders." "Coming from you, this certainly feels strange." Olivia smiled warmly. "Oh, by the way. I told him about all of you. He asked for a match against you." "Against me?" Pointing at herself, Marie blinked. "Uh... Not exactly." "Against ''all'' of you." "..." The maids looked at Olivia as if she had spoken a different language. "Haha..." A drop of sweat trickled down Marie''s cheek, as she tried to wrap her head around the matter. "I... see." Looking at her peers, Marie noticed that some of them looked rather eager to try fighting the man himself. So, she made up her mind. "Sure. Why not? Nothing will happen to us anyway." "I will let him know-" Suddenly, Olivia and her maids turned toward the sea with a severe expression. "Sonia, Ollie, Marina, Laure, Niya, and Haileen, defend the far-left side of the beach!" The maids who were pointed out immediately ran in the direction they were instructed to go. "Angie, Celeste, Isa, Grace, Helen, and Kate, you defend the far right!" Six other maids went the opposite way. "Alma, Chloe, Martha, Zara, Claire, and Alisa, I want you to defend the left side, right there!" Olivia pointed to a place close to her, closer than the other group that went further away. "Serena, Lilian, Rene, Noelle, Marisa, and Helena, you take the last spot. Right there." Pointing to the right side, where the last spot to defend was, the maids nodded and ran past her, taking their place, ready to strike. "Alice and Eden, you protect the kelpies. I want no failure on your part, you understand?" "Yes, Milady!" The two remaining maids hurriedly joined the kelpies, which were posted behind Olivia, past the beach, at a higher elevation. "Marie." "Milady." "With me." "Yes!" Marie''s long maid dress dropped into the sand. Wearing a jumpsuit under her maid dress, a deformed smile appeared on her face. "Permission to remove the threats?" "Permission granted. Marie, kill everything on your way." Her body began to tremble as she hugged her body in a twisted manner. "Thank you, Olivia." Olivia sighed. ''That''s right. I sometimes forget...'' ''That they are all twisted women.'' A bloodbath was about to happen on Noctelagia''s beach, caused by a handful of women. Chapter 336: Olivias maid squad. ''Yes, those girls have a few screw looses, but can you blame them?'' Olivia closed her eyes and recalled the misery each of her friends went through. - The first friend she met was none other than Marie. At the time, Olivia had just lost her family, and was aimlessly walking through the dark and moldy streets of Noctelagia. With only the ring left by her parents after their sudden death, she thought of following them. Then, turning into an alley, she noticed a young girl her age being assaulted by a group of young men. The young Marie at the time was fighting back with everything she had, but was easily overpowered and crushed under the men''s violent punches. As one grabbed her hair and pulled her closer to his face, she spat blood on him. Olivia watched in horror, as she wondered if she was going to suffer the same fate. Yet, seeing the girl fight until the very hand, Olivia got reminded of her mother''s words. ''Never give up without giving your all.'' After that, she blacked out. When she recovered her consciousness, she was covered in blood, surrounded by bits of human chunks. Marie, at the time, was in shock in front of the young Olivia. She had horns, wings, and a long but thin tail behind her, yet, she didn''t felt threatened. The world came crashing down on Olivia when she realized that she had killed people with her own hands. Still, she did not feel bad. When she turned to look at Marie, the two stared in each other''s eyes, where they understood each other, creating an unbreakable bond. That was how they met each other. Marie kept her secret sealed inside her heart, and Olivia vowed to protect her friend from ever suffering the same treatment. None of them cried the death of the men assaulting Marie. Olivia became even more eager to get rid of these kinds of people. She began her plan with the help of Marie. With the ring''s magic, she worked on sealing her appearance, and with her own strength, she manipulated the previous Apostle of Noctelagia to take her in. Marie, who became of a maid to support her friend, was a major help to make the play more believable. Olivia became the daughter of the Lakis, who believed her until the very end. While she worked on getting rid of the filth in Noctelagia, she found other girls with similar situations to Marie. Alice and Eden were the next she found. These two sisters were living in a dilapidated house at the edge of the city. They had been thrown out of their previous house by their parents for not being able to use magic. As they were about to get killed by the guards after many complaints from the townspeople, Olivia worked around them, and dragged the two into her ranks. Not long after, she went ahead and tracked down more people to strengthen her position. That''s when she found Kate, Alma, Serena, and Noelle. Each of them were in a group of orphans that stole food from stalls to survive. That was when Olivia realized how horrible the city she lived in truly was. Many children, who should have lived happily with their families, were, in fact, thrown away for stupid reasons. Because no laws were enforced upon the residents, the adults lived only for their own profits, not caring for the normal things to do. She saved those four without caring for a single insult thrown her way, and continued her search. At few months later, Olivia heard from Marie, who was acting as a spy inside the castle, that a few children were actually chained in the basement. This information was only known by four people in the castle. The Apostle, his aid, a nobleman, and a guard. Marie obtained this information by seducing the guard, loosening his tongue in the process. Olivia stormed the basement without second thoughts, and rescued the girls, who were each in a terrible state. In the process, Marie killed the guard who tried to stop her master. There, she met Lilian, Celeste, Niya, Haileen, Ollie. Celeste was a beastman, captured not far from the city. She was thought to be a spy, and tortured until she couldn''t think. The guards cut her ears and tail, making her a shadow of her former self. While Lilian, Haileen, and Ollie were normal humans, the same couldn''t be said for Niya. The poor girl was a visitor from a distant land. She mistakenly left the boat she traveled on, and rapidly got lost in Noctelagia. As anyone would have expected, she was judged a spy, and brought to the basement. Once she rescued them, voices of disagreement began to rose from the people supporting the previous Apostle. Words of rebellion got out, until a large chunk of the army broke into her room in the middle of the night. No one returned alive from this. Olivia went straight to her ''father'', and explained the situation. That she was saving people who lived with no hope for tomorrow, just like she was before. Her predecessor asked her if she would rebel, and she said: "Yes, but only against those who want my death." What happened after that came to cause considerable changes to Noctelagia. Olivia, followed by her few maids, killed the ones who went after her.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Many noblemen died horribly, without anyone to support them anymore. From those families, she took Zara, Grace, Marisa, Alisa, Rene, and the twins Helen and Helena under her wings. She refused to let other girls from following the footsteps of the ones who struggled to survive, and instead took them in. A lot of struggle happened during this time, especially from Alisa and Zara, who refused to listen to the murderer of their father. Still, after explaining the reasons, they all understood that their actions were selfish, and would have hurt them too eventually. Their freedom was forfeited just by being with these men, which Olivia made sure to make them understand. The remaining girls were found in a hideout in the sewers. Sonia, Marina, Laure, Angie, Isa, Chloe, Martha, and Claire. They were agonizing, on the border between life and death, with no food left to eat, and no hope of seeing tomorrow. When words of one last stronghold of unfortunate children entered her ears, Olivia entered the sewers with her army of maids, and hurriedly searched for them. Before it was too late, eight girls were rescued and saved. They were incredibly cautious at first, but warmed up to her within a month. That was how her maid squad came to be. It took her four years to rescue all of them. At twelve-year-old, Olivia began to teach each of them how to behave like ladies, just like she had learned from the Lakis. Then, she made them learn how to fight. She wanted them to have a way to avoid falling back into the dangerous life they went through before, oblivious to her followers'' feelings. The twenty-seven maids fell in love with her. They vowed to always protect the only person who held a helping hand to them, who saved them from an uncertain future. So, they became stronger. While unable to use magic, they became masters of another art. They learned the Art of Fine Wire, Razor Floss. And with it, a thirst for violence. - Olivia looked at Marie''s back. Her friend was sliding rings around her fingers while smiling. She looked at the others, who were doing the same. Around the edges of those rings were wrapped long and thin steel threads. The moment all ten rings were worn, the atmosphere suddenly changed. Incredible bloodlust filled the air, which could suffocate anyone not used to it. The kelpies glanced at Eden and Alice, worried that they would be attacked, but still maintained their position after Saffira ordered them. Some maids were either younger, or older than Olivia. Still, they were faithful. Nothing would be able to break their mind, and her orders were absolute. So, when Olivia asked to get rid of something. They were delighted to do so. *Splash* Many creatures began to emerge from the sea. Fish-like corrupted floated above sea level, flying straight for the shoreline. Under them, various seal-like creatures were about to surface, while a row of deformed orcas and whales. Way behind, three Corrupted Lords waited in the shadows. To that, the Lord of Noctelagia, Olivia, chose to go all out. The illusion made with dark magic disappeared, revealing her demonic form to the world. For the first time in her life, she willingly showed her true form. The maids turned to look at her with awe. Since they were all trusted by Olivia, they knew. Yet, they rarely had the opportunity to see her in this glorious form. Then, Olivia inhaled air, before shouting at the top of her lungs. "War as begun! Everyone, defend the city!" Threads dropped from the maids'' fingers at her order. They were ready to ''welcome'' the guest coming toward them. Suddenly, a water projectile the size of a house traveled over Marie''s head, forcing her to blink confused, before it crashed on the corrupted fishes. She glanced toward Olivia, who had the palm of her hand pointed toward her. The two looked at each other, before a smile raptured Marie''s face. ''Our first battle with Milady! How thrilling!'' In high-spirits, the maids glared at the enemies. "No one will get past us! Be our guest, give it a try." The battle of Noctelagia began this very instant. ~ The battlefield north of Noctelagia was amplifying by the minute. Various beasts rushed the soldiers, ranging between smaller to larger types. Weird hybrids of animals appeared too, more dangerous than the normal beasts. Wolves, rabbits, boars, horses... all types of animals were found on the battlefield. Even strangers, rare corrupted creatures also joined the assault. Insects the size of a large tree threatened the soldiers from behind the first row of corrupted. Locusts, spiders, ants, creatures that appeared during Orion''s venture inside the underground parts of the now destroyed fairy realm. At that precise point, the army consisted of five thousand soldiers against forty thousands corrupted. Unknown to the actual number of corrupted, the army was terribly outnumbered. Luckily, the speech May gave to the soldiers helped them maintain a high concentration and boosted their survival rate. Not many suffered injuries from the corrupted, and no casualties were on record for the moment. Those corrupted were the most basic creatures, easy to deal with in normal circumstances. What made them dangerous right now was actually their numbers. While the soldiers were holding the lines, two individuals were killing great numbers of them. May and Eric, both in front of the army, ravaged their ranks without showing signs of exhaustion. "Hnn!" Eric slammed his axe into the ground, creating large spikes of earth that pierced beasts in a straight line. Grabbing the axe''s handle tightly, he pointed the gun with his other hand at the corrupted approaching him, and fired a few frozen bullets at them. The gun had no need for reloading, as each bullet was magically charged with an ice power. It was a strange device quite different from its original counterpart, powered by Monolavir''s innate magical energy. One scale was enough to create two artifacts, which could be used indefinitely. The bullet traveled through the air while leaving snowflakes behind its trail, and pierced the beast''s skull, before freezing it entirely. Pulling the axe from the ground with his muscular arm, Eric rushed to the next place. Though, he was forced to stop suddenly, feeling the air heat up intensely. His eyes located the source of the heat, before a scorching beam of fire horizontally traveled in front of him. Thousands of corrupted died instantly, as May unleashed her accumulated magical energy in the form of a ray of condensed fire. Still, there was no time to stand there in awe. Eric turned his head, and noticed another wave coming his way, so he hurried to block as many of them as he could to support the soldiers. May, on the contrary, stood her ground. ''How long until the next one?'' ''---'' ''Fifteen minutes... Not being able to fire that in repetition is a shame, but whatever.'' A gray tiger suddenly leaped from behind another corrupted, straight at her. It seemed eager to rip her throat off with its enormous fangs. She took a step back to let the tiger land on the ground, and placed one hand on its back while doing a cartwheel over it. At the same time, she slashed its head off with the sword in her free hand, and landed behind it before the tiger slid on the ground, lifeless. Without glancing to confirm if she had killed it, she pointed her free right hand toward the left, detonating an exploding flame that pushed her away from a bear''s lunging attack. Killing the bear in one attack, she slashed three over creatures while rapidly traveling through the ranks of corrupted beasts. ''---'' ''Got it.'' She jumped over multiple approaching boars, and stabbed her sword into the ground. The ground began to swell under her, as her surrounding turned bright red. Flames erupted from openings in the ground, burning everything in its path. Pulling the sword out of the dirt, she hurriedly moved away, before the ground split open and exploded into a giant geyser of flames. "This is never-ending! How many are there?" Slashing at one corrupted, she noticed the row of insects closer than before. When she looked behind her, she saw that the soldiers were still holding their ground, killing the stragglers that she couldn''t finish off. The first wave had been dealt with successfully, but it was far from ending. When May looked forward, her eyes opened wide. *RUMBLE* The ground shook, as a giant humanoid walked toward the Talviera Mountain Range, following a brown dragon even larger than the giant. When she saw them, she couldn''t help but gulp. "Amelia..." Florian and Kamala saw this scene from their base, and immediately entered a portal leading to Horizon that was left open for this precise moment. ... They explained that the dragon was on the move, but that another monster was walking alongside it. "Strange. Well, in any case, I''ll handle that dragon." Amelia said, determination filling her being. "Wait." A voice caught everyone''s attention. "I''ll deal with the giant." Elliott walked toward her wifloth one hand on Vanitas. Chapter 337: Multiple assaults. "You..." Amelia cautiously watched as Elliott came closer. The mood became heavier, as even Florian and Kamala took a step back in surprise. "Of all people, it had to be you?" "I know those expressions. None of you show even an ounce of trust toward me, isn''t it?" Elliott shrugged it off as it wasn''t bothering him in the slightest. "Were you expecting anything else?" "Not especially so." A staring contest ensued as a result between him and Amelia. "Orion told us he made you stay in Horizon. Since nothing major happened while you were here, I''ll accept your help this time." "Well, if that isn''t commendable? Thank you." Amelia frowned. ''What a prick... I get why Orion doesn''t like him. Each word he speaks ticks me off.'' Seemingly ready her thoughts through her expression, Elliott walked past her and looked at the portal. "So, what are we waiting for? There are more urgent matters to deal with, don''t you think?" "I agree, this is not the time for petty conflicts." Hurt inside, Amelia looked at Florian with disappointment. "Petty... Incredible, coming from you." "Stop! Please stop! Florian, go first." Kamala suddenly agitated her arms in front of the two in an attempt to defuse the situation, before Amelia suddenly grabbed her stomach, laughing. "Sorry, sorry." She wiped the tears off the corners of her eyes, before walking toward the portal. Elliott, who had a faint smile on his face, entered the portal first. "Heh." With a shrug, Amelia entered the portal leading to the battlefield. Confused, Florian and Kamala rapidly followed them. ... "What a mess..." Watching the thousands of corrupted beasts on the horizon, multiplying as if their number were infinite, Elliott frowned. "I had no idea father had that many creatures under his command." The sound of explosions echoed from the distance, as crimson flames erupted here and there around the battlefield. On the right side, large earthen spikes crumbled as large insects climbed them to spit acid from a higher spot. Even though he wanted to help the soldiers, Elliott stayed his hand. There was something else he had to do. Quietly, Amelia watched with mixed feeling. "..." Then, they both looked toward their right, where two gigantic beings seemingly moved toward the mountains. Elliott glared at a giant humanoid clouded in a thick smoke walking across the land, while Amelia focused on the creature it was following. It was so massive it made the dragons she knew pale in comparison. "Amelia, are you sure you will be able to fight this thing? It''s at least five times larger than it should be." "I''ll do what I can. Also, I won''t fight alone, so it should be fine." With a quick glance, Elliott judged Amelia''s power, before glancing at the dragon. ''She''s not powerful enough to fight it on her own, but if Orion believes in her, then it means there''s more than strength involved in this.'' He nodded internally. "Alright. I have a way to cross the distance quickly. Would you mind grabbing onto me?" "No way." Without giving it a second thought, Amelia refused. "Can I ask the reason for your instant disapproval?" "I would rather not touch another man other than Orion."If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Taken slightly by surprise, Elliott blinked. Yet, her reason was perfectly understandable, but not in this situation. "Fair enough. Still, would you mind ignoring it right now? The time it will take to pursue them is far too large to go on foot. You will lose it before having a chance to fight." "..." Amelia pondered on the idea for a moment. ''He''s right, there is no way I''m catching up by just walking after it... Can I trust him, or not?'' With a frown, she stared at him. "Your hand on my hip, that''s all I can tolerate. Got it?" She walked next to him, and placed her left hand on his right shoulder. "Fine by me. I swear on my honor that I will deliver you to that dragon." Like she asked, he wrapped his arms around her back and held Amelia tightly at the hips. "You two, I leave this place to you." Looking at Florian and Kamala next to her, she said. "You can rest easy, we will carefully monitor the battlefield." After seeing Kamala and Florian nod, Amelia looked at Elliott, who also nodded to confirm that he was ready. "I haven''t asked, but how are we supposed to catch up? It''s not like you can use warp abilities, so..." Elliott unsheathed Vanitas, and grabbed it like a javelin. The veins on his arms bulged, as he aimed a little further right than the dragon, to compensate for the time he would need to attain it. "Hnn!" Throwing the sword in the air, he aimed the palm of his hand toward it. "Calamitas." Amelia blinked, confused as nothing happened. "Close your mouth, or you''ll bite your tongue." Instantly, she understood that she had made a mistake trusting that man. Before she could blink a second time, she felt a tremendous force pull her forward, as her feet left the ground. "Kh!" Gritting her teeth to endure the sickening feeling, she closed her eyes. Yet, she felt compelled to open them and look at her destination. She was flying in the air, seeing the scenery fly by at an absurd speed. ''Tens of kilometers in a few minutes. This man is a menace!'' Her mind could barely process the speed at which she was traveling. "I... prefer... Orion''s... smooth... travel..." "I bet." A faint smile on his face, Elliott said, unaffected by the pressure caused by his flying speed. ''I knew Calamitas was the right tool for this kind of venture.'' The idea was simple. When Elliott threw Vanitas in the air, he used Calamitas, the invisible whip, to grab into the hilt of the sword. Using the velocity as a mean of travel, he felt proud of his idea. But, the closer he got to his destination, the clearer it became. ''These two, they are even worse than I was expecting.'' Truly, they were gigantic. The giant humanoid was even taller than the giant corrupted he had fought in the south. This one was higher than two hundred meters. The dragon wasn''t better, either. This creature was roughly five hundred meters from one wing to the other, and looked fiercer than anything he had ever seen. ''Even Orion would struggle with this one. But...'' He glanced at Amelia, who had her hand on her mouth and nose to maintain her breathing. ''Bigger doesn''t mean better. Father hasn''t learned his lesson.'' ''Still, at first glance, there is no core on its body.'' A stern expression replaced his neutral demeanor. ''The new type of corrupted...'' In slightly less than ten minutes, Elliott and Amelia crossed fifty kilometers of land, and arrived where the two giants were. "Amelia, it is all yours. I''ll drop you here." "Eh? Wha-" Before she could finish her sentence, or even process his words, Amelia was dropped on top of the dragon from way above it. ''This fucker!'' As she plummeted toward the back of the dragon, suddenly, all eyes fell on her. The giant humanoid went to grab her, while the dragon bent its neck to look at her. "I won''t let you!" Elliott pulled on Calamitas, and recovered his sword in midair. Then, he threw Vanitas toward the giant, using the same method he used to cross an absurd distance previously. The sword stabbed the giant around its shoulder, before Elliott crashed on its body with full force. Using the velocity and his strength, Elliott forced the giant to recoil backward from the hit, missing Amelia by a thread at the same time. "Aura!" Left with only a split instant to make a judgment, she formed her wind dagger, pointed toward the dragon''s back. ''Stop my fall! Please!'' She conveyed her frantic emotions to her wind element, who began to react immediately. As Amelia approached the large brown scales of the dragon, she faded from sight. ~ "..." A lonely cloaked figure was walking in the middle of fields, away from the battlefield. It seemed to wander aimlessly, yet, in the distance, a white palace could be seen pointing toward the sky. "...ah..." "...hro." With its broken voice, it continued to move forward, pushed by a strange picture in its mind. ... "Kh..." Deveralna looked in the distance from outside Lahro. "I can''t see anything from here." Worried about May and Amelia, she anxiously squeezed the tip of her tail. "Wait, there''s no time for this! I have to focus." She shook her head while letting go of her tail. "I don''t have time to worry about others. Who knows when an enemy will attack our city." Glancing at the walls surrounding the city, she noticed the thousands of lamias watching her. In reality, she didn''t even need to look at them. Since returning to Triazils, and coming back to Lahro, connections with her peers flooded her being. She knew exactly where the other lamias were at all times, but only when she focused on finding out. It was still too soon for her to control the entirety of the Remnant''s powers she acquired. Remembering her mother''s face when she came back made the air around her ease up. ''The fact that it was precisely what I was expecting makes it even more incredible.'' Telling the lamias about her new status made the whole factions bow in front of her. Even Palarvina, her mother, couldn''t help but show respect. With a Remnant being among them for the first time, they finally understood how great and relieved it made them feel. "!" Deveralna felt something approach the city, and entered a state of high alert. ''What...'' She tried to find the intruder, but it was nowhere to be seen. "Heee..." A cloaked figure suddenly leaped from an unknown location, and looked at Deveralna from up close. It expressed a twisted smile, before mocking her with its eyes. Deveralna glanced with horror at the figure, before a sudden kick sent her flying toward the city''s wall. *Crash* Embedded into the wall, Deveralna glared at her enemy. "Now you''ve done it." Electricity began to cover her entire body as she broke free of the rubble. Her switch turned on. Now in fight mode, she pointed her palm toward the being, before firing a charged plasma beam. The ray of energy crackled while burning the grass, enveloping the intruder in its light. "...mia." Hearing the voice from her left side, Deveralna immediately slithered away, making some distance between her and the being. It, or he, stood there, glaring at her with lust in its eyes. "You!" Deveralna''s face became distorted with rage. Saliva dribbled down the being''s mouth, as it approached her. "La...mia. Lamia!" "APOSTLE KIEL!" The first Apostle Orion killed, Kiel, returned to Lahro. Deformed beyond understanding, dark sludge kept his head from falling off. A disgusting human came back to haunt the lamias once again. But this time, Deveralna possessed the power to fight back. Chapter 338: Triazils in total chaos. The war was composed of multiple zones of conflict. At the forefront, where the defense of the whole continent stood, was the alliance of the three most powerful armies led by Florian Delur, Kamala Genathis, and Eric Layman. The three ex-Apostles were assisted by a third party, May, who belonged to the newly created Agathion faction. Amidst the chaos, other places showed signs of intense battle. South of the plains, on the shores of Noctelagia, a squad of maids was defending the city from invaders under the orders of their master, Olivia Lakis. Assisted by the kelpies, a faction that remained hidden for centuries until recently, they managed to push back the corrupted, smearing the sea a deep red and black color. All the way north, where a giant humanoid and a massive dragon were seen moving toward the Talviera Mountain Range, two fighters were sent to block their path. Amelia, a member of the Agathion, was tasked to deal with a supposed brown dragon who disappeared. To everyone''s surprise, Miasma did manage to mutate it into something completely absurd. The other one was Elliott, the lone knight who decided to act instead of remaining a bystander. Not part of any faction, he temporarily stayed inside the plane created by the leader of the Agathion, Orion Feales. Acting as an independent force, Elliott decided to stop the giant humanoid, while having no idea as to why this being joined forces with his father. Farther east, another battle began, only two hours after the beginning of the war. A cloaked figure approached the city of Lahro, home of the lamia faction. Deveralna, Queen and ruler of the city, while also recently becoming the Remnant of her faction, stood in its way. While the figure managed to hit her during a moment of inattention, she managed to strike back. Moments later, she discovered that her enemy was none other than Kiel Voran, the Apostle who managed Lahro before dying at the hands of Orion. Seeing the man who tortured and abused the lamias back from the dead certainly made it difficult for her to control her emotions. With all of these under control, a certain man was monitoring his friends from another plane. ... ''They seem to have everything under control.'' Having placed one-way portals on his friends, Orion was listening to their situations while waiting for any signs of invasion on his side. ''May is still doing fine, Olivia is leading her maids, Amelia just began her attack on the dragon, and Deveralna...'' Orion clenched his fists in anger. ''If I had known that guy would return, I would have obliterated his head instead.'' ''Now, I''ve left Deveralna dealing with my mistake.'' Breathing a long sigh of exasperation, Orion focused on another background noise. ''I hope they are alright...'' ~ "Hurry! Evacuate immediately!" Logran, the beastman village where Dylan and his family lived until today, was under attack. "Dylan, you can''t fight alone!" As villagers ran frantically in the other direction, Dylan and Eliza moved toward the front gate of the village. A pair of white eyes moved in their shadows, as they stopped to look at the wooden walls getting trampled by a stampede of corrupted creatures. The tree around the village were broken in half, as more and more beasts marched toward Logran. "So, are you not going to flee?" Said Eliza with a mocking smile on her face. "What about you? You just recovered not so long ago. Don''t you need to rest?"If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "How could I, when there''s an excellent opportunity to test my strength after all these years." She stretched her arms and neck, until a bestial glare replaced her usual smile. Reminded how scary his wife truly was, Dylan shivered slightly. "I feel younger, too. It makes my blood pump even faster!" Her hair, which looked long and smooth at first glance, changed into a mane similar to a lion. "I can''t believe a woman of all people would have a mane..." Feeling disheartened, Dylan dropped his shoulders in defeat. "Stop being dramatic, and get ready too. When was the last time you fought seriously, without caring about a thing?" "Too far to remember." Dylan cracked his knuckles, and shoulders, before his body began to exert an incredible pressure. The whole forest began suddenly quieter for a split second, with all corrupted frozen in fear. "Heh. I''m rusty if you''re able to do that, while I can''t." "I would be sad if you weren''t." His muscles expanded, his canines protruded from his mouth, and his nails turned into claws. Their gazes turned into one of predators at the top of the food chain, prepared to hunt down their prey. "I take the left, you take the right." They nodded at each other, before they lunged into battle. This fight was the best opportunity for the family to test their strength, especially for Eliza and Nylon. Still, the situation remained chaotic. The beast attacking their village weren''t the usual ones they were used to fending off. Though lacking in numbers, only fifteen beasts were sighted. The problem was, those beasts were too strong for the common beastmen to deal with. These fifteen corrupted, were all Corrupted Lords. ~ "Mmh~ Mmm~" Miasma was humming playfully while watching his troops move forward. Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and looked behind him. "Third wave, move forward." He gestured at the thousands of giant birds to attack with his index finger. Thousands of wings began to flap at the same time, creating dust clouds in the process. "This might be fun." With a distorted smile, he looked at two of the beasts about to take flight. "You two, stop." Each bird-like corrupted began to take flight, while the two he ordered remained on the ground, motionless. "Murder each other." Without questioning the order, the two birds began to peck and rip off feathers and flesh of the other. A moment later, the one on the left remained, its eyes gouged out and wings broken. The same could be said for the other bird, who had it been transformed into a disgusting paste of flesh and bones. Miasma walked toward the dead bird, and plunged his hand into the corpse. "Here." He grabbed the core from the dead bird, and ripped it out, only to punch straight into the head of the surviving bird before releasing the dark crystal inside it. "Not enough, huh?" His eyes scanned the flying birds. With his innate ability to distinguish the corruption, he found the ones with the most corruption in their body, and pointed at them. "This one... You..." Five birds suddenly fell toward the ground, before exploding into dust the moment they touched it. "This will make a fine addition." In his other hand, an accumulation of the five cores he stole from the five victims he chose gleamed a purple light, waiting to be placed into its recipient. Without giving it a second thought, Miasma looked at the core, and shoved it into the bird''s head. "Now, it feels like gambling. What is it going to become?" The bird showed no reaction whatsoever. "Tch! Useless piece of shit." He kicked the bird, who tumbled away a few meters on the ground. "Wasting my time, and my resources. Damn it all..." But then, as he was about to turn away, he noticed a twitch coming from the body he kicked away. "..." Thinking that it was probably his imagination, he turned around. In a sour mood, Miasma looked at the explosion happening in the far distance. Then, he looked on his left, toward the place he had sent Kagalkan and the dragon, who had long since then disappeared in the horizon. Without thinking too much about their potential failure, he searched for his underlings. "Wait... where did he go?" "Who?" Around him, two of the three cloaked figures remained, alongside the soldier he recently managed to mutate. "That bumbling and fumbling guy, with his head detached." "Oh..." The two figures looked at each other and shrugged. "No idea." Suddenly, the air grew heavier. They felt a pressure on their neck, until they were unable to breathe. "Agh..." "Gah!" The two grabbed their throat in agony, as they kneeled on the grass. "You fucking idiots. Keeping an eye on him, that''s all you had to do." Without a shred of pity in his eyes, Miasma glared at them with all the hatred of his being. A ray of light broke through the barrier surrounding Eogis, illuminating the two figures. For a split instant, the light revealed two invisible hands emerging from the ground, wrapped around their necks. "If I may." The mutated soldier suddenly walked in between Miasma and the two figures, and looked at his master dead in the eyes. "What?" "If you wish to know where he went, I can answer it in their stead." "..." Miasma kept quiet, waiting for the man to continue. "I saw him rid the brown dragon before it left off. From what I can recall, he was the one managing the lamia city, Lahro." "Coincidentally, Lahro is in the same direction. Linking the direction and his past with that faction, I believe it makes sense to assume he went there." In deep thoughts, Miasma nodded. "It makes sense, indeed." "Good." He dismissed the soldier, and glared at the two on the ground, gasping for air. "You are lucky, I will spare you this once. It would be a waste to throw you away when I plan to make the most out of my creations." The invisible hands released their necks, and returned to Miasma. "We are... grateful." "Truly..." Struggling to get up, they fumbled on their feet for a minute. Miasma ignored them, and looked forward. ''Lahro. The lamias.'' ''This is a good opportunity to get rid of this faction once and for all.'' His eyes unfocused for a moment. ''I''m close. Very close to transforming the land itself.'' ''With a bit more time, I''ll be able to-'' Then, suddenly, a large shadow was cast over him, stopping him in his thought. "What now?" When he turned around, his eyes opened wide. "What the... fuck?" With a distorted smile on his face, Miasma began to laugh maniacally. A terrifying creature was about to be unleashed on the battlefield. A beast that May was about to fight off, alone. Chapter 339: The three Lords at work. The air across the battlefield suddenly changed. A second roar, as oppressive as the first one, shook the soldiers to their core. "PIAAAAAAAAAAA!" Corrupted beasts began to move erratically, fleeing in every direction, leaving May and Eric confused. "What was that?!" "My ears!" Many grabbed their heads in agony, as the scream continued for a long while. May began to become affected by it too, making it difficult for her to breathe correctly. "K-Kh! So... loud!" The corrupted insects attacking the army began to collapse one by one, writhing in pain, before dying. A few soldiers collapsed on the ground, convulsing from sensory overload. When the scream subsided, a bright light took flight further back in the horizon. Grey dots appeared to fly alongside it, until the army realized what was happening. Far back, at base, Florian and Kamala recovered their senses. Even though they farther away than everyone, the overwhelming terror spread with ease, reaching them as if they were on the frontline. "The situation has changed. Kamala, we need to move out." "You''re right. We can''t let anyone else fight the source of that voice. It''s sounded dangerous." They nodded at each other, before rushing out of the tent. Right when they stepped out, they were met with a hundred soldiers being dragged out of battle, showing signs of madness. "Please! Help!" "No!" "The voice... The voice!" With a grave look on his face, Florian observed the casualties while passing by. ''Such powerful psychic attack. What is this thing we''re suddenly against?'' Kamala seemed to have thought the same thing, as she worriedly stared at him. They both ran through the hundreds of soldiers who were losing their minds. ''Tch! I have no choice.'' Removing his glasses, he placed them in his breast pocket, and looked at Kamala running next to him. "Grab my hand." Florian held his hand toward Kamala. She blinked for a second, questioning him with her eyes. "We don''t have the leisure to waste time. Grab onto me." With a nod, she threw herself at him in the middle of running. Florian caught her, held her in his arms, and stepped on the ground with all of his strength. "Don''t bite your tongue." Lightning magic began to cover his body, his pupils flickered to purple, and purple veins branched out everywhere on his body. A crackling sound echoed across the battlefield, with Florian as the source. He traversed the terrain while avoiding everyone on his path, and the various corpses of the corrupted laying all around. He knew when to decelerate when he noticed burnt corpses, indicating that May was nearby. Less than a minute after leaving base camp, Florian and Kamala arrived at the frontline. His feet scrapped dirt as he forcefully stopped. Kamala immediately moved away from his embrace, and nervously scanned the surroundings. "Where are Eric and May? I can''t see them..." All she could see were the gray dots approaching rapidly in the distance. "Right here. We went past them." Pointing at the two talking to each other, Florian reassured her. With hurried steps, they joined them, and entered the conversation. "Are you two alright?" "Florian, and Kamala? What are you doing here?" Surprised, Eric asked. "Answer me." "Eh? Huh... Yes, we''re alright. Why? Were you worried?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Kamala stepped in front of him with an angry face. "Of course we were! After hearing that roar, how could we not?" "I get it, alright? Take a deep breath." With a forced smile, Eric placed his hands between him and Kamala in an attempt to calm her. "Now that we confirmed your safety, can you explain what happened around here? Why is there no... corrupted beasts?" Florian turned around before tilting his head, confused. "As you can see. That loud scream killed every corrupted we were fighting. It was so horrifying, it also affected us somehow." May silently touched the jewel on her nape with a distressed expression. Kamala noticed this and walked to her, before grabbing her free hand. "May?" "It''s..." Hesitant to speak, May looked down. In the end, she caved and explained her trouble. "That thing terrorized the elemental inside of me. I can''t hear its voice anymore." The insinuation behind her words made the three perplexed. ''She can''t use her fire magic anymore...'' This was a considerable setback on the battlefield. ''We can''t let her fight.'' They all exchanged silent gazes, until Eric opened his mouth. "Then-" "I''m not leaving you behind." She shook her head, and scowled at his words. "But-" "Eric, enough." Florian placed his arm in front of him as he was trying to persuade her. "There''s no time for bickering. If she doesn''t want to go, even knowing the risks, it is her choice." "She''s smart enough to know when to retreat, so leave it to her." A sigh escaped Eric''s mouth. "Fine. Do whatever." He turned around and grabbed his earthen axe, before glancing at the incoming wave of enemies. "You''re right about the ''no time'' part. Seems like our guests are coming in hot." Out of their line of sight, a large gray crane dropped from the sky, aiming to skewer Kamala. May noticed it, and impulsively jumped between Kamala and the corrupted, her sword in hand. Showing no fear in front of the beast, she waited for the perfect moment to strike. As the crane''s beak closed in on her neck, she bent her knees at the last second, and stabbed her sword into its chest, piercing the black core maintaining its life. Dark blood spewed out of the creature, as it flailed wildly, before all signs of motion stopped. "So, do I need to retreat?" "..." Eric shook his head in defeat. May slammed the beast on the ground, and pulled her sword from its chest. With a wide circular motion, she sprayed the blood dripping from the sword onto the ground. "Good. Now, let''s focus." Her eyes settled on a white sphere floating in the sky, surrounded by thousands of birds of various shapes and forms. First, they were attacked by ground units, and now, by aerial forces. "This won''t be easy." Said Florian, with resolve painted on his face. Answering his words, the others nodded. May turned around, and looked at the panicked soldiers watching the backs of their Lords. "Retreat! Leave the rest to us!" Some of them hesitated to follow her orders, while those who couldn''t endure any longer fled toward the back. But, they ultimately turned around, picking up their fallen and injured comrades in the process. Satisfied, May turned around. ''How long are you going to cower in fear? Either we die here, or we don''t. Are you prepared to die?'' Calling out the elemental inside her, she tried to bring it back. ''---'' ''Then fight!'' ''---'' The jewel shone so bright it made its previous gleam pale in comparison. May smiled while grabbing the steel blade of her sword. "We still have a few things to try out. Isn''t that what it means to ''go all out''?" The three watched as her blade began to take on an orange hue. Flames accumulated around its edges, before pointing its tip at the sky. In a single and swift movement, she pulled the sword behind her, before swinging the sword toward the enemy. Eric, Florian, and Kamala were bathed in a terrifying wave of heat. In shock, they watched a literal wave of fire traverse the sky, engulfing the entire left side of the flying corrupted birds in a single strike. A thousand burnt corpses plummeted toward the ground, still fuming. "Too bad I can''t do that often, again." May stabbed her sword into the ground, and dropped to one knee while sweating pea sized droplets of sweat. The jewel on her nape dimmed completely, while she struggled to catch her breath. "I leave... the rest to you three." Her sword began to melt, while she forced herself to stand up. Slowly, she stepped away from the scene, while the three ex-Apostles readied themselves. In awe, they praised her. "She''s your subordinate, right? Where did you find her?" Florian asked, his body changing from the Elemental Mastery. "Not anymore. She wasn''t that powerful when working for me." The weapon in Eric''s hand changed, as he answered Florian. His axe began to take the shape of a long war hammer. His other hand grasped a piece of rock, which formed a large shield in front of him. "That''s what living with Orion transforms you into. Or maybe it''s her feelings for him that made her this strong?" While smiling at the thought of May doing her best for the man she loved, Kamala was reminded of herself. She also had someone to fight for. As she glanced discreetly toward Florian, her body began to float above ground level. A wind spiral formed around her arms and legs, while rings of sand particles revolved around her. "Right. Who wouldn''t want to impress the one they love?" Kamala swiped widely in front of her, creating spikes of sand and wind blades that flew toward the remaining enemies. "May said to go all out, right?" Eric slammed his the pointy side of his hammer into the ground, before breaking it apart. As he aimed for one bird, he flung a massive piece of earth in the air, hitting a few birds in the process. "Are these creatures stupid? Why don''t they dodge?" Florian began to walk in the air. Each step was making him rise higher and higher, until he disappeared from his spot. He reappeared near a corrupted bird, kicked it downward, and vanished once again to attack another. The three Lords wreaked havoc on the enemy lines before the white sphere came too close. Thanks to May''s awe-inspiring performance a few moments ago, their overall morale was raised like never before. They erased hundreds of beasts in record time, while avoiding their attacks. "Not so fast!" Eric jumped in front of Kamala and blocked a bird with his shield, before bashing it into the ground. While Eric acted as Kamala''s shield, she attacked targets unreachable for Florian. Her sand spikes pierced the corrupted, while her wind blades shredded their ranks. When the last bird fell to the ground after Florian ripped the dark core from its insides, they all breathed a sigh of relief. "All that''s left is the big one. Without the minions, this will be an easy battle." Eric nodded to himself. The only enemy left was that bright sphere approaching them. "..." But Florian wasn''t of the same opinion. He gazed at the ground, and noticed something. Kamala noticed his expression, and looked at the ground. ''Hmm?'' A glistening black core caught her attention. ''A core?'' Suddenly, Florian and Kamala realized. ''A core outside their body that hasn''t crumbled to dust!'' Eric caught sight of their panicked expression, and looked in the sky. "!" His and Florian''s body moved on instinct. Eric postured himself in front of Kamala, his shield raised, while Florian crossed the distance between them instantly, protecting Kamala with his body. *Crack* Kamala blinked. The world began to flow in slow-motion, as blood appeared in her vision. A beam of light pierced Eric''s shield and arm. And Florian''s right side. The two had stood in front of her, defending Kamala with their precious life. Chapter 340: Light Disaster. An arrogant smile on his face, Miasma shrugged. "That''s what happens to traitors." Through the eyes of the beasts, Miasma saw the disaster happening to the three ex-Apostles in great details. "I can leave the rest to this thing. We have somewhere else to go, and what better timing than right now?" Glancing toward a rift in space, his showed all of his teeth with a distorted grin that would bring shivers to anyone seeing it. Miasma approached the portal, and jammed his hand right in. Similar to his previous attempt, the portal began to reject him, as it recognized an unauthorized individual trying to break in. ''Not this time.'' He jabbed his other hand inside, before forcefully pulling its edges further away from each other. ''You''re really going to make me work for it, huh?'' His smile disappeared, replaced with struggle. For a few minutes, Miasma did everything to not waste this opportunity, working on stabilizing the rift. Corrupted fumes released from his body began to flow toward the portal, corrupting its power bit by bit. ''It''s working. Almost there!'' His grin returned when he noticed his efforts starting to show results. The rift opened wide, creating sparks of light and spots of darkness around it. The world itself cracked around it, as Miasma continued to break into Horizon. *Crack* "Haaaah!" Using his incredible strength, he pried open the portal. Large fissures in the surroundings began to pull air inside them, as Miasma dropped his shoulders in exhaustion. "Breaking in is a success. As expected, I won''t be stopped by a mere portal." The portal looked stable, with no risk to close shut anytime soon. It looked large enough to fit five people side-by-side, which made Miasma even happier. He looked behind him, glaring at his forces composed of a few hundred Corrupted Lords, two cloaked figures, and a Corrupted Warrior. "What are you waiting for? Get in there and wreak havoc." Hearing his order, they ran inside the portal without looking back. "Kill everyone you see." "But leave Orion to me." Followed by his three followers, Miasma, possessing the Apostle Layla, entered Horizon, Orion''s home. ~ "Florian! Eric!" Kamala caught Florian, who fell backward onto her. Eric stabbed his war hammer into the ground, and looked at his bleeding arm. Shards of rocks exploded everywhere following the shield''s destruction, and only began to rain down. "I''m... fine!" "Same..." Florian wobbled slightly, trying to compose himself through the pain. He looked at his right side, and noticed a large hole leaking blood. ''Shit! The pain is atrocious!'' He looked at Eric, who ripped a piece of fabric from his shirt, before trying to wrap it around his bleeding arm. "Eric... wait." His friend glanced toward him, taking notice of his worse condition. "Your stomach..." "No problem, it missed my vitals. Forget about it, give me your arm." With Kamala holding his back, Florian walked closer to him. His hand began to release incredible heat, as lightning sparks erupted around it. "Place that thing in your mouth. It''s going to hurt." Watching the serious expression in his eyes, Eric placed the piece of fabric in his mouth, and gave him his arm. "Sorry." Florian tightly grabbed Eric''s injured arm with his hand. A loud sizzling noise overwhelmed their earring sense, as Florian cauterized his wound with lightning. "!" Being the muscle head he was, Eric endured the pain without emitting a sound, only glaring at him by instinct.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. The smell of burned flesh hanged in the air, until a few seconds later, Florian removed his hand. "How''s that?" With a smug face mixed with pain, he looked at his friend. "It fucking hurt!" Eric spat the piece of cloth out of his mouth while glaring at Florian. Then, he looked at his arm, and nodded. "The bleeding has stopped. It doesn''t hurt as much, though. Thanks." Moving his arm around, he confirmed that he had recovered some mobility. Before he had a chance to glance at him, Florian already began to cauterize his own wound. His pained scream echoed through the battlefield as he had no way to divert the pain. Kamala hugged his back as he gritted his teeth during the whole process. But even as the pain was greater than anything he ever felt so far, he kept his mind working. ''It''s nothing compared to what Orion went through.'' ''The suffering he went through, the death he experienced.'' Florian clenched his side even harder. The memories of his battle against Julian came flooding back, as he pictured his breathless friend in the arms of a sobbing fairy. ''This is nothing!'' His tenacity overcame the pain. As he inhaled some air after closing his wound, he looked at the beast flying above them. ''We''ve fallen in that trap splendidly. What a mess...'' He opened his eyes and squinted at the light sphere in the air. ''Here it goes.'' Eric and Kamala noticed movement coming from the sphere once again. Unfortunately, they weren''t in a position to avoid attacks. Two radiant wings spread from each side of the beast. It stretched wildly, as its elongated neck revealed itself from the sphere''s inside. Its piercing yellow eyes fell on the three, before it shrieked once again. "PIAAAAAAA!" The sphere of light surrounding it then started to be absorbed inside its body, showing its luminous plumage. This creature, ever magnificent as it was, appeared to be formidable. Its long feathery tail stretched behind it and wavered in the wind, releasing particles of light as it moved. It was as brilliant as the sun. Lost for words, they could only stand there, in awe, facing this incredible creature. Then, shimmering light spheres appeared in front of its wings. As it flapped them, beams of light flew in all directions. The earth itself fractured from the unfathomable power. Setting ablaze the battlefield from its continuous outburst of magic, and consuming all corpses in holy fire. In the middle of this chaos, Kamala transformed. Her body, enveloped in a thick layer of sand, covered the group in a thick sphere of sand and rocks. Using her wind magic as a way to create breathing air inside the sphere, she sighed. "We''ve been fooled." "Huh?" Eric looked at her, perplexed. At that moment, Florian removed his hand from his side, and straightened while catching his breath. "It is exactly as she said. Haven''t you noticed?" "Noticed what? Tell me, don''t play riddles. I was too focused on defending." Florian placed his hand on his breast pocket, pulling out his blue glasses. With a swift and precise movement, he placed them on his nose, before releasing a sigh of relief. Cold air released by the glasses appeased his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment, before being reminded of the situation by a beam of light hitting the protective shell. "The corrupted cores. Normally, they are supposed to crumble into dust unless me use magic, right? That''s why we always sent a magi to recover the cores." "Yes. That''s how it''s done." Agreeing with him, Eric nodded. It was no mystery, as they kept gathering cores for the ''Ceremony'' held each year. "We killed thousands of corrupted, some of them were reduced to ashes by May, but..." Florian looked at Kamala. "Black cores were scattered everywhere on the ground. That''s an unusual situation to be in." "The question is, ''why?'' now." Finishing her sentence, Florian walked around while holding his side. Kamala stared with worry, but quickly pushed her emotions to the side, as she could see that he was at least out of danger. *VRRRRRRRR* The sound of a beam of light shattering the earth made the three stop and wait anxiously. "Kamala, are you alright?" He asked for two reasons. The magic needed to block those strikes was no laughing matter, and her previous attempt using the Elemental Mastery, where she lost consciousness. The sand enveloping her was slowly beginning to cover her face, which indicated to him that she was probably struggling to control her power output. "I''m fine." She looked away for a split second, before looking back at him. ''I won''t be able to hold it much longer.'' The frown on her face gave enough answers for the two to understand. "Huh?" "Eric?" Putting his ear next to the wall, he listened for a few seconds. "There are no sounds outside." "Really?" "I''m positive." Kamala nodded, before slowly removing the shell protecting them. What welcomed them turned out to be a nightmarish scenery. "Wha-" "Don''t breathe! Kamala, disperse the air!" Florian turned to Kamala with panic on his face. Urgently, she used her wind magic to cover them. The air was choked full of corrupted dust. Molten earth heated the place, and large craters replaced the flat terrain they began their defense over. "Now I get it! The cores!" "They were used to create this situation!" Kamala exclaimed, perplexed. There was no sign of corpses nor dark cores. The beams were used to destroy any trace of the fallen beasts, as well as break the core into dust, that was floating in the air. ''Who thought of this? Was it Miasma? Or this thing?'' A spiral of wind pushed the dust away, while they looked for the culprit of this disaster. "Where did it go?" "..." "Nowhere..." Pointing in the air, a drop of sweat trickled down Eric''s forehead. The radiant bird appeared to have remained exactly where it was before. As the three stared with anxiety, the beast opened its beak. Dust in the air began to get sucked into its mouth in a swirling motion. "Stop it now! Don''t let it absorb the corruption!" Shouted Florian, forcing every ounce of strength in his body to move. Eric took out his gun, and aimed at the bird. Kamala lifted her arm in front of her too. *Bam* Eric shot a freezing bullet at its left wing, while a column of dust rose from under it, ready to pierce its body. Florian closed the distance between him and his target, while gathering a dangerous amount of lightning magic all over his body. The purple veins on his body glowed wildly, warning him of the danger, but he ignored it. He felt a weigh growing on his feet, slowing him down. When in position, he aimed both hands toward the bird from a very close range, and fired everything he had accumulated all at once. *BRRRRZZZZZT* A beam of lightning branched out in every direction. It traveled instantly, scorched the ground under its path, and ionized the air. And at the same time, it engulfed the corrupted as it was absorbing the corrupted dust. All three attacks touched their target in an incredible blast. Florian was thrown back a large distance away, barely capable of keeping his consciousness working. The left side of his glasses cracked from the shock, while blood dripped from his nose from the excessive use of magic. A groan escaped his mouth, as the ground came closer and closer. ''Is that it?'' He closed his eyes, and braced himself for the end. However, expecting a rough landing, he was surprised to be fine. "I guess it will need a bit more for it to die." When he opened his eyes, he saw May holding him straight. "Mind leaving the rest to me?" "Sure... I''m too injured to do anything else anyway." He smiled dryly while trudging away, exhausted. "..." May glanced at his back, before she looked forward, toward a bright light in the sky. "Who would have guessed Orion sharing his light element with the world would cause this..." She approached Kamala and Eric with determined steps, to end this war once and for all. Chapter 341: A hundred meters above the land. While the trio was dealing with the carnage created by the Light Disaster. A few kilometers away from the battlefield, Elliott and Amelia were dealing with absurdly large creatures. "..." The back of the dragon closed in rapidly as Amelia plummeted toward it. With Aura in her hand, she braced herself and swiped the green dagger under her. A blast of wind traveled toward the scales of the dragon, before crashing on it. The attack left no dent on the tough scales of the dragon, who kept its eyes on the woman falling on its back. The blast remained for a moment, stopping Amelia¡¯s rapid descent. As she floated down slowly, her feet finally touched the dragon. "!" Amelia suddenly ran away. The dragon''s back was incredibly wide, with many thorns as tall as houses, and ridges as deep as rivers here and there. It made it difficult for her to navigate through, but there was one issue she couldn''t ignore. Its eyes were always on her. Bending its neck in various direction to always have Amelia in its sight. She knew the dragon wouldn''t take it well to have an intruder walking on its body, and it was exactly as she thought. While running away, she glanced behind her. A large spike of earth erupted from the ground sideways, before another one quickly chased behind her, then another, infinitely so. Chased by an unending number of spikes, Amelia continued to avoid the obstacles, and moved toward its head. "Grrrrrrrrrrr!" A low rumble came out of its mouth, before it turned its head away. ''Huh?'' Confused, Amelia stared blankly at the dragon that started ignoring her. Then, she felt a small change. That change became more pronounced with each passing moment, until she understood what was happening. ''I''m losing my footing?! What''s happening?'' The ground, being the dragon''s back, was starting to turn into a slope. The spikes stopped pursuing her, but she now had to deal with getting thrown off the dragon. When she looked around her, she noticed that the dragon began to rotate its whole body to get rid of her. "Ceres!" Amelia released Aura and changed it for her earth dagger. Hurriedly, she stabbed the nearest thorn before she slid off its back. The dagger fused with the massive thorn to stabilize its grip, while the dragon flipped its body. Tightly gripping the dagger''s hilt with both hands, her feet left the ground. Before long, her feet were floating more than five-hundred meters above the land. With the dragon upside-down, she understood it would be easy to arrive at its head. ''It''s far too early to give up!'' She observed the surroundings, as it began to return to its normal position. While sideways, Amelia noticed a path from thorn to thorn, making it way easier to go to her destination. But that required a mobility she didn''t have. Unless... "..." Her gaze turned to her hands, holding Ceres, before moving downward, toward the green terrain flying at high speed. ''Alright, here goes nothing.'' Taking a long breath of air, Amelia nodded, before letting go of Ceres. The dagger vanished into particles, as she fell off the dragon. "Leima! Mastery Form!" She screamed while falling, her body flashing a bright white light. A thunderous sound traveled through the air as if a lightning struck the area.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. Suddenly, a chained dagger flew from the light, piercing a thorn not far from it. Pulled by the chain, Amelia swung under the thorn back and forth, before leaping away at its highest point. Throwing the other chain at another thorn, she repeated the process, moving higher and higher while also getting closer to the dragon''s massive head. At one point, she swung around a thorn, before dropping on top of it. The dragon was about to return to its original position, which would make it tougher to swing at that point. But to her surprise, the dragon began to do something different from what she was expecting. Its body twisted in a peculiar motion. Putting a rotation maneuver after flipping sideways, wind gushed between the thorns and ridges of its body, creating an incredible vacuum. The dragon aimed its head toward the sky, and flew even higher than it already was. The air was slowly beginning to thin out at this altitude, making it hard for Amelia to breathe correctly. Yet, it was nothing for her. She carefully controlled her breathing, and kept the chain dagger wrapped around the thorn to avoid falling off as the dragon ascended. Then, as the dragon continued to rotate, it suddenly dived. Not expecting this move, Amelia lost her footing, and fell off the thorn. With the chain tightly wrapped around her arm, it kept her from being completely thrown off. But she had to now endure the fast change in atmosphere, as the dragon plummeted to the ground rapidly. To further aggravate the situation, the dragon began to spin uncontrollably. Amelia, battered by rough gales, began to lose consciousness. ''I have to... hold on...'' With the ground approaching, she closed her eyes. The spinning was starting to affect her, warping her vision. *Crack* Amelia suddenly opened her eyes, and looked at the thorn Leima was stuck into. Cracks were starting to traveled around the pierced point, threatening to break it. ''No!'' Looking for another thorn, she hurriedly scanned her surroundings. She did found a good spot, but the situation made it impossible to grab onto it. The spinning, the wind, her warped vision, everything made it impossible for her to aim at it, or even throw her chain dagger. ''I''m not getting off without at least injuring it!'' Glaring at the cracked thorn, she slammed the chain while imbuing it in an incredible amount of magic energy. Lightning traveled through the waving pattern Amelia made by slamming the chain, before being transmitted to the dagger stuck into its back. *Crackle* The sound of lightning violently erupted from the dagger, before bright branches broke through the cracks. A jolt of pain traveled through the dragon''s nerves, as one of its thorns crumbled into dust from the magic. *ROOOAR* It released a pained cry, before abruptly stopping its descent. "Huh?" *SLAM* Amelia noticed a shadow approaching her, before she felt a pain in her left side. Her body flew downward, as another thorn bumped into her from the sudden deceleration of the dragon. The chain dagger now freed from the thorn, she began to fall toward the land below. "..." She touched her side, and noticed that it hadn''t injured her much. Focusing on the dragon now above her, she cursed her situation. ''Fuck! This was the best opportunity I had to kill it!'' ''Now, what am I supposed to do?'' Falling through the air, she glanced behind her. ''How long do I have before touching ground? A few minutes?'' Her gaze returned to the dragon. But he had disappeared from where it was, making her panic slightly. "Damn it! Where did it go?" Amelia looked everywhere, but couldn''t find it, until she realized the obvious. She looked straight in front of her, where a large cloud was floating peacefully in the distance. "Vesta! Mastery Form!" Her body released the lightning mastery, before changing it to fire. Covered in fire from head to toe, she clapped her hands together. When she brought them apart, a swirling vortex of fire formed, before she stabbed her arm into it. Without giving it a second thought, she grabbed a weapon inside, and pulled it out. Tightly holding a spear in her hand, she aimed the tip in front of her. "Release everything!" Responding to the order, the magnificent and blazing spear glowed brightly. It had a red fire mimicking a piece of cloth wrapped around the shaft, a long blade attached to the shaft, and two curved blades on each side of it, slightly below the main blade. As the spear emitted a dizzying heat, a sphere of dark blue flames formed near its tip, aimed at the cloud. The sphere expanded, before growing larger than Amelia. It kept growing, until the heat warped the air itself. At that exact instant, shredded into nothing, the cloud disappeared. The dragon was coming straight at Amelia, its mouth wide open, ready to devour her. "Kh! Make it in time!" Her magic was accumulating still. She had no way to avoid the dragon as she was free-falling, leaving her in a dire situation she couldn''t free herself from. Ripping the air with its wings, it came at full speed toward her. "Now!" An exploding noise, capable of shattering eardrums and glass windows alike, shook the sky as the sphere of blue fire traveled at ludicrous speed toward its target. Amelia was thrown backward as a result of her attack, losing consciousness in the process for a few seconds. The dragon, unable to process what was happening, swallowed the dark fire into its stomach, before abruptly stopping. A sizzling sound entered its ears, as it realized something horrible was happening inside its body. Dark blue flames erupted from every orifice of its face. Its eyes, its ears, its mouth, everything burned its body from within. *ROAAAAA-* As it screamed in agony, the fire began to subside. The dragon opened it mouth, expelling a puff of smoke that lasted a minute. It opened its burnt eyelids, and moved its damaged eyes around. It couldn''t see anymore, and couldn''t smell either. Blind, it still tried to search for the one who caused it such pain, while its body slowly recovered thanks to the corruption inside its body. Farther away, Amelia opened her eyes while groaning. With her spear in hand, she collected herself, and looked around her. ''I''m still falling?! Where am I?'' When she looked below her, she breathed a sigh of relief. ''The ground is still far away. What about the drago-'' A shadow covered her as she looked above her, seeing a large row of teeth closing in on her. ''Fuc-'' The massive jaws closed shut, with Amelia between them. Chapter 342: Amelia and the brown dragon. Amelia saw her life flash before her eyes, as the dragon''s jaws closed. ''Not yet!'' She released Vesta, and immediately grabbed a shard of ice forming in front of her. In a split moment of clarity, she switched Elemental Masteries once again. "Dana! Fast!" Covered in ice and water, her complexion turned whiter. Pointing her left palm toward the left, she released a pressurized jet of water in that direction, which pushed her body out of the way. As the jaws closed, Amelia barely made it out without getting crushed. The dragon flew past her while thinking it had devoured her, but managed to catch a glimpse of her on it side as she escaped. Angered, a raucous roar left its mouth. ''Did my attack not do damage to it?'' Amelia looked at the dragon making a U-turn, already prepared to continue its deadly assault. Though her attack did injure it, and caused a large amount of damage to its internal organs, it healed and recovered while she remained unconscious. Even the full power of Vesta was unable to bring such a massive beast down. "I guess there''s no other choice." Mumbling to herself, she looked at the shard of ice in her right hand. "..." She clenched it with tremendous force, shattering it in the process. As the dragon returned, Amelia glared at it. Ice particles revolved around her right arm, before she swiped them. Her fall began to slow down, until she placed her feet on ice platforms. Freezing the water in the air, she created a way to remain in the air freely. When done, another ice shard formed in front of her, which she grabbed with her left hand this time. "Let''s dance." Amelia leaped forward and ran on ice platforms toward the dragon. The ice shard in her hand glowed a dazzling clear blue, before expanding on both sides into a crystal clear scythe. It had a crystal-like appearance, with a long and crooked staff. Small particles of ice constantly emitted formed a chilling aura around it, making Amelia the only one able to wield it. With two sharp scythe blades curved inward, radiating an icy breeze from its steel, Amelia became the reaper itself, bathed in an icy curtain of water droplets and ice shards. Each steps forward she took, ice shattered under her feet. The two met head on, before attacking each other. Having obtained the mobility needed to defend herself, she dodged the giant maw of the dragon, and slashed its hard skin with her scythe. *Cling* "Tsk!" She clicked her tongue when the blade got pushed back. Yet, it still left a mark on the scales, shown by the frozen area she touched. As the dragon kept flying by, it didn''t stop there. It used the thorns on its body to hinder Amelia, as it jerked its large body. Remaining on her spot, Amelia clenched the scythe in her hands, and watched as the first thorn came closer, threatening to hit her. *Slice* She spun the scythe behind her back, which began accumulating cold air and ice shards, before bringing it back in front of her in a wide upward motion. Cold air traveled forward, accompanied by a crystallized wave of razor-sharp ice, slicing and severing multiple thorns with one attack.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Without stopping, Amelia continued to spin her scythe around her, while releasing the power it gained over time. Hearing the grunt of her enemy each time she severed a part of its body, and froze it over and over again, she smiled. ''It''s working.'' The whole body of the dragon was almost past her. She looked at the long tail swaying behind it, before nodding to herself. With one glance at her weapon, she knew she could do it. Crystal formed from all around her merged with the two blades, creating an even sharper and deadlier weapon. In a swift and careful motion, she spun twice, and slammed the scythe into the dragon''s side. "Haaaaaaaaaaaah!" She tightened her grasp on the handle part, and pushed deeper into the skin of the dragon, ripping its scales off and splitting its flesh. Dark blood gushed from the wound as Amelia kept her control over the situation, and removed the scythe before the tail moved past her. Quickly after, she brought the scythe next to her side, and jumped under the tail passing her. The scythe spun a single time, before a chilling blade traveled upward, separating the tail from the rest of the body. *ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAR* Amelia moved away, as blood gushed and the tail fell toward the ground below. Removing the massive tail, and slitting its side. It was a big improvement for Amelia''s confidence. Rage filled the dragon. It instantly turned around, and stopped playing around. As its eyes glared at the woman who inflicted such pain on its body, it dropped all pretense of care, and prepared for an attack. The brown dragon, now fully focused on Amelia, chose to take her seriously, without underestimating her anymore. It flew further away, and remained stationary. The bleeding on its side and tail stopped, as ice slowly built in its wounds. Even if it tried to heal, the ice sealed any attempts to do so. Showing its underbelly, it growled at Amelia, while visible changes occurred on its body. On its flat head, two bulging spots grew. They expanded, before perforating the scales, gushing black matter out at the same time. Two thick horns erupted from the top of its head, curled inward, and stopped near its mouth. Amelia looked at this confused, perplexed as to why it formed horns out of nowhere. It opened its mouth wide, and inhaled a lot of air. Its back arched, while she positioned herself to receive whatever attack it prepared. But she definitely wasn''t expecting its next move. A small sphere made of rocks formed out of nowhere between its horns, and grew larger a few seconds after its creation. The boulder turned into a massive piece of rock, before it spun uncontrollably. Under the effect of the spin, the rock transformed into a needle-like structure. If she could, a drop of sweat would drip down her temple, but as her Elemental Mastery was Dana''s, it was impossible for her to actually sweat. ''Damn...'' A frustrated smile escaped her control, showing how stressful this fight was. ''I''m still doing fine. My magic reserve is holding up, and it''s even refilling fairly fast.'' ''I should be fine?'' She thought, placing her scythe behind her back while bending her upper body forward. Amelia was resolved to get through this attack, and quickly dispatch the world from this creature''s presence. The dragon seemed to smile, as it spat its attack at her. *FUSH* The intense force behind the projectile pushed the dragon backward, almost breaking its neck. "..." Amelia swallowed anxiously, and blinked. When she opened her eyes, the projectile was already in front of her. "!" Reacting barely too late, she defended against the giant spinning needle-like projectile, and bent her body backward while defending with her scythe. The two objects created sparks as they slid against each other, while Amelia clenched her teeth while holding her ground. She endured for more than thirty seconds as the rock ground against her scythe, chipping at its sharp edges. Finally, the attack stopped, as it continued toward the ground, crashing into the middle of a field near the Talviera Mountain Range. Looking over her shoulder, she couldn''t believe how dangerous this dragon was. "I think it''s ti-" When she turned around, her eyes trembled. The dragon had already fired another identical projectile, and was already preparing another. With a glare, she grabbed her weapon, spun it around to repair its blades with ice shards, and fearlessly slashed at the needle-like structure. Her swing slashed the whole object in half, as it traveled past her. Her enemy blanked out for an instant, as it watched its attack fall toward the ground. But, it recovered quickly, and fired another projectile. "It''s no use. Fool me once, shame you..." Amelia released Dana''s Elemental Mastery, and began to fall toward the land below. "Fool me twice, shame on me." The center of her chest shone brightly, as she smiled toward her enemy. "Prepare yourself. It''s time to meet stronger than you." Her soul brightened, purified of darkness as two scales resonated together. Above her, two rifts opened. Massive openings in space warped the air. Cold air seeped out from the azure colored portal, while gale escaped from the verdant colored portal. Two terrifying growls escaped their insides, before two familiar dragons emerged from within. A blue dragon, leader and ''Savior'' of its faction: Monolavir, the Azure Dragon. Alongside him, a green dragon, the first dragon to have ever been created, companion of Monolavir: Ruminona. As Monolavir''s title was given by humans, and was the only dragon to have ever been sighed outside Ormrdivin, Ruminona had no known title. Only later will she be given the name of ''Gentle Breeze'' by humans. They flew over Amelia like crows circling in the sky, before Ruminona dived toward her. Releasing a fast-moving gust of wind with her wings, she stopped Amelia''s descent, and flew under her. Soon after, the projectile previously aimed at Amelia crashed somewhere far away. "Ruminona! Monolavir! It worked." She gently placed her feet on the green dragon''s back, before they joined Monolavir. "Amelia. You called us?" The battle between the three strongest dragons, and the woman blessed by them, was only beginning. Chapter 343: Argoss and Monolavir, brothers in battle. Monolavir and Ruminona glared at what originally was one of them. Their opponent was far too different, yet, had familiar physical characteristics they recognized in it. The first to try to dialogue with it was Monolavir. "What happened to you, brother?" Conflicted, and saddened, his eyes relaxed. "..." The brown dragon''s eyes met his gaze for a split instant, alternating from red to brown. Though, no voice answered his question. "Brother, did they corrupt your heart? Are you unable to recognize us?" Hoping to get even a slight reaction from their old friend, Ruminona growled. "It''s no use, Rumi. His heart has left us. He is not the same anymore." They glanced at it, and noticed the changes. "Judging by the size alone... You''ve eaten humans." "Mono! This is impossible. This is strictly forbidden for us dragons!" Ruminona exclaimed, doubting her mate''s words. "There''s no doubt about it. He was forced to eat humans. The sheer aura around him shows that he no longer possesses the pride of the dragons." "..." Monolavir and Ruminona recalled one similar event, but opposite to the actual situation. Of a woman killing a flamboyant red dragon, albeit from its own volition. "Three dragons died since our creation." "Diramoi, Rumi''s brother." "Velridar, Father of the Dragons and Lamias." Monolavir''s eyes glowed a chilling deep blue, before his four wings spread violently at his sides, releasing a wave of cold air. "And you, Argoss. My little brother." Without giving it a second thought, Monolavir lunged at his brother, and slammed his head against his. Their horn clashed, while they tumbled down the sky while scratching one another with their claws. "Amelia, hold on tight." Ruminona''s aura formed around her. Wind gathered around her after each flaps of her wings, before a protective shell covered both of them. "Are you alright with the idea of... temporarily putting a leash on you?" "Do what you want. I have trust in you." Amelia nodded, before Leima formed in her hand. Her body, covered in white lightning, flashed briefly as chains dropped from her wrists. "It shouldn''t hurt." The sound of metal chains continuously falling down echoed in the air while Monolavir and Argoss broke away. When the length of the chain satisfied her, Amelia threw one of her dagger chains down. As if it had a mind of its own, the dagger turned back, and returned to Amelia while the chain wrapped itself around Ruminona''s neck. "..." Ruminona moved her neck to see if the chain hindered her movement whatsoever, and glanced at Amelia. "I don''t feel a thing. Let''s go." With a nod, Amelia clenched her dagger enough to maintain a stable position on Ruminona''s back. The two dived toward the two brothers. One was following orders from Miasma, his heart corrupted by power, while the other fought to liberate his brother from turning against other dragons.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. ''I had no idea this dragon was Monolavir''s brother. I''m pretty sure Orion is unaware as well.'' Rapidly moving down on a dragon''s back, Amelia thought. ''There''s no time to think about this. I have to think of a way to get rid of it.'' She looked at the brown dragon, and at the wounds she had caused so far. The ice around the cuts was thawing at a very slow pace, telling her that it wouldn''t be able to heal its injuries. While Monolavir and Ruminona were on the largest size of the whole dragon faction, they were less than a fourth the size of Argoss. Monolavir glanced behind him, and noticed Ruminona glide in his direction, without showing any signs of stopping. He moved away, baiting the enemy''s attention. "Hang tight, Amelia!" As Argoss turned to look at his brother, Rumi entered his vision. Covered by her wind protective shell, she slammed it straight in the dragon''s stomach. *Crack* The shell exploded in shards, before turning into dust of wind magic. ''Now!'' Leima in hand, Amelia spun the free chain dagger a few times, before unleashing a flurry of strikes at the brown dragon. Spinning the chain wildly around her, the sound of lightning echoed each time the blade touched its target. As its underbelly was soft, she had no need to worry about its tough scales. Deep cuts formed on its soft skin, gouging large pieces of flesh and burning the area it struck. But the enemy wasn''t going to let this continue. As it recovered from the dizziness of the shock, it grabbed Ruminona''s neck, and threw her away. "Aaaah!" Suddenly being thrown, Amelia managed to keep herself steady thanks to the chain acting as a leash. "Grrrrr!" A long growl escaped Ruminona as she stabilized herself with her wings. "I''m not like Mono... My body isn''t made for battle." Blood flowed between her green scales where Argoss had grabbed her. The power it had was enough to break through a dragon''s natural defense with ease. During their clash earlier, Monolavir also sustained some injuries. He lost a few scales on its back and front legs, and had a bite mark on his neck. That was how powerful the being in front of them was. But that was without the use of magic. "Rumi. Stay behind me." Monolavir was ready to unleash a dangerous strike. The same could be said from Argoss, who began to arch its back while gathering air in its lungs. Without losing a single second, Ruminona flew past Monolavir, and distanced herself. Wind gathered under him as he stopped flapping his majestic wings, holding him in place instead of plummeting toward the ground. Large amount of ice particles, emitted by his natural magic ability, floated around him. As his long neck stretched upward as if he were trying to swallow the sun itself, Monolavir opened his mouth. The frigid shards and particles of ice gathered in between his jaws, as a raucous howl escaped his mouth. A sphere of the purest ice quality grew. The air itself froze around the sphere, forming a snowflake-like pattern around it, until Monolavir moved suddenly. The branches of ice broke off as Monolavir aimed the frozen orb at Argoss. In return, Argoss prepared to unleash an even more powerful spinning earth needle, larger, faster, thinner, and most of all, deadlier. With the icy sphere in his mouth, Monolavir suddenly closed his mouth on it. *Swallow* Swallowing the orb in his stomach, his body changed. A frozen layer of ice formed around his body, covered his scales, and his horns. From his shoulder blades, large protruding spikes of ice sprouted. His crown-like horns became antler-like instead, and his color turned from azure to pale blue. His tail also displayed a new row of spikes on top of the tail, which went up along the spine, creating a spine structure made of ice. "I''ve shown this form once. When I fought Velridar to get Ruminona. I am sure you remember!" "Even thought I pitifully lost the battle, I obtained the right to act as our faction''s leader ever since." Monolavir opened his mouth, releasing a cloud of freezing air. "That is why, as the one in charge of our members..." Straightening his body upward, his wings stretched fully. Monolavir howled into the sky, releasing a mind splitting sound that echoed up to the three human cities in the region. Argoss glared at his brother, before releasing his most powerful attack. Inhaling air in a spiral pattern, Monolavir dropped his head and opened his mouth. ''Goodbye, brother.'' A blast of frozen particles traveled up his throat, leaving his mouth in the direction of Argoss. The beam turned into a cone-shaped attack that traveled downward. In a fraction of a second, the projectile froze solid, Argoss became an ice statue, and a part of the land below became a snowfield. The layer of ice around Monolavir exploded into shards, before melting into water. Amelia had her eyes and mouth wide open. The shock on her face was quite obvious. "Dragons... are incredible." She muttered mindlessly, as Ruminona flew toward her partner. *Crack* The projectile fired by Argoss shattered into thousands of pieces while crumbling toward the altered land below. And, finally, Argoss''s body also followed. Cracks formed on the frozen casing, before exploding. "Mono!" Ruminona suddenly rushed in front of Monolavir. "!" Amelia noticed a massive dark mass lunge from the shattering ice toward Monolavir, and stop in front of him. It swiped its tail, hitting Ruminona with a tremendous force toward the ground. The chain around her neck broke, as Amelia found herself free-floating in front of the dark being. Her Elemental Mastery form vanished, leaving her in her human form, vulnerable to its attack. "Amelia!" Monolavir flew as fast as possible to get in the way of the mass, but he was too late. The large claws of Argoss''s shadows ripped Amelia into shreds. No words formed in his mind, as he watched the poor woman being reduced into a gory mess. "I''m here." The voice of the young woman echoed close to his ear. Monolavir glanced slowly toward the source of the voice, and noticed Amelia holding on one of his horns. "Close, right?" "H-How?" "Shh! Let it savor its victory for a few more seconds." With a smile on her face, she glanced at the dark mass continuing to attack another Amelia. ''Void magic sure is useful.'' Argoss''s second form, which Amelia had been aware of from the beginning, still needed to be dealt with. A scale in her soul shone brightly, as the time of its awakening was upon her. Chapter 344: The eye of the storm. A few weeks before the war. Amelia was training as usual, supervised by her mother, Henrietta. "What are you going to work on today?" Standing on the side, Henrietta asked out of curiosity. "I''m thinking of trying my hand at void magic." "Oh? Finally?" With a simple nod, Amelia confirmed it. "So, what made you suddenly want to try your hand at this new magic?" (...sy.) Henrietta tilted her head slightly. "Could you repeat that? I did not hear you." "Jealousy!" Amelia clenched her hands into fists while gritting her teeth together. "..." A sympathetic look in her eyes, Henrietta smiled. After glancing at her mother, Amelia relaxed, and continued. "It just feels wrong. Karteira can use the light element, even though she was unable to used magic before. And that, through constant training." "Olivia is even worse! She was able to use dark magic the moment she obtained it from Orion!" "If not jealousy, I don''t know what I should feel anymore." Staring in space, she nodded. "That''s why I''m going to use this feeling and do the same. I''ll improve my efficiency with it, and move above those two." "I''m number one, and that won''t change!" The rivalry between these three kept pushing them to greater heights. That was how Amelia started her journey toward controlling void magic. - "While it''s having fun breaking ''me'' apart, let''s prepare." Monolavir growled slightly. "What about Rumi? Are you asking me to ignore her after that attack?" "..." Amelia frowned. "I''m sorry. For now, believe she is fine. Or else you won''t have the chance to see her again." Seeing the dark entity still swiping its claws in the air, Monolavir understood. "Right. Even though it pains me to agree..." He glanced toward the place Ruminona was sent flying at, before looking forward again. Suddenly, the shadow twitched, and its red eyes fell on Monolavir. "Oops. The illusion is done." With a strained smile, Amelia readied herself. Monolavir flapped his wings in an effort to get away from Argoss. Angered by the illusion he was subjected to, Argoss arched his next and roared at Amelia with all its wrath. Even as he distanced himself, they were both bound in place by the pure, unadulterated pressure of his wrath. "..." Seeing his brother in such a state hurt Monolavir deeply. Even though they hadn''t shared the bond humanoid species share between each others, Argoss was still his little brother, tortured and tormented by Miasma to become this abomination. Argoss'' dragon flesh had been relinquished for a disturbing mass of darkness, which showed how far the transformation had changed him. A roar with no meaning, or thought, placed behind it. That''s how it sounded to Monolavir. When Argoss'' rage subsided, an intense glare fell on them, before two dark spheres formed at the tip of his horns. "Hold on to me, Amelia!" Feeling the intense magic energy aimed at him, he hurried Amelia to move quickly. She held on to his horn, and watched closely the other dragon''s movements. Monolavir moved erratically in the sky, in hope of breaking the aim of the attack. Until two beams fired in his direction. His attempt to get away was unsuccessful. One of the beams grazed his upper left wing, while the other grazed his right hind leg. Barely avoiding the corrupted matter, he focused on the fight and placed the worries he had for his brother in a part of his mind. Amelia, even though holding on, was thrown around violently each time Monolavir moved. Compared to Ruminona, he was a fast and rigorous dragon, used to fight fast-paced battles.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ''Kh! I''m just dead weight at this point...'' Realizing how useless she was, she cursed her situation. At that moment, Monolavir opened his mouth, and released a beam of water toward the mass. The beam exploded on Argoss, but ultimately made no difference. "My power won''t be enough to vanquish him anymore. If only I hadn''t used all of my strength like a fool..." Regret began to fill him. "..." Amelia listened to his words, racking her brain to find an answer to their problem. ''Ruminona is out of battle, Monolavir has exhausted his power, and I''m unable to muster the strength to use the Elemental Masteries again...'' ''We''re in deep... and there''s no way out of it.'' She knew that there was no way out of it. There was one way out of here, but she couldn''t use it, fearing bringing the enemy back with her. In a breast pocket inside her vest, a sparkling crystal waited to be used. ''I can''t... Going back now...'' Her mind begged her to leave, to protect her life, but her ego kept her from cowardly fleeing. ''I can''t disappoint Orion!'' Suddenly, her mind blanked out. A white expanse developed in front of her, while a thumping heartbeat, well-known to her, caught her attention. Lifting her eyes, she noticed a green scale floating above her, releasing constant gusts of wind. Then, she snapped back to reality. "Agh..." Her chest felt heavy. With her heart pounding wildly, her consciousness started fading. ''No... I''m used to it by now.'' Holding on her senses, she gritted her teeth. This time won''t be the same as the others before. "Amelia?!" The grip around Monolavir''s horns relaxed, before Amelia slipped from his head and fell toward the ground below. Argoss took this chance, and prepared to fire another volley of dark matter, this time, toward Amelia. Grabbing her chest tightly, Amelia''s breathing became difficult to maintain. ''The more powerful the mastery... the tougher it is the first time!'' A hurricane formed around her at that very moment. It traveled upward, pulling the clouds around into its core. "Amelia!" A green dragon suddenly flew from below, and crashed into the windstorm. "Rumi! No!" Monolavir screamed at the thought of losing his partner, and tried to enter the storm too. "Grrrr! Why can''t I enter it?!" Anxiety filled him, as he turned to his brother. With a terrible glare in his eyes, he fired at the wind to get rid of Amelia. The beam traveled the distance instantly, and arrived at the whirlwind. But, to his disbelief, the beams curved around the hurricane, moved upward, and disappeared in the sky above, submerged into the dark skies created by the raging winds. "Wha-" Monolavir couldn''t believe it. The situation was out of control, while Amelia and Ruminona were nowhere to be seen. *Flap* *Flap* Argoss and Monolavir turned their gaze toward the source of the flapping noise, which was exactly at the center of the storm. Out of nowhere, a spiraling mass of wind, similar to a tornado, moved from the center of the storm, and came crashing unto Argoss. Pushed by the recoil of the attack, Argoss opened his mouth before biting the air. From the impact point, a silhouette flew out of the swirling mass, and glared at Argoss from a vantage point above him. "A-Amelia." A green-haired woman with a floating crown of wind magic observed her enemy with her deep green eyes. Reptilian pupils formed as she focused her senses. With two green wings on her back, and a long tail swiping left and right behind her back, Amelia appeared quite different. Two long horns similar to Ruminona''s were on her head, while the air surrounded her exuded authority. Wearing a mystique and captivating outfit, the air blew the forest green veil under the crown gently. An asymmetrical deep green cape that draped gracefully over her right shoulder followed suit, and waved in the wind. While half covered by a low green shirt that displayed her stomach to the world, but hid her cleavage perfectly all the way up to her shoulders. Wearing low-waist grass green shorts adorned with a belt, the whole outfit added a sense of freedom to her aura. On her chest, where her heart was, a pink scale symbol was etched on the shirt. The last piece of her outfit was her knee-high black boots, with green accents barely noticeable at the end of the straps. "Where''s... Rumi?" Monolavir looked around him, unable to find the green dragon anywhere. He slowly turned to Amelia, and noticed the shadow of his partner behind the woman. "Wait a bit." Amelia spoke in the dragon''s language, as her eyes pierced the depth of his being with a quick glance. She turned back, and nodded. Her hand slowly slid down her waist, into a small pocket back, holding a weapon tightly. At the same time, Argoss was already preparing his next attack. Ready to fire another rock needle, he couldn''t wait anymore. Amelia pulled the karambit knife out of her pocket, placing a finger into the finger ring while spinning the knife with care. The blade whirled faster around her finger, vibrating wildly after each rotation. With the needle arriving in front of her, Amelia bent forward, grabbed the handle in a swift movement. Its talon like hooked blade glowed a vibrant green, before Amelia effortlessly slashed from top to bottom at the needle. A sharp blade of invisible wind instantly cut through the earthen needle, before Amelia spun the knife around her finger again, but even more violently than before. To the dragons'' stupefaction, this was part of Amelia''s counter. The two parts of the needle exploded into thousands of shards, which themselves split in bits, before a gust of wind flushed everything away. "Hmf." She scoffed at the attempt to injure her. "Time to get this done." Each time she opened her mouth, the dragon tongue pressured Argoss. Horror appeared on the face of the corrupted dragon, as it realized that his end was near. "Behind you." He heard the voice of the woman behind him, even though she was above him. It hurriedly turned around, before a black wing appeared in front of its face. Dark matter gushed from its right side, as it finally understood that it was his massive wing that had been cut off. Confused, it began to fall toward the ground, unable to keep its flying ability after being deprived of one wing. It noticed two Amelia glaring at him, until one of them was swept away by the wind, in particles of magic. The real Amelia pulled her wings behind her, and dived toward Argoss at high speed. With her weapon in hand, she was prepared to finish the fight once and for all. Argoss roared, and focused everything into his last attack while plummeting down. The karambit knife spun, accumulating wind magic with each spin, glowing vibrantly ever stronger, while a dark sphere the size of his head formed between his jaws. Amelia and the corrupted brown dragon finally clashed. An earth-splitting beam of dark energy fired at Amelia engulfed her, and traveled into the sky while exploding constantly. The air itself became stale from the lack of oxygen, while it cleared the dark clouds above them. *Slash* Suddenly, Argoss'' vision became strange. He felt the scenery move unnaturally, before dark liquid erupted in front of him. Its body crashed onto the ground in a loud rumble, destroying the ground itself and the frigid ground created by Monolavir. When it noticed that its body at touched the ground without him feeling a thing, it finally understood. His head, up onto the base of his neck, crashed too, further away from the rest of the body. The light in his eyes began to disappear, as the red color changed to brown. During his last instant, its eyes rummaged the sky, searching for someone. "Bro...ther..." His words, carried by the wind, entered Monolavir''s ears. The two brothers looked at each other one last time, until one of them ceased to breathe. Bathed by one last ray of light, Argoss'' existence slowly disintegrated. "Rest peacefully, Argoss." The brown dragon, Argoss, was vanquished at last. Chapter 345: The dragons change of hearts. Amelia fell down where Argoss'' head dropped, creating a puff of dry dust around her. The karambit knife in her hand vanished into particles, while she looked at the sky for Monolavir. *Thump* The air inside her lungs left her body as a sharp pain ripped her body apart. It wasn''t far from the reality, as a shockwave erupted from her core. A gigantic vortex of wind formed next to her, while a green essence left her mouth, before flowing toward the vortex. Her features returned to normal, as her wings, tail, and horns disappeared. From the violent winds, wings spread from its center, and stretched wildly as though they were freed. The wind settled and became kinder, peaceful. As it caressed Amelia''s tired body, Ruminona appeared next to her. "Ha... Haha. Thank you." With a strained and exhausted expression, Amelia began to fall backward. Ruminona''s neck moved behind Amelia, catching her fall in the process. "Rest, Amelia. You earned it." Her calm voice eased her. With her eyes drawn to the clear blue sky, she smiled, drifting toward the world of dreams. Monolavir dropped in front of Amelia, and looked at her from above, entering her vision. "Thank you for saving my brother." Before falling unconscious, she lifted her hand, and made a thumb''s up sign. Her eyes closed, and Amelia fell asleep. ... "Rumi..." Monolavir stared at his partner, full of questions. "I know. I''ll explain in her stead." The two dragons laid on the ground, and began to go over what happened. "It is very much what it looked like. The moment I joined Amelia into the storm, I felt a strange force pull me in." Ruminona closed her eyes, and relaxed. "The scales we gave her as proof of our friendship, they kept a part of our soul in them." "Right. We did this to help Amelia in her journey with Orion. They were only supposed to nurture her magic, to further develop what she already had." The scales were a way to improve the magic inside Amelia, and create a link between the dragons and her. Through her, they supported her via a one-way summon. "That force changed my body the moment I got closer to Amelia. My being merged with her for a brief moment, with the scale acting as a link between us." Surprised, Monolavir lifted his neck upward. "Who would have expected a dragon would fuse with a human..." Ruminona frowned. "No. Now I understand after this experience. Amelia isn''t human, as much as Orion isn''t either. She''s a Remnant through and through." "A Remnant..." They both turned to the sleeping woman, breathing peacefully. "This is difficult to believe, but the strength behind her magic is enough to fell a dragon. Argoss was from the first generation, and broke the rules by eating humans. There is also the problem of Miasma''s meddling in all that."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Argoss was even stronger than me. Without Amelia, you and I would''ve died for sure, alongside the others." Monolavir wasn''t fooled by this. While he possessed the pride of the dragon engraved in his soul, he still understood that his brother was flying straight for Ormrdivin, the Dragon''s Nest. It spelled doom for every dragon unlucky enough to try to defend their territory. Which, in fact, meant that all dragons would perish due to their arrogance and ego. "Mono, we aren''t weak. No one can have a fair fight against us, and you know it. That''s the reason Diramoi imposed us that rule." "..." The two looked at each other, before Monolavir snorted. "Never meddle with the other factions. Picking a side will bring chaos to us." He said while reminiscing. Ruminona lowered her head, and appeared to be smirking. "Though, we did pick a side this time." "The Agathions. Orion''s faction." A silence fell between them, leaving only the cracking of ice finally melting around them filling the blanks. Ruminona looked at her partner, and continued. "I was conscious while Amelia fought Argoss. I couldn''t do much, but I was able to make her learn the dragon''s tongue right away." "I noticed. Amelia looked like a different being when she looked at me. Seeing the dragon features on her made me anxious." "You thought she had killed me?" Monolavir closed his eyes and remained silent. "Did you doubt Amelia?" "No. I immediately discarded the thought after watching her back. It was as if your silhouette were behind her." He opened his eyes, and longingly looked at her, glad that she made it out. They were both in the process of birthing a new generation of dragons, so losing the other would be devastating. "I am glad you trusted her. Please, don''t hate her for killing Argoss." Their eyes returned to Amelia. "It hasn''t crossed my mind. This was supposed to be my duty the moment I heard of his disappearance. With her help, we managed to protect our home, and everyone inside it. How could I hate her after everything she''s done?" Inside his core, he admired this young lady. She was strong, devoted, and kind, qualities a dragon like him respected. Suddenly, they heard a loud noise from far away. Monolavir lifted his head higher to listen, while Ruminona looked at Amelia to avoid waking her up. "Screams. Sounds like... humans." A frown on his face confused Ruminona. "Mono, are you conflicted? Do you wish to... help them?" His eyes glanced at her, before looking far in the distance. "I don''t know. It''s..." He thought of Orion. The silhouette of a man who would protect everyone in this world overlapped the image of a crimson haired woman. "We''ve been impacted by their kindness. There is no way we will be able to return to our previous self." Ruminona said with a tint of guilt. They both knew that the dragons ignored the world''s problems until now, fearing the corruption. But the crisis had affected them deeply. The corruption had finally made a victim in their ranks, which removed the resistance they showed in involving themselves. The last straw was Amelia. They couldn''t accept disappointing her at this point. After helping them, if she were to learn about their hesitation to act... They frowned at the idea. "No, you''re right. I think it''s time we act. We won''t involve the others for now. If the situation is too much to handle for us, we''ll call everyone." Ruminona smiled at him, proud of the changes Monolavir displayed. He looked at Amelia, before a bubble formed around her. Monolavir lifted his right front leg, and grabbed the bubble delicately. Lifting Amelia from Ruminona''s neck, he looked in the direction of the faint screaming. "This continent, Triazils, is as much ours as it is theirs. It is long past the time for holding grudges." Flapping his massive wings, they lifted his enormous body off the ground. Moments later, Ruminona joined him in the air. "Let''s go." The two dragons moved toward one of the humans cities near the Talviera Mountain Range. The Apostle Dony''s city, Kristin. ~ On another front, after Amelia fell on Argoss'' back. Elliott removed his sword from the giant''s flesh and fell to the ground. "You''re my opponent, giant." The clouds surrounding the being were cast away by Elliott the instant they made contact, revealing a titan covered in markings made with ink. "..." They glared at each other, before the giant opened his mouth while touching its long beard. "You... Elliott. Do I need to thank you for your actions? Or should I chastise you for it?" With a smirk, he bent toward the small man. "Right? Giant killer." Elliott ignored the blatant provocation, and looked away. "Kagalkan. I thought you were killed, but it was my mistake believing so. I''m personally glad to know you are well, but by looking at you, I can''t feel happy about it." The deep purple eyes of the giant glared at him. "What a sick joke. I still remember that day as clear as can be. The screams of my people, men, women, and children!" His voice boomed across the land. "It wasn''t my fault!" Elliott slammed Vanitas'' blade into the dirt and angrily raised his voice. "Do you have any idea of what I felt? Slaying these innocent people? My hands are soiled with their blood!" The giant looked at him with consternation. "You''re the one who killed them! Isn''t it too late to show remorse?" "The one who killed them was my father! As if I''d ever want to kill the giants!" Elliott swiped his left arm in front of it, before grabbing the hilt of Vanitas. "Killing you will etch another sin on my soul." Pure anger appeared on his face, as he stood in front of one of his oldest enemy. "Kagalkan, Father of the giants, and Remnant of Joy, Revelry, Peace, and Wealth. You should''ve died long ago, but managed to fall between my father''s hands." "I will finish what I started a long time ago, reluctantly. Do not hold anything, as I expect you to." For a minute, they stared at each other without showing signs of movement. Until Kagalkan lifted his giant club in the air. "Elliott! I will have your head for killing my children!" "Bring it on!" The massive club crashed on the ground, squashing Elliott without hesitation. As the earth shook violently, the battle to settle an old score began. Chapter 346: The Knight and the Giant. As the club dropped on him, Elliott lifted Vanitas, the sword of his mother, into the air. Its tip met the large side of the club, and stopped it effortlessly. The ground under Elliott cracked from the impact, while he remained unaffected by the attack. "Was that you warming up?" Elliott glared at the club, his voice coming clear into Kagalkan''s ears. His sword remained steady, while Kagalkan kept pushing on the club to crush him. After failing once, he placed his other hand over the massive weapon and pushed down with his whole strength. "Pitiful." With a simple movement, Elliott pushed the club to the side, which dropped on the ground with the giant. "H-How?!" On all four, the giant stared at him, completely losing his composure. "Have you forgotten your roots so much you can''t remember who I am?" A complete set of magic energy formed around Elliott''s body. Armor, shield, boots, every ability at his disposable. "This world is unfair, isn''t it?" "What do you mean?" Kagalkan picked himself up and clenched his weapon. "Even though I killed every single giant under this wide sky, ultimately, it had to be you and me." "To be fair to you, it would be fine to die by your hands." "Then why are you striking back?" Elliott smirked. "You fool. You''re corrupted. I have a duty to get rid of my father''s creation. I would''ve given you a chance to fight back if you returned for vengeance, but as you are currently, I cannot indulge you." "Do you have any idea why father killed the giants? Don''t you find it strange that now, he''s trying to dominate the whole continent, and kill every last living beings on it?" The giant remained silent. Even though it had been corrupted, he was still a Remnant. His mind hadn''t been destroyed in the process. It just couldn''t disobey Miasma''s orders. "I wonder who the Remnant of Vengeance is..." Said Elliott while looking at an empty spot in the sky. "This world is full of people like you and me. People who lost their loved ones, their family, their friends." "Because someone else forced their misguided ideals on others, situations like these repeat themselves." "My mother. Your children. Orion''s parents." "A sick joke that never ends." Clenching his sword with rage, Elliott approached Kagalkan. "Give me your power as a Remnant, and let me slay you. Let me put your misery to rest, and stop the carnage you were about to produce." A gleam of hope appeared in his eyes, asking the giant to surrender. "There is nothing we can do about the corruption encroaching on you anymore. Only death will free you. Do not make it painful for yourself." "This is your only chance. Else, I won''t make it painless for you. If you refuse my proposal, I will slay without a shred of humanity." "You can either die being peacefully, or die a warrior. You cannot have both." "Now, choose." The tip of Vanitas'' blade scratched the packed ground as he walked, leaving a trench behind him. "I..." Kagalkan looked at Elliott with confusion.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Why... are you asking me to surrender? Why don''t you simply kill me?" Elliott stopped, and stared inside the deep purple eyes of Kagalkan. "Because I am human. I am a knight, with a pride to withhold. Even corrupted, you are permitted to choose the way you go, and I will respect that." "I will not belittle your choice, but make it quick." The giant sighed, and nodded. "I will choose the warrior''s death. I will follow my children into death." "What about your aspects as a Remnant?" "Don''t fret, I will give them to you. But I request you give them to Tiohr-nam." With a single nod, Elliott agreed to the giant''s condition. "I have no need for the Remnants'' power, but we simply can''t have your aspects disappear either. I''m glad you understand." The two silently stared at each other for a moment, before Kagalkan swiped his club across the ground in the direction of Elliott. "Forget talking! Focus on the fight now!" "Fine." Without looking at the club coming to strike him, he lifted the arm enveloped by Ira, and grasped a handle that appeared out of thin air. With a swift movement, his body left the ground, and rapidly moved upward. Using the whip Calamitas, Elliott arrived near Kagalkan''s face. He flew over the giant''s head, and fell behind him, where he slashed at the giant''s nape without showing hesitation. "Ack!" Kagalkan touched his nape and looked at the dark blood on his fingers. Wasting not a single second, Elliott wrapped Calamitas'' invisible whip around the arm of the giant, and swung around his body. Near his stomach, he stabbed Vanitas into it and kept swinging while eviscerating him. Moving erratically as if Elliott were a fly, Kagalkan tried to crush him with his hand. "Enough!" A shock wave traveled outside his body, pushing Elliott away. The damage caused slowly regenerated thanks to the corruption''s power inside him, while Elliott slid away on the ground. "You''re still a Remnant." "Of course. Don''t expect this to be easy." "I never did." Elliott spun Vanitas next to him, before holding it like a spear above his head. He postured himself for a throw, and launched the sword with all his strength behind it. A shockwave exploded behind the sword as it traveled up. Kagalkan barely had time to register, before the sword perforated his forehead, leaving a gaping hole inside it. Moments later, Vanitas broke through the back of his skull, before vanishing into magical particles, returning next to Elliott. As Kagalkan began to fall toward the ground, Elliott realized that it wasn''t done yet. The giant placed on hand on his knee, and held his body from falling further. "That... hurt." "What a monster... The hole''s already closed." Elliott smiled with disbelief. ''This is nothing like fighting a giant corrupted. At least they had a core.'' The magic around his feet glowed, as he prepared to use Acedia. Instantly, Elliott closed the distance between them in a straight line, and jumped. Grasping his trusty sword, he slashed at the right ankle of the giant. A clean slit of dark blood appeared around the area he slashed, before Kagalkan''s foot ended up detached from the rest of his body. "Aaaah!" A scream of agony escaped his mouth, as his body fell forward from losing his balance. Not waiting for another opportunity to present itself, he returned to his original spot, before bringing Vanitas behind him. "Let''s end this." The sword glowed wildly as magic infused its blade. "Kh!" Kagalkan slammed his fist on the ground, and threw his body sideways. "Blood Moon!" A large blade like a waning crescent moon formed as Elliott slashed at the air upward. It ripped through the air, cutting the giant''s left arm in the process, instead of his chest. The giant arm fell to the ground, while Kagalkan groaned in pain while holding his lost arm. During that time, his foot had already regrown, but he knew his arm would take longer to come back. "I missed..." With a smile on his face, he found the tenacity of the Remnant to be impressive. ''Not taking pleasure in a fight is a shame for a warrior. Isn''t it, Kagalkan?'' His thought seemed to reach the giant, as a big grin formed on the opponent''s face. "Only with an immortal body can I appreciate a fight against you. Monster." "Thank you for the compliment. I became like after tempering my body and soul." Kagalkan looked at his club laying on the ground, until he suddenly shrugged. "That weapon was usually enough to deal with pests, but it won''t work on you. In that case..." He tightly clenched his remaining hand in a fist, and aimed it at Elliott. "Don''t blink, Elliott." *BAM* Like a bullet, his hand landed on the ground, sending shards of dirt everywhere. Rapidly, he continued to pummel Elliott with his fist. Until Elliott sighed. With a swift movement of his hand, he sliced Kagalkan''s hand around his wrist, and looked at him with pity. "That''s my line." His magic armor, Invidia, protected him from hits like these with ease. Even the shockwaves were devoured and nullified by the armor. Stupefied, the giant took a few steps back. "You might be as high as Lahro''s palace, it actually is a weakness for you." "Tell me something I don''t know..." The arm sliced off earlier only began to regrow, while his hand previously removed was already healed. "!" Suddenly, Elliott bent his body at a weird angle. Three spears made of flames erupted from the ground below him, attempting to pierce his body. By twisting his body, each spear missed their target, while Kagalkan frowned and clocked his tongue. "Tsk! I was sure it would work." "No more games." An absurd aura of magic erupted from Elliott, as he absorbed the flaming spears with Gula, transforming the magic into his own. He placed Vanitas at his side, and held it like a rapier. The blade glowed a different wavelength of white, before Elliott took a step forward. "Crow''s Lunge!" A piercing missile of pure energy pierced Kagalkan''s chest, before it arched downward into his stomach. Like a crow''s beak, it ripped his body to shreds. But Elliott wasn''t done. Even if the flaming spears were to hit him, he wouldn''t have sustained any damage. Yet, he couldn''t take this sneak attack with a smile. "World''s Pity!" With Vanitas taking another different wavelength of magic, a slashed in a cross-like pattern, which dug into the giant''s flesh, ripping his body into four parts. "E...lliott... What in the..." The glow in his eyes vanished as the pieces of his body fell to the ground. "I''m not stupid. Get up already." Thanks to Orion, Elliott knew that this was only the beginning. As he was expecting. A large shadow suddenly shot out of the flesh of Kagalkan, looking down upon Elliott. "Round two." Said Kagalkan with a smile. Chapter 347: The end of the giants. Elliott and Kagalkan stared at each other for a minute, before the giant looked at his former flesh near his feet. "I''m really... dead." Elliott noticed the swaying glow in his eyes, as if the giant had lost something incredibly precious to him. "I would have never guessed, that one day, I''ll see my own flesh lying around me." Dark blood seeped into the cracks caused by their battle. "Well..." Kagalkan slowly turned to Elliott, and aimed his palm at him. "There''s no other solutions now." A volley of fire spears flew toward Elliott, restarting their clash. "..." Elliott felt slightly disgusted. ''To think father would go as far as to corrupt the soul itself. This is sickening.'' He was no longer pitying the giant. Instead, he lost even more hope for Miasma. ''I had hoped father would at least hear me out, but I suppose it is too late for that.'' The spears exploded around him as he fully ignored them. "Gula." A bird-like cage appeared above him, which began to suck the remaining incoming spears. The flames dissipated as Gula devoured everything, before returning the content to Elliott in the form of magic. Clenching his fist a few times, he made up his mind. ''I''ll have to kill him too... Mother, I''m sorry, there''s no other way around it.'' Elliott bent forward while leaning on his leg. He was prepared to finish this fight once and for all, and liberate the Remnant Kagalkan from his corrupted state. He leaped forward and crossed the distance between them instantly. But, he hadn''t considered that Kagalkan could have changed while in this form. "I feel lighter." Kagalkan moved his leg out of the way with extreme reflexes, avoiding losing his foot a second time. "..." Elliott turned slightly, aimed his body, and continued to attack incessantly. Mixing the use of Acedia, Calamitas, and Vanitas, he lightly injured the giant each time, but not enough to cause severe wounds. "Hah! Are you rusty now? Is that your best?" While swinging around Kagalkan''s back, Elliott found himself face to face with a massive hand. Slapped away by the giant''s hand, he slid on the cracked ground, before striking Vanitas into it to slow his recoil. "..." Confused, Kagalkan tilted his head. "What happened to you? Why aren''t you engaging in conversation with me anymore?" Slowly, Elliott lifted his head, and stared at the giant. His features revealed a combination of rage, disappointment, and resignation. They looked at each other for a moment, before Elliott returned to the assault. ''I''m betraying her wishes. If only father hadn''t fallen into madness.'' His vision overlapped with his memories. The moments he lived with his mother rapidly flashed in his mind. "Passionate Snare." A spiral of magic energy moved from the base of the sword to its tip. Elliott came to a stand behind the right ankle of the giant, leaped in the air to reach his thigh, and used Ira as a platform to jump between his legs. Relying on instinct to lead his movements, he slashed the large matter that made Kagalkan, and chopped off his right leg with Vanitas. The ability devoured the dark matter, leaving no trace of the leg behind. But instantly, the leg regrew as if it hadn''t vanished moments earlier. "This is useless, Elliott. You won''t kill me in this form." His back turned to the giant, Elliott glanced at him with coldness in his eyes. "..." Elliott turned around, before pointing his sword at Kagalkan. Magic focused around the blade, before he prepared to launch another attack. But as he remained so, a sudden event changed the rhythm of the fight.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. As the sword accumulated energy, a giant earth needle went past Elliott, drafting air behind it. He glanced at the magic, which brought him to reality. Before any of the two fighters understood the situation, the needle traveled through Kagalkan''s chest, leaving a large gaping hole oozing dark liquid where it went through. A few hundred meters later, the needle crashed on the ground before crumbling into rocks. Kagalkan touched his wound, which remained opened for a reason he couldn''t understand. The next thing he noticed was Elliott appearing in front of his face after launching himself upward. "Sorry." Elliott grabbed Vanitas'' hilt with both hands, and slashed the giant vertically all the way down. "Ha... Hahaha~" Kagalkan''s body began to split in two as Elliott dropped to the ground, creating a cloud of dust that shortly settled down. "This is how I die?" The laugh of the giant Remnant echoed across the land. He sounded delighted, more than anything else. "I had a good time fighting you, even if it was in this state." He looked at his fingers, which began to disintegrate into magical particles. "Dying a warrior isn''t so bad." As his vision broke into two, he stared at the sky. "Elliott." The human walked away from the Remnant, and glanced at him over his shoulder. "..." "I can understand your feelings. Your thoughts were leaking through your sword." His legs and arms vanished, leaving only his torso and head. With little time left in this world, he smiled at the knight. "The path you choose isn''t the only one existing. Open your mind, and accept it. Then, you will find the path to forgive yourself." "Retribution doesn''t suit you..." Elliott turned around and stared at Kagalkan. "Even if that leads to more sacrifices?" The giant smiled, before his head disappeared completely. From the chunks of flesh that were the Remnant Kagalkan, a sigil arose. Inside an orb of light, a sigil representing a stalk of wheat flickered. With haste, Elliott lifted his hand toward the orb. Right away, the orb made a straight line into his hand, and disappeared. ''Sacrifices are always avoidable.'' Kagalkan''s voice echoed in his mind one last time, before disappearing for good. "..." Elliott took out a shard of void from one of his pockets, and crushed it hastily. "I had a great time too." The portal opened, leading to Horizon. "Kagalkan, I''ll remember you. I''ll make sure everyone remembers you." "It''s the least I can do to honor a brave warrior." Without turning back, he disappeared into the portal, before it closed. The place of their battle remained silent, as wind swept away the dust. Minutes later, the area froze entirely, destroying the remains of the Remnant as they cracked into shards of ice. ~ Plasma beams flew left and right across the fields surrounding Lahro. An Apostle who died months ago suddenly returned to haunt the lamia, engaged in a fast-paced battle against the current Queen of the lamias, and the newly appointed Remnant of Strength. Kiel, the previous ruler of Lahro, which used the whole faction as his plaything, took advantage of them, and mentally and physically abused them, was but a shell of his former self. All reason had left him, as he barely had a mind of his own. With the corruption having taken hold of his body, only his desires spoke for him. "Lamia! Lamiaaaa!" As he avoided the beam of plasma fired at him swiftly, he began salivating profusely, drowning the grass in a gooey texture. "Die! Die! Die! Die!" Deveralna, overwhelmed by her rage, kept rapid-firing her lightning magic incessantly. With her unlimited amount of magic energy, she wasn''t feeling the exhaustion others would have felt in her place. Carnage ruled supreme as fire spread across the land. Grass ignited from being grazed by the plasma, while trees evaporated from the intense energy. The only place she maintained to protect was the city behind her. Her citizens looked at this scene with horror, not only because the man who abused them returned, but also because Deveralna terrified them. With a crazed expression of intense wrath and disgust, nothing could stop Deveralna from sinking deeper into those emotions. "Fucking die already!" Deveralna clapped both hands together, before a miniature disk of condensed lightning took shape. She brought her hands apart, creating more and more disk as they moved further from another one. Her eyes focused on the corrupted Apostle, who was writhing and twitching in elation and pleasure. Without any warning, she released those disks in his direction, instantly ripping him to shreds. His arms and legs fell to the burnt ground, before his body followed suit. "Ke... Kekeke~" Disgusting matter sploshed from his wounds, before slithering toward the cut-off limbs. With ease, the limbs reattached themselves to his body, before Kiel stood up again. Kiel was originally a young man around his thirties. He was a blonde man, with pleasant features. The problem was his attitude. The corruption only worsened it, until Orion snuffed out his life. This husk was now possessed with a new form of corruption, a prototype of the ''True'' corrupted Miasma was working on. With no core to break, nor a soul to destroy, he was partially immortal. As the fight continued in favor of Deveralna, who incessantly fired everything she could at her enemy, dark clouds formed above them. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, while the ground under them darkened. They threatened the area with rain, but not a single drop fell down. "..." Deveralna was done screaming. Her mind was completely set on removing this man from the face of the planet. With her eyes covered in a thick veil of darkness, she lifted her left hand above her head. Kiel suddenly vanished, leaving an afterimage of himself behind. In a split second, he crossed the distance between them and tried to bite her neck. *Slam* Glaring at him with an expression of pure contempt and hatred, she slammed her tail into his chest, and covered it in lightning magic. The electricity traveled inside his body, frying anything in its way, before leaving through his face. His eyes burned, but he still smiled deliriously *Boom* Deveralna threw him in the air, before slamming him down to the ground. His body bounced back, before she slapped his face with it again. With the use of her lightning magic, the force behind her tail was enough to break a dragon''s neck effortlessly. Yet, Kiel survived all of these. Launched away after being slapped in the face, his body rolled on the ground, his bones broken like a doll. With the cracking of bones moving back to places, Kiel stumbled up, again, with the same deranged smile. Nothing could break this smile, whatever suffering was inflicted upon him. That was when Deveralna dropped the hand pointing at the sky. The moment she did, a powerful lightning bolt broke through the clouds, and pulverized Kiel with a deafening roar. "..." Slowly, Deveralna was gathering her emotions back. ''Orion...'' ''What was I supposed to do?'' With a quick glance, she looked behind her, and noticed the horrified expressions of her people. But, as she prepared to look forward, she heard the lamia gasped, until one of them shouted. "Your Highness! Watch out!" In high alert, she swiped her tail in front of her. When she focused forward, Kiel was upside-down, his hand placed on her tail. "Hiiiiii~" A broken greeting left his mouth, as a dribble of saliva fell on her tail. Luckily, it evaporated thanks to her lightning magic covering her body... but. "Grr-" Rage filled her mind once again. "Only Orion is authorized to touch me!" Lightning erupted from her body, arching everywhere besides the city wall. Kiel was instantly electrocuted, before falling down while convulsing wildly. Each arc focused solely on Kiel, destroying his body with every hit. With the smell of burnt flesh wafting around, many of the lamias gagged in disgust. It continued until Deveralna finally snapped, creating terrifying memories for anyone watching this fight. Chapter 348: The consequences of losing control. As Deveralna lifted her arms in the air, the dark clouds above glowed brightly. Lightning strikes broke through the air, creating constant tree-like shaped. With the ground being electrically charged due to her constant release of plasma energy, the whole area around Lahro transformed into a stormy environment. In the middle of it all, the Apostle Kiel endured constant bombardments from the lightning, having no chance of moving out of the instantaneous brutality of the storm. Convulsing wildly, he still kept a grin on his face at all times, causing Deveralna to fall deeper in her rage. ''How is he still alive?'' No one on this continent should be able to endure such a beating and not perish in return. The power of the Remnant of Strength was not to be underestimated for a reason. Deveralna was hoping to disintegrate his body with lightning, but her attempts turned out to be unsuccessful. Again, and again. She kept trying, unbothered by the consequences of her actions. With the clouds spiraling into a vortex above the city, everyone cowered in fear at the prospect of a cyclone forming above them. Everything for kilometers around the city was under the shadow of this massive weather formation. Surprisingly, the lightning was in Deveralna''s total control. With some stragglers away from her control, the overall destruction was directed at the Apostle. Even the highest spot, which was the palace of Lahro, was ignored by the strikes. Yet, the lamias still held hope that their Queen would protect them. They noticed that their city had been spared entirely, as not a single house was damaged. The only things terrifying them were the loud thunder, and their Queen''s expression. Still, this fight was more one-sided than anything else. Kiel only his immortal body and incredible speed to show off, which meant nothing to the lamia Queen. After noticing that whatever she planned to hit the Apostle with wouldn''t work, Deveralna released enormous amounts of energy unconsciously. Once the plasma covering her tail propagated to the entirety of her body, her eyes glowed with light so intense it spelled disaster for the world. The sigil of the Remnant of Strength, a perfect cross, appeared in her pupils, while she stared at the sky. Her wings stretched on both sides, while her tail pushed her higher in the air. The static air started gradually becoming saturated with an astringent smell. Everyone under the dark clouds looked in the air, as a bright light appeared at the center of the cyclone. Even though Deveralna''s training helped harness the Remnant''s powers, what she was planning to do was out of her control. The cyclone released a gigantic sphere of plasma that dropped toward the ground. Lightning strikes focused on the orbs, empowering it even more each passing seconds. Suddenly, Kiel found himself released from the incessant discharges. Laying on his back, his eyes froze on the giant orb. The grin on his face vanished at last. Understanding with a glance that this was extremely dangerous, he forced himself to stand up, even though his flesh hadn''t healed completely. His legs and arms were charred by the lightning, with some areas showing bones. The same thing was seen on his legs, and even his face. He was missing an eye, yet the red hues in it never disappeared. His mouth had been burned so much that the surrounding skin had become brittle. But as he stumbled to his feet, everything started to heal back to its original state. Flesh covered his bones, skin healed to an unhealthy white, and organs regrew from their destroyed state. Then, he suddenly turned around, and began to flew at an incredible speed. "No way!" Deveralna, having noticed her mistake, focused a few lightning strikes that were powering the sphere on him. Turning back to look at the bolts closing on him, he vanished from his spot and reappeared somewhere else, avoiding the lightning. Desperate to flee, he avoided every attack, and began to make his way back to Eogis. But Deveralna wasn''t going to let him get away. He was the one who tortured her people while she was sheltered in secret. He was the man who assaulted her mother. She would never forgive if she let this opportunity slip past her. With one hand pointing at the sphere, she used her other hand to aim at the fleeing Apostle.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Cage him!" A roaring bolt of lightning flew from her hand, instantly crossing the distance between them. The bolt missed Kiel by a thread, before continuing on its path. Thinking that he was saved, the corrupted Apostle glanced behind him with a grin. But, the moment he looked forward, he found himself in front of a massive web of plasma. As he tried to vanish from his spot, the web wrapped itself around him, caging him into a box made of plasma. While he tried to flee, his shoulder touched one of the edges of the box, instantly frying him on the spot. "Maggot! You won''t be able to flee now!" Enraged by his attempt to escape, she focused on the plasma sphere, which gradually came closer to the ground. Terrified, Kiel twitched inside the cage, as his eyes switched between the sphere, and the land he came from. "Even you can feel fear... If only you had shown even a sliver of respect to our faction!" "We would be here right now!" Deveralna slapped her hands together, crushing the giant sphere in the process. A loud cracking sound echoed, before a deafening beat shook the world. From the center of the sphere, where the entirety of its energy was focused, a reality-shattering power emerged. The lamias opened their eyes wide while plugging their ears, as a titanic plasma snake broke through the barriers of reality, and bared its fangs at Kiel. "Deveralna! What are you doing?!" Suddenly, she was brought to reality by a voice. "Huh? Orion? Where-" "What are you doing?! Are you trying to erase Lahro from the maps?" Panicked, Orion spoke through the portal he had placed on her, and hurriedly tried to make her stop. "N-No! That wasn''t my-" "Stop this thing! Immediately!" Without leaving her a moment to answer him, she was forced to realize the intensity of her blunder. As she looked in the air, the giant snake sprung back, ready to pounce at the caged Apostle reeling in terror inside. With no other choices left, he began to attempt to force his way out of the cage, risking grave injuries in the process. "S-Stop! Don''t do it!" Trying to nullify the magic behind the apparition, what she failed to understand was that this creature... was alive. It wasn''t simply magic anymore. This snake was an entity from a different place, a different realm. By bringing it here, she had no control over it besides the initial order she gave it. Destroying Kiel. And, it did just that. The snake lunged at Kiel, and crashed directly on him. "I can''t control it! Help me-" A bright light blinded the whole place. The crash was violent enough to shake the earth itself, damaging some buildings inside Lahro, while destroying parts of the walls surrounding it. The field of intense plasma devoured Kiel, as his shriek of agony drowned into the eerie buzzing hum of the plasma. "Protect Lahro!" Orion''s voice broke through once again, as the field instantly expanded across the land. In complete disarray, Deveralna mustered every ounce of energy left in her to protect her screaming citizens. "DAMN IT!" A large shield of plasma composed of as many layers as she could muster the strength to create formed around her and Lahro. "Ack!" She coughed blood as the field of intense plasma made contact with her barrier. *Crack* The first barrier shattered in record time. Then, the second one. Expending an absurd amount of energy to maintain the shield, Deveralna reflected on her mistake. ''I''ve lost control... This is the result of my furry.'' ''Is he... disappointed in me?'' Thinking of Orion watching over her, lost in her wrath, made her tear up. As her tears mixed with the blood flowing from the corner of her mouth, the fifth barrier shattered, leaving only eight left. She was giving her whole to protecting what she forgot to, and was losing hope of making it out alive. "Don''t- up-" Through the static, she heard Orion. Even though his voice was blocked by the intense energy around her, she still heard his voice. "Give- Dever-" ''Don''t give up, Deveralna!'' Deveralna gritted her teeth, and glared at the barriers surrounding the city. The ninth barrier shattered in front of her, leaving only four left. The energy came closer and closer to her, until the very last barrier was left. She could feel the overwhelming power she herself had created. This disaster caused her to realize the responsibilities linked to such an ability. Velridar remained hidden because his power was too threatening. Because he couldn''t bear the guilt of destroying the world. Only now did she understand the errors of her way. The last and final barrier cracked, as she braced for the end. *Crack* With the last barrier shattering, it was the end. But was Deveralna ready to concede defeat? After going this far? "Not... yet!" Her wings opened wide, as plasma covered them to the point of breaking apart. A thin layer of magic enveloped the city, as Deveralna endured the full brunt of her own magic. The citizens of Lahro observed their Queen stand in front of them, putting her very life in danger for them. "Kh!" The energy burned her body, but she held strong. "Even... if..." "I have to... die!" She straightened her body, and stared in front of her with the sparks of life in her eyes. "I''ll protect you all!" The lamias were brought to tears, even after knowing this event was caused by her. Even though it was her mistake to correct, they routed for her. She was, and would be until the end of time, their leader. But as the lamias lamented their lack of power to help their Queen, something stirred from the bond they had with her. Eyes focused on the shield, before they all stared at each other. With a nod, and no further words, they all jumped down the walls, and joined Deveralna. "Your Highness!" Hundreds of lamias stood behind her, arms pointing at a part of the protective layer. "What are you... all doing?! Get back!" Glancing at them over her shoulder, she pressed them to move further away. "If you fail, we will die anyway! There''s no time for that anymore!" They all focused on that tiny spark inside their soul, when suddenly, they all received the blessing of magic. Earth, lightning, water, fire, and wind. Hundreds of lamias fired their magic at the protection, strengthening it with their feeble energy. While weak, every lamia participated in defending their Queen. Their weak magic, turned great as hundreds of them focused. An unforgettable event where the Queen and her subjects acted as a single mind occurred, strengthening their bonds into unbreakable ones. Deveralna clenched her teeth, as tears flowed down her face, evaporating as they touched the surrounding plasma. "Thank you, everyone." Prepared for the end, everyone smiled at her. Then, as their resolve was made, the plasma field began breaking up. In a split instant, the whole matter disappeared, leaving a bright blue sky behind it. "..." Deveralna dropped her arms, mystified. "We''re..." Cheers exploded behind her, as they realized they had survived the ordeal. With a faint chuckle, Deveralna fell backward. ''Not... yet...'' ''I can''t fall unconscious... now!'' She forced her mind to stay focused, and observed a spot hundred of meters away. There, she noticed a skeleton still electrified in the middle of a calcinated circle. Then, the bone shattered, before turning into black particles. Without any warning, Deveralna fell backward and dropped on the ground. "Your Highness!" Afraid for her wellbeing, the lamias hurriedly brought her inside the city, back to her palace. ... In Horizon, Orion breathed a sigh of relief. Until a rift opened in his plane. "At last..." He stared at the broken portal far south of the realm, past the training grounds. "Let''s do this, Miasma." Miasma began his invasion of Horizon, followed by his army. Chapter 349: Horizon invaded. Three of the battles were finished on the continent. Amelia and the dragons, Monolavir and Ruminona, won against the Corrupted Dragon, Argoss. Lahro, the city populated by lamias, under the rules of their Queen, Deveralna, was successfully protected from Kiel, an Apostle that had returned from the dead. And Elliott, who fought against an old enemy from the time Miasma controlled him. A Remnant, who created the giant faction that was wiped out during the ''Purging War''. The battlefield left on Triazils were still on a large scale, with four major issues. First, the main front was still under pressure. May and the three Lords were against a beast different from what they had usually fought in the past. Second, Dylan, Nylon, and Eliza were facing a large amount of Corrupted Lords, seemingly waiting for this very moment to attack Logran. In ferocious battle, they were defending their people. Third, many human cities across the continent showed signs of corruption taking over various people. These corrupted humans attacked indiscriminately, endangering the lives of many. Monolavir and Ruminona were focused on it. Fourth and last, Olivia, her maid squad, and the kelpies. They were still holding the line at the beach of Noctelagia, stopping the advance of an army of corrupted coming from the sea. But, other battlefields were about to take place in another place. A plane of existence different from the continent. Horizon, the Agathion territory. A space created by Orion Feales, where various faction on the brink of extinction were gathered. Fairies, arachnea, elementals, and a species from another continent, the sirens. All of these beings lived together in harmony, far away from the struggles that were haunting them. Yet, when a large portal opened in the southern area of the plane, the air became tense, as they were preparing themselves to receive the invaders coming to take their lives. All sides of the plane were under the careful monitoring of a powerful individual, ordered by the master of this plane, Orion. Karteira, a fairy born for battles, went east to defend the arachnea. The twins, Queens of the fairies, return to their village far west, to order their armies. In the far north, where the wide artificial sea was created, the sirens, led by Senia, the first to have shown prowess in magic, were preparing to defend their home. And, in the middle of Horizon, a man stood alone, glaring at the large opening that was forced open by an overwhelming entity. ~ ''It''s time.'' Orion looked around him to check on everyone. With a tablet in his hand, he looked at the situations his friends and lovers were in. *Tap* He tapped on the tablet, before zooming in an area. "Looks like Dramia and Drania are done with their orders. The fairy army is moving toward the breach." A large formation of blue dots, followed by two green dots, were approaching rapidly. Then, he zoomed out and looked at the northern area of the plane. There, tens of dots appeared to move rapidly in the waters, while the green dots in the middle stayed impassive. Moving his eyes away from the tablet, he looked behind him, in the direction of the Siren Sea. When he observed it with ''Eagle Eye'', a smile formed on his face. "Seems like Senia found someway to defend the sea alongside the other sirens. I''m glad." With a warm smile, he turned back to the tablet. As he touched the tablet to look east, a disturbing gust of air flowed around him, before continuing further past him. *Snap*The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. At that instant, he snapped his fingers, sealing the wind itself from moving further. ''You can try, but I won''t let you...'' What Orion stopped was a scouting ability Miasma used to sense everything in the plane. Luckily for Orion, the moment he sensed it, he isolated it and destroyed it. ''What you only need to know, is that I''m right here, waiting for you.'' He knew he couldn''t isolate everything, which meant that Miasma probably knew everything that was prepared. Yet, there was one place Orion was unwilling to let the corrupted Remnant know about. The people hiding in his house. If the existence of Henrietta and Tetra were known, it could spell disaster for them, as they did everything to avoid being controlled for their power. The essences of ''Destiny'', ''Space'', and ''Time'' needed to be protected from Miasma at all costs. Finally, Orion observed the place protected by Karteira, a forest in the far east of Horizon. "She''s... perfectly fine, as expected." A green dot flashed at incredible speed around the forest. She seemed to be exercising, or warming up before the battle. "Now..." The smile on his face subsided, and turned into a darker expression. Replaced by a severe frown, Orion looked at the area Miasma invaded on the tablet. On the device''s screen, an absurd amount of red dots, at least four times larger than the fairy army, walked in their direction. "Seems like Miasma sent the corrupted beasts to meet the fairies. I was also expecting that." Then, as the army moved out of the screen, all that was left were three purple dots, and one large ink-black dot. "That black spot is, undoubtedly, Miasma." "The three others are..." Orion thought for a second, before glaring at the screen. "Two of them are the Apostles I missed the chance to kill, most likely. The third one, I have no idea." As he analyzed the placements of the dots, they suddenly began to move. One followed the army moving toward the fairies, another traversed the plane east, while the last one seemed to aim at the sea. "..." Lastly, the black dot began to walk forward, straight toward him. Orion released the tablet, which dissipated into glistening particles. Crossing his arms, he patiently waited, before a portal opened next to him. Unsurprised, Orion glanced at it with a dark expression. "I have returned." "Good work, Elliott." The two stared at each other with dark expressions, before nodding. "So, has it started?" "Can''t you feel it?" Elliott touched Vanitas, before a sigh escaped his mouth. "He''s approaching." "..." Orion nodded once again, confirming Elliott''s thought. Then, Orion turned around, his back behind Elliott. "I''ll leave you to deal with your problem." With a threatening stare, the blonde man nodded. This was something they had discussed ahead of time. - "Orion." "What is it?" Training his Abyssal Sovereign form, Orion glanced at Elliott on the side of the training ground, who called out to him out of nowhere. "Can I have a word with you?" The dark orbs in his hands returned inside his body, as he stopped his training. Still, he remained in this form, as he intended to return to it after this discussion. "Sure. Knowing you, it isn''t a trivial matter." Orion stretched his four black wings behind him, before folding them behind him. He approached the man and stopped a few meters away from him. Having his full attention, he went straight to the subject. "I want to fight my father alone." "..." With a smile, Elliott shrugged. "I know what you think. It sounds stupid, isn''t it?" "Not necessarily. Is it about that voice you heard while being in the plains?" Elliott slowly nodded. "Exactly. If possible, I want to save her from his clutch." "Why? That woman, Layla, she''s an Apostle. Originally, she was supposed to die by my hands." This sensibility Elliott developed was strange to Orion. He couldn''t fathom a reason to save this woman. "You probably won''t believe it, but a long time ago, she was pure. Even thought she practically turned immortal for my sake, I cannot let her suffer the same fate as I did." "She is still lucky, as it has been only a few months since she became possessed. Any more than that, and I fear her mind will shatter irreversibly." Elliott appeared very concerned about Layla. "Now that father has taken control over her, the corruption in her body was absorbed by him. This is the perfect chance to rid her of his presence, and return her to her original self." "That''s why..." Orion watched as Elliott bent forward with a genuine request. "Please, let me save her." - "If you fail..." "I won''t." Orion walked away without uttering another word. Once a few hundred meters away, he observed from a distance, hidden in the shadows of trees. His back against the trunk of the tree, he watched as a woman wearing a long blue dress approached Elliott. With the void portal still activated on Elliott, he listened to their conversation. ... A black-haired woman, wearing a light blue dress in the color of her element, gracefully walked in front of Elliott. The slit up at the right side of her leg displayed the healthy pink color of her skin, while the lower part of the dress flowed downward like a waterfall, barely grazing the grass. With blue high heels that seemed far too uncomfortable for a battle, she stopped near the blonde man. A white top hid her perfectly molded breasts, which were modest in size, being the perfect middle ground. As she stopped, they wiggled slightly, showing that nothing restrained their movements except the dress itself. Her arms were covered by a long veil attached to a bracelet around her wrists, that freely flowed behind her lower back. The last detail was the pendant around her neck. A golden chain with a medallion strapped, perfectly sat on her jugular notch. Overall, she was an elegant and refined woman, appearing in her twenties. To Elliott, who knew the real age of this woman, this sounded like a sick joke. With his power, Miasma rejuvenated her entire body to make it easier for him to move around. With a smile unfitting for a woman, her sweet and beautiful voice broke through the silence. "You''re not the one I was hoping to find." "Then, you will have to deal with it, father." The confrontation between Miasma, controlling the Apostle Layla''s body, and his son, Elliott, was about to begin. Elsewhere in Horizon, the same was about to happen. Lead by Dramia and Drania, the fairy army was about to clash with the army of beasts. Chapter 350: The fairy army. Two fairies were flying behind an army of thousand fairies. The sound of their footsteps echoed throughout the surrounding lands, surprising the critters populating the forests and grass. Armed with rudimentary equipment, mainly swords and spears, the fairies glared in the distance with the desire to protect their new home. Far back, the buzzing sound of wings, coming from the twins, constantly ringed in their ears. "Sis, are you alright?" Concerned for her sister, Drania asked. "I''m fine. It''s just... I have a bad feeling about this." They both knew nothing was certain, especially when it concerned Miasma. They remembered how treacherous this monster was against Noah. At the end, he threw everything he had to stop the Hero, yet, his efforts were in vain. The pure strength and control Noah had surpassed anything that stood in front of him. If not for the shrewd attempt to corrupt the man, Miasma would have died without having any hope of accomplishing his goal. So, they knew the invading force wasn''t just mere corrupted beasts. They were expecting a few Corrupted Lords, and a powerful individual. But, the twins weren''t going to close their eyes and ignore the situation. Not only would they be failing their duties as Queens, but they would also betray Orion''s expectations. For that reason, after falling in love with the man, they secretly trained with the help of their friend, the Tree of Life and Remnant of Life, Tiohr-nam. - The two were already strong enough to deal with corrupted beasts. The invasion of Albriar proved it, as they helped the city''s armies to deal with the corrupted beasts. Yet, they were incredibly rusty. The last time they had really fought was when Noah was alive, which was three thousand years. After his death, they were forced to hibernate for two thousand years to assimilate the fairy genes Tiohr-nam implanted in them so they might survive. Once they awakened, they were asked to become the Queens of the fairies, away from danger, as asked by Tetra, called Tia-Norun at the time. With Karteira and the fairy army created to defend against the corrupted trying to break free from the underground tunnels under the Tree of Life, they never had to exercise. Only after leaving the realm, have they understood how powerless they were. While Karteira was fighting alongside Orion, they were only able to fight weak creatures. Again and again, they were forced to compare themselves with Orion, who dealt with powerful individuals and monsters, while they were unable to do even the simplest of tasks with their magic. At that point, they finally realized that this couldn''t continue. This sentiment only grew in intensity after becoming part of Orion''s family. They were weak. Too weak to have any say in a conversation. Too frail to be asked to train with the rest of the group. The rivalry between them and others grew stronger, while the need to get stronger only grew exponentially. But, this wasn''t easy. Dramia was a wind magic user. After losing Noah, she barely used her magic anymore, with a few exceptions. Her gentle wind wasn''t made for battle anymore, compared to her past self that fought alongside the Hero. Something had to change for her to take it seriously. Drania, on the other hand, was more active in trying to improve her magic. It wasn''t because it was useful to her, but simply because she was easily bored. Boredom made her constantly seek improvement in her magic, which led to an incredible improvement in water and earth magic. Yet, after the battle around Albriar, she was brought back to reality.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Her water magic was useless. It was after their date with Orion. The two stood in front of Tiohr-nam with the wish to improve, to change themselves, which the tree gladly agreed to. - They appeared unchanged, until they noticed a frightening aura coming toward them. "Stop!" Dramia''s voice echoed far in front of her. Her wind magic carried her voice all around for the fairies to hear. The whole army instantly stopped, and armed themselves. Sounds of wings buzzing echoed from many fairies, while others stayed on the ground. "Everyone, stay in formation as instructed!" "Those who can fly, strike from above. Carefully observe the battlefield, and avoid getting caught." "You have a thirty-second window to do a hit-and-run tactic, before the fairies in the back launch their assault." Dramia stopped talking, watching the flying fairies take off. Then, Drania''s voice replaced her sisters. "Back row, are you ready?" Using her sister''s magic to carry her voice, she observed the insect-looking individual lifting their right arm in the air as an answer. They had basic bows in their hands, with quivers full of deadly arrows. "The formation is as instructed. Fire the first volley after the flying units have reduced their numbers. Then, wait another thirty seconds." "Rinse and repeat, unless the whole aerial formation has been destroyed." They all hoped that such a thing would not happen, but against Corrupted Lords, which could use magic, nothing was certain. "Front row, are you ready to support the flying squadron?" Swords were lifted in the air without a sound. The fairies were ready to defend the plane, even if this had to be their last battle. The two sisters stared at each others, before looking at one row of fairy soldiers that hadn''t moved yet. This row stood between the swordsmen, and the archers. They had unusual weapons in their hands. "Musket squad, do you remember how to use your weapon?" Their Queens asked at the same time. The soldiers with guns in their hands lifted them vertically in the air, signifying to their leader that they remembered. "Good." These guns came directly from Kamala, the Lord of Hocride. Through trading, they obtained these weapons before the war broke out. With her help, they formed a special unit dedicated to this weaponry, which was perfect for such a situation. "You are to support the front row, and kill anything that breaks through their line. If you fire your musket, immediately fall back and swap with the one behind you and reload." "Never let a hole in the formation, or you and the archers will pay the price with your life." This was a formation they had learned from Orion, who himself learned it from a book written by his favorite author, N. The fairies'' eyes fell on the approaching beasts, leaving clouds of dust as they approached. Destroying trees on their path, they were eager to start their carnage on the fairy army. One of the fairies on the gun squad lifted a small pistol above his head, and fired it. Releasing an ear-splitting noise, the aura around the fairies changed into complete focus. The front row kneeled, while the flying fairy clenched their spears. Archers drew their bows, aimed in a way that would make their arrows fly in an arching trajectory. Aiming straight in front of them, the musketeers prepared their first volley while the beasts approached. The beasts drew closer, while the tension around the army felt almost tangible. Dramia suddenly took a deep breath, and used the air in her lungs to shout with all her strength. "Fire!" *Bang* *Bang* A continuous barrage of bullets traveled past the crouching fairies, and flew straight to the incoming corrupted beasts. Grey horses, boars, giant rabbits, everything that could be corrupted on land fell under the relentless piercing stream of bullets. Hundreds of beasts dropped instantly, trampled by the ones behind them. Still, some far behind stopped to devour the cores of those that failed to continue. Luckily for the twins, they weren''t stupid enough to make the same mistake twice. They were there when Amelia fought the Corrupted Lord in the shape of a deer during Albriar''s attack. The idea that their creation happened because of the dark cores was known. That was why the muskets were great. Their bullets were great in destroying the cores. Few of the beasts managed to survive, which meant the others had their core shattered. Those that had their core devoured turned into dust, as they joined strength as one. With the two armies facing each other at last, the war inside Horizon began. The fairies in the front row approached the beasts alongside the airborne units, while the archers stayed in position. Both sides crashed against the other. The twins observed with confidence as the fairies overwhelmed the beasts with their ingenuity and prowess in battle. They hadn''t survived the invading forces back in their former realm for nothing. The battles forged them. Though, Karteira wasn''t here to help them this time around. Nonetheless, they fought to the bitter end, in hope of protecting the ones who couldn''t fight behind them. Some unlucky fairies were crushed under the stampede, but their exoskeleton protected them from untimely death. Those in front were either swift individuals, like praying mantises, earwigs, and other land insects, acting as the sword of the formation. While the others were the shields of the army. Those related to roaches, beetles, and with heavy exoskeletons were all the way in front. With the shields stopping the advancement of the beasts, the swords slashed at their sides, before the spears came from above, to reduce the number of corrupted. Then, the flying units escaped higher, signaling to the frontline that the volley of arrows was upon them. Kicking and slashing away, they hurriedly created some distance between them, helping whoever was stuck, while disregarding with bitterness those who fell during the first assault. The death of their comrades only fueled the rage the fairies had for the corrupted. Now that they had obtained the notion of ''family'', they had more to lose than their enemies. As the frontline moved away, some beasts took the chance to rapidly close in on the musket team. Sadly for them, they were immediately shot down by them, before the thousands of arrows rained on the ones behind. "Everything''s seems to be going well." Drania said with an uncharacteristic seriousness. "For now..." With a frown and a glare, Dramia answered her, eyes set on a cloaked figure observing the battle from afar. Chapter 351: Karteira, defending the east side. While the fairy army locked on with the beasts, a lone shadow rapidly ran north, while another slowly made its way east. The one going north suddenly stopped, and observed his surroundings. "..." On his left, a large structure stood, where naked walls appeared with signs above them. The shadow recognized the names of cities, and areas of the continent. Albriar, Hocride, Turric, Noctelagia... So many names that indicated the connection between the man who created this plane, and the traitorous Apostles. It looked on the right, in the distance. There, two houses stood strongly, unbothered by the events happening everywhere else. Picking up the pace, the shadow walked toward them. The closer it went, the stranger it felt. Until its whole body crashed onto a barrier. The crash made no sound, as if the barrier was made of a sturdy net instead of a thick wall. Pushed by the barrier, the hood of the cloaked figure dropped behind the shoulder of the being, revealing its identity. "What the-" Dony, the man who had his neck broken by Miasma, fumbled backward after bumping into the protective magic around the houses. His physical features showed no signs of changes, while the only difference visible was his hair. Before being turned into a more perfect corrupted human, Dony kept his long hair in a ponytail. Now, his long hair flowed behind his back, stopping at his shoulder blades. With a frustrated expression, he approached the barrier, and placed his hand on it. A squishy feeling wrapped his hand, as it pushed it backward once again. "No dice, huh?" The Apostle looked to his left, where the Siren Sea, his original target, was. His gaze fell upon the houses, and once again, the desire to access it pulled him against his will. Unleashing a dark power from his hand, he tried to break through the barrier. The two powers collided, until Dony''s hand sunk deeper into the net. With a smile on his face, delighted of his success, he pushed continuously, until his whole arm pushed through. "Hah! Nothing can stop me-" As he rejoiced, the net suddenly closed on his arm, slicing it cleanly off the rest of his body. "Kh!" While taking a few steps back, he grabbed his shoulder in pain, while looking at his flailing missing arm on the ground. After a few seconds, his arms transformed into a dark goop that evaporated into the air, while another arm regrew from the wound. "I suppose it is a good thing I did not push my head first in there..." With a deep glare, the corrupted man ignored his impulsive need and walked away. "There''s no other way around. Guess I''ll just comply and do what I''ve been told to..." Walking toward the sea in the distance, Dony continued with a displeased expression. ... East of Horizon. Two individuals stared at each other in front of a forest. "..." Karteira silently observed the large soldier, standing proudly with his sword in hand. "..." They kept looking at each other, alert for any movements. Until Karteira placed her hands in the pockets of her pants.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "What is the meaning of this?" The soldier asked with confusion. "The meaning of what?" "Why aren''t you attacking me?" Frustration appeared on the man. Yet, his patience remained untouched. He was ready to stay his hand for the perfect opportunity to strike at the woman. Karteira glanced behind her, her cerulean blue hair flowing elegantly with the wind. Then, she looked back at the man. Lifting her chin toward the sky, she smirked at him. "What do you think? Do I have to indulge in a corrupted''s sense of honor?" "I''ve fought my fair share of battles, there''s no such thing as honor for you." Her eyes fell on the sword in the man''s hands. "Don''t look so stiff, you''re going to rip a muscle... Oh, wait. You can''t, you''re healing all kinds of injuries." The mockery in her voice wasn''t just for show. She was hoping to anger him, as it was the best way to force mistakes out of the opponent. "You are right." The man released his strength, and let his sword drop toward the grass. Its tip pierced the ground, standing straight next to the man. *Crack* Suddenly, the corrupted cracked his neck, and shoulders. Surprised, Karteira removed her hands from her pockets and crossed her arms. "Were you aware that even now, I can recall the horrors I caused on others?" The man suddenly looked at Karteira while straightening. "Is it a story made to waste my time, or get the upper hand on me?" "Just a thought." The right arm of the man moved toward his sword, before his fingers wrapped around its hilt. With a rough pull, he ripped a chunk off the soil as he recovered his sword. "What''s your name, warrior?" Karteira hesitated for a second, before her blood stirred. "I was not expecting to find honor in a corrupted human. What a world we live in..." With a shrug, and a deep glare, she sighed. "Karteira..." "Lucas. It was my name, before turning." They looked at each other for a minute. The echoes of gunfire entered their ears from the west. Curious, Karteira lifted her head sideways and looked in that direction. At that moment, Lucas crouched, and leaped toward Karteira, his sword in hand. Approaching an unfocused Karteira, his sword moved closer to her neck, before abruptly being stopped. Her left hand, covered with thick plates, grabbed the blade in a swift, unflinching action. "You thought? Where''s your self-proclaimed honor?" "!" Lucas tried to break free from her grasp, but he was unable to. "..." Stupefied, Karteira frowned. "I''m sorry, but is that really all you have?" Shock appeared on her face, as she realized that the man wasn''t a formidable opponent. Disappointment replaced her previous expression, before she shook her head. "Really..." She clenched her right hand, which appeared covered by plates. A long, sharp blade of plates stretched downward, before she sliced the man''s arm straight off. "I was expecting a bit more." She threw the arm holding the sword behind her, while spinning once. Throwing a powerful kick at his chest, she sent the man flying a few meters away. Lucas held his chest in pain, while his arm regrew. "It''s not that I''m weak..." He glared at Karteira. *Slice* A deep cut appeared on Karteira''s leg. She looked at it, slightly confused, before a wild smile replaced her disappointed mood. "That''s better!" Pulling her leg back, she looked at the cut, before it began to heal too. "!" Surprised, Lucas opened his eyes wide. The white aura around Karteira was something he wasn''t expecting. "You have a few tricks under your sleeves, right? Bring it on, then. I''ll play with you." The wound on her leg healed before she wore her full plated armor, the Cerulean Armor. With only her head not covered, she took a step forward. "Heh." With a smirk, Lucas stood up, before letting go of his humanity at last. A deep black aura covered his entire body, while his eyes turned black. The muscles on his body bulged tremendously, as his bones stretched, creating a two meters tall and large monster. Parting with his human mind, Lucas turned into a true corrupted. With no mind to limit his actions anymore, he went straight on the attack. With a grunt, he jumped in the air, and slammed both arms on Karteira. In a loud crashing sound, the ground cracked under the pressure of his arms. "..." Karteira appeared unfazed by the strength of the creature, as she held its hands above her head. Yet, she still felt the changes. Her plates screeched and bent under the pressure. "Tch." While clicking her tongue, Karteira threw the monster''s arms to the side, immediately following with an assault of her own. She let go of any semblance of concern, and released the magic hiding her scorpion tail. A thick, armored tail with a sharp stinger quickly appeared, before it pierced the man''s arm. Using her tail as a lever, she went over the man and slashed its back with her sharp blade. A growl of pain left the mouth of Lucas, as he turned around hurriedly to catch her before she landed. Yet, he was met with a stinger that pierced his jaw from below. Then, Karteira pulled it out, spraying dark liquid out of the man''s mouth. With one last glance, she slashed the man''s throat. But she knew, this wouldn''t be enough. She aimed the blade straight at the opening in his throat, and stabbed into it. The blade pierced the throat, and traveled all the way to his nape. With a powerful movement, she cut the left side of his neck as she dislodged the blade from the man''s flesh. Disgusting liquid sprayed everywhere, as she purposefully aimed for his jugular vein. Yet, she was forced to move away, as a sudden burst of magic erupted from the monster. A column of iron pierced through the ground, shattering the plated blade into shards. "!" Karteira jumped away, dodging another attack. The spike was aimed at her chest, which she was forced to avoid, seeing how easily it shattered her plates. ''Shit. That was close.'' She thought, while watching the head of the man heal back on its shoulders. ''Good thing I was on high alert.'' Even if she looked disappointed at first, she never underestimated the man in front of her. Karteira knew all of this was a feint to make her think she had the upper hand, only to cut the grass under her feet. ''I love fighting tough opponents.'' With a wide grin on her face, a white aura covered her entire body. The plates healed gradually, while she approached the large monster glaring at her. She stopped, and made a gesture asking it to come to her. While it was straight provocation, it was effective against a brainless monster. Now that it had revealed its magic, the battle was about to change drastically. But the same could be said for Karteira. She hadn''t used her light element yet. Chapter 352: Pretending. Karteira advanced toward Lucas, who transformed into a large human with no sense of self. The world flashed briefly, as she crossed the distance between them before even blinking. It took her constant training to perfect the light element, to a point she felt satisfied with. At first, she couldn''t see her surrounding well. Her eyes, and brain particularly, were unable to process the information as it moved too fast. She had to focus for weeks until she noticed changes, which was around the time she fought Orion. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing two glistening spikes of metal erupting from the ground where she was. ''Metal...'' Seeing this matter created from magic brought back unpleasant memories for her. With the memories of her mistakes still fresh in her mind, she looked back at Lucas. This man, though corrupted, was still a powerful entity. Karteira knew from experience, from a time she was unable to contain her emotions against these beings, that they should never be underestimated. That''s why, she used everything in her power to finish this fight. Covered in light magic, Karteira appeared right under the man''s head, and arched her back, kicking its chin while doing a cartwheel. Placing her hands on the ground, she bent her elbow, before pushing on her arms upward. With the man sent in the air, she followed him immediately, leaving him no room to process what had happened. Yet, he glared at her, before clashing its two massive hands together. In the air, Karteira appeared unable to avoid being crushed under its hands. With a loud slam, the corrupted man fell back on its feet, and opened its hands to observe the mess. With a shocked expression, it found nothing. "Looking for me?" Sitting on his right shoulder, Karteira smiled. She waved as he turned its face to look at her. Rapidly, he swiped at her, but felt a sharp pain in his lower back as she went away. With her stinger, Karteira pierced his flesh and forcefully removed it. At a glance, it seemed to have caused damage, but she already figured that it was temporary, and barely effective. ''Here it goes...'' She watched as the wound closed, and the flesh she threw on the grass melted into a dark puddle. ''This won''t work. I need to-'' As she pondered on the way to get rid of the transformed soldier, the man''s muscles began to deflate to their previous state. Fumes flew out of every pore of his skin, releasing a stench so disgusting, animals would die from inhaling it. "I suppose this won''t do against you." The man stretched his body, and walked to his sword, which Karteira threw away earlier. Shocked by the sudden return to reason of the corrupted, Karteira observed with caution. Lucas picked up his sword, and slashed a few times in the air. The pure pressure released by each swing was incomparable to how he wielded the blade previously. ''That stench... was all this farce just to get rid of it?''If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Analyzing the situation, she frowned. One swing of the blade caused the air to rush past her face, roughly lifting her hair in the air. Still, she wasn''t particularly worried. Unless the man was as fast as her, she had nothing to worry about. "!" During a single frame of inattention, Lucas stood in front of her, both hands on the sword''s hilt. Karteira took a step back, defending against the attack. Using the shield formed by her ''Cerulean Aegis'' ability, she blocked the blade desperately. The blade cut through the tough plates as if they were made of butter. It grazed her cheek, and continued on its path, pulling her blood alongside it. Then, the blade returned even faster. It flew from the other direction, and threatened to slash at her throat. Sadly for him, the surprise worked but once. Having recovered her composure, Karteira kneeled on the grass, leaving an afterimage of herself behind, as she swiped her leg in an attempt to make Lucas fall. His eyes focused on her, Lucas jumped, before plunging with his sword pointing at her. Knowing how sharp the blade was, Karteira refused to meet it head-on. Leaving a trail of light behind her, she jumped back while crouched, straightened, and lunged at the man, who was still plunging toward her previous position. Surprised, Lucas let go of his sword, and attempted to punch Karteira, who was coming at her at an absurd speed. Karteira dodged the punch, walked around his shoulder, and stepped behind him. She grabbed the back of his head, and slammed it into the ground with so much force, the sound of his bones cracking entered her ears. Lucas glanced on the side, saw his sword, and grabbed the blade without hesitating. After pulling the sword out of the ground, he tried to pierce the woman on top of him. Jumping away, Karteira saw the corrupted man standing up, blood pouring from his broken nose and cracked jaw, yet, it once again healed. ''This is a pain.'' With a frown, she glared at the man. ''I was hoping to find a core inside this man, but to think Orion was actually right...'' All she did until now was confirmation of the information Orion came back with after his fight in Noctelagia. ''No cores, and an unending recovery. Exactly as detailed. The problem now is...'' ''How am I supposed to fight this guy?'' She wasn''t a powerhouse like Amelia or Orion. With only her characteristics as a fairy to support her, and the recent acquisition of the light element, she had no idea how to deal with this soldier. The fact that he could recover indefinitely was a large conundrum for her, as it nullified every action she did against him. Even if the light element was strong in general, she could only use a fraction of its power, similar to Orion in its beginning. What she could do with it was limited to healing small injuries, and enhancing her speed. Besides that, she was unsure of how to use it. ''There''s no time to think.'' She internally shook her head, and focused on the fight. ''I''m not someone who thinks. I act. I''ll find a way through fighting.'' Her body transformed, as the plates covered her whole body. A red jewel encased above the base of her tail glistened, before its entirety disappeared under the thick plates. Lucas seemed ready for more, and looked eager to cut her tail off, which Karteira noticed without showing it on her face. Grabbing his sword with both hands, he took a step forward, and slashed at Karteira, covered in thick plates. Blasts of steam spewed around her neck, as the heat inside the armor intensified. Sweat formed on her cheeks, as she continued to avoid the blade stiffly. ''Now should be good.'' Confirming the heat under the armor with her skin, she internally nodded. It was the right moment to try something different. An attack she used once, which devastated thousands of corrupted in one sweep. The blade came horizontally toward her face. Karteira buckled her knees, throwing the top of her body backward. She kicked the sword away, creating a brief instant of unbalance for her enemy. As Lucas fumbled a few steps backward, Karteira placed her hands on the ground, flipped backward to place her feet behind her, and jumped in the air. The strength she used was enough to sent her five meters above the ground, which cracked the ground where she was previously. Her blue hair swung gracefully behind her, as she aimed her tail at the corrupted soldier. Lucas, who finally managed to catch his footing, looked at the shadow at the corner of his eye. "Eruption!" The last thing he saw was a sphere of red flames, before being engulfed into a stream of condensed fire magic. "Taste Amelia''s fire magic!" The heat ray, large enough to engulf beings three times her size, devoured Lucas and the grass under him. It was so intense and energetic that Karteira remained in the air for two minutes while firing it. Depleting the entirety of the fire crystal above the base of her tail, she hoped to get rid of him with this. But for a strange reason, she was feeling uneasy. No screams, no grunts, not pained voices escaped the fire. It could only mean one thing in this situation. ''It''s not working.'' The ability stopped the moment the steam under her armor was depleted. She dropped to the ground, breathing roughly, as the power she used burned her skin under the plates. She stood up, covered in a white aura. Her eyes stared intently at the spot Lucas was on, where she unleashed the full potential of the ability. In there, a charred body appeared, fuming a dark smoke. The grass had been entirely disintegrated, leaving only a burnt patch of dirt similar to how Bandir looked like behind. *Crack* A piece of Lucas'' arm detached from the rest of his body, before crumbling into dust as it hit the ground. The entirety of his body had been completely burnt like coal, slowly dissipating into ash. ''...'' But Karteira knew. This wasn''t the end of it. The reason for her off-putting feeling? The flawlessly pristine blade in his other hand. Chapter 353: Noctelagias protectors. Far north, Dony finally arrived at the Siren Sea, where Miasma sent him to deal with one of Orion''s companions. He walked on the beach, his eyes deeply focused on the water. Recalling the great view of the sea from his past, a feeling of nostalgia appeared on his face, quickly replaced by a dark gaze. The pulsing inside his body reminded him of his current condition, one he would never be rid off. With corruption having taken hold of his life, there was no future for him when even his past became miningless. Nothing could be done anymore. Dony sighed dramatically and slumped his shoulders. "If only I had retained my sanity instead of drinking that tainted mixture." After being reformed into a more perfect corrupted, Dony''s mind became free of the impulses driving him when he was an Apostles ruling a city. Cleared of the fog in his mind, he was able to take a few steps back, and understand the issues of his life. "I wouldn''t be stuck doing mindless errands like these." He placed his hands into his pockets, and approached the water. The waves reached his feet, as he looked in the distance. Inside the water, he could see life. Fishes, crustaceans, mollusks, larger creatures that shouldn''t be able to survive like sharks, and... The one he was ordered to get rid of, a siren. In the middle of the sea, floating perfectly still in calm waters, Senia glared at the intruder. "Oh~" Dony smiled the moment he noticed the woman, and whistled. "Such a waste, killing such a cute face." Lifting his hand above his head, he turned his palm to the sky. A dark sphere of darkness grew, before he aimed it at Senia. *Psssssh* Before he could fire at her, a jet of pressurized water magic pierced the sphere and Dony''s chest. Senia attacked him while not giving a single chance to fire at her. With the dark sphere crumbling into sludge that fell into the sea, Dony fumbled backward while holding his chest. "I know your kind, and I know that expression." With a disdainful look, the siren kept her finger pointed at the man, threatening to pierce his chest with more pressurized jets. The disgust on her face showed the intense emotion she was feeling. Recalling the man''s smile only brought back the memories of the man who captured her species in the past. "You will not set foot in this sea, nor will you land a hand on me." "I- We will get rid of you, here and now!" Senia released a shockwave of magic, that began pulling seawater with it. Floating in the air for a second, a water sphere formed around her, where she kept her eyes on Dony at all times. Around her, the entirety of the sea moved, revealing the seafloor. Broad tubes of water traveled far and wide, creating a surreal vision. Fishes swam through these tunnels, which formed all around Dony. They went above him, behind him, and all around him. And, inside those tubes, shadows rapidly swam between the fishes at a tremendous speed. Confusion, surprise, and fear showed on his face. A magic with such scale was a disaster that only people like Layla could muster. The fire Kelvin used to erase Bandir from the map of Triazils was on the same scale, a truly terrifying sight. With Senia in the center, continually aiming at him, Dony smiled sourly. "Shit..." ~ While Horizon was under attack, Noctelagia was in the middle of a struggle that seemed unending. "..." Saffira, standing next to Olivia, looked at the carnage with her mouth wide open. "Close your mouth. You wouldn''t want a fly to enter it, right?"You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. With a side glance, Olivia asked her to calm her feelings in a roundabout way. Still, this was impossible for the leader of the kelpies. Utterly shocked by the scene in front of her, she couldn''t close her mouth. "Is this... normal for you?" "What is?" "This." Pointing at the maids holding a line across the beach, Saffira blinked. "Oh... I guess." Olivia shrugged and smiled. "They are the strongest. Of course, they are not on the level of an Apostle like myself, but for normal humans, they are the cream of the crop." Proud of her friends, she said with a smug face. "I... see." Fear and horror showed on Saffira''s face, knowing that Olivia could at any moment get rid of her and her faction. ''I''m glad we''re friends and not enemies.'' With that small thought, she glanced at the battlefield. Without a single sound escaping their mouths, the entire maid squads were ripping through the corrupted ranks effortlessly. Wired strings flowed in the air, glistening when met with the ray of the sun, before raining down on the poor creatures with a single movement of their fingers. The sound of sliced flesh, bodies flopping back into the sea, and growls coming from the marine beasts echoed everywhere. But what was truly disturbing wasn''t the horrendous amount of corrupted beasts. No, it was the deranged smile of the maids as they cut through the creatures effortlessly. Pleasure in killing, a feeling they contained deep inside their hearts. Of course, Olivia knew their constitution well, and the reason for their twisted minds. Yet, she never tried to ''heal'' them. They were who they were, and beside that small part of them, all of them were sweet and pleasant ladies. But in front of an enemy, all semblance of normalcy vanished, leaving the repressed feeling of hatred they felt against the corrupted. Behind Olivia, two sighs entered her ears. She turned around and glanced at the two maids standing still, bored. "There''s nothing to do if there''s nothing to defend..." "Alice, I get you, but don''t lose focus." The two maids left to defend the kelpies looked at each other with a hand on their cheeks, a disinterested expression on their faces. Olivia knew they were talking deliberately, hoping to get new orders from her. They were eager to join the fight, but couldn''t. "You two, don''t." She looked back at the battle while answering them. "..." They looked at Olivia with a faint smile and shrugged. "I guess that''s that." Eden looked at the sky, patiently waiting for some action. Her wish was rapidly granted, when she noticed sparkling lights in the sky. "Hey, Alice." "What is it?" Confused, Eden squinted her eyes, before pointing at the sky. "Did Olivia use her magic?" "Not yet. Why?" The shimmering lights suddenly approached faster, putting Eden on high alert. "Alice! Get ready to intercept!" "Eh? Wha-" Alice looked into the air, and noticed a volley of water bombs dropping on them. They both looked far back into the sea, and noticed hundreds of large creatures spitting those bombs hundreds of meters into the air. Olivia looked up, and was about to move out to help, when she was stopped by Saffira''s arm. "It''s not your job." The kelpie said, before walking away toward the others. With a frustrated look, Olivia pouted and looked forward. "It is, though? If that falls on my city, it''s my responsibility..." Hearing the cute retort, Saffira smiled. Yet, after getting closer to the kelpies, her smile vanished, replaced with sternness. She walked next to the maids, and looked at the bombs closing on them. They had roughly twenty seconds to be ready. But, to everyone''s surprise, without even uttering a word, Saffira pointed her finger at the sky. The kelpies all looked toward that direction, noticed the attack, and stood on their front leg powerfully. Their long tail curved behind them, anchoring their weight into the ground. The giant underwater horses opened their mouths, spouting water magic into the sky. Each one of them aimed at a singular bomb, while Saffira looked at the two maids beside her. "Do you mind listening to me? Or do you listen only to Olivia?" The blasts of water created by the two attacks meeting each other shook the air, sending shockwaves toward the ground. One blast crashed on the maids, as they looked at each others. They nodded, and looked at Saffira while pushing their long hair over their shoulders. "What do you us to do?" Saffira nodded, delighted to have the support of the maids. "We can''t deal with all of these. Especially the one going further into the city. Can you deal with these?" Eden and Alice nodded, before staring at the remaining bombs falling toward the ground. "Sure." "We can do that." The two crouched, and moved opposite to each other. They traveled a large distance in the blink of an eye, and stopped where bombs threatened to fall. Eden went further into the city, while Alice went past her, near the castle. ''We can''t let a single one touch the city.'' ''Disappointing Olivia is out of the question.'' With those thoughts in mind, the two turned around, and let the wires speak for them. ... Four bombs fell toward Alice. Having felt the blast firsthand, she knew how powerful a single explosion was. With only one, it could easily kill a frail human like her. Yet, her gaze was determined. Moving her arms and fingers carefully, a wall of thin threads shone briefly, weaved in the path of the bombs. Each bomb touched the wires, and traversed them seemingly unscathed. Though, a second later, they appeared to have been cut in tiny pieces. The problem was, the explosive part was yet to come. Alice pulled on the strings attached to her rings, and continued to cut the bombs in record time. Her swift and calculated movements showed the prowess of her art, as droplets of water continued to fall down as she ripped pieces after pieces of water off the attack. Ultimately, a rain of water fell around her, as she stopped the water bombs from exploding. ... While Alice dealt with the bombs falling her way, Eden tasked herself with defending the city, where the citizens were hiding. "Look! Isn''t that one of Lady Olivia''s maid?" From the windows, they noticed Eden jumping from one roof to the other, her eyes deeply focused on her target. She stepped on a chimney, and jumped higher, with her wires following closely behind her. Unlike the others, Eden used thicker wires. She wasn''t as fast as the others with them, and looked even sluggish, but she was deadly for trapping things with them. One of the bombs came directly toward her as she jumped. Eden twisted her body in midair, and swiped her arms from her thighs to her head. Then, she crossed her arms as she began to fall back. During her movements, the entire water bomb disappeared, sealed into a thick layer of wired threads. While falling with the encased attack, she pulled with more strength, tightening the seal even more, until water gushed out between the threads. Eden stepped graciously on the tilled roof, and slid down its slope, before jumping to another roof. There were a few more coming her way, which she dispatched with the same method. ... With both Eden and Alice successfully defending the city against the first wave of water bombs, it was time for Olivia to act. Past the piles of beast bits and organs, deeper in the water, her opponents stirred, agitated by their unsuccessful advance. Chapter 354: Olivia amidst the battlefield. ''I was na?ve.'' ''Even though I knew better than anyone that this world was treacherous.'' ''We''ve made it this far, but at the critical part, I was useless.'' ''Getting rid of the plague in Noctelagia was easy. The previous Apostle was conflicted between his morals and the corruption taking a hold of him.'' ''It was the perfect puppet for me, with my illusion slowly shifting his true memories into ones I had created.'' ''I became his daughter, gathered allied in just a few years, and overthrew him, casting him and his followers far into the sea.'' ''We watched as their boat sunk into the sea, devoured by a storm. We were delighted.'' ''Maybe that''s why I''ve never really bothered changing.'' ''As a daughter of demons, who kept hearing about the fate of our faction, it felt good to free our city.'' ''Yet, I was too stupid to realize.'' ''To realize how crushing the reality of things were.'' ''I thought I was powerful enough to protect us, which probably enabled me to become a brainless fool.'' ''Meeting Orion for the first time, it took everything I had to hide my aura.'' ''With the demon blood screaming to mix with him, I learned what I had to do.'' ''During the time before our meeting, I asked the girls not to ever attack him if he were to come. Sadly, he began with Hocride, and I was... last.'' ''I wasn''t even able to meet him in normal conditions. Finding the one you expect to be your soulmate in such a distressing condition is heartbreaking.'' ''Still, I kept my emotions under control, and kept moving as the Lord of Noctelagia. Even with great sorrow in my heart, the responsibilities on my shoulders are too great to ignore.'' ''Maybe I am a precocious woman. I''m barely nineteen, and already lead a city and its citizens. I have an army of powerful individuals under my control, which can dispatch mostly anything threatening our home.'' ''Yet, I was unable to help the man I fell in love with until it was too late. The worst part was, he already had his lover... or lovers, in this case.'' ''I was devastated. Did I miss the opportunity by caring too much for politics? Was my life a sick joke made to make me miserable?'' ''That''s when he woke up.'' ''I was unable to contain the calling of my blood. I forcefully approached him, stole his lips, and obtained something I wasn''t prepared to receive.'' ''After that little... incident, I was taken into this big family. Of course, the grief I shoulder followed me.'' ''I tried to hide it as much as possible from him, but he seemed to have found out.'' ''I knew playing the violin would get me found out, but I honestly don''t care that much. If he were to ask, I would undoubtedly tell him.'' ''The world isn''t kind, as I was in the front row when I finally understood. Orion is the prime exemple of this unfairness.'' ''Comparing our struggles is meaningless, but the burden he shoulders is greater than mine at the very least.'' ''The tipping point was during the kelpies incident. Not only was I unable to control my emotions, I also endangered him.'' ''Wearing an outfit unfit for battle, a lack of discipline caused by my complacency, and the idea of leaving everything to the others while doing absolutely nothing.'' ''Those are my mistakes. I wasn''t prepared to walk alongside them.''The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. ''Alongside him.'' ''But today, I stand my ground. I will not repeat the same mistakes.'' Olivia walked past Marie, who glanced at her back with astonishment. The look on her face conveyed a small hint of fear, but also pride. It had been truly long since she saw her friend act personally. The memories of a demon ripping the males assaulting her returned vividly, as a dangerous smile threatened to break through. Piles of corrupted body obstructed her path, but she couldn''t care any less. Olivia walked on them, and continued. With her outfit putting mobility forward instead of her lovely dress, she easily overcame the piles, and with a disgusted expression, stepped into the red waters. She observed her surrounding. The maids were kind enough to create a path for her as she walked, lead between wires corridors that shredded anything trying to hurt their master. Nothing stood in front of her, as she felt the gazes of three creatures in the depths far away. Olivia sighed, and continued forward. A blue aura covered her boots, as she stepped on the water. Surprised, the maids blinked for a second, gasping in astonishment from her sudden inhuman feat. As she walked in a straight line on the sea''s surface, Olivia looked below her. There, red eyes swam rapidly, indicating that her enemies were ready to pounce on her. As she glared at them, a dark, more somber aura enveloped the rest of her body. The entirety of her body changed, revealing the features of her long-lost faction. Demon horns, wings, and tail. Piercing eyes that intimidated anyone looking into them. With darkness spreading under her feet, and a trail of dark magic following behind her back, Olivia finally stopped caring. Her identity was what it was. Even if her citizens were to despise her for being different, she would still continue to strive to improve their lives. But to make it to that point, she had to protect Noctelagia. One of the corrupted sharks jumped out of the water, and tried to bite her left thigh. With a precise and powerful movement, Olivia grabbed its nose, and slammed it into the water surface. The rapidity she slammed it on the water caused it to explode in disgusting chunks of bloody flesh, as if it had fallen from a few hundred meters. As the shark blew up, she saw a glimmering core falling in front of her. She grabbed it, and squeezed it with little force. Shattering into dust, she opened her hand, letting the wind disperse its particles into the air. The maids were in shock, as this was a first for them. Only Marie knew how capable and deadly Olivia was. Even if she was sweet and lovely, inside, in a deep, repressed part of her soul, the demon blood stirred the darkness of her heart. This was her true form. A ruthless princess who destroyed anything standing in her way. As they noticed two other sharks jumping at her, and one lunging at her from below, they were about to help her, before they were met with another incredible sight. Olivia jumped lightly on the right, grabbed one closer to her, and crushed its nose with her hand. The one coming from below erupted from under the water, and traveled a few centimeters above sea-level. Its jaws clacked powerfully, as it gnawed on nothing. Olivia, with her nails deeply stuck into the nose of the first shark, threw it against the shark coming from below. The impact of the two sharks made them fly away, bumping into the third one in the process. While the three where falling back toward the water, she frowned while lifting her arm in front of her. She opened her hand, and fired a laser of dark energy at them, erasing their existence altogether. Satisfied, she continued forward, toward the glaring red eyes in the distance. From the looks of it, Olivia guessed that they were as big as whales, but definitely not as big as the eel that attacked the kelpies. In some ways, she was relieved. Even if her training bore fruits, she wasn''t confident enough about going against that same creature again. What was strange, was the fact that one of the three beasts had a single eye, similar to the eel. The middle one had three, while the last one had two. She knew that they were different from other corrupted beasts, that they were probably the Corrupted Lords she had heard about from everyone. But, as she was thinking to herself, she noticed even more sharks swimming under her. At giant spiral of hundreds of sharks revolved below her. Still, she wasn''t fearing for her life. Olivia stomped the water with her next step, and continued forward as if nothing had happened. Seconds later, a large explosion underwater threw chunks of sharks everywhere. The dark magic in the water showed that Olivia was the one creating such a large-scale destruction. The moment she did, she sent a wave of dark magic below her that enveloped the creatures in a dark veil, before exploding violently upward. Getting rid of those beasts made the waters calmer, as no more came to attack her. The coast was also slowly showing signs of peace, with no more corrupted trying to invade the city. All that was left was the cannons in the far back, and the three Corrupted Lords. In the blink of an eye, Olivia vanished from her spot by flapping her large wings, and appeared in front of the cannons. She clenched both fists, before black bullets formed around her hands. Those black bullets were from copying Eric''s weapon, which she found interesting. With a twist, Olivia created an alternating version of the revolver, only using the dark magic. Pointing her fingers at multiple giant seahorses ready to fire another volley of bombs on her city, she carefully aimed, and fired. With a single blast, she broke through their head, blowing them up into bits. Rapidly, she kept firing at the others, eradicating the whole row of long-range attackers. Now that they had been killed, Eden and Alice, alongside Saffira and her kelpies, could take it easy. All that was left was the three Corrupted Lords. Something Olivia prepared herself to do. Alone. Chapter 355: Illusion. With Noctelagia freed from the attacks coming from the sea, everyone at the shoreline waited anxiously as the water split in half in front of Olivia. Three large creatures emerged from the depths of the sea, where darkness was ever-present. One was similar to an orca, but more disturbing looking, as a single eye above its mouth moved erratically. The creature had uneven teeth across its face, that looked disconcerting with a single glance. It seemed to be smiling. The second one was a narwhal. A marine creature with a spear-like feature on top of its head. While normally docile, this corrupted was all but that, aiming its horn at Olivia without hesitation. In the middle, the last and grossest one was a whale. A sperm whale, to be more precise. The largest and most impressive sea dweller in the world. The only problem was, it had been corrupted. With its three eyes locked on her, Olivia felt the intensity of its hatred. The orca was the smallest of the three, approximately three meters long. Next was the narwhal, with its four meters. Lastly, the sperm whale, looking around ten meters. From their movements, it seemed that the whale was staying behind while the other two swam around it. Olivia observed quietly, until the two broke off from the whale. Opening its large mouth, the corrupted whale aimed it at Olivia, before making a strange sound from deep within its body. An ultrasound scream echoed in the air, forcing Olivia to wince. Back on land, the sound forced the maids to cover their ears. While unaffected to some extent, Olivia noticed two shadows rapidly approaching her from both sides in a pincer attack. She dropped her knees slightly, to dodge whatever was coming at her. With the ultrasound still continuing, her mind felt slightly sluggish, causing her mind to work slower than usual. As the orca approached Olivia from her right, its fin and the top of his body ripped through the water surface. Suddenly, it plunged, and looked ready to jump at her. Ready to dodge, Olivia jumped backward. But, that was precisely what the creature wanted. It burst out of the water at an angle, sweeping its wide tail toward her. With a surprised expression, she placed her arms in front of her to defend against the powerful strike. With a loud thud, she was thrown away at high speed. ''My reaction time has been slowed...'' With a frown, she glanced over her shoulder, knowing what was waiting for her. The narwhal jumped out of the water, its horn ready to impale her frail body. Olivia closed her eyes, letting herself be pierced by the spear-like appendage. Marie, alongside the other maids, gasped in horror as her body slid on the horn of the narwhal. Still, a feeling of uneasiness forced them to reevaluate the situation. Olivia wasn''t stupid. She knew exactly what she was throwing herself into, and had more than one way to deal with her enemies. At that point, the three Corrupted Lords appeared to cackle at her death while baring their teeth. The whale stopped emitting its high-frequency ultrasound, and glared at the corpse dangling on the narwhal. *Fssssssh* The body of the demon released dark smoke, before evaporating into the air. "As I thought." The three corrupted turned their gaze toward the voice. The expression of disbelief on their faces was not one of mindless beasts, but one of intelligent creatures. "I believe your thoughts are ''How?'', am I wrong?" Coming from the place where the seahorses cannons were, Olivia walked nonchalantly. Both the narwhal and the orca sunk into the water with a frustrated look in their eyes.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. While they were confused as to why she hadn''t died, Olivia was pretty satisfied with herself. What she did was a simple trick similar to the magic used to hide her demon form. Dark magic was used to mirror her perfectly, focusing attention on it rather than the real Olivia. That mirroring image of her was able to convey basic thoughts to her, which helped her understand the dangers of her enemy while carefully monitoring their abilities. But, it was a one time only use. Not only was it too taxing on magic, it was also useless after being used once. It raised the awareness of the enemy, making it impossible to use during the fight. Still, this ability was perfect for learning about the opponent, and avoiding preemptive strikes at the start. As expected to Marie, Olivia wasn''t stupid. She wasn''t going to fight three Corrupted Lords without a plan. While closing on the whale one step at a time, Olivia smiled. She had learned exactly what she wanted. The three corrupted were acting as a team. One was inflicting lethargy to the victim, another used feints to confuse their prey, and the last was the finishing touch, killing it. It was enough for her to break down their strategy, and rapidly dispatch each one of them. "First." Glaring at the whale with a devilish smile, Olivia continued in her steps. A form of paralysis took over the whale as it tried to create another ultrasound blast. Its three eyes shook with terror, as an illusion of a giant monster with sharp eyes clutched its large wings around it. The world darkened, leaving it and the monster alone. "Got you." Unfolding her mighty demonic wings beside her, Olivia stretched out her arms on both sides while opening her hands. Her fingernails extended, forming the purest and simplest abomination known to the whale. Unable to move, the whale froze, as two hands ripped off its eyes without an ounce of compassion. The high-pitched echo coming from its depth indicated that the pain wasn''t faked. Olivia pulled the eyes out and threw them into the sea. There, she noticed the orca below her, coming at high-speed to bite her. She placed her right hand on the head of the whale, and jumped on its large body. Finally on a hard surface, she felt at peace internally, but didn''t show it on her face. Following a large splashing sound, Olivia turned around and watched as the orca flew over her and the whale. It crashed on the other side after crossing over the two, and disappeared into the depths once again. "..." Olivia glanced at her feet, and moved three steps away. Where she stood previously, a long horn pierced the skin and organs of the whale, hoping to hit Olivia. With a pained cry, the whale became the terrain of their battle, as its large body was perfect to stand on. It was also perfect to avoid being seen. The orca returned on the offensive, this time, lunging at her directly. It broke away from the water, its jaws wide open. A single glare. That was all Olivia did before the orca fell back into the water, immobile. Its body floated upside down at the surface of the sea, seemingly dead. The red eye on its head shone a dim light, before entirely switching out. "This magic truly is useful... and dangerous." Frowning at the sight of her own power, she was unable to contain her thoughts. What she did was scan the body of the orca the first time it went above her to find the black core inside its body. Her dark magic was perfect to pinpoint the exact area. Then, as it came for a second strike, Olivia focused dark magic on that very spot, exploding the core from within its body without lifting a finger. On the other side, the narwhal came out of the water, doing the same as its dead friend. Except this time, Olivia curved her arms behind her back, and arched her body forward. The horn traveled through the spaces between her back and her arms, while the narwhal looked in horror as she suddenly exerted pressure on it. With a somewhat taxing effort, the horn cracked, and shattered in many parts. Olivia then turned around, placed her right hand on top of the flying narwhal, and slammed it with all her strength onto the whale''s back. The impact made the whale sunk a few centimeters underwater, while a powerful shockwave sent a small-scale rogue wave toward the beach. This slam left the narwhal immobile, with the bones of its head fractured from the impact. While it tried to heal, Olivia pierced the skin of its neck with her claws, and dragged it a further in on the whale''s back. Looking for the core, she quickly scanned its body, before opening its body in half. With a disgusted expression, she plunged her hand inside the beast''s stomach, and broke the core in its stomach. "..." Removing her hand from the body, she looked at its face to see if it had died, and indeed, the red light in its eyes was no more. All that was left was the whale. Its eyes had healed, but it was still too terrified to move. ''Have I terrified it that much?'' While she did use a dark magic illusion to appear more threatening, she wasn''t expecting it to work this well. She walked toward its head without glancing at the two bodies laying still around her, and returned her nails into their original shape. "..." But, as she came closer, an uneasy feeling too over her. ''There''s something strange with this fight...'' Olivia stopped in her tracks, and observed around her. The sea was calm, there were no signs of over creatures around, and the coast was cleared of corrupted. But, she knew this feeling. Something was amiss. ''Weren''t they surprisingly... desperate?'' Turning her head toward the orca and the narwhal, she noticed that their attacks weren''t particularly worth their status as Corrupted Lords. ''Wait a second...'' A frightened look appeared on her face, as she hurriedly jumped off from the whale''s back. From the depth, two jaws, even larger than the whale itself, appeared. They split the water in half around the beast, before closing on it. With a terrified expression, the whale died, consumed by a massive monster. Olivia flapped her wings, rapidly flying over the water back to land. A massive wave formed from the creature, threatening to swallow the city whole. ''Looking at this thing... this is the real Corrupted Lord...'' ''That''s why the others never used magic against me... they weren''t Corrupted Lords.'' With a glance over her shoulder, she watched as the whale broke in half between the jaws of the creature, before returning to her friends to think about what to do next. Chapter 356: A last-minute rescue. Olivia stepped on the sand and ran toward Saffira. Concerned about the whole situation, she still had some leeway to think about her friends. "Girls, follow me!" The maids nodded, bearing a frown that reflected the sense of urgency in the air. With her friend quickly following behind her, she stopped in front of the humanoid kelpie. "Can you do something about this?" Following a glance over her shoulder, she looked at Saffira, hoping that she would be able to defend the city. "I''ll see what I can do..." Hearing the hesitation in her voice, Olivia knew the wave coming to crash on them wouldn''t be avoidable. ''There''s going to be numerous casualties...'' At one glance, the wave was more than thirty meters high. It was enough to swallow most of Noctelagia, drowning its citizens in the process. "This is it, then." A little smile appeared on her face, following dread and despair. "What are you saying?! Olivia, get away from here, now!" "Marie..." The head-maid pulled on her arm, trying to drag her master out of here. Olivia barely moved, holding her ground without bulging a muscle. "Come on now! Move!" Two other maids, Helen and Helena, joined their leader and pulled on her other arm and waist of Olivia. Olivia appeared to be struggling to resist their pull at this point, but refused to move. "..." The giant wave was in the shallows. It was already too late to flee anywhere. The maids began to hug each other with faint smiles. Even thought they were the most powerful non-magi humans, they weren''t able to stop such a powerful natural disaster. *ROOOOAR* Suddenly, a loud roar echoed from behind the castle of Noctelagia. It was an unfamiliar but oppressing voice, coming from one of the most dangerous factions of the continent. Everyone lifted their eyes into the sky, watching as a blue dragon plunged toward the beach at an incredible speed. "That''s-!" Olivia exclaimed, recognizing the dragon right away. The maids and the kelpies looked in disbelief as Monolavir dived toward the beach with his wings close to his body. Monolavir collided with the ground, creating a large quake as he slid in the sand in front of everyone. As he stopped, he stretched his four wings majestically, and roared with the might of the ''Savior'' of the dragons. Cold air flowed from his body, as particles of ice were drawn into his mouth. With the wave coming closer to him, he had no time to lose. After lifting his head to take in the ice magic in his throat, he suddenly lowered his body on all four, and released an explosive burst of ice that directly made contact with the bottom of the wave. Between two blinks, the massive wave came to a stop, as a surreal view came in front of Olivia and her followers. Shocked beyond belief, they looked at the crystal clear thirty meters tall sculpture with awe and relief. Monolavir sat on the sand, and glanced behind him. Since no one behind him was accustomed to the ''Dragon Tongue'', there was nothing he could tell them. Instead, he looked at Olivia.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "..." "..." The two stared at each other for an instant, before Olivia broke free of her maids'' grasp. A resolute expression on her face, she confidently approached the dragon without displaying a shred of fear. The others behind her only stared, as the apprehension of such a mighty beast was too much for them. Even Saffira and the kelpies cowered in fear as a natural response, even though it was the first time she had seen a dragon. Walking around the dragon, Olivia stopped right in front of him. Her eyes opened wide when she noticed a person under the dragon''s stomach, encased in a bubble of water. "Amelia?!" Panic suddenly appeared on her face. ''This young lady is more afraid of losing her friend than dying. What a strange group.'' Recalling the last stand she took in front of such a calamitous episode, he found it ironic that all the women around Orion were strange. But, what caught his attention was the lineage of this girl. ''A demon.'' Monolavir instinctively dropped his face toward Olivia, and blocked her view. Confused and freaked out, Olivia took a step back, before she felt a warm feeling invade her core. "What did you-" Dizziness took over her as she fumbled backward for a second. When the feeling subsided, she shook her head and looked at Monolavir. "Do you hear my voice?" Olivia blinked wildly as she looked at the Azure Dragon. "Y-Yes." With a simple nod, she answered the deep voice, similar to an old man. "Good. I''ll make it quick then, as the situation is more chaotic than we were expecting." Hearing the dragon''s serious tone, Olivia straightened while nodding. "I''ll alleviate your worries by saying that Amelia is fine. She''s simply exhausted. We''ve decided to leave her here instead of dragging her around, which is why I was so surprised to see such an event happening." "Haha..." A sarcastic laugh escaped Olivia''s mouth, recalling the creature waiting in the water behind her. The bubble under Monolavir popped, releasing the unconscious Amelia on the sand. He walked a few large steps back, leaving her to Olivia. While she kneeled next to Amelia and lifted her in her arms, Monolavir continued. "Most humans cities around the continent are attacked by corrupted humans." A deep frown formed on Olivia''s face. "Fear not, it seems the cities spared by this event are the ones led by the four of you." Knowing that he referred to Kamala, Florian, Eric, and herself, she nodded. "Me and another dragon have decided to support the humans not affected by the corruption. We will uphold the wishes of Orion, and protect everyone while he deals with Miasma." Monolavir felt a great deal of pride in speaking those words. To him, the friendship he had built with Orion was significant. Feeling the sincerity in the dragon''s voice, Olivia smiled gently. "Orion will be glad to hear that when all of this is done." "I hope so." Preparing to depart, Monolavir flapped his wings. "..." But, as he was starting to ascend, he stopped in the air, and glanced toward the sea. "Do you know what is over there?" Olivia knew that the giant monster who devoured the whale was waiting in the depth, but Monolavir had no idea until now. That''s why, he looked incredibly confused. "This feeling... another dragon?" His voice leaked into her ears, which promptly put her on edge. ''A dragon?! No way!'' She was no match for a dragon. "It feels like one of us, but it isn''t. Velridar never created other factions besides the dragons and the lamias, so what is this creature?" Great confusion formed as he glared past the frozen wave. A low growl emerged from the depth of the sea, which shook the people who heard it. "It hurts!" Olivia shook as the voice of a child entered her ears. Monolavir frowned at the voice, and looked at Olivia. "It is best to take this matter seriously. I have only one advice for you, as time is relatively precious to us." Listening intently, she nodded. "This might not be an enemy, but act fast, before it becomes one. I feel the corruption eating at its mind." Monolavir flapped his wings one last time, before finally departing toward another place. Olivia, with Amelia in her arms, looked behind her, perplexed. A drop of sweat dripped down her cheek, as she played the dragon''s words inside her mind repeatedly. ''Not an enemy? That monster?'' ''That gargantuan creature?!'' The world felt as if it had ended. This was a monster far bigger than the eel, far more primitive, but seemingly younger. It spoke the language of dragons, so it had some sort of relationship with them, maybe a far relative of sort, but this was completely out of her expertise. Only one fact was certain. Olivia had to act fast. She turned around and rapidly joined with her maid. "Marie, take care of Amelia. Bring her inside the castle and care for her, will you? Once she wakes up, tell her to wait for me." Handing over Amelia, the one she considered as a sister, to Marie, she smiled. "Yes, Olivia." With a nod, she looked at the other maids. "We''ll reassure the citizens." "Yes, don''t worry about us." "We''ll be waiting for you with a nice cup of coffee." Lilian, Sonia, and Kate said with a smile. The others nodded, relieving their master of her worries. "Thank you, girls. I''m counting on you." The wings behind Olivia stretched, before she flew high in the air. Climbing higher than the frozen wave, she looked all the way in the distance. Inside the water, a large shadow writhed, apparently in great pain. ''I have to do something before it turns into an enemy, right?'' ''Which means...'' Realizing that the creature was probably a peaceful being at first, Olivia felt bad. ''It most likely killed the real Corrupted Lord while I was dealing with the three others. If it''s like that, then it makes more sense.'' Olivia frowned. "It hunts the corruption in an attempt to get rid of the source of its pain." Which, ultimately, meant that devouring dark cores only deteriorated its health, forcing the corruption to take hold of its soul. But, from Monolavir''s words, she still had time. Time to revert the beast back to its original state, before a large-scale cataclysm devoured the continent, caused by a gargantuan monster. "I have to do everything in my power to avoid providing the opportunity to Miasma to obtain such a devastating power." Recalling the beam of light Velridar released at two different times, Olivia shuddered. ''Let''s hope this one doesn''t use magic, or is unreasonable...'' With one swift movement of her wings, she flew toward the shadow. Chapter 357: Apex Predator. In a very orderly fashion, the maids lined up in front of Marie in two lines of thirteen people. With their master away, the city was in their hands. It meant that rest was still far from being an option. Marie observed closely the twenty-six women, and noticed a few scratches here and there. The two showing the most injuries were Eden and Alice, as they were dealing with explosive magic. Even if with their expertise, they weren''t able to nullify every bomb without making a few blunders. Running around was exhausting, considering they had to judge the landing area of the bombs on the spot. With a frown, Marie looked at the two. "Eden, Alice." The two twitched, knowing full well why they had been called out. "How bad is it for you two?" Opening their eyes slightly more, it didn''t take long for them to genuinely answer, albeit with a shameful expression. "We''re in pretty bad shape." "Yes... We can barely stand up." With a nod, Marie noticed the trembling legs of the two maids. With her keen instinct, and constant command of the maid squad, she knew exactly how everyone felt. They were exhausted. Physically, and mentally. While half of them were looking down, ready to sit down at the first opportunity, the rest were barely reacting to her words. Still, they were self-trained and educated. Unless Olivia told them to, they would continue until they collapsed. Their loyalty to Olivia was unwavering. "With burns like that on you, you won''t be working at full capabilities." She looked at Alice, which looked in better shape than Eden. With Amelia in her arms, she approached her. "I leave Lady Amelia in your care. Return to the castle, care for her until she wakes up, and heal those wounds as much as possible." A faint smile appeared on her face as she handed over Amelia. "It would be pretty regrettable to bear scars on that fair skin." Tears swell up at the corners of the two maids'' eyes. They were conflicted. On one side, they had a duty to carry out, but on the other, they were grateful for the opportunity to rest. "Now, move fast. We''ll take care of checking the civilians." Taking a few steps back, Marie moved on the side to let them pass. As they walked toward the stairs leading to the kelpies, they thanked Marie. "Thank you." "Don''t overdo it, either." After seeing their leader nod, they walked to the top of the stairs, and stopped for a second next to Saffira. "Good work out there." "We wouldn''t have been able to defend against everything without you." Eden bent forward gracefully, while Alice lowered her head while carrying the unconscious Amelia. "Please. We only gave back what we were given." Saffira waved her hands in front of her with slight embarrassment, unprepared for their gratitude. "Either way, thank you." The two smiled at the humanoid kelpie, and went on the path that led to the castle. They still had a bit more than fifteen minutes of walking before arriving, considering their pace. Eden began to limp the moment she was out of Marie''s sight, before Alice peeked at her with a mocking smile. Seeing the two walk away with in a good mood, even injured, Saffira sighed in relief. As she marveled at the relationship between these humans close to her friend, countless sounds of approaching footsteps caught her attention.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. Saffira glanced toward the stairs, and noticed the entire maid squad coming up. "Thank you for your help today." Marie stopped in front of her, before she bent forward like Eden did a moment ago. "Please, don''t thank me. I already received your gratitude from your friends." "I see." With a faint smile, Marie straightened and turned to the maids behind her. "Let''s begin now. Take it easy as you patrol the streets, and rest if you need to. We don''t need to add any additional worries to our master." The twenty-four women nodded. "Yes." At a slow pace, they all moved their separate ways. Some formed groups of three, while the rest continued in duos. Always looking for each others, that was one of the most important rules for them. The only one alone was Marie. "Aren''t you going to patrol too?" Curious and confused, the leader of the kelpies asked. "I..." Marie slowly walked to the rocky ledge separating the beach from the city and placed her hands on it. "I can''t really do that." A flicker of anxiety clouded her eyes as she stared at the thawing tidal wave. Past it, her friend and master, Olivia, went alone to find out about the creature that none of them would dare to fight head-on. Saffira sympathized with her. Even her, as a kelpie, has no clue about this creature. The two waited with frustration for the return of Olivia, while everyone else patrolled Noctelagia at their own pace. ... With the breeze of the sea delicately brushing her cheeks and swaying her hair gently, Olivia looked down. She came to a stop the moment she felt the eyes of the beast fell on her. Feeling deeply disturbed by the pressure it exerted, all she wanted was to turn back and run to Orion for help. Unfortunately, it wasn''t possible. She was alone this time, so she swallowed her feelings, and forced herself to be brave. "..." Taking long deep breaths, Olivia relaxed. ''You can make it, Olivia. There''s no need to feel panicked.'' The thumping in her chest calmed down, as she adopted the bravery of her companion. Following her deep focus, she slowly flew down toward the water''s surface, seeing the gigantic white eye staring at her from below. ''This... is still terrifying.'' A low growl escaped the creature''s mouth, creating a small-scale shockwave that directly boomed into Olivia''s chest. Feeling the air leave her lungs, she began to sweat. Her feet hesitantly touched the water, as she stood there, afraid, but determined. ''Do not shy away from the terror, but do not let it consume you. Those were Miss Tetra''s words.'' Anyone would be terrorized in this situation. Especially with the size of this being. All of its body was hidden in the abyss of the sea, but only a part of its head was visible from above. It had a flat head, with long jaws displaying sharp and shiny white teeth protruding out of the mouth. It had white eyes, like jewels. Perfectly and unadulterated ivory white, like beads. The monster watched every move Olivia made, but seemed impassive to her presence. Except for the warning it gave her, it stayed immobile in the middle of the sea. ''I don''t have traces of corruption inside me. That''s most likely the reason for its apathy.'' Olivia clenched her fists to ready herself, and opened her mouth while inhaling. "I heard you earlier. Are you still in pain?" The creature growled at her as instead of answering her call. "..." Her eyes met one of its eyes, and froze on it. She wasn''t sure if trying to converse with this creature was worth the danger following it. Yet, now that she was here, she couldn''t go back. "The corruption..." The white eye focused on her instantly as she opened her mouth. It appeared to know exactly what was afflicting it, just like she had surmised while talking to Monolavir. "That taint. It writhes inside my body, trying to take control of it." A child''s voice, mixed with a rough echo of a monster, entered her head. Feeling a small stir in her head, she tried to ignore it. ''The ''Dragon''s Tongue'' is compatible with this creature, but it also shows dissonance?'' Now knowing that it was an intelligent being, capable of understanding her words, helped her relax. With a frown, she placed a hand on her chest and continued. "I am one of those who fight the very problem forming inside you. It is called the corruption." "When in contact with corruption, a being slowly forms a core inside their body, slowly eroding the personality of the individual in question." The head of the creature rose toward the surface of the sea. Before breaking the surface, it stopped, and glared at Olivia. "Am I to trust you? For all I know, this could be a trap." Out of nowhere, Olivia felt like laughing. She contained it, but it still showed on her face. With a frustrated smile, she answered it. "I wouldn''t stand a chance against you. I could survive... probably, but I don''t wish to die yet. Instead, I came to offer help." "Help? To me?" A thin membrane covered its eye, as it appeared to blink. This was a trait similar to crocodiles, which meant this beast was of the reptilian family, also related to the dragons. "Yes. If you fear you would be captured, or taken advantage off, I will put my life at stake and swear that it will never happen." "We have neither the resources to capture you, nor the power to fight you off. What choice is left to us?" "..." The gargantuan reptilian seemed to ponder for a brief instant, before answering her. "The aura coming out of you isn''t convincing me." "I can''t talk to you if I release it..." "Why?" "I''ll fall into the water. I''ll be terribly difficult, and far too risky for me to even consider." "..." With no answer in return, Olivia thought that her attempt to befriend the monster went unsuccessful. As she hoped that at least it would spare her, its giant body emerged in all its splendor at the surface of the sea. A broad, flat body glistened under the sun as water flowed back into the sea. About five meters emerged out, leaving two third below. Its flat head emerged first, then the body and its four long flippers, then its short tail. It had a deep blue color, blending perfectly into the depths. It was, in its entirety, around two hundred meters long, and fifty meters large. A truly colossal being, being only shadowed by the late Velridar, who was a titan among titans with his kilometer of length from head to tail. Olivia understood with a single glance. As she gulped in awe, she was face to face with a one of a kind being. A being she had no idea how to describe, to call, or to even believe existed. One of the most dangerous beings in the world, terror of the animal kingdom. A true, authentic, Apex Predator. Chapter 358: Heartbraking choice. Revealing its monstrously large body, Olivia understood the thought of the creature. With a flap of her wings, she flew on top of the creature''s nose, before hiding her demonic form with dark magic. Reverting to the human Olivia, she anxiously waited. Watching as its eyes focused on her. "..." While unconsciously looking around, her eyes stumbled upon dark spots all over its skin. ''I recognize those...'' The corruption. On a creature this massive, it only showed as specks on its blue skin, but it would be fatal to anyone smaller than its size. Bigger patches appeared here and there, showing that it was indeed rapidly taking over, and that the pain it felt wasn''t imaginary. Though, the moment Olivia conversed with the being, she knew it wasn''t an enemy, as anticipated by the Azure Dragon. If not for his sudden appearance, she would have gone against this being, and lost. He gave her an opportunity, another path that was previously locked to her. "How bad is the pain?" Olivia kneeled and rubbed one of the dark spots close to her right foot. She was unable to read its thoughts, but she knew she had a chance to make things right. Risking everything to gain a fragment of its trust led her to this moment. ''It doesn''t look good.'' With a single look, he gathered that it suffered a great deal until now. The actual problem was how she would ask questions without getting on its wrong side. "Unbearable." The growl that escaped its mouth was filled with agony. Its voice echoed so low in her mind that she felt incredibly sorry for its current state. "In normal circumstances, I would have called someone who can cure the corruption..." Its eyes unfocused and looked down, falling into deep thoughts. "It sounds like it won''t be possible." "Sadly, you are correct. We are at war with the cause of your affliction. He is currently fighting against it." Not knowing whether Orion was fighting Miasma, she assumed so. Still, that didn''t change her predicament. Olivia was unable to call Orion to her, even in this situation. Releasing a grunt out of its nose, the creature closed its beads like eyes. "Then, I might cause trouble to the world." "Why?" With a frown, Olivia shook her head and rectified her question. "No, that''s not it. Can you tell me what happened to you, and where you come from?" "Does that matter?" "I would like to know more. Maybe there is a clue on how to heal this cursed power inside your memories." The gargantuan beast opened its eyes, and snorted. "Fine." - The creature had no name. It was a vagrant, traveling the seas of this incredible planet. For all it knew, it was the only individual of its species to travel the world. It never really felt alone, as it simply enjoyed the tranquility of the depths, moving wherever it felt like. But, during a recent voyage, it stumbled upon the corpse of an even larger being. It was the corpse of a white dragon, which he knew from tales of the creatures of the depths around this continent. While it looked peaceful at first, the creature noticed dark spots on the body of the giant dragon. This was its first interaction with the ''taint'' as it began to call it. Observing the dark patches brought worries to it. As it turned around the corpse to see more of it, it suddenly found itself attacked by small fishes with red eyes. They were too small to even bother it, so he ate them without giving it a second thought.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. That was its mistake. Eating the corrupted cores of the fishes started the encroaching of the corruption inside his body, slowly wrapping itself inside, tainting its mind. After leaving the corpse, the creature felt an emotion it had never felt before. A constant rage that couldn''t be satiated. It hungered for more corrupted beings. While hunting them down and devouring them across the Northern Sea, it found a large quantity of them around Eogis. Once he devoured the corrupted to the very last one, it moved along the slope surrounding the depths, and devoured more. With its fogged mind, it mindlessly continued, until it found a truly impressive creature. It had the most condensed aura of taint ever. For the first time, the gargantuan beast experienced what was called ''magic''. While larger than the corrupted he devoured previously, the corrupted in the shape of a shark died pitifully in the jaws of the monstrous being. Eventually, it followed the scent of taint, which led it to devour the whale, and meet Olivia. - ''Velridar was corrupted...'' This was an information Olivia wasn''t prepared to hear. Everyone knew about Velridar from Orion and Deveralna. ''A being even larger than the one in front of me, entirely white... There''s no one else besides the late Remnant of Strength.'' ''Orion and Tiohr-nam won''t be pleased by this piece of information.'' With a frown, she looked down while pressing her right thumb on her temple. ''That''s the reason for his death. He was corrupted without us noticing.'' The dark spots on its body were unarguably the proof of its demise. "What now?" After telling its story, the creature looked at Olivia intently. Forced to return to reality, she blinked while looking confused. "There is nothing I can do. I am incompatible with the element that heals the corruption. Even if you asked me to, I am unable to do so." "Even knowing what made you come this far, it doesn''t hold much meaning in hope to heal you." "..." The light in the creature seemed to dim out, with its hope for survival being reduced to zero. "The only thing I can say is to avoid eating any other corrupted... It will spare you more suffering." Olivia clenched her fists and looked down with a grim expression. ''Is that all I can do? Really?'' It noticed the pain on her face, before a misty cloud escaped its nostrils. With a compassionate gaze and tone, it spoke to her. "Fear not, death takes us all at some point. It just means my time is up." But, it spoke words that she wishes she had never heard. "Before my time is up, I want you to..." "Kill me." With a bewildered expression, a shiver ran down her spine. "No! I can''t do that!" "You''ve done nothing wrong! It isn''t fair to you!" Losing control over her emotions, she angrily walked closer to its eyes. "Sure, you''ve almost drowned my city, and killed me while attacking the corrupted whale, but that was an accident!" "I''m not ending your life because you told me to! How am I even supposed to do that?" She swiped her right arm through the air in disapproval. "That is a fair point." Remembering its size, very few were able to injure it. That was, only those with unnatural powers could manage to kill it. People like Olivia. Yet, she was determined not to use her power for that purpose. She was prepared to kill, but not this being. It was too tragic an end. This led to Olivia releasing her illusion. Her demonic form appeared to the gargantuan beast, while she began to walk in a circle in front of its eyes. Pushing her brain to its limits, she tried to find an idea that would save it from both death, and the corruption. ''What would Orion do?'' She smirked and shrugged. ''That''s a stupid question. He would have already found a way to remove the corruption out of its body.'' Returning to a frown, she kept walking incessantly. Her steps quickened, as she kept trying to find the right answer. ''My powers aren''t made to heal. They are to protect myself, hide things from others, and ruthlessly kill my enemies. The power of my blood isn''t much better.'' The demons were a physically strong faction. There was nothing her brutal strength could do in this situation. Then, as she pondered some more, she stopped. "I... can''t find anything." With a tear-filled grimace, she looked at her hands. She was forced to accept that nothing could be done. From the looks of it, the monster in front of her had no less than a few hours before its mind completely sunk into corruption. ''Am I really going to... kill it?'' She looked into its eyes, and felt her heart sunk. She wanted to save it more than anything else. ''This is not fair...'' The reality was that life wasn''t fair at all. The death of her parents, the state she found her maids in, the corruption encroached into high-ranking humans, and the struggle she herself was put through. But she still couldn''t accept it. Seeing her dismayed look, the creature asked her a single question. "What are you?" Surprised by the sudden interest of the other side, she answered while confounded. "I-I''m a demon." "A demon. Is that why you look like this?" It had never bothered entering into contact with other species. This was the first time it ever moved toward the surface. With its last moment approaching, it felt curiosity toward the only other intelligent being in front of it. "That''s my real form." "Then, what''s the one without those things behind your back?" "My wings?" She glanced at the dark wings pulled behind her back. "Oh, you mean my human form. I use it to hide my true form. Our society isn''t kind to our faction. There are only two of us left." "I am probably the same. Is it hard for you to know you are alone?" Olivia looked at her hands again, before shaking her head. "Not particularly. I miss my parents, but that''s all there is to it. I can''t be sad for something I don''t know about." She had never experienced life inside the demon faction in Eogis. All she knew was her parents, and the human city of Noctelagia. "I am the same." The creature closed its eyes, before looking into the sky. "How can you change your form?" "With magic." "I don''t know what that is." Olivia formed a bubble of water in her left hand, and a dark sphere in her right hand, before looking at it. "This is magic. It''s a power we have access, which was given by a faction called elementals." She played with both of them, creating a double of herself in her human form. "I can create illusions. Fouling others in my specialty, since I had to... hide..." Swallowing her words, she blinked while looking at her clone. Within seconds, it popped, leaving behind a brief afterimage of herself. "..." Shocked, Olivia stared blankly where the clone was. "What is it? Are you not going to continue?" Slowly, Olivia glanced toward the creature, and stared directly into its eyes. "This is going to sound absurd..." "But I can save you." A brilliant but mind-blowing idea appeared in her mind. Following the exemple of everyone in the Agathion faction, Olivia was about to create a miracle. A new power, capable of breaking the laws of Nature. Chapter 359: Bringing down Disaster. Following a pure look of disbelief, Olivia questioned her own sanity. What she had in mind was pure folly. Something so grand, no one else but her could ever try to recreate. "..." The monster quietly observed the woman pace in a circle again, a finger resting on her lower lip. Quietly, she continued to create the form and use of her idea, joining the pieces together at a considerable pace. The main focus of her idea was... Illusions. What was bothering her in particular in her plan was the lack of stamina, and magic energy inside her. With no idea of its magic consumption, and how long she could use it, it was a rather dangerous gamble she wasn''t ready to take on. Yet, her enthusiasm only grew stronger. Finding such an idea, when the result seemed bleak, couldn''t be shrugged off impulsively simply because it appeared risky. Following the worst exemple around her, she took it upon herself to go through it. "Argh!" Suddenly, she crouched and ruffled her hair in frustration. "How am I supposed to even begin?" Sitting down, she looked at the blue sky. "I know what I want, but it''s how I''m going to get it that annoys me." In one hand, she let go of a dark haze that warped the air, while the other released a continuous flow of water that flowed down on the creature. The creature was too curious to butt in, patiently and peacefully observing her movements, and listening to her words. While manipulating both magics in her hands, she began to shape them in ridiculous shapes. "It''s so simple when I want to create an illusion of myself... so why is it this difficult to make something else?!" Frowning at her own inability to achieve her goal, Olivia exclaimed to herself, before sighing with a faint smile on her face. "If it was that easy to break through our limits, we would be long past the point of no return..." Knowing full well that Orion would be the first to become the most powerful individual in the world just through pure training forced her to re-evaluate her efforts. Training wasn''t her strongest point. In fact, besides doing paperwork at a desk for years, she barely managed her own skills. The talent she had for water magic came with her blood as a demon. With her constant use of camouflage using both magic and Orianne''s ring, she kept its proficiency at a relatively high level. Which meant that in a situation like such, she was unable to form coherent orders in her mind. But, instead of feeling frustrated, she began to feel at peace. ''This is another thing I get to experience.'' Olivia understood why Amelia and Karteira also ended up converting most of their time to training. Not only was it a common practice with Orion, who loved to train, but it also felt strangely fulfilling. Seeing the blood and sweat poured into breaking a bottleneck felt incredibly satisfying. With her mind focused on creating this brand-new spell, Olivia slowly drifted into her own mind. "First, order." In a trance, she spoke out loud. Her eyes fell on the water pouring from the tips of her fingers, and into her palm. "One..." The water rapidly swirled in her hand, before creating a humanoid-shaped doll. "Two..." Then, her eyes drifted to the dark magic raising above her other hand. Moving her fingers as if threads were attached to each one of them, she moved the threads around consciously, and precisely, covering the water doll with them.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Three..." She tried to fuse the two magics together, but they instantly rejected each other, splashing water all over her clothes. Since it was her magic, she was unaffected by it. "Not good. If I can''t make it on such a small scale..." Olivia stood up, and shook her head. "Again!" ~ The ashes and burned earth cracked under May''s feet as she joined Kamala and Eric. While the invasion of Horizon had only just begun, the front line of the war was still active. Facing the Corrupted Lord of Light, Disaster, the trio kept their head high. With Florian out of the picture, and leaving his place to May, the battle took a different turn. The bright yellow eyes of the bird stared at May, before moving its tail lightly. Noticing the small movement of her enemy, she started running while paying attention to every detail. Disaster opened its wings wide, firing numerous beams of light toward her. May dodged them with ease, as they approached slower than Orion or Karteira would. Originally, May had a keen eye for detail, and an incredible awareness of her surroundings. That''s why she was given the position as commander of Turric''s army, with only Eric as her superior. With her talent, she saved many lives during the southern invasions, precious strength that couldn''t be expended at will. Performing acrobatic jumps and side-steps over and around the beams and explosions, May arrived at Kamala and Eric, who were defending against the beams with earth magic. Sliding inside the dome of earth and sand, May sighed in relief. "I made it." "How''s Florian?" Kamala, with a terrible grimace, asked May. His wellbeing was more important to her than anything else at the moment. ''If anything happened to Orion, I would probably feel the same way.'' She straightened and wiped the dirt off her clothes. "He looked fine. Injured, but not enough to stop him from moving around and order the remaining soldier around." Her emotions faded, as a long breath of relief entered their ears between the bombarding beams of light. "Kamala, can we focus on the enemy?" Eric placed a hand on her shoulder to catch her attention. "I know how you feel, that''s why I left Caroline at home this time. If we don''t get rid of this beast, you will return in a body bag." A deep frown appeared on her face. "I know. It''s not in my plans. You better not either." "Ah! Good joke." Eric grabbed his revolver with his undamaged arm. Since his other arm had been rendered obsolete thanks to the previous shower of beams, he could only use this. With a smirk on his face, he looked at the blue gun. "Do you know about red flags?" "Shut up..." As they bantered for a brief moment, one of the light beams pierced through the dome protecting them, right in between them. With a serious face, the three broke away from one another, running in various directions away from the dome. They glanced at it above their shoulders, only to see the entire thing burst into dust. May continued to dodge the attacks, while Kamala parried them with her wind magic as much as possible. "This stuff''s never-ending!" Eric slid on the ashes while aiming at a projectile coming straight at him. "How do you fare against my bullets? Let''s see, shall we?!" *Bang* A frozen bullet met the light attack, encasing it into a thick layer of ice. "It''s working." Yet, as he spoke those, his body came to a stop. The sound of cracking ice resounded across the battlefield, before shattering the frozen cage into countless shards. Eric bent backward to avoid the projectile, which he avoided barely as it grazed his left side. "Tsk." On the run once again, he continued to fire at the light beams in hope that they would freeze. Nevertheless, they bought him enough time to carefully plan for his next moves. Further away, Kamala and May reunited, forced to by the countless explosions around them. Their back touched, before they glanced at each other over their shoulder. "This is getting nowhere." "You''re right. We need to find a way to get rid of this thing before it is too late for us." Noticing the exhaustion on Kamala''s face, she knew it had to be done quickly, or else casualties between them would start to appear. This was absolutely out of the question. If either one of them were to die, she would not forgive herself. The two crouched at the same time, avoiding a projectile by a thread of hair. Fast gusts of scorching wind traveled above them, burning their skin lightly. The air had turned hotter than the desert air, caused by the melted ground around them from the constant explosions. To anyone else, it would be headache inducing, but not to them. May has proven resistant to fire, Kamala cooled off with her wind magic, and Eric barely felt it thanks to the ice particles released by his gun. What really troubled them was their fatigue catching up, and the inability to easily target Disaster. *Kaaaaaaaaa!* A loud bird cry echoed across the battlefield, instantly stopping the beams of light from raining down on them. "Got you!" Surrounded by ice particles, Eric stood tenaciously while aiming at the Corrupted Lord. One of his shots managed to break through the attacks, and hit the left wing of the beast. With its wing frozen, it rapidly fell toward the ground, until it crashed down. Its wing shattered the moment it hit the ground, causing tremendous pain to it for the first time. "How do you like that?" Carefully, Eric took a few steps back. The bird glared at him, before flashing a bright light that blinded him. "Eric!" May managed to see the bird vanish and reappear in front of Eric as he closed his eyes. Hearing his name, he knew danger was upon him. "Down!" Without hesitation, he threw his body toward the ground. *Whoosh* The sound of a fast-moving object, Disaster''s leg, split the air a second after Eric avoided it. "Roll!" Once again, he followed the instruction of his trusted commander, and rolled on the right. Disaster''s long beak pierced the ground, brushing Eric''s back as he moved away. His vision finally returned, making him able to defend himself at last. While the bird was stuck in the ground, Eric glanced at May before giving her an appreciative nod. She saved his life, and was grateful for it. Without waiting a single frame, he threw the revolver into the air, and clenched a piece of stone that formed in his hand. Using earth magic, Eric created an axe that he planned to use to decapitate the bird. Yet, something bothered him. His instinct told him not to kill it right there. There was no way he would ignore such a dreadful feeling, so instead of executing the beast, he slammed the flat side of the battleaxe on its head. Disaster''s beak broke in half following a very distasteful noise, and flew away before crashing and rolling on the ground. It recovered from the impact in no time, and took off to the sky once again, its wing healed. Everyone could see in great detail the hate in the bird''s yellow eyes. Eric was his target, and it wanted to kill him. That was its biggest mistake. In the corner of its vision, someone else was ready to unleash death upon it. Chapter 360: Clipped wings. Eric glared at Disaster as the latter created light orbs above its wings. He was ready to continue is struggle, until, in the corner of his eyes, he noticed Kamala moving her arms toward the bird. Covered in sand from top to bottom, she focused her aim on the wings, before sending her magic at full blast. Thousands of spinning sand bullets flew through the air, tearing holes into the Corrupted Lord''s body. The instant a volley was fired, another one formed and followed shortly after. Death pellets shattered his bones, removed its flesh, and perforated the organs. Without giving it a chance to realize her intent, Kamala used the opportunity that Eric had created to eradicate the enemy. While it did cost her a large amount of magic energy, it was everything or nothing at this point. Even with an imperfect Elemental Mastery, she gave everything she had. ''That''s for Florian!'' With a death glare, she gave back what her friend had endured, not twice, but dozens of times more. The attack finally stopped, forcing her to kneel on the ground in exhaustion. May, standing near her, caught her before she fell down. In silence, the two watched the hole riddled corpse of Disaster crash on the ground, throwing ash in the air. Its large body was turned into a mess, with blood, organs, and parts everywhere. The light in its yellow eyes were dark, confirming that Kamala had successfully dispatched the enemy. Yet, for what it was worth, the three did not breathe a sigh of relief. Without lowering their guard, they kept a close eye on the corpse. Eric carefully walked sideways to join with the women, his eyes focused on the corpse. ''This is not the end.'' May and Kamala knew too. ''We''re entering the next phase...'' ''If only it was so simple.'' As Eric stopped in front of Kamala with his axe in hand, dark blood seeped through the openings of the corpse. That blood merged into a dark puddle further away, before a dark shadow emerged from its center, rapidly flying through the air. *KYYYYYYYAAAAA* Opening its wings once again, the dark shadow of Disaster appeared, signaling the second phase of the battle. Orion gave them a complete detailing about what had happened in Noctelagia, making information a real treasure in this setting. If they had not known about the return of the enemy in a more corrupted form, they would have lost without being able to fight back. The effect of surprise and false sense of accomplishment was a death sentence to those unprepared. Kamala forced on her legs to stand up, helped by May. They had very little time to get ready, as Disaster immediately returned on the offensive. Covered in a bright light, it dived toward the ground while spinning, before changing direction at the last second. Eric clenched his axe with his working hand, and worked on receiving the attack head-on. "My turn." May suddenly jumped in front of him, her sword in hand. Since her arrival, she hadn''t been useful at all. ''This is my chance! Thanks to it being a flying creature, my fire is useless...'' With a deep glare, she placed her other hand on the sword''s hilt, holding it at her forehead''s level. Closing her eyes to focus for a brief moment, flames enveloped the blade, before she took a single step forward. Her leg bent slightly, before she opened her eyes. Disaster was right there, spinning uncontrollably, a few meters away from her. Following a swing of the sword so fast no one behind her managed to see, a wall of flame erupted from the ground, and continued toward the shadow.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. The two met, unleashing a terrifying blast that pushed both sides away. Disaster fell to the ground and rolled a few meters backward, while May simply slid a short-distance away, still far from Eric and Kamala. With a flap of its wings, Disaster took off to the sky once again. ''...'' May felt uncomfortable fighting this beast. It was a very difficult opponent to deal with, as she had scarcely any opportunities to strike back. While the enemy flew freely above her and attacked from a distance, she was unable to do so. All she could do was defend. ''Even if I fired another one of those fire beams, there is no certainty I would hit it.'' There was a possibility to blast it away with the attack she used at the beginning of the war, but this one was too smart to fall for it. It would easily dodge it, leaving May in a precarious state of vulnerability after. Anything that would consume her elemental energy was to be avoided, except when she was sure to strike the target. ''You know what?'' Cracking her neck while exchanging a glare with the bird, she positioned herself in an attempt to do something absurd. ''If I can''t hit you in the air...'' She suddenly rushed forward, and stomped on the ground with all of her strength. "May?!" Both Kamala and Eric exclaimed, as they noticed a red spot under her foot. May brought her sword to her side, and postured herself to strike at the bird at any moment. The red spot under her foot glowed brighter, until an explosion launched her into the air. "I''ll come to you instead!" Launched past the bird, which was in a state of surprise, she dropped toward the ground. *Pshhhhh* During the short window of time she had, she sliced the chest of the flying birds, leaving a deep gash that stretched from one wing to the other. Following a loud cry, Disaster recovered its senses, and dived toward the ground again, before turning around. It thought that May was the perfect target while falling down, as it left her guard wide open. It grazed the ground, its beak ready to pierce through her delicate body. "Heh." With a smirk, Olivia glanced at it from over her shoulder. She aimed the tip of her sword in front of her and fired another explosion from there, launching her body toward Disaster right before meeting ground. The two met once again shortly after, injuring each other at the same time. A deep cut appeared on Disaster''s left wing, while blood seeped through a small cut on May''s right cheek. Her feet slid on the burnt ground, leaving trails of her passage as she turned around for another meeting with her opponent. Another small-scale explosion pushed her toward the Corrupted Shadow, but this time, she was faster. The sword, covered in a scorching flame, sliced through the bottom half of the bird, separating its lower body from its torso. As its legs and organs fell to the ground, it dropped too. It rapidly healed, as May continued her onslaught. With a blast of fire, she flew high in the air, before landing on Disaster with her sword pointed downward. *PYAAAA* Her blade pierced the neck of the bird, while her feet crushed its chest. With a sharp movement of her wrists, she sliced the neck of the corrupted in one clean move. Jumping off the large creature, she swiped her sword next to her side to remove the dark blood flowing down on the blade. Watching the convulsing beast slowly stop, she felt proud of her actions. Yet, for some reason, the sense of tension was still strong in her chest. ''...'' She glared at Disaster, before clicking her tongue. "Tsk!" Jumping backward, she avoided a ray of light aimed at her. The wounds on the bird healed, reattaching its sliced parts together as if nothing had happened. Slowly raising its body, Disaster focused solely on May this time. It wasn''t that it had forgotten about its previous failing, as it carefully judged and acknowledged the level of dangerousness of the ones around. Kamala was out of commission for a while, having used a lot of her magic energy to bring it down once, so she wasn''t a primary target. Eric was fairly dangerous with his gun, but was too injured to be really threatening currently. The only one pushing it against the corner was May. She even entered its domain as a flying beast, the sky. This was an affront it refused to ignore. Standing pridefully on the ground, it stretched its arched wings widely, creating hundreds of light orbs that it immediately fired at May. "!" May sliced one of the first beams with her sword by instinct, noticing that it had lost its explosive attribute in the process. ''Good!'' She knew what had to be done, and how to defend against it. ''---'' ''Let''s go for a ride, shall we?'' With the elemental inside her focusing on the magic output, she stepped on the ground once again, launching her high in the air. Not losing its sight of her, Disaster''s beams followed her by curving toward the sky. Defending against the beams, she sliced a few with her sword before creating an explosion that threw her toward another direction. Dancing in the air while blocking the attacks, Eric and Kamala were dumbfounded. From the hundreds of light projectiles, only five remained after a few minutes. ''How do you like that?'' With a sudden blast above her head, May threw her entire body toward the corrupted. Seeing that she was coming toward it, it tried to move away, but couldn''t as it was in the middle of using an ability that required deep focus. May grabbed its neck and used it as a poll to step on its back. She pulled its neck and smiled. "Do you like your own medicine?" The five remaining light beams shone in Disaster''s eyes, as it cursed the woman. Each beams pierced its body, while she jumped off at the very last second. Seeing the still body of the giant bird, she refused to miss this chance. As its head fell toward the ground, she jumped under it, and pierced the head from below with her blazing sword. Piercing through the skull, May was certain that it would be the end of the Corrupted Lord. Until she was kicked in the chest by Disaster''s right talon, sending her flying toward Eric. The impact managed to break a few ribs, making her gasp for air as she dropped to the ground. Luckily, as she was an undead, the pain wasn''t that bad. Planting her blade into the ground, she stood up with difficulty. Glaring at the corrupted, she noticed a smirk from its eyes, mocking her attempt at killing it. ''Fucker!'' Removing her sword from the ground, she returned to the assault. "May!" Hearing a sudden call, she turned back. Disaster took this chance to fly away, putting some distance between them. As it watched May, it, noticed her running back toward the two behind her. It thought that it had won the fight, and prepared to finish them off with its light magic. But, it never expected this thought to be its last. Chapter 361: The continent protected. Too focused on its target to notice, the whole situation turned around. *Bam* One bullet pierced its left wing, freezing it in the process. *Bam* Then, a second one, aimed at its right wing. Looking at Eric, who was aiming his gun at it, it shook the ice casing off, feeling an odd wind blowing past its neck. Disaster looked past Eric, and witnessed a jarring accumulation of wind behind him. There, Kamala was setting up the most powerful attack she could muster. Surrounded by violent gusts of wind, she stood resolutely alongside May. Sand gathered at her right arm, spreading on both sides in large arcs. Four arcs, creating a cross-shaped weapon with her wrist at the center, grew larger in record time. The two lower arcs pierced the ground, stabilizing her position. Strings of sand linked each sand arc, before fine grains of sand merged on a single point. May peered at the long stick of sand, lifting her hand toward it. A sphere of fire appeared in front of it, transforming shortly into the blazing tip of an arrow. Kamala pulled on the strings and aimed at Disaster, which was dealing with the ice magic Eric kept firing at it. "Eat this!" Hearing the creaking of the strings, Kamala released them, creating a blast of wind behind it, pushing the arrow even faster toward its target. The arrow split the air in half, as it met with the Corrupted Lord in the blink of an eye. Her improvised heavy bow crumbled into grains of sand as she fell forward, barely catching herself before losing consciousness. Having used the entirety of their magic energy, both her and May fell to the ground sweating pea-sized beads of sweat. Gasping for air, they never looked away for a single second, as the tip of the arrow entered Disaster''s chest. *Fush* Fire instantly consumed the corrupted from within, while the stick of the arrow shattered into sand particles, piercing its entire body. *KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA* The screams of agony of the corrupted filled the battlefield, while its body burned radiantly. "We still have much to learn." Eric aimed his revolver at the bird, and closed his eyes. "But..." Opening his eyes, he glared with the rage of humans. "Don''t underestimate the tenacity of our faction!" *Bam* Focusing larger amounts of magic into the gun, he fired a concentrated ice bullet that pierced the wound of his enemy. Instantaneously, the fire froze, while Disaster turned into an ice sculpture itself. Rapidly dropping toward the ground, the ice cracked, before shattering completely the moment they met. The three finally breathed a sigh of relief, seeing the shards of ice explode into even smaller pieces. Disaster was no more, reduced into powdered snow. The battlefield became silent, until the screams of joy of the soldiers echoed from a distance behind them. Eric, Kamala, and May all looked at each other, and smiled. Until the two women fell unconscious, their faces first into the ashes. "No wonder." With a smile, Eric sat next to them, waiting for the others to come help. Fire burned brightly around the three, turning parts of the sky red from the heat. Yet, it was the only time Eric noticed such a beautiful display. He was too preoccupied by the enemy to notice the surrounding battlefield. As he glanced everywhere, he saw the aftermath of this battle. Craters ranging from five to ten meters wide, fire spreading everywhere, unrecognizable burnt corpses, large rock formations created by Eric. Massive openings in the earth caused by May that were still burning an orange fire, different from the flames created by Disaster''s explosions. Only then, Eric looked at his arm. Touching the throbbing pain that Florian managed to alleviate, he winced.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Damn. The adrenaline is wearing off." Simply by feeling the pain return did he confirm that it had ended for real. His instinct was at peace, proving that the Corrupted Lord perished at last. He turned his head over his shoulder, hearing the sounds of metal rapidly approach. Footsteps echoed across the battlefield, before the men of Eric''s army appeared in sight. Kamala''s men stayed with Florian, while Florian''s men checked the battlefield for any surviving beast. Eric, Kamala, and May all were brought to base, where they managed to get their well-deserved rest. Florian, even injured, continued to order the men and women of the joint armies, cleaning up as a result. ~ Far east, three beastmen stood menacingly in front of numerous Corrupted Lords. "Dylan..." "..." With a faint smile, he glanced at Eliza. "Is that a flying rat?" From the fifteen corrupted beasts, only one managed to surprise the woman. A gray rat the size of a horse, with wings. Trying to contain his laughter at her shock, Dylan looked away while placing a hand to his mouth. "Dad. Don''t laugh." "I-I''m not!" From his shadow, he saw two piercing eyes that were his son''s. Nylon parted ways with his shadow after talking to him, moving in serpentine movements from shadow to shadow. While Dylan did his best to avoid the gaze of his wife, Nylon emerged from the shadows, grabbed the rat by the throat from under, and pulled it into the shadows. "That''s impressive..." Watching her son''s prowess firsthand made Eliza blurt out those words unconsciously, which activated Dylan''s need to impress her too. As his claws stretched from his fingers, the rat''s head flew out of the shadow, detached from the rest of its body. Following it, a dark core flew out, shattering in the air. As Nylon left for another target, the lower body stayed behind, vanishing into dust. "You want some impressive actions? I''ll give you some!" Dylan ran toward a gray bear with a terrifying smile. "Are you seriously jealous of your son?" With a smirk, she stretched her arms above her, before suddenly crouching, avoiding a large rock flying toward her. "I guess you''re my opponent? Don''t break too fast, alright?" "It''s been quite some time since I''ve fought seriously." Eliza glared at a creature that looked like a meerkat with porcupine spikes on its back. It bared its teeth at her before launching another boulder that was created instantly. "So..." Clenching her fist with enough strength to shatter someone''s bone, she punched at the boulder. "I''m not sure whether I''ll be able to contain my strength." Immediately after, she rushed toward the corrupted, and savagely ripped it head off with her bare hands. Proceeding to kick it away, she destroyed the core inside its chest, dispatching the second Corrupted Lord. "They''re weak..." She said as she looked for another victim. Without looking, she lifted her arm above her chest, catching the detached arm of a gray bear. "Watch where you''re throwing things." While throwing it on the ground, she glanced at her husband, punching the face of the bear inside its body with both fists, creating a loud noise of bones breaking. Dylan proceeded to pierce the chest of his opponent with his claws, opening it like a stuffed animal. There, he saw the glistening black core, and crushed it without giving it a second thought. Falling backward, the bear vanished into dust without being able to lift a finger. "Sorry. Didn''t mean to." He shrugged while smiling at her. "You''re having fun, aren''t you?" "Is it that obvious?" Seeing the grin on his face, Eliza nodded. "You should see yours then." A gray tiger suddenly jumped at him from the side, catching his attention. It had long fangs, and a long tail. Eliza touched her face as she watched Dylan grab the tiger''s fangs with both hands, and enter a brawl with it. ''I really am smiling...'' Feeling the curve of her lips with her fingers, she thought. ''I''ve really missed being healthy enough to move around.'' A rolling ball of water crashed on her as she reflected upon her recovery. "Can''t you see I''m thinking?" The muscles on her arms bulged, as she lifted the large creature. The rolling beast covered in water magic looked similar to a pangolin, but it wasn''t relevant, as she slammed it into the ground, bursting the cores with one attack. Looking at the cracked ground, she cracked her neck. "That''s what you get for bothering a thinking lady." *Crack* Glancing at the side, she saw Dylan snap the neck of the tiger, and pull it off its shoulders. With the core being on its forehead, he crushed it under his foot, killing the tiger completely. Further into their ranks, Nylon was ruthlessly eradicating their ranks. Out of the fifteen, Dylan and Eliza killed two each, while Nylon was fighting his fifth corrupted beast. He emerged from the shadows out of nowhere, dark claws wrapped around his hands. With a lightning fast movement, he warped across the lizard standing on its hind legs, and slashed it to pieces. The core revealed itself, already slit. Bursting into dust, another corrupted fell in front of Nylon. ''Helping Elliott was a blessing in disguise.'' He was thankful for the opportunity to have fought alongside Elliott now that he was in front of regular corrupted. Even if they were Corrupted Lords, able to use magic, they were far weaker than the original monsters from eons ago. Not only were they weaker, but they were simpler. With a single glance, Nylon was able to gather the exact place of the core inside their body. It could be from a simple bulge on one part of the body, or a place the opponent covered unconsciously. But ultimately, all was meaningless in front of his evolved strength. The Umbral Wolf on another level entirely. While his parents dealt with the ones trying to create a path through them, he slowly lowered their number. Before long, the last one fell without leaving a single scratch on the three beastmen. "Is everyone alright?" Nylon walked out of a shadow behind a tree, asking his parents an obvious question. "We''re fine. What about you?" Wiping off the dust on his arm, Dylan glanced at his son, feeling proud of him. His instinct kicked in as he sensed someone enter his blind spot. Everything moved slowly, as he turned his head. Two arms wrapped themselves around his neck, before time returned to normal. "You were so incredible! I never knew my son was this strong." Feeling his mother''s cheek rubbing against his, he smiled powerlessly. "Thank you, mom. Without you, it would have been harder to protect the village." "Aww~" With a faint smile, Dylan looked at his family. Yet, someone else appeared in his mind. ''Orion... I hope you are alright.'' Seeing his father''s frown, Nylon understood to whom his worries were directed toward. In his heart, he was also incredibly worried about his brother. Eliza too. In a corner of her heart, she wanted to help her other son, the one who freed her from constant pain. With the dangerous beasts threatening Logran removed, most of the problems in Triazils were resolved. Only Olivia, who was perfecting her magic to help a creature of the sea, and the outbreak of corrupted humans, being contained by the two dragons Monolavir and Ruminona, remained. The battles in Horizon were about to become the main focus of the war, where the most powerful individuals of both parties met each others. Dramia and Drania against the last cloaked figure, Pierre. Senia and the sirens against Dony. Karteira against the tainted knight Lucas. And Elliott, facing his father, Miasma, wearing the appearance of the Apostle Layla. The only one watching everything unfold from a distance, Orion, waited for his moment to enter the scene. Chapter 362: Parting words. Layla lifted her chin to the side, seemingly in thought. "That dragon and Kagalkan... They''ve failed." Elliott frowned at those words. The ability to sense corruption was once inside him, meaning that the moment any of his minions perished, Miasma was able to tell. Her beautiful face crumpled after a brief instant. "The attack on the beastman failed, the invasion from the sea failed, and that new creation I felt so proud of... it failed too." Anger and disappointment were visible on her face, until a genuinely impressed expression replaced the previous one. "You were well-prepared. I can at least acknowledge that." "I started this whole war underestimating yours and Orion''s strength. Finding good company is hard these days." With a sigh, her head dropped, glaring at Elliott. "I''ll spare you the sentimental speech, since I doubt you would join me after fleeing like a coward at the very first opportunity." Elliott frowned at his father''s words, holding himself back from immediately striking him down. "At least I consider this freedom a fine reward after all you made me do." With clear disdain in his voice, Elliott glared intently into the glistening, light blue eyes of Layla. Seeing past her gorgeous figure, he stared at the deformed form of his father deep inside her. ''I cannot hear her voice anymore...'' A glint of sadness flashed in his eyes at the thought. ''Again, I was too late.'' This added to the pile of regrets Elliott shouldered. Another reason to loathe the monster that his father turned into. Bitterness filled his heart as a simple question escaped his lips. "Was it worth it?" Miasma''s face froze before a dark veil covered his face. A grim smile broke the aggravated expression on his face as his voice replaced that of Layla''s. "Everything I did was worth it. To avenge Frey, I''ll snuff out the lives of every living being on this planet." It had been so long since he had heard his mother''s name. Somehow, the two felt the same way. They still hadn''t accepted Frey''s death. "I see..." Elliott released the grip on his sword, only to firmly hold it in front of him in anger. "Then, I stand here to break your ambition." "No more chaos will befall this world, father." Vanitas shone brightly in its scabbard, while Layla crossed her arms with a scowl in her eye. "Frey''s sword. It shines even brighter than when I used it..." "Of course it does. Mother never wanted this whole ordeal to happen. You know as much as I do that her sword has a will." Slowly drawing the sword out, the light subsided. "I know. That''s why I''m confused. Have you grown out of your shell and finally obtained its approval?" "It seems like it." Miasma took a single step to the side, avoiding a blade of light from slicing him vertically. This signaled the start of their fights. Following the first attack, Miasma spun around, taking out a weapon in the shape of a fan attached to a strapped piece of cloth around her right thigh.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Before taking a step back, he waved the fan in front of him, releasing five water spheres that stayed in place as he moved away. Elliott took a step forward with Vanitas in hand, closed the distance between him and the orbs, and slashed them in half with a single horizontal movement. As they were cut in half, Elliott noticed a bubbling noise coming from them. He jumped backward, before protecting himself with Ira. The shield made of translucent energy blocked the explosion of the orbs, but couldn''t block the shock itself. Pushed by the large explosion, his feet slid on the ground while Miasma appeared behind him. Keeping a close eye on Miasma''s movements, Elliott turned around, and slashed at him with his sword. With the fan, Miasma blocked the sword. With a stupefied expression, he looked closely at the weapon, which should have easily been cut by a sword like Vanitas. On it, a thin layer of corrupt energy protected it from the pure energy of Vanitas, making it a perfect counter. Ira vanished into the air, as the two broke away. Not a second later, they met again head-on, exchanging blows at an absurd speed. Sparks were released each time their weapons met, and after only a minute, one of them was forced to move away. Miasma jumped back and looked at the back of his left hand. "Heh." Looking at a small cut that dripped blood down his wrist, Miasma smirked. "Either this body is too weak, or you have become stronger." The wound closed up while releasing a dark purple smoke. "..." Seeing the expression on his son''s face, Miasma''s smile slowly disappeared. "Why are you looking at me like this?" Confusion could only be seen on his face, as he tried to understand Elliott. "You don''t have to know." A terrifying amount of energy gathered around Vanitas, until he drew the sword at his side. In a split second, Elliott vanished from his spot, only to reappear a few meters behind him. "..." Miasma looked at his body, watching a horizontal line form from the middle of his waist to his chest. This wound extended to his face, until blood spewed in large quantity as his body split in half. Elliott swiped the blood off the sword and turned around, his shoes covered by a bright light. "I had a hunch, but I wasn''t certain." Placing his hands on both sides of his head, Miasma turned around with a sour expression. The deep wound healed as if it hadn''t happened, with Elliott sighing regrettably. "Those techniques, they are Frey''s. I thought you weren''t able to use them?" Miasma recalled not being able to use any of these abilities while controlling Elliott. "You! You hid them from me?!" Genuine anger and consternation appeared on his face, breaking Layla''s naturally gorgeous face. "Of course I did. You weren''t able to use a fraction of what mother''s sword was able to muster, weren''t you? The reason is rather simple, but probably too for one who strayed away from righteousness." Taking a slight crouching stance, Elliott continued. "You are not worthy of her wisdom anymore." In the blink of an eye, the two met again, as one of Layla''s arms went flying into the air. But, on the other side, it was a price Miasma was ready to pay to get the upper hand in this fight. "Kh!" The fingers of his other hand were tightly squeezing Elliott''s neck, digging into his flesh. With a maniacal laugh, Miasma approached his son''s face close to his. "You know, Elliott? Using you was never important. Sure, this was the perfect way to hide my actions, turning them into YOUR responsibility." "In reality, I wanted to kill you after Frey died. A useless son who couldn''t lift a finger to defend her, as she was slayed protecting it." Layla''s blue eyes changed into a purplish color, with her pupil turning red. "I... know..." "Huh?" To hear his words, Miasma released a little pressure from his fingers. Noticing that Miasma had eased his grip, Elliott took a deep breath, and continued. "I had thousands of years to think about what had happened." Miasma pushed downward, forcing Elliott to kneel on the ground. "I know better than anyone that I had no reason to stay alive after what happened, but never did you." "You had no right to lose your mind, to become this monstrosity." With disdain, Miasma only glared at him. But Elliott couldn''t care, as this was probably the only and last time he would be able to talk to him. "Couldn''t you wait for someone to help you with that revenge? Creating this whole idea that taking the lives of countless creatures would turn you into the most heinous and tortured being existing." "That it would open a path to the creature who killed mother?" Elliott bit his lower lips. "Were you that stupid? Don''t you know that this creature wasn''t alone? What about the countless other places with Valkyries that were ravaged?" "Do you intend to take all of them at once?!" The anger in Elliott''s eyes met the indifference of his father''s. "My only goal is to kill the one who usurped Frey''s identity. Nothing less, nothing more." Pressure returned around Elliott''s neck, as he began to suffocate. "Now, be a good son, and disappear from my sight forever." A faint smile appeared at the corner of Elliott''s mouth. "Why are you smiling? Are you that happy to be killed by me?" "Not... really..." Something was strange, which made Miasma anxious. He glanced carefully around, but couldn''t find anything missing. Until a radiant sword pierced the back of his chest, spraying blood on Elliott''s face. "Agh!" This time, the pain was real. His innate ability did not subdue it. Bypassing the whole ability, Vanitas pierced the very soul of Miasma, injuring it instead of injuring Layla''s body. It was a technique used against Orion too, capable of knocking his enraged forms. Miasma released Elliott while fumbling backward. He placed his only hand on the blade, and tried to push it out of his body. His hand slid along the sharp edge of Vanitas, cutting it each time he tried to remove it. "You thought I came here to die? If so, you are gravely mistaken." Clenching his hands into fists, Elliott walked toward Miasma. "I came here for one reason." - "If your father loses the brightness in his heart, please." "Bring peace to him." - Together with the words his mother partook upon him, Elliott slammed his right fist in his guts. Chapter 363: Opposite energies. The shock created by Elliott''s punch lifted Layla''s entire body in the air, while pushing Vanitas deeper into her chest. "Gu-Ha!" Being inside the mortal flesh of a human, and being subjected to a soul breaking power, a stream of blood gushed out of Layla''s mouth as she flopped down to the ground. Miasma grabbed a tuff of grass between his hands, and glared at Elliott while trying to stand up. "What a pitiful sight, don''t you think?" With his fist glowing brightly, Elliott walked around the slumped Layla. He watched his father struggle to stand up, with the sword firmly wedged into him. Blood continuously flowed from the wound, even though Miasma was healing it with his corrupt energy. "..." Standing on his legs, Miasma wobbled ungraciously and spat blood on the ground before wiping the corner of his mouth, spreading blood on Layla''s cheek. "You were holding back... just to set up a sneak attack?" "I wouldn''t have used such underhanded tactics in the past, as mother told me to avoid turning into a coward." Before walking out of sight of Miasma, Elliott stopped and looked at the great rift connecting Horizon to Triazils. "Yet, against you, it doesn''t feel underhanded in the slightest. Do you know why?" "..." The glare sent by Miasma wasn''t able to faze him in the slightest, as Elliott glanced at him with a daring smile. "Because everything you''ve done, every little plans you''ve made, every creation you''ve brought to life." "Those meaningless things were all devious and evasive tricks." The truth coming out of his son''s mouth seemed to form a deep cut inside his ego, as he sunk his nails into his thighs, trying to support himself. "It was difficult to recover Cepha?d. The weakened state you''ve left me in made it close to impossible to, but I managed." Hiding the fact that he wasn''t alone, he waited for his father''s reaction. "I know..." "Are you telling me you weren''t frustrated, feeling your most perfect creations die by my hand? Surely, you jest?" Lifting his shoulders provocatively, he looked deep into Miasma''s red eyes. Seeing the clear anger inside of them, he understood that his assumptions were right. "Why are you telling me this?" Releasing a long sigh of disappointment, Elliott looked at his hand, before he approached him again. "It is simple, in all honesty. You see, I''ve learned a few crucial details after being freed from your control." Miasma looked intently as Elliott walked past him, only to stop at his side. Without looking at his father, Elliott lifted his hand, and placed his hand on Vanitas'' hilt. "Not only have you tortured countless beings for a vengeance you will never have, but you''ve driven out any kind of hope for the future. Slowly creeping into the humans, so much as to mutate their roots to play into your dirty hands." He clenched the sword with so much anger that Miasma felt the vibration through his wound, causing him to suddenly sweat, fearing the pain. "You''ve forsaken Frey, your wife''s words, trampled her will, and betrayed her last wish!" "And for that, I will not forgive you!" A violent blast of energy erupted from Vanitas, as he pulled it out of Layla''s chest. The red eyes of Miasma disappeared, leaving only the white of his eyes behind, as not even a scream escaped his mouth.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Unconscious, Miasma continued to walk forward, releasing a copious amount of corrupt energy to heal his wound out of his body. ''Even dying, his power automatically tries to protect him. I need to stand on guard.'' Even though Vanitas was a deadly weapon, Elliott wasn''t fool enough to believe his father would perish from it. This was Miasma, the Corrupted Remnant. The man who previously bore the name of Blanc. And as expected, he was right. "You are foolish, Elliott." Miasma''s back straightened in an unarticulated puppet-like movement, as the entire opening in his chest closed without leaving a scar. As he turned around, he looked at the ripped clothes that showed the top of Layla''s cleavage, before caressing that spot from bottom to top. Similar to a magic trick, the cloths were repaired after his hand moved over them. With a dark smile, he continued, glaring at his son. "Frey''s words have no meaning anymore." Elliott opened his eyes wide as he noticed the sadness in his eyes. The fair face of Layla returned to normal, as if the real Layla had regained control over her actions. The most genuine feeling of grief ravaged her face, as Miasma looked at his hands. "A world where her life was robbed, where nothing was done to avoid such an outcome, has no need to continue." "The work she''s put into protecting everyone. The efforts she''s given to the sword. The love she gave to you and me." "Are you telling me to accept that? Asking me to let go of this vengeance?" Elliott and Miasma exchanged a glance. For a moment, he saw his father before seeing the monstrosity that he had become. "Elliott, I am sorry, but I''ve gone too far to turn back." Suddenly, an explosive wave of dark energy exploded out of his body. "Is it what you thought I''d say?!" He disappeared from his spot, only to reappear behind Elliott, ready to decapitate him. *Clang* Without looking backward, Elliott donned his full armor, and blocked Miasma''s hand covered in dark energy with his sword. "Sentimentality was lost the moment you''ve possessed me." With a deadly glare, he glanced over his shoulder. Both energy shook each other relentlessly, creating a large crater under them. The ground cracked from the pressure exerted by the two, only to get amplified as time passed. Seeing that this was getting nowhere, Miasma tried a different approach. He broke away from Elliott by placing his feet on the back of the armor, and jumped away. When his feet touched the ground, a dark purple haze wafted out from his mouth, covering the surrounding ground in a ten-meter radius. "Corruption? Do you think it will work on me anymore?" "It can at least hinder your movements?" Snapping his fingers, Elliott called Luxuria, a dark void spiraling above his head. It immediately absorbed the corruption released by Miasma. The mist that was released was sucked inside it without leaving a single trace of it behind, before the spiraling void closed up entirely, leaving a baffled Miasma confused. "Mother''s teachings." Taking aim at Miasma with his sword, Elliott forced him to focus back on him. ''I had no idea Frey taught such skills to him...'' ''Why did she not use a single one of them at that time?'' Looking at the armor around Elliott, he tried to find in his memories a moment where Frey used that ability. ''None... She never did.'' Anger deformed Layla''s face, as Miasma realized something. "She hid those abilities. Frey!" Shooting her name as if he were expecting an answer, Miasma released even more dark energy. His entire body was covered in dark purple energy. "It''s not like that." Elliott matched the amount of energy released by Miasma, and prepared a massive strike against him. But before doing so, he cleared his misunderstanding. "Mother was a Valkyrie, the only skills she could use were sword abilities. What I use are teachings she could never master." With Vanitas, he traced a circle in front of him, leaving behind a thin trail of light. Miasma also focused all his energy into his hand, gathering it into a sphere that oozed a lethal amount of corruption around him. "Elliott!" Releasing the accumulated corrupted power toward Elliott into a large helical beam, larger in front of him, but narrowing down a meter away into a deadly column of corrupted energy. "..." Without reciprocating his father''s rage, Elliott let go of his energy too. He placed his left foot behind him, crouched while holding Vanitas vertically in front of him. As the beam approached him rapidly, he placed his other hand on the hilt, and pierced the ground with incredible force, as the circle glowed even brighter. Lines emerged from the edges of the circle, converging to the center. "Dawn." After breathing this single word, a beam of white energy flew toward Miasma''s attack, colliding viciously. The two attacks, made of purely opposite forces, clashed continuously, releasing earth breaking shockwaves. If this weren''t terrifying enough for bystanders, the forces released by the two attacks meeting pulled everything in the vicinity into the center point, disintegrating it instantaneously. After a minute, arcs of energy sparked from the center, scorching the ground and gouging large pieces of dirt out of the ground. Explosions happened as the energies pushed against each other, with no appearing one coming out on top. They both stood their ground, ready for their next action. Then, after two minutes, both beams subsided, leaving Elliott and Miasma to stare at each other, waiting for the other to move. Looking at each other for a minute, Elliott moved first, but in an unexpected way. "Blood Moon!" A curved blade of energy traversed the plane, barely avoided by Miasma. Seeing the strands of hair flying away next to him, he was glad his reaction time was great. ''If I hadn''t seen his hands clearly, I would''ve been unable to dodge this!'' Elliott, in a matter of milliseconds, pulled out Vanitas from the ground, and attacked Miasma. Without letting him rest, he used Acedia to close the large distance between them. Still in shock, Miasma took a step back and bent his back backward to avoid the horizontal slash at his head. ''He''s really coming for my life this time!'' Finally realizing that Elliott had stopped pulling his punches, it could only mean one thing. Miasma had to become serious, or he would die at the hands of Elliott. Chapter 364: Bringing a dead woman back to life. Miasma was in a dire situation. Elliott was overpowering him, yet his movements felt only more sluggish by the minute. ''This body... it is only hindering my strength!'' Avoiding the sword by a thread of hair, Miasma began to sweat. Yet, he had to move rapidly, leaving that same bead of sweat behind. Layla''s body was hers. Through the power of corruption, her body was reforged somehow to withstand the soul of the Corrupted Remnant, but ultimately remained one of a human. There was no other being besides Elliott capable of unleashing the true potential of his power. In his eyes, even Elliott was nothing against Noah. The real struggle he felt against the former Hero of humanity was still perfectly imprinted in his mind, yet, here he was, struggling against his son. ''If I had been more careful, I could''ve snatched that Hero''s body, but he had to self-destruct!'' ''Fate really has it against my plans!'' Oblivious to Tetra and Henrietta''s meddling through time, Miasma cursed fate for his misery. ''I won''t be able to succeed in my plans if I stay locked in battle with him. I have to find a way to break away from him...'' ''Or better else...'' A devious strategy formed inside his mind as he countered Vanitas with his hand. Elliott noticed confidence return on Layla''s face, which made him even more determined to rapidly end the fight. Taking this chance, he took a step back after trying to slash diagonally, and went for a piercing move. Pointing Vanitas'' tip at Miasma, he lunged at him using Acedia. Miasma also became serious. There was one ability he obtained from Layla, which he had barely used so far. Her ability to use water magic. Her lethal and imposing water magic. Watching the glistening sword closing in, Miasma held his hand in front of him, using the last trump card in his possession. A wide wall of water formed in front of them, stopping Vanitas with ease as its blade sunk into the water. "Tsk." Elliott pulled his sword out and rapidly began to cut a path through the magic. As he came straight for him, Elliott was a perfect target. Miasma pointed his index finger at him, before releasing another form of magic in Layla''s pool of magic. Before he could break past the water wall, Elliott was forced to defend himself, as water bullets pierced through it, ready to leave his body full of holes. One of the abilities he rarely used came to play, as the situation became too much for his natural thinking process. Superbia was used, enhancing his ability to treat information and improving his reaction time. The downside was that he couldn''t use it for more than thirty seconds, or his brain would melt from the heat created. Each bullet appeared to slow down drastically. He took two steps back to bring some distance between him and the water wall, and avoided the first two bullets in the process. Then, he positioned himself and Vanitas in a way that made it easier to defend himself. Hundred of shots were fired in his direction, but Elliott stood his ground. Elliott began to slash the projectiles at a stupefying speed, making them explode and drop to the ground, forming a puddle of water under him. It took barely fifteen seconds to defend against the attack, as he released Superbia to avoid putting more pressure on his brain. Without breathing a sight of relief, Elliott took another step back, and placed Vanitas back into the scabbard hanging at his waist. "I really didn''t want to use this, but there''s no time. Especially against you." Miasma felt a different energy focus inside the sword his wife Frey used in the past. The wavelength emitted was calmer, refined, but breathtaking. The feeling transmitted by the sword stated that if it could, with just of glance of its form, it would cut the one staring at it. Vanitas'' shape morphed alongside the scabbard. An elongated sword replaced the crude and unoriginal medieval blade. * This form was the culmination of Elliott''s knowledge about one book. While having a discussion with Orion, they delved into the world of swordsmanship. Orion, who wasn''t very interested in it, shared the content of one of his books with him, written by a man named N. On its pages were written the details of the blade itself. It had a peculiar look, showing an entirely unique shape from Vanitas'' old-fashioned type. With a blade being 70 centimeters long, and an unfamiliar curve that made it rather difficult to use, Elliott trained hard to master it. At first, he believed that this was a joke weapon, only created by a child, until its sharpness blatantly removed any semblance of doubt from his mind. It had only one drawback. The blade, even though sharp enough to slice anything, was brittle in nature. Rarely was it able to slice bones, limiting it to softer materials.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. The name of the blade was called: Katana. But only once did the book explain the fundamentals of this sword art. ''A single, clean cut.'' Working to decipher this line, Elliott finally obtained his answer, which took the shape of a skill. * "Iai." When Vanitas attained its new shape, Elliott drew it out. The blade escaped the scabbard without emitting a single scratching noise, and slashed the entire water wall diagonally. With a lightning-fast movement, the blade was back into the scabbard before his attack was even registered. Miasma covered himself with a water barrier, but feeling a deep feeling inside his chest screaming danger, he also decided to warp away using corrupted energy. Moments before Elliott attacked, he was already far away, looking at the result with disbelief. A diagonal cut appeared on the thick aqueous surface, before splitting in half. The water flowed down and evaporated the instant it met the ground. Violent gusts of winds then continued forward, cutting the air itself as it approached Miasma. An invisible pressure was felt, before Miasma released everything he could to defend against the skill. Ten layers of corrupted energy enveloped him, before he used Layla''s entire stored energy to form five more water obstacles in front of him. The blade sliced the obstacle with such ease that even Elliott felt impressed by its power. Then, it began to eat away at the corrupted shields protecting Miasma. The first one held pretty well, as Miasma converged his entire power into it, only for it to break. With a groan, he continued to defend against the invisible strike. Slowly, his barriers slowly vanished, as his expression showed more and more anxiety and hopelessness. Until the last one broke. As a last resort, Miasma warped away once again at the very moment the layer vanished, and glared at Elliott. Still, the fight wasn''t finished. Elliott had countered each attempt Miasma made against him, which only frustrated him further. Elliott''s trump card was used, which made this a failed effort at getting rid of his father. With disappointment, he made Vanitas return to its former self, and prepared to for another clash. But Miasma looked exhausted. ''It''s my chance!'' The moment was perfect. Miasma had used up all of its energy, and was unable to defend, or move around. Not taking this opportunity would only be foolish. And Elliott wasn''t a fool. He took the chance, and appeared in front of Layla after using Acedia. Time slowed down for both of them, as Vanitas fell down on Miasma. Miasma showed a look of concern as Vanitas slashed his chest diagonally, before turning into a look of horror. The red hue in his eyes blinked in and out, before his knees fell to the ground. Father and son locked eyes for one last time, before Layla''s face fell to the ground, dead. Elliott crouched, and looked into the lifeless eyes of the woman, and confirmed that Miasma''s energy had disappeared. With mixed feelings, he stood up, and placed Vanitas back into its scabbard. "It''s done." With a low tone, Elliott spoke. "Bring her to me." Orion''s voice echoed in his ear. Hearing the neutrality in his voice, Elliott understood that he would do his best not to bring his conflicted feelings about the matter forward. Picking up the corpse of Layla, he walked toward the forest Orion was waiting at. ... "There." Elliott carefully placed Layla''s back on a tree trunk, and looked at Orion. "I don''t have much hope, but she''s in your care." With a nod, Orion looked at the woman. Bad memories returned, but he closed his eyes and ignored them. ''She tried to kill me before. Unless I get an apology, I won''t let her slip away easily.'' Believing the words of Elliott, he crouched next to her. If what he said was true, her heart wasn''t as tainted as the others, which made her a potential ally. Though, now that Miasma was gone, her help was unnecessary. After being engulfed in light, wings appeared behind Orion''s back. A white halo formed behind him, before Orion placed on hand on her forehead. ''This is confusing. She looked like an old lady when I first met her, but now, she looks as young as Amelia...'' Seeing the youth back on the woman, Orion felt strange. He had no idea corruption could bring such effects. ''First, let''s heal that wound, and remove the corrupted energy out of her body.'' Since her body was still warm, there was still time to work on her. And even thought Miasma perished, the corruption he had released upon the world still persevered. "..." Elliott observed quietly the wound on Layla''s chest close. Thereafter, a dark liquid flowed from her mouth, dripping down onto the ground. "Corruption... and not a little." Orion couldn''t hold himself from commenting. Inside of him, he knew that the reason for this amount was obvious. Yet, he focused on removing every smudge of dark matter from her body. After a few minutes, her body was thoroughly cleaned, and healed. "She''s not waking up, is she?" "No..." Shaking his head, Orion glanced at Elliott. "I''ll try to bring her soul back." "You can do that?" Surprised, Elliott blinked wildly. "No. If I could, I would''ve brought my parents back a long time ago." "Right." "But in this case, I can try without risking anything." Turning to the woman, Orion focused his powers on her. Elliott shut his mouth and observed with little hope in his heart. ''I need to look for any trace of her soul.'' Using light magic, Orion scanned every nook and cranny of her body, her magical circuits, and forced his way into the void of her heart, where the soul was. But, he was unable to enter. With no soul to find, it was a wasted effort. ''...'' Suddenly, Orion focused on another way entirely. While Elliott looked at his back, he blinked a few times, thinking that he was hallucinating. For a brief instant, he saw two Orion overlapping each other, one in angel form, the other in demon form. As the two merged, a miracle happened. "I found it!" Orion exclaimed with shock, as he found a dying light inside the void of her heart. This dying piece was the very last remnant of her existence. As it was almost extinguished, Orion had to work fast, but carefully. ''Restoring her soul is a priority! Then, linking it back to the body.'' Light magic healed the fragment, while dark magic pulled it out from the void gently. Slowly, very delicately, the light magic restored the fragment of the soul, while the dark magic attached it to the edges of her ''heart''. *BOOM* Suddenly, Layla''s body shook, as a loud heartbeat escaped her chest. "!" But it was too early to celebrate. Elliott contained his hope as he looked at Orion''s expression. The focus in his eye wasn''t gone, which meant that the process of bringing her back was still going. With life returning to Layla, all that was left was to keep the soul alive. The receptacle was ready to accept the content, but the opposite couldn''t be said. The content was still being mended by Orion. ''This is awful... Miasma shattered her soul into far too many pieces.'' Orion was familiar with the notion and idea of the soul. He knew how his soul was made from Tiohr-nam, but recovering it from nothing was incredibly difficult. But at last, he managed to heal her entire soul, exactly at the time when his overlapping self seized to exist. ''Strange... why...'' Looking at himself, Orion noticed that the form he was in was the demon form. ''I don''t remember turning into the Abyssal Sovereign form?'' He stood up and released his transformation, before glancing at Elliott. The two exchanged a glance, before Orion nodded. "Mmmh~ Nn?" The previously deceased woman opened her eyes, which glistened faintly as the light of life returned to them. With a groan, she looked at the two hazy figures in front of her, until her vision focused. "Lord... Elliott... and..." She looked at them alternatively, before opening her eyes wide. "I am alive?!" Elliott smiled, and heaved a sighed of extreme relief. "You''ve done an incredible prowess, Orion. I can''t thank you enough." He placed a hand on his shoulder, before Orion shook it off. "Don''t. It was only an attempt before doing it on my parents. It was only by chance that I managed to bring her back." "You''re too shy to accept a compliment?" "Leave it!" As the two were exchanging, Layla dragged her body in the grass, and grabbed Elliott''s leg. "Lord Elliott! Please! Miasma!" "You should rest. I''ve already dealt with Miasma, so there''s nothing to worr-" "No! He fooled you!" Those words bothered Orion and Elliott greatly, realizing that the Corrupted Remnant hadn''t said his last words. With the woman''s memories of being under control, they were disclosed information that only Miasma knew. Details that left a cold sweat dripping down their back. Chapter 365: Pierre appears. "Good." The twins looked at their army trample the remaining corrupted beasts. Dramia felt incredibly satisfied at the improvements a simple weapon brought to the whole faction, while Drania marveled at the speed at which they eliminated the enemies. To them, who endured countless assaults in the past that ended in an outcome that could be barely called a victory, this was an incredible event. Even the fairies themselves were feeling different. Their resolve and fierceness had multiplied after this victory, confirmed by the glint of pride in their eyes. Triumphantly, they rapidly turned back and ran in formation back to their Queens without them giving the order. This order was imprinted in them thanks to Karteira, which saved many of their lives thanks to her strategical know-how. Sadly, as they made their way back, they stumbled on the corpses of their brothers and sisters, that they picked up with sorrowful gazes. "We''ve lost fifty-five members of the army..." "Twenty from the front line, and thirty-five from the aerial unit." Dramia confirmed her sister''s words, as she kept a close count during the battle. She peered at her sister with a concerned expression, before comforting words flowed from her mouth. "They were prepared to fight for us, and lay their lives for us. The least we can do is win for them." Drania, who was easily emotional, nodded reticently. "There are too many areas to control, and we were told to defend a part of Horizon. I know that, and it''s fine." "I''m not here expecting to win without a single casualty." Hearing her own words, Drania recovered her spirit, before nodding at Dramia. They both looked down and watched as the last members of the army moved past them. After waiting that they had moved far away, Drania and Dramia began to act. Both lifted a hand in front of them, Drania her left, and Dramia her right, activating their magic at the same time. "Let''s clean this mess, shall we?" "Yes, sis." A rapid gust of wind spiraled around Dramia''s arm, while nothing happened from her sister''s side. They knew a shadow was looking at them from far away, but it wasn''t moving toward them yet. Instead of focusing on a distant target, they focused on clearing the land of the corruption, and prepared the terrain for their fight. The wind moved from Dramia''s hand, toward the ground. It bathed the battlefield in a gentle breeze that rapidly grew stronger. Before long, the powerful wind lifted the corpses of corrupted beasts into the air. "My turn." Drania moved her fingers as if threads were attached to their tips. Rocks began to form from thin air, accumulating into a massive bowl. Dramia moved the floating corpses over the rocky recipient, before she closed her hand. A sphere of wind formed around the corpses, before it crushed the corpses into paste. Blood stayed inside the swear, leaving no drop of blood out of it. Drania slowly moved her fingers, making the edges of the large bowl curve around the wind sphere. In just a few seconds, the rock formation enveloped Dramia''s magic, and remained still until she released her focus on the wind sphere. The instant she did, the earthen formation minimized its size, compacting its inside in the process. Drania frowned, as she exerted more pressure on her clenching, before the massive rock turned into a pebble. When she released her control, the little rock fell to the ground. "Great work, Drania." "Thanks." With a delighted smile, Drania looked at her sister.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. "This is good enough. Let''s get down there and do our part." Holding her right hand toward her, Dramia said with a faint smile on her face. There were no signs of anxiety or doubt in their minds and movements. Drania grabbed her hand, before they both flew down. The blood of the beasts that covered the grass and dirt was no more, as Horizon itself worked to remove foreign matter. When their feet touched the ground, Drania snapped her finger, imitating Orion''s mannerism. *Boom* The pebble that was created before exploded, leaving no traces of it behind as the plane erased it. "Stop copying him. One is enough." "Can''t you let that go?" "No! I don''t need my twin sister to act like him!" "Whyyyyyy~?" While they did appear to bicker, they were carefully keeping check on the cloaked figure approaching them. In their minds, they were exchanging information about it. ''Our enemy is finally moving.'' ''Sis, what do we do after we''ve dealt with him?'' ''I was considering protecting Tiohr.'' ''You''re right, who knows what they could do to her.'' The cloaked figure stopped in a distance from the two fairies, before removing his hood. "Hello." Surprised by the politeness of the man, they looked at him while staying alerted. "..." They both glared at the man without saying a word. "That was as expected..." With a defeated smile, he touched his beard. "Well, I have a job to do, so don''t mind me." "By the way, my name''s Pierre, former Apostle." Dramia frowned at the introduction. ''One of the men Orion wasn''t able to finish before Miasma was freed.'' ''But what about that former Apostle thing?'' ''I don''t know. Be careful, alright?'' ''Same to you.'' Their dragonfly wings buzzed behind their back in response to Pierre''s threat. He removed his glasses and placed them into his chest pocket, before taking a bare fist fighting stance. Drania chuckled for a brief instant. Pierre took it as the moment to act, and vanished from the spot. ''Lightning magic.'' In a split second, Dramia, who had her eyes glued onto the man, noticed him turn into a bright red light, and close the distant between him and her sister before she could blink. Yet, she wasn''t looking panicked in the slightest. There was no need to even intervene. A fast punch covered in lightning energy came straight for Drania''s face. The sisters let go of each other''s hands, and left their spot with a faint buzzing sound. *Crackle* The punch met empty air, as Pierre blinked, confused. Rare were the people who survived this very first hit, but more than that, he was unable to see his target move away. As he looked around, trying to find the twins from the sound they were emitting, he suddenly took a step back. "Oh~?" Dramia, her arms covered in wind energy, appeared out of nowhere on his side, and jabbed at his side. While he managed to dodge her sneak attack, Pierre wasn''t please at the smug expression on the fairy''s face. He glanced at his chest, only to notice a few cuts on his cloak. ''I need to stay away from her-'' His thoughts were stopped by Drania, who appeared behind him. "Aren''t you forgetting about someone?" A metal sword in hand, she tried to pierce his nape. But alas, Pierre was faster once again, as he ran away before being struck down. Drania''s weapon was different from a normal sword. She learned during the war between Florian and Julian that moving around with a large sword wasn''t efficient. Instead of working with a basic sword, she changed to a more flexible and aerodynamic weapon: a rapier. As she chose to focus on her earth magic instead, she learned to manipulate its various states, until the use of metal became natural to her. Unlike Dramia, who decided to remain weaponless and depend on her natural ability to move wind as she wished, Drania was more of a front-liner rather than attacking from a distance. Nevertheless, they were together, and unstoppable. A drop of sweat dripped down Pierre''s cheek as he analyzed the situation. ''I''ve seen these two use their magic, but I don''t have enough information about their fighting tactics.'' ''Though, the same could be said for them.'' This was a mistake. Dramia had already gathered how the man fought with a single attack. Since he attacked head-on without bothering for cautiousness, it spelled everything. Pierre was hot-blooded, and too reliant on his magic. He was a simple fighter, easily dispatched in such situations. As she was a natural tactician, Dramia knew exactly what the man was about to do, and every way she could counter it. All she had to do was share her thoughts with her sister, and move accordingly. Still, she was on high alert, as anything could happen with the corrupted humans. ''Drania.'' ''Hmm?'' Pulling her rapier back, she glanced at her sister, who was keeping an eye on the man. ''We''ll start by removing his freedom.'' ''Alright.'' In a playful mood, Drania listened to her sister. Her wings buzzed, before she closed the distance between Pierre and her in a second. "Wha-" Unprepared, Pierre tried to block a potential hit by releasing lightning from his body, but Drania was faster. "Aaaah! Damn it!" She stabbed her rapier into his right thigh, before distancing herself from the arching red lightning. ''Good job.'' ''Hehe~'' As she turned around to look at her sister after being complimented, Drania noticed that she wasn''t there. Dramia appeared behind the man, and sent a sharp blade of wing toward the other leg, before returning to her original spot. The blade passed through the lightning energy, and sliced the left leg of Pierre, which made him lose his balance as he screamed in pain. "You fucking brats! I''ll make you pay!" Losing his composure, Pierre understood that his opponents were serious, and that he was disadvantaged. "Alright. You''ve asked for it!" He forcefully stood up, as his wounds began to heal, a sign that the corruption had eaten his body and soul. ''He called us brats.'' ''Right. Even though we''re far older than him.'' Dramia shrugged, while Drania mocked him. Still, the cold sister stayed focused. ''Drania, don''t get too greedy. We don''t know what this man will do.'' ''Hmm.'' Glaring at the two sisters, Pierre removed his cloak. Electricity coursed through his muscles, before exploding through his back. "Grrrr!" His eyes turned red as lightning traveled through them. The large arches behind his back settled rapidly, joining into two other appendages. "I''ll kill you!" With two large red arms attached to his back, Pierre was ready to counterattack. Chapter 366: The overwhelming fairy twins. Drania and Dramia gathered after Pierre''s two magical arms had formed. Without a single word during the fight, they nodded to each other. ''Go test that ability. I''ll keep his focus on me.'' ''Sure thing!'' Leaving a dust cloud behind her as she flew off somewhere out of sight, Drania looked for the perfect frame to attack her opponent, while Dramia gathered wind magic around her. Alone, she stopped her thoughts from being transferred to her sister. ''There''s no reason for us to go all out, but not doing so will only prolong this fight.'' A long sigh escaped her mouth, inadvertently setting off Pierre''s wrath. "Why are you sighing? Am I that weak to you?!" Between the mockery and the insulting behavior, Pierre had enough. "I''ll break your bones into mush, and rip those wings off your back!" Leaning on his right foot, he prepared an attack. Pulling his four arms back, Pierre leaped forward to punch Dramia. The man''s reaction surprised her slightly, but that was all. ''Why does he think the world turns around him? That wasn''t directed at him in the slightest.'' At his approach, Dramia set up a wind field around her, enveloping the area two meters around her. ''Let see what this does.'' Pierre obliviously entered the field, feeling his feet drag behind him. Still, he pushed forward, ignoring the feeling grabbing onto him. It felt like running in water, as the closer he got to Dramia, the worst it got. Even his breathing became shallow. "Eat this!" Dramia barely moved. The man''s speed had taken a massive hit, seen by his left uppercut going so slow even a baby could avoid it. ''Well, that''s to be expected for a meathead.'' Walking alongside his punch, she dragged her index finger on his arm, while whispering. "I sighed because I would have rather avoided turning into him if I could." "But I guess there''s no helping it anymore." Where her finger touched his skin, a long trail appeared, before a deep cut formed. Beads of blood appeared on the cut, until Dramia moved past Pierre. The wound opened up, as his entire left arm split in half. "!" Pierre realized that the woman in front of him was a cold-hearted person. She did this as naturally as breathing. His reaction time was incredibly slow, but thanks to that, he did not feel the pain. The corruption healed his arm, not inconvenienced by the wind field, before his mind processed it. Snapping her fingers, Dramia released the wind field, making Pierre focus on attacking her again. "I won''t miss you this time!" He dragged his right foot behind him, turned his body, and aimed one of his electrical appendages toward her, who was walking away without a care in the world. "You''ve forgotten about me!" Hearing the energetic voice of another woman, Pierre blinked wildly. He couldn''t stop his attack anymore, and was locked into this position, his guard wide open. Not knowing where the voice came from, he could only try to defend himself with his other free red arm. Lifting him above his head to stop an attack from the air, he prepared himself.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. "Wrong." In a cold tone, Dramia said. A cold blade pierced his left flank, and pushed his away. "I won''t let you touch my sis!" With a piercing glare, Drania removed her rapier from his flesh, and kicked him away. After doing a somersault, her feet slid in the grass, before stopping next to Dramia. Pierre''s body fell to the ground, and rolled a few times before his arms forcefully stopped his momentum. Putting his elbow on his knee, he gritted his teeth. "Kh! I''ve never... struggled this much... before." Seeing the blood pour from his wound and taint the green grass, he cursed his situation. ''Why was I the one sent here? It was supposed to be an easy task, yet I''m struggling against these women!'' A shockwave coming from the center of the plane suddenly shook everyone. "..." Pierre glanced behind him, while the twins frowned. Two bright lights seemed to be clashing against each other, as shown by the particles flying in the air. ''That''s... Miasma.'' With the wound at his side having closed up, Pierre stood up. ''I will be killed either way if I can''t do my part.'' He wiped the grass stuck to his pants, and focused on the fight, knowing the price he would pay if he didn''t succeed. "Here I come." Calmly, he leaned on his right leg, and leaped forward. Drania immediately disappeared, leaving her sister behind. With a bored gaze, Dramia looked at the man before crossing her arms. Again, she used the wind field to hinder his movement. Although, this time, Pierre slammed his two red arms on the ground, sending him in the air before entering the field. ''If I come from above, you won''t stop me!'' Lightly surprised, she released her magic, and took a few steps back. The man crashed in front of her, creating a large cloud of dust that enveloped both of them. "..." Dramia coughed from the amount of dust. "Got you!" A large electrical arm swiped through the dust where Dramia was standing. "That was pretty smart. Using the dust to block my vision, and listening to my voice to find me while blinded." Her voice echoed next to him. "The only problem is, I use wind magic. It is truly shameful to think I wouldn''t notice you in this mess." Without warning, a violent gust of wind swept through the dust, and scattered it in the air. The instant the two were freed from the cloud of dust, Drania reappeared. Attacking from behind, she went to pierce his nape. "!" Pierre felt a chilling bloodlust coming from behind. He used his right appendage to defend against the rapier, stopping it by clenching the piercing blade. "Oh? You''ve managed to stop it?" Impressed, Drania let go of her rapier. She opened her other hand, creating another rapier that she plunged into his back, right below the left appendage. Turning around, Pierre caught the blade with his hands by letting it pierce his skin. The cold blade''s tip touched his chest, as he was getting pushed back by the fairy. "Kh!" "Stop resisting!" While twisting the blade, Dramia pushed intently to pierce his skin, but Pierre was holding on against her attempt. While they were struggling, he made a ball with both fists of his free arms, and slammed them on top of Drania. As he was expecting, she moved away at the last second, striking at one of his blind spots once again. But he managed to protect himself during their exchange. Confused, Drania stopped attacking, and joined her sister. ''Sis, something''s strange. Why is this man able to see where I''m going to hit him?'' With genuine curiosity, she asked. ''I don''t know. I will look into this in greater detail. For now, stay where you are.'' ''Fine.'' Putting a hand behind her back to hide her action, Dramia let loose an invisible wind blade. It flew around her before arching toward Pierre''s right side, toward one of his blind spots. ''If he defends against this, we''ll get our answer.'' The blade closed on him. Pierre unnaturally appeared surprised, before abruptly turning toward the invisible blade. He countered it, and shattered it before being hurt. ''That answers everything.'' Smirking, Dramia approached the man. ''Drania, get away from here for a minute.'' ''...'' ''Don''t worry.'' ''Alright.'' With a worried gaze, Drania flew away, taking off for the sky. "I have to say, if not for your hot-blooded nature, I wouldn''t have considered you to be an actual thinker." Pierre straightened and observed the woman with disdain. "Saying openly that I am stupid is one thing, but weren''t you taught to show respect to your elders?" "Hah! That''s a good one." Exclaiming with a cold smile, Dramia placed her fingers on her bangs and dragged them out of her field of view. Still arms crossed, she lifted her chin, and looked down on the man. "You''ve found a way to copy my technique in a short time and turn it into your own ability. For that, I will compliment you." "..." Pierre frowned. ''How did she manage to find out?'' ''That previous attack?'' Reading his face with ease, the fairy smirked. "Emitting an electrical field around you that detects movements and attacks in your blind spots. You''ve thought of that after being pierced and thrown away, did you not?" Even thought she was a tiny and frail-looking woman, the air around Dramia was anything but a cold aura worthy of a ruler. With a firm hold on her emotions, she expertly gathered everything she needed to corner her opponent, and this moment wasn''t different. "What if I did?" "Pitiful. That''s all. In front of me, that worthless attempt at adjusting your power to match us is a ridicule display of your true power." Hearing the shower of insults coming out of her mouth, a vein bulged on Pierre''s temple. "What did you say?" "I won''t repeat myself. Instead, I will demonstrate to you." Extreme gales of wind formed all around her as she opened her arms wide at her sides. "The differences between us, who lived for thousands of years, and you, a pitiful human that lived barely fifty years." With the intense wind ruffling her hair continuously, the ribbon holding her ponytail snapped, freeing her long green silky hair. A faint smile on her face, she released even more magic. "You''ve only scratched the surface of our power." "There will be no more regrets for us. We will get rid of whoever stands in our way." The wind blew past Pierre''s face, who looked with a horrified expression, as hundreds of magical hawks appeared alongside Dramia. ''Go get him, sis!'' Routing for her sister, Drania made an excited pose with her fists, while preparing for the second phase of the fight. Chapter 367: An atypical Drania. "Let''s throw away any kind of pretenses." The green hawks hovering above and behind Dramia bore their talons toward Pierre. "You will die." Peering at the countless magical creatures, Pierre took a step back and swallowed his saliva loudly. Dramia was the perfect person to instill terror into someone. Her care for appearance was crucial to inking her figure deep into their mind. A short woman with wings and an unusual hair color. At first, anyone would get the impression that this frail fairy would be helpless. But in reality, they would fall in a state of shock. She was perfect at pretending to be weak. With the latent power in her veins, all she had to do was throw away her fears, and change her ways. From a gentle wind that rarely covered this world, she reshaped it into a ravaging cyclone ready to engulf all in its wake. "Now. Dance for me." Lifting her right hand above her head, she smiled at the man with a smirk on her face. The instant her hand dropped, the magic fired in his direction, leaving him barely any time to prepare. Pierre turned around, and ran away at full speed. Green hawks crashed wherever he went by, exploding into spheres of sharp wind that shredded anything that came in contact with them. Around him, the hawks crashed incessantly, slowly narrowing his freedom of movement. Feeling cornered, he turned around with his feet scraping the dirt as he came to a stop. The two red arms behind his back stretched widely, before the left one punched the magic falling on him. With a crackling noise, the two magics clashed, shredding each other in the process. Pulling back the electrical appendage, Pierre glanced at it. Everything past the elbow was destroyed. Yet, he smiled as another hawk approached. Repeating the same action, he punched the incoming magic with the other arm. While the same result happened, he managed to patch up the previously destroyed arm, making it possible to continuously defend himself. With less than a second between each attack, a long battle of attrition took place, where mutual destruction continued for five long minutes. Dramia sent waves after waves of wind hawks with the thought of rapidly removing Pierre from her sight, while her opponent suffered continuous strain just to survive this onslaught. The first one who stopped would be the loser; The one with the deepest magic storage would be the winner. And, as she was expecting it, Dramia came on top. Not only was her magic energy limitless compared to Pierre, she was also incredibly cunning. Occasionally, while he was defending head-on, a few hawks attacked his flanks, breaking his attention. These small changes forced Pierre to constantly watch his surroundings to avoid getting hit. Still, Dramia was holding back. She was playing with him, watching him struggle. It was the price the man had to pay for entering this plane, threatening her kingdom, and her friends. There was no way she would let him off the hook without making him suffer. When Pierre finally appeared to struggle, she deviously smiled. Feeling the sharp gaze of his opponent, he glanced toward her, only to see even more hawks besides her. The color on his face rapidly turned to a white, as he felt the cruelty in her eyes. His four arms dropped slightly, as his stamina was reduced to a depleted state. Watching as the hundreds of magic missiles came crashing on top of him all together, he understood that his survival until now was simply a caprice of the woman. Now that she forced the man into his last sparks of hope, Dramia was ready to crush them in one swift motion. Green and violent wind drowned his sight, while the buzzing noise of shredded matter entered his ears. Agony filled his mind, as his entire body disappeared into a sea of green hawks, merging into one giant pile of destruction. Not even his screams escaped the magic. Releasing a tired sigh, Dramia closed her eyes. Rarely had she used this amount of magic energy before. Even though she felt lethargic all of a sudden, a feeling of accomplishment came over her. ''I hope I''ll get praised later.'' ''...'' Hearing her own thoughts, she frowned. ''What am I even thinking?'' Lifting her shoulders in exasperation, she turned her back on the desolation she had created, and looked up.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ''Drania, it''s your turn.'' Through the connection between them, Dramia called to her sister. ''I''m coming!'' From a hundred meters above ground, Drania looked at her sister. She pressed her wings tight against her back, before her body fell toward the earth. After a few seconds, Drania opened her wings before coming into contact with the ground, and stopped next to her sister. "You really should stop playing with fire." "No. Just because you don''t like it doesn''t mean I have to." Dramia thought for a brief moment, before shrugging it off. "Fair point." Opening her wings and crouching slightly, Dramia took off for the sky, leaving Drania to deal with the second phase. "Huh? Did sis seriously backed off without getting into an argument?" Bewildered, Drania looked at the back of her sister, her mouth wide open and a shocked look in her eyes. "She''s either in a terribly good mood, or I''m going crazy." A faint smile replaced her previous expression as she turned around to look at the shredding half sphere of wind. Letting out a whistle escape her mouth, she fell in awe in front of her sister''s ruthlessness. ''Sis has a really nasty personality. I''m not sure anymore if going out with Orion was such a great idea.'' From her memories, the very few times Dramia ended up being the nastiest she could be being when Drania''s safety was in peril, the day they met Noah, and the day they lost Noah. Now, she would add ''Orion''s enemies'' into the list of things that infuriate Dramia. ''Meh. Who cares! If she''s happy, that''s all that matters.'' ''Cut the connection, damn it! I don''t have such a nasty personality!'' Hearing the angry voice of Dramia in her head, Drania frantically cut the connection and looked in the air. ''Oops...'' Seeing the cold glare of her sister looking down at her, she quickly looked away. ''I should focus for once. I don''t want to be the only one being looked down when the others are working hard.'' Uncharacteristic of this energetic woman, Drania calmed down. Her mind, who was rarely at peace in response to her desire to avoid facing her own emotions, suddenly went quiet. Drania closed her eyes, letting the magic flow freely in her magic circuit. From above, Dramia''s eyes softened, seeing the brown energy surround her sister. Attaching her hair back into a ponytail, she watched as Drania became serious. A rapier formed from a piece of metal in front of Drania. With her eyes still closed, she grasped the handle of the sword, and stayed motionless, controlling her breathing. Slowly, metal appeared around her arms and legs in the form of sheets. They wrapped themselves around her limbs, turning into durable armor seconds later. The sheets stacked against one another, creating layers of metal protecting her. What made this armor special was that it was weightless for her. Unaffected by their weight, Drania turned into a flying fortress, with the same mobility she had until now. Unlike a warrior''s armor, only her arms and legs were covered. The sheets stopped appearing after they had formed thin plates. The reason for this change was that Drania''s speed was too dangerous for her own safety. In normal conditions, Drania was but a playful woman, without care for responsibilities or appearance. Yet, when Drania finally met the internal peace she needed, she changed. Like her sister mellowing after their date with Orion, her, too, obtained a different answer. Drania opened her eyes. Inside of them, the gentle gaze had vanished, replaced with a focused and intent glare. Her sharp gaze fell on the wind magic, as it slowly collapsed into itself. Revealing a puddle of dark blood in the grass, Drania leaned on her right foot. Inside the blood, a black sludge arose, creating the edges of a human being. Pierre reappeared in his corrupted form, shivering from the memories of his recent death. "I-" Dramia appeared behind him, holding her rapier next to her hip. Pierre''s glanced to the side, before his arms fell to the side. Without being able to say a single sentence, he felt the pain return, breaking his mind even more. His screams entered her ears, which made Drania frown in disgust. "Shut that mouth." With a swift movement, she turned around and plunged her blade into the back of his head. The piercing blade went through his nape, and out of his mouth. Dark sludge exploded out of Pierre''s wounds as he gasped with the blade in his mouth. Still, he was an Apostle. Even after suffering this much, he wasn''t done. Lightning crackled around him, forcing Drania to remove the blade from his body, and distance herself. With a cold expression, she looked at Pierre re-attaching his missing limbs and closing his wounds, as two red limbs appeared once again behind his back. "Come at m-" "..." Before finishing his sentence, Drania vanished. She appeared above him, before slashing down at a frightening speed. Her feet touched the ground before any changes were registered by Pierre. Drania straightened, and as Pierre turned around, she walked past him. While trying to punch her with his magical arms, he found it difficult to do so. The instant he looked behind him, the two limbs were nowhere to be seen. "Huh?!" Instantly, he recreated them, and returned to the assault. "You don''t know when to give up, do you?" The cold intonation in her voice froze Pierre in his tracks for a few seconds. Terror filled his mind, as a terrible feeling, stronger than the one felt against Dramia, crept into his heart. Shaking it off, Pierre ignored her words, and tried to punch her face. Drania appeared to his left, before being seen on his right. A long cut formed on his chest as she vanished once again. A sound of shattering metal echoed as Drania continued to appear and disappear in and out of sight, each time causing more damage to Pierre''s body. Her speed gradually sped up, until Pierre''s regeneration ultimately failed to keep up. Limbs flew off, organs were skewered on the rapier, and oozing black blood sprayed everywhere. That day, Pierre, a human Apostle, learn that the two fairies residing in Horizon were ruthless monsters. As his body fell into pieces, his mind stopped processing the pain, which was felt in rapid succession. With his mind broken, Drania finally stopped, her back turned against a kneeling shadow, gazing with a blank stare at the sky. His body was a mess, trying to heal the many cuts and missing parts as best as possible. Drania, without giving the man a glance, snapped her fingers. As she moved, the plates of metal around her arms and legs cracked, before breaking in half. Bruises appeared under those protections, showing that the speed at which she went backlashed on her. As the plates fell into the grass, the ground on both sides of Pierre broke free from the rest. Two large walls of dirt and rock closed on the broken body, before crushing the man between them. From the loud gushing noise emitted, and the dark matter leaking out of it, Drania confirmed that she had killed the man once and for all. "Sis..." "I''m here." Dramia rapidly dropped next to her. "I did it." "I saw. You did well." "Thanks." Dramia felt strange. In front of her, Drania looked exactly like herself. The uncanny resemblance made her self-conscious. "Return to normal... I don''t like it when you act like me." "It''s a bit too late for that. We''re twins." "Stop with the snarky remarks, and be normal!" As she let out a sigh, Drania relaxed. Her carefree demeanor appeared in her movements, and her gaze returned to its usual cheerfulness. "Better?" "Naturally." Dramia pulled her sister''s hand, and walked away with her. "Alright, let''s go back to Tiohr." "Hahaha~ Sure." Knowing that her sister was concerned about her, Drania giggled and smiled. Feeling the warm feeling on Dramia''s hand, she walked alongside her. They returned to the fairy army, before they all walked back to their village. Chapter 368: Faithful subjects. Inside a city full of lamia, the Queen opened her eyes slowly. "Where..." Her eyes settled on a familiar ceiling, one she''s seen all her life, until recently. Recognizing her room, she sat in bed. "Kh!" While dragging her body to the edge of the bed, she felt intense pain all over her body. "I shouldn''t have moved..." Seeing the bandages wrapped around her tail and her arms, she recalled the burns she obtained while protecting Lahro. Still, she had to witness the result of her recklessness. "I''m either going to get laughed at... or scolded." Deveralna bit her lower lips. "I sincerely hope Orion won''t hate me..." Apprehension filled her heart as she slithered closer to her bedroom''s window, which was hidden behind long white curtains, letting only a faint ray of sunlight through them. With trembling hands, she grabbed the curtains, and pulled them apart. "..." Watching the surrounding land, scorched into a black charcoal color, Deveralna smiled in shock. She sat back on her bed, and hid her face inside her hands. "What a mess." The throbbing pain in her arms kept reminding her of the mistake she''s made. "I was warned to be careful, and yet, I managed to let anger fill my mind. If not for Orion''s words, I would''ve caused the death of every lamia on this land." "..." A brief memory of her subjects sharing their power with her flashed in her head. "What kind of Queen am I?" Bitterness was all she could feel. Not knowing what to do with herself, she looked at herself in the mirror sitting next to the door. "!" Deveralna suddenly stood up, and hurried toward it. She placed her hands on both sides of the mirror, and looked intently at her face. "My eyes!" Elation filled her being, as she noticed her original orange iris color came back, taking over the white taint her recent transformation brought. She touched her cheek, poking around her eyes to make sure she wasn''t hallucinating. "It''s back... It''s truly back! I''m so relieved." This was one change she couldn''t accept. From the beginning, there was one part of her that she wanted back to its original coloration, and that was her eyes. The part Orion fell in love with. But while she was happily watching herself, a light emerged from under her bed. As fast as lightning, it escaped from there, and flew toward Deveralna. "!" She turned around, releasing a controlled amount of lightning energy to stop the intruder. The two clashed, before the entity revealed itself. "Ssssss!" A small snake composed of electricity bit her finger gently, before ingesting the lightning Deveralna was releasing. "Eh? What are you?" A little snake gladly absorbed the magic, before growing into a larger beast. After growing to the size of her arm, it released her finger from its mouth, and slithered around her arm. After tightly wrapping itself, it closed its eyes, and fell asleep, under Deveralna''s bewildered gaze. "You''re..." A gigantic snake made of plasma came to mind, as she poked the snake''s head. It shook its head lightly at her touch, yet hung on deep in its slumber. "Incredible. I can''t feel a thing. It''s like it is not even there." In other circumstances, an object or being wrapped around a limb would cause great discomfort, yet, this little snake wasn''t causing her any. Even wrapped tightly, it wasn''t hurting her. "I remember... This little thing, I had no idea it would have a mind of its own."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Having no idea that the snake was a creature she had summoned from another plane of existence due to the sheer amount of energy released, Deveralna assumed it was only a special case. "Well, if you''re not planning on hurting me, I suppose I should let you be." Even better, the snake made her feel way lighter. The energy swirling inside her body calmed ever so slightly, easing her control over it. While placing a hand on her chest, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I''m glad. It seems I won''t be losing control over this monstrous power anytime soon." As she settled down at last, she heard voices coming from outside her room. "I heard the Queen''s voice!" "Yes! There was also some sort of ruckus inside!" Two guards hurriedly explained the situation to a third person. "Is it true?" "Yes, Lady Palarvina!" "Then let me through." The two guards slowly opened the double doors, creating a path for the wind coming inside the room to escape to. A gust of wind ruffled Deveralna''s hair, as her mother entered the room. "..." "..." The two stared at each other for a few seconds, before the doors closed behind her mother. "Thank the world you are alright!" Palarvina rushed toward her daughter, and carefully cradled her in her arms. "I am... or at least if you ignore all those burn marks." Peering at her mother''s face from her cleavage, Deveralna felt tears fall on her cheek. "I heard everything from our people. You''ve stood strong to defend our honor and future, and made sure to erase the ghost of our past." Hearing her Palarvina''s comforting words, Deveralna wrapped her arms around her back. "I... My actions weren''t as grand as you make them sound..." Sinking her face into her mother''s bosom, she let out her frustration. "When I saw that man, anger filled me." "..." She hesitated. "It was even worse than anger. I was enraged. That man, who sullied so many of us, and even laid his dirty hands on my mother, appeared in front of me." "How was I supposed to think? I lost sight of everything, and caused tremendous grief to the people I was supposed to protect." Palarvina held her daughter''s face against her while listening quietly. "I wasn''t reigning over my emotions. I knew there were countless lamias behind me, fearing for their lives, yet, I ignored them, and threatened to erase the entire city." "It''s only after hearing his voice, that I''ve noticed the mess I had created." It wasn''t too difficult for the former Queen of the lamia to understand that the person her daughter was referring to was Orion. "But it was far too late. I attacked with my entire fury, creating a dangerous situation for everyone. All I could do was acknowledge my lapse of judgment, and defend everyone with my life at stake." Deveralna pushed her mother away gently, and looked outside. "The result is this destroyed landscape, and this broken city." The shock created by the explosion did damage the walls and the residences to some extent, but no life was lost. This was a detail Deveralna was unaware off. "Listen to what I''m going to say carefully." With a stern expression, Palarvina stared at her daughter. Not as a former ruler, but as her mother. "You''ve made a mistake, and no one will ever ignore that. But it was to be expected." "I told you before. Taking the power of a Remnant was too early for you." Slithering toward the bed, Palarvina sat, before tapping next to her for Deveralna to sit down. With a pained expression, she sat next to her mother. Palarvina nodded, before continuing. "You had barely a month to adjust to this new power. If it were anyone else with less conviction, they wouldn''t have been able to improve as much as you did." "Let''s not forget that we are talking about the power of our creator. It is a power that can, and will, destroy the world without carefully maintaining a tight command over it." Deveralna couldn''t do anything apart from nodding. This was the reality of her life now. "But..." Her face relaxed. "As your mother, I couldn''t be more proud of what you''ve done." Placing her left hand over Deveralna''s right hand, she smiled. "It wasn''t only me, but everyone in Lahro." - After Deveralna fell unconscious, the lamias standing behind her hurriedly rushed to their fallen Queen. "The Queen has lost consciousness! Everyone, hurry!" A lamia that was knowledgeable in health-care practices picked up Deveralna, and rushed inside the city walls, followed by the entirety of the city''s inhabitants. They all followed behind the woman, who constantly monitored her health all the way to the castle. While they were all exhausted after using magic for the first time, the wellbeing of their Queen took precedence over their own. Just seeing her burnt tail and arms was a deep concern for them. As they approached the palace, they handed over the Queen to the guards, who took her inside. Deveralna was brought inside her room, where she was administered medicine and had her burns treated. - "They are all waiting at the entrance, worried about you." Glistening pearls appeared at the corner of Deveralna''s eyes. "I... I had no idea. But why?" Palarvina wiped the tears from her daughter''s eyes, and answered. "Why are they looking at you in such profound esteem? Because even though your mistake could''ve erased their life, they''ve seen you for what you truly are." "A ruler that will put her life on the line to protect them. Someone who works to protect the pride of our faction, better than I could ever do." A tinge of shame appeared on the former Queen''s face, knowing that her choices not to rebel only made it harder for the lamia. Only her daughter broke the chains of this unending horror. "After all of that, do you think you are not worthy of the title?" "..." Hesitating, Deveralna thought for a moment, before giving her answer. "I still think I am an immature ruler. There are many matters I need to learn before being worthy of it." The answer satisfied her mother, which nodded in agreement. "Yet, if everyone else thinks that I can sit on the throne, I will not shy away from their hopes." Deveralna stood up, and hurriedly slithered out of her room after blasting the two doors open, scaring the poor guards standing still outside. "Ah... Sorry." Apologizing to the ladies who had let go of their spears in terror, she continued past them with an apologetic smile. ''Children grow up so fast...'' Palarvina thought back on the birth of her daughter. The cute and tiny lamia that she swore to protect with everything she had. ''Now, she''s walking her own path.'' ... Deveralna traveled through the entire palace, and arrived at the entrance. "Queen Deveralna?! Are you alright?" The guards standing inside the palace stared at her with concern. "As you can see, I am fine. Sorry for the inconvenience." "No! It is fine!" While one of them panicked, the other teared up. "Could you open the doors? I would like to thank everyone." The two straightened, and abruptly returned to their duty. "Yes!" They pulled on two chains with ease, opening the large doors leading outside. The two guards standing outside noticed the sound of the chains, and straightened. As the doors opened, the citizens held their breath, until the shape of their Queens appeared at the top of the stairs. Many began to shed tears of happiness, while some shouted at the top of their lungs the name of their Queen. Seeing her subjects jump in joy at her mere sight, she opened her mouth slightly. The sight of her people cheering for her, crying for her, and calling for her, was a breathtaking sight. This image became engraved in her brain, as she opened her mouth. "I-" Deveralna became the true ruler of the lamias at that moment, imprinting in her the pride of her lineage, and what it meant to shoulder the responsibility of countless lives. As she made her speech to her people, the links between her and everyone strengthened. Chapter 369: Even failed tools have their uses. On the completely opposite side of the fairy village, the battle between Karteira and Lucas was intensifying. After being turned into a fuming pile of charred flesh, Lucas recovered. In front of Karteira, his muscles and bones attached themselves, created from the dark energy emitted by the corrupted energy. The capabilities the corruption had to heal injuries were on par, if not better, than the light element. Yet, one detail bothered Karteira. ''Why is he still alive?'' ''I thought once their body died, they appeared in a darker form?'' From the story told by Orion, Olivia, and Senia, there were no doubts about the validity of their words. So why was Lucas still alive? Even more shocking was his brutish form he used to confuse her, when in fact, he was perfectly fine even after turning back. ''What is this soldier made off?'' Karteira placed her left hand on the back of her right hand, before sliding it above her fingers. A long plate, sharpened on the edges, grew as her hand continued past her hand. As her eyes stared at Lucas, who was starting to regain his facial muscles, she rapidly thought of a new way to fight this bizarre corrupted man. Lucas'' left eyeball moved erratically, before settling on her. The arm holding his sword cracked, as his bones slid into place. His legs followed the same process as he stood up, finally healed. "That was one intense fire. I''ve never been bathed in such a conflagration before." "Fancy words coming from someone so impure." His sword scrapped the ground as his body turned around, leaving half a circle behind that permanently marked the earth. "Impure, you say?" The man placed his hand on his chin and acknowledged her words. "I have no attachments to my former self, so this form is actually much more convenient." "No need to eat, no need to rest, no need to talk. Just act accordingly to our orders. This life is much better than the one I had before." Shrugging his old memories away, he lifted his sword, pointing it at Karteira. "You have it easy, then. Being a puppet." A slight frown appeared on his face. Karteira noticed it, but kept quiet. ''I shouldn''t push his buttons any longer. Who knows what would happen?'' The two positioned themselves, ready to strike at the other. Suddenly vanishing from their position, they collided at the center. The sound of steel clashed while they moved around, leaving bright sparks behind them as they exchanged places multiple times. Each time, both suffered light injuries from the other''s sword, until one finally came on top. Karteira abruptly stopped. "Tsk!" She placed her left thumb on her right temple, swiping off the blood that was pouring in her eye. The cut healed rapidly, before she turned around. "I missed your head." Lucas turned around, far being her. "I can see that." A sizzling noise could be heard coming from him, and a limb laying a few meters away from him in the grass. Turning around, she pointed her plate sword at him, which was steaming tremendously. The plates on her back opened, releasing two clouds of steam resembling wings, while Lucas looked at his left arm, laying next to him.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. It was this arm that was holding his sword, which made him vulnerable at this moment. Lifting his right hand, he pulled the sword toward him, as a new arm grew to replace the previous one. "I won''t miss next time." "There won''t be a next time." Lucas said, before vanishing. "!" All Karteira managed to do was bend her knees and make her upper body fall backward, as a metallic glint traveled through the air above her head. A strand of hair flew in the distance, diverting both''s attention. ''What am I doing?!'' Karteira returned to her senses faster than Lucas. She bent backward, placed her hands on the earth, and attacked with her feet, covered in thick plates. Pulling his sword toward him, Lucas then struck forward, lacerating the plates and her right foot at the same time. ''This little pain is nothing!'' Gritting her teeth, she kicked his chest with all her might. Yet, she barely pushed the man away. With his feet deeply anchored, he stood his ground. Hurriedly, Karteira pulled back, did a cartwheel, and dropped on all four like a cat, ready to pounce on her target. Her plated armor changed as she became serious. With the man becoming faster each passing minutes, and his speed getting overwhelming, she had no choice but to adjust. ''I thought this would be an easy fight, but I was mistaken...'' Four storage blocks formed around her waist and behind her back. Inside them, the pressure filled them instantaneously. With now four canisters instead of two, her Cerulean Storm armor became even deadlier. ''There''s still my trump card left... but I''d rather not use it before finishing this form. Using it now while cause trouble later.'' She had the effect of surprise on her side, although this would only be effective once. Subsequently, her opponent would learn her style, and counter her every move. ''I suppose I have no choice...'' Steeling her resolve, Karteira glared at the man, before pushing on her legs. The two canisters on her back opened, moving her at ludicrous speed toward the soldier. Astonished, Lucas took a step back while slashing downward impulsively. The steam storage on the right of Karteira''s side opened, sending her away from the sword''s trajectory. Spinning once out of the way, she then stopped, activating the two canisters that sent her forward. In a split second, she was on the man''s opposite side, her plate sword covered in blood. Lucas'' head flew in the air, leaving a trail of blood in its wake. But it wasn''t the end. Karteira was aware that this tactic would only work once, and that this was probably ineffective. Nonetheless, she pushed her body to her limits, and even brought out a sliver of the light element magic to support her rapid movement. With Lucas unaware of his situation yet, he saw Karteira turn around in slow motion, mincing his entire body into bloody cubes. Nothing was ignored. Even if the blood sprayed everywhere, even if the guts of her opponent disgusted her, Karteira endured. She destroyed every nerve in his body, his heart, everything. Then, when she felt satisfied, she turned to his head, that began to fall down. Appearing under it, Karteira pierced it with her blade from under, and slashed downward, splitting his head in two. Before the two parts could bounce on the dirt, she separated them yet more, making sure the man wouldn''t come back at all. "Urk!" Seeing the brain matter and other unpleasant parts on her plate sword, she looked away in utter aversion. Without waiting a second, she swiped her arm to the side, removing the gross matter from her blade. Then, with an intent glare, she scrutinized the area. ''That surely sealed the deal, right?'' To her surprise, the pile of flesh wasn''t moving. Hiding her relief to herself, she waited. "You did me dirty, I''ll give you that." "!" Suddenly hearing Lucas'' voice behind her, she tried to distance herself by rushing forward. But she was unable to react fast enough, as a dark blade pierced her back. ~ In the northern part of Horizon, the fight between Dony and Senia was also coming to an end. Like Pierre, Dony appeared to be as weak in front of the siren and her accomplices as his friend did against the fairy twins. His pitiful earth magic barely defended himself against the incessant attacks of the sirens, making him a simple prey to them. They did not enjoy the fight, but it had to be done nonetheless. What was even more tragic, was his inability to deduce the situation. In reality, the grand magic Senia used to form tubes with were there to create a path for the siren, who would help the master of the magic in firing another kind of magic. It was a complicated magic in three parts. First and foremost, Senia drew the entirety of the Siren Sea under her tight control, creating funnels for the various creatures residing in the sea, while creating a way for the other sirens to move freely around Dony. Next, she applied a slight light refraction spell that hid the sirens, making them visible only as shadows. Furtively making them move around was a great strategy that she thought of after fighting the Corrupted Eel. Lastly, wherever the sirens placed their hands on, Senia fired a pressurized water beam, limiting her focus on controlling the water flow only, leaving the actual placement of attacks to her allies. In the end, the entire plan was perfect, but far too effective against this man. His multi-layered barriers were ineffective and rapidly crumbled under the powerful jets of water, before ripping pieces after pieces of his flesh, until he finally died. What made it even harder for the sirens, was that the poor man returned from the dead, to be executed in the same manner, while begging for his life. Pierre and Dony were defective products of the new corrupted transformation, alongside Kiel. The human emotions inside their heart rejected the corruption, making them a failed creation, and Miasma knew it. That was the reason for not casting them away. ''Every tool has a purpose.'' And they carried out their role perfectly, even in death. Separating Orion''s forces, even for a less than half-an-hour. For Miasma, it was everything. ~ With only Lucas remaining, Miasma entered the final phase of his plan. A dark, sludgy matter dragged itself along the grass, undetected by everyone. It moved toward the most important place of the plane, until the liquid touched a barrier. Rejecting it violently, the sludge shook, before a pearl emerged from its center. "I''ve found you." Shaping himself from the sludge with the pearl as its core, the true Miasma placed his hand on the barrier. *Crack* With his sight set on a large house, Miasma rushed at full speed, aware that Orion and Elliott were pursuing him. Chapter 370: Pleasure in fighting. Karteira winced at the blade piercing her shoulder. Breaking away from it, she rapidly healed her wound, and stared at the shadow of Lucas. "You did one on me too." "That''s fair, isn''t it? Look at me now?" Lucas swiped his blade to the side, spraying Karteira''s blood on the grass. Lucas''s corrupted form revealed, Karteira felt great, even if she had suffered a sneak attack. "If only you hadn''t reacted that fast, I wouldn''t have missed your heart. What a shame." With a faint smile, he shrugged. "That was your only chance. Too bad you''ve missed it." "I don''t think so?" Karteira blinked. At that instant, Lucas slipped by, and appeared behind her. ''You won''t get me a second time.'' Covered in light, Karteira rushed away from the attack. "I think it''s time I get serious with you. Now that I know you won''t return a third time, I can let loose and get rid of you for good." The plate blade on Karteira''s backhand returned to its original place. Instead, both hands switched to flattened tips, as her armor also returned to normal. No more Cerulean Storm. She was back to her plain Cerulean Armor, without any use of special abilities. "You''re underestimating me. Throwing out your speed advantage, is this supposed to help you?" With a smirk, Lucas aimed his sword at her. "Who knows?" Karteira answered with a smirk of her own, pushing her flat weapons'' heads against each other. The loud shock acted as their way to begin again. Lucas rushed to Karteira, slashing at her diagonally. Karteira bent a body sideways, dodging it by a thread. With a wild smile on her face, she countered him by slamming her right arm into his cheek. She put barely any force behind it, which made Lucas recoil for a split second, before returning to the assault. Charging at her once again, he threw countless slashes that Karteira easily dodged. Once again, after each one, she threw a light punch that barely affected him. Lucas was starting to get angrier. Those punches weren''t dangerous at all, as if Karteira was mocking him each time she punched him. Until he went for her legs. Crouching suddenly, he swiped at her legs, ready to slice them off. Karteira lifted her left leg, and slammed the sword down with her foot. Covered in light magic, she managed to catch it before being damaged and seal Lucas'' movements. Then, she punched down at the top of his head with everything she had. His face collided with the ground, creating massive cracks on contact. Karteira moved away, positioning herself for another hit. When Lucas removed his head from the ground, Karteira punched his face sideways, sending him flying away. Flying off to the right, his body rolled in the grass, before coming to a stop. "So? How do you like my serious punches?" Lucas slammed the tip of his sword into the ground, laying his body on it as he stood up. "..." Instead of answering her with words, he answered with a dangerous glare. "Oooh~ I''m scared." Lifting her chin up, she provoked him. "Come."Stolen story; please report. Straightening his body, Lucas gathered his strength, and leaned forward. Next, he rapidly closed the gap between him and Karteira. ''As I thought, he''s getting faster.'' Karteira was slowly struggling to dodge his attacks, forcing her to carefully parry his sword each time. But it also chipped away at her plates. With each exchange, Karteira felt cornered, until she couldn''t defend anymore. The clashing stopped with Lucas smirking. He vanished from his spot, only to reappear right in front of her. His sword fell vertically, ready to split her in half. Stepping aside, she dodged the sword, and punched his face one last time. This time, Lucas wasn''t sent flying. His feet slid on the ground, with a distasteful look on his face. *Crack* Karteira''s left-hand weapon cracked, until it crumbled into dust. "My plates..." A saddened expression appeared on her face, as their durability fell to zero. The constant pressure she placed on them by the attacks finally took their toll on them, leaving her with no other way to attack. This was Lucas'' best opportunity, now that she was disarmed. Without weighting whether he could or not, he took the bait and lunged at her, ready to remove her head from her shoulders. ''As expected!'' A bright light enveloped Karteira before the man could approach. The light magic repaired her plates, and provided a boost to her speed, matching Lucas'' growing speed. Karteira slammed her elbow on the hand holding the sword, forcing Lucas to release it. Then, a simple brawl with no subterfuge happened. Both became faster and stronger after each punch. Karteira accepted each punch without protecting herself, dealing massive damage to Lucas in exchanged. With their healing prowess, they finally parted, sweating profusely. "Not bad. I like those fists." Said Karteira, swiping the blood away from the corner of her mouth. "What is wrong with you?" Lucas began to doubt his mind. ''This woman is crazy... Why is she still smiling?'' ''I''m struggling to kill her, while she takes pleasure in this?'' This was the moment Karteira finally revealed her true power. "Aaah~ This was fun. I thought only Orion would be able to satisfy my freakishly large battle needs, but you''ve managed to fill it." Stretching her arms behind her, Karteira glanced at her scorpion tail. "I suppose I should warn you. You have less than five minutes before dying." The expression on her face turned serious. An expression only a commander in charge of countless men would display. "..." Lucas opened his mouth wide as a knightly armor of light covered Karteira from head to toe. All the plates of her right arm merged into a tall and wide shield, while a large greatsword composed of light magic appeared in her left hand. The stinger on her turned white, as it expanded forward. "Prepare yourself because I won''t be holding back anymore." Except for the slight mistake she made earlier, which was to react a tad too late at the appearance of Lucas'' corrupted form, everything went according to her judgement. Her only interest in this fight was to enjoy it, and test her capabilities outside of her new power. Was she able to improve her reflexes? Her train of thoughts? Overall, she was satisfied. So, now was the point where Lucas became useless. She was done with keeping this man alive. Unleashing her magic, powerful waves of light burst out of her, illuminating past her. Lucas felt the vast power behind around her, but stayed true to his thoughts. "Then let''s see... who''s stronger, between you and me!" Lunging forward, and covered in a dark aura, Lucas'' sword fell diagonally on Karteira. The blade met her stinger, and slid off to the side, leaving his side open. Karteira kicked his knee to the side, forcing him to kneel on the ground. Then, she lifted her greatsword above her, and slammed it down with all her might. Rolling out of the way, Lucas dodged the blade, which scattered dirt everywhere on contact. A small crater was left behind, before she followed him. Starting to feel the danger, Lucas approached Karteira and attacked her similarly to his first strike. Seeing that, Karteira moved her tail to receive the blade, but at the last second, Lucas feinted his attack into something else. He grabbed the handle with his other hand, pulled the sword down, and stepped around Karteira, before slicing at her side in a split second. "Weak." Holding her shield in the direction of the sword, Lucas smirked. ''I''ll slice this shield alongside your stomach!'' The two met with an ear-deafening metallic sound, as his expression turned from excitement to bewilderment. "How?!" His blade slid off the shield without leaving a dent on it. "I told you. I am serious." Karteira moved her shield away, before slamming her tail diagonally. The tough surface met his chest, and with an awful gasp, Lucas was pushed away, holding his painful side. Not leaving him a single chance to recover, Karteira vanished and attacked his blind spot. The light greatsword scrapped the ground, before moving upward toward the man. Impacting his blade as he tried to defend, he flew into the air with no way to defend anymore. With no stable ground, he became an easy target. Karteira''s armor changed into her Cerulean Storm form. Since she was constantly accumulating steam inside her armor, the four canisters instantly filled. Opening two of them, she left the ground, starting her onslaught on Lucas. With the two canisters on her sides, she rapidly attacked the corrupted man on all sides, leaving him no choice but to suffer. In ten seconds, Karteira slashed him more than three hundred times, moving higher and higher into the air, each time removing a piece of his shadowy flesh. Dark sludge flew off in all directions while Lucas focused on surviving the attacks. Cracks began to form on his dark sword, until Karteira went for the final blow. Fifty meters above ground, Karteira appeared far above him. With her stinger pointing at him, she opened the two canisters on her back, and flew downward at an absurd speed. Lucas tried to defend himself by placing his sword in front of him, but as her stinger''s tip met the blade, the cracks traveled all the way around, shattering it into two pieces. Her stinger pierced Lucas'' chest, and as they approached the ground, his last stand came to an end. A massive dust cloud covered the entire area, before a single silhouette walked out of it. "That was incredible." Karteira stretched her arms above her head, before placing both hand behind her nape to lift her cerulean hair back in place. She looked behind her as the dust settled down, and looked at the dark patch inside a large crater. "That''s a done deal." With a smile, she turned around. "Alright, let''-" A threatening aura suddenly forced her to stop in her tracks. "Orion... This is bad." Her smile died done as rapidly as it appeared, feeling the murderous aura emanating from him. "I have to find him... We can''t have a repeat of what happened." With hurried steps, Karteira ran toward the source of the aura. Chapter 371: A tragic loss. Karteira and Lucas, who were too focuses on their fight to notice the clash between Elliott and Miasma and its end, were oblivious to Layla''s recovery. "What do you mean? I am certain that Miasma died." Elliott looked at Layla, gripping at his leg. "No! Lord Elliott, this was all a lie!" Orion crouched next to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "For a start, calm down. Take a deep breath, and then explain." Perplexed, she glanced at him, before doing what he asked her to do. Breathing in and out a few times, Layla seemed to drop the pressure. After a few seconds, she released Elliott, and stood up. "I''m sorry. I haven''t even thanked you for saving my life." She turned to Orion, before holding her hand toward him. "I know it isn''t the best time for that, but what you did will forever be engraved in my mind. This is a debt I will be unable to repay in what is left of this life." Orion took her hand while standing up, and firmly grasped it. "I would have never expected handshaking the first person who tried to kill me." "And I would never have expected to be released from the corruption. We are the same." Exchanging a profound look into each other''s eyes, they shared muted words that described more than what they explained. While Orion understood that this woman was originally a kind person at heart, Layla acknowledged that the man in front of her was more than a killer. Judging each other swiftly, they released the other''s hand, and looked at Elliott. "Miasma having survived doesn''t sound so farfetched now that I think about it. He isn''t the kind of monster to come unprepared." Opening his hand, a tablet appeared in Orion''s hand. He quickly pressed and swiped on it, trying to find evidence of the Remnant. "Yes. I will explain what his real plan was when invading this realm." Following with a nod, Elliott listened. "There is something in this realm that Miasma desire more than anything. He felt its magic signature a few weeks ago." "A magic signature?" "Yes. It appeared for an entire day, before vanishing into thin air. This appeared to be a place across the entire continent, at the opposite of where we were." Orion and Elliott looked at each other, before a look of shock appeared on Orion''s face. He opened his mouth, and frowned. "This corresponds to the time everyone went to Hocride..." Elliott followed his train of thought, and quickly understood. Both Orion and Elliott opened their mouth, speaking the names of the entity in danger. "Tia-Norun and Enri-Ann..." A dark expression appeared on Orion''s face, before a dangerous bloodlust escaped his body. "It could even be Stella." "Why?" Layla asked carefully. Orion glanced at her. ''The less people know, the better. Yet, I should be able to trust her now that she is clean.'' Closing his eyes, Orion revealed Stella''s identity that only him, the twins, and Tiohr-nam knew. "She''s the Remnant of Progress." Both fell silent, until Layla took over. "I believe this person is fine. At that time, there were only two signatures. If she was with them, then she wasn''t found out." Both Elliott and Orion eased up, but stayed focused. "Then, that leaves the two other Remnants." Elliott turned his head away, and opened his mouth in disbelief. "I should''ve seen it coming. Layla." "Yes?" The woman jumped slightly at the sudden call, and anxiously waited for Elliott to talk. "He intends to seize Tia-Norun''s power." "..." Layla slowly nodded, confirming his idea. Orion opened his eyes wide, finding out the underlying problem with this.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "He wants the power to control space and time?!" Orion''s angered voice caught the two off guard. As they looked at him, Elliott explained. "This was an idea I heard only once." - "Wouldn''t it be incredible to change the events that happened." "With such a power, I could rewind time, change what happened to Frey, and make this world as I see fit." - "So that was father''s plan all along..." Feeling cheated, Elliott turned around to hide his expression. Suddenly, a warning sound echoed from the tablet. Orion glared at the screen, and saw a notice saying that a breached occurred on the barrier placed around his house. "Fuck! Elliott, we need to hurry!" The tablet disappeared as Orion turned into his Abyssal Sovereign form. With his two wings stretching wildly next to him. "Right!" Magic surrounded Elliott, as his feet glowed brightly. "Take me with you!" Layla grabbed Elliott''s arm, pleading him with her eyes. ''I don''t have time to hesitate.'' He picked up the woman in his arm, and left with Orion. The two crossed the realm in record time, breaking the wind barrier. Their exploding shockwaves were felt by the residents, alerting them of something terrible happening. The three crossed the barrier, and closed on the house, prepared to face Miasma once again. ~ *BOOOM* "Better hurry." With a anxious expression, Miasma usual smile was nowhere to be seen. He forced open the front door, and bent forward to enter. "Tsk! This place it too small." With the ceiling being too low for his almost three meters tall body, Miasma shrunk to a normal person''s size. "Where is she?" He looked with a deep focus inside the house, until the three entities entered his internal view. The signature of two grown women, and a child. Miasma rapidly ran inside the house, continued forward past the stairs, and entered the room on the right. "Found you." When he opened the door, his eyes settled on a pink-haired woman, hiding the child behind her alongside her friend. "Miasma... I hoped to never be found by you." With a hateful glare unusual for Tetra, she spat those words at him. "Don''t be like that. I need your power." "You know I won''t give it to you." A sight escaped Miasma monstrous face. "Then, you leave me no choice." He stepped forward, feeling his enemies approaching rapidly. Pressured by time, there was no time to lose anymore. "Stay away!" Henrietta stepped in front of Miasma and attacked him with a blade of water. "Fuck off!" Without a single shred of compassion, Miasma destroyed her attack, and grabbed the woman''s arm. *Crack* He bent Henrietta''s arm in an unnatural angle, before ripping it off. "Aaaah!" Then, he threw the woman to the side, and glared at her. "I''m not interested in your shitty power. If you''ve stayed quiet, I would''ve ignored you, but you''ve made the first move, so don''t blame me for that." "Enri!" Tetra shouted the name of her friend, holding herself from running to her side. Blood gushed from her wound, as her consciousness slowly faded away. "I''ve left you a little gift. Enjoy the corruption." Dark veins began to stretch under her skin, moving upward on her neck. "Why are you like this?!" "Because I can. Now, give me your power." Miasma walked toward Tetra, and grabbed her neck. "Kuh!" She glared inside his bright red eyes, before the strength in her body slowly drained. ''Orion... I''m sorry.'' The light in her eyes faded. "Noah..." Until her lifeless body remained in Miasma''s hand. The sigil of her power appeared in his eye, alongside his own. A digital 0 appeared, before vanishing. Miasma''s eye possessing Tetra''s sigil cracked, before blood gushed out of it. "Ah! Damn it!" "I''ll have to control this thing before using it!" He let go of Tetra, who fell lifelessly to the ground, right in front of Stella. Miasma stared at the little girl, who was terrified beyond belief, holding her tears. "..." His hand moved unconsciously toward her, before he recovered his senses. ''There''s no time for that, I need to get away!'' With no time to lose, Miasma destroyed the wall behind Stella, and escaped the house. While Orion and Elliott entered the house, Miasma took this chance to flee. A few minutes later, he stood in front of the rift leading to Eogis. "I made it... I have the soul and power of Tia-Norun." With a vicious smile, he looked back. *Shiver* A intense and threatening aura erased his smile. "..." He was prepared to fight Orion at some point, but not today. Still, he didn''t know how to process the fear he felt from this aura. "Death... Am I... afraid of this man?" Pondering about this, Miasma walked out of Horizon, having obtained what he came for. ~ When Orion ran inside the room, it was already too late. "..." His eyes quickly examined everyone. Henrietta was barely alive, Tetra was laying on the ground, her eyes wide open, and Stella was shaking, grabbing Tetra''s arm. Elliott and Layla entered a few seconds later. "Father..." Disappointment and rage filled Elliott, as his eyes fell on the poor girl, the only one alive and well in this room. Still, she wasn''t ''fine''. She was the witness of violence and murder. "I''ll check on Tia-Norun. Orion..." "I know." With his face hidden behind a dark veil, Orion approached Henrietta. He kneeled besides her, and placed his hand on her head. His head turned to look at the arm laying on the opposite side of the room, before turning to the gaping wound where it was supposed to be. Lifting his hand, a dark tendril formed near the ripped arm. It grabbed it, and brought it to Orion. Orion attached the arm back as he changed to his angel form. The white aura around him oscillated, as his emotion were clearly starting to change. He freed Henrietta from the corruption inside her, and healed her back to normal. As she slowly opened her eyes, she spoke with a faint voice. "I couldn''t... protect her..." Standing up, Orion''s wrath seeped through his body. ''Neither could I.'' An aura of death exploded from his body, freezing Elliott, Layla, and Stella, as they stared at Orion. On Orion''s face, a single tear traveled down his cheek, before he walked out of the room through the broken wall, passing his daughter. "The death of a friend, and the scar on my daughter''s mind." "You will suffer." "Painfully, and slowly." Wrath and agony filled his mind, as he walked toward the rift with heavy steps. Elliott closed Tetra''s eyes, before standing up. "I think... we''ve made a huge mistake." "It was my fault..." Layla looked down, recalling the terrifying expression she saw earlier. "There''s nothing we can do anymore. If there''s only one person who can stop him..." "It''s Amelia." In a precarious mental state, Elliott knew that it was a matter of time before Orion turned into his berserk state. But this time, he wasn''t sure he would be able to bring him back. He wasn''t even sure he would be able to win against Orion in his faction forms. "And now..." He glanced at Henrietta, who was crying faintly at the loss of her dearest friend. "There is no way to turn back." Locked into this timeline, there was no room for mistakes anymore. If Orion died, or lost control, the world would be doomed. And never Henrietta, nor Tetra, would be there to turn back these events. With a heavy heart, Elliott patted the little girl''s head, before leaving the room after Orion. "Layla, take care of Stella." Without giving her time to answer, Elliott walked away. "I will." Layla carefully wrapped her arm around the little girl, before hugging her tightly. "I am deeply sorry. I wish this would have never happened." Stella finally broke down, and cried on the woman''s chest. The terror, the sorrow, and her father''s expression. Everything came back like a boomerang. The fate of the continent was sealed that day, alongside the clash between Orion and Miasma. Their last battle would occur in the Forgotten Land, Eogis. Chapter 372: The unbreakable cycle of vengeance. Inside a dark void, two beings stared at each other. One appeared paler than the other, unfocused. His existence appeared to be fluctuating between this realm and another. The other was none other than Orion. "So, this is where this whole mess ultimately ended on." "Tetra losing her life?" Inside his own mental space, Orion was losing his mind. "Even though we haven''t known each other for long, the same could''ve been said for the others." "What have I done wrong?" "What have I missed?" "Why did it have to end like this?" Orion walked closer to the other entity. "Why... do I hurt?" Placing his right hand to hide the right side of his face, he frowned. "Do I need to spell it?" The entity answered him with his voice. "Wasn''t she part of the family?" Slowly, Orion nodded. "She was. There was no doubt that she was not." "Even after everything she''s said, or done to us in the past, she only did it to help us." Recalling those happy moments he spent with her, her fights with Henrietta that always ended in smiles, her mischievous but lovable personality, while sometimes showing her serious side. The many meals they shared together, the time she spent helping him train his magic, the mother''s figure she tried to be for Stella. All of these surged out of his mind and played in front of them both, as if many screens had lit up around them. "Ego, who was, in fact, Tetra all along." "She set you on the right path, even going as far as to appear in front of you multiple time, giving you items that shouldn''t have existed." Their faces turned to a memory of an old lady giving an artifact, the faction finder. Then, it switched to her giving an hourglass with his parents'' figures sculpted on its sides. "Without her, we would''ve gone nowhere." "Yes, it is because she was there all along, that our path continued smoothly." Their meeting suddenly appeared in their sight. "She... asked me to protect her." "..." Orion''s gaze darkened. His voice shook as the words escaped his mouth. "I''ve failed her. I was unable to meet her expectations." "She died for naught, robbed of the future." The two stared at one still image, still fresh in his memories. Tetra, lying on the ground. "For what? Her power as a Remnant?" "Exactly." "..." The entity tilted his head, confused. "Even if you look at me with such hatred, there is nothing I can do." "But..." With a swipe of his hand, every screen disappeared, turning the space entirely dark once again. "I can give you the power to fight back. The power to mercilessly kill Miasma." Its sinister voice ringed inside Orion''s ears. It was an enticing proposition, and Orion couldn''t ignore it. "What are you asking in exchange?" "You are smart. You know what I want." After looking downward, Orion pondered on the idea. "You know better than to promise me false power. I''m not stupid enough to not know what you are." "Oh~? And what do you think I am? Pray tell." In silence, they stared at each other.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "I don''t have to. You would have to wait until I die before taking over this body once more." "Tsk!" The entity turned around and crossed its arms. "One day, I will call for your help. But not this time. This time..." "It is personal. I get it." With a nod, Orion looked above him, where a bright light opened up from the darkness. "I won''t make the same mistake again. Letting slip the control over my identity isn''t happening again." "What a stubborn man you are. If I were you, I would accept this power immediately to get rid of my enemy." "If only you had taken it before, we wouldn''t be here." Orion scowled. "And who asked you to injure my women?" He stepped in front of it, their faces so close to each other their noses almost touched. With a disapproving glare, Orion lifted his chin lightly. "That will never happen again. Is that clear to you?" "For that one mistake, I am unable to trust this power, despite the fact it is mine. Until I control every single aspect of my bloodline, I will not let you out." The entity began to vanish as the light replaced the darkness. "You can''t have everything, if you still haven''t noticed by now. You will call me soon enough." "For you and I, are but two sides of the same coin." As the light engulfed everything, Orion spoke one last sentence. "I will control you, not the opposite." ... Orion, who was walking mindlessly toward the rift leading to Eogis until now, stopped in front of it and sighed. ''Get a hold of yourself, Orion. It hurts, but you need to keep it together.'' Placing a hand on his chest, he felt heartbroken. ''I have a promise to keep, even if she''s gone. Protecting this world is what she wanted.'' As he was about to enter the portal, he heard footsteps behind him. "Elliott? You''ve followed me?" Glancing over his shoulder, he stared at the man. "I have to be honest with you, I am impressed by your willpower. I was persuaded you would lose your mind. I would rather not fight you, and focus on killing Miasma." Orion looked forward. ''Killing Miasma... right.'' Realizing that Elliott finally managed to let go of his hope to reform his father, Orion nodded. "I''m not as weak-willed as I was before. Hurting others can change a man." "You are certainly correct. I am relieved not to have to turn my blade against you." The only emotions left in Orion''s heart were the grief of losing his friend, and the desire to obliterate Miasma''s entire existence. "We''ll have to discuss what our next course of action is." Said Orion with a cold tone. "There is not much time left. Controlling Tia-Norun''s power might take him a few hours at most, if we''re lucky, but we can''t wait. If it''s too late, Miasma will change the course of history." Elliott walked next to him with the same tone. Both men were ready to walk through the portal and rush to Miasma, yet, they contained their furry deep inside. "You''re not going to apologize for failing to kill him, do you?" Orion glanced at him with a softer expression. "I thought you would hate empty words, so I avoided to. I can always apologize if you want me to." Shaking his head lightly, he answered. "You''re fine. I''d rather have you feeling fine than apologetic. Since I am confident that I would''ve been duped too, I don''t have it in my heart to blame you." They looked at each other, before nodding. "Orion!" A trail of light appeared in the distance, screaming his name. It approached at high speed, before crashing on him. "Karteira." The woman grabbed his collar and pulled his face closer, inspecting his face from top to bottom. "Thank the world!" She released a long sigh before letting go of his clothes. "I don''t know what I would''ve done if you had turned feral again." His expression relaxed for an instant at the sight of her usual self. "If you''re here, that means the arachnea are safe. Good job out there." Karteira shook her head. "Never mind that. What happened? Why were you on the brink of losing it?" "..." Both Elliott and Orion stared at each other. "Stay calm, Miss Karteira." Elliott said with a commanding voice. Hearing the man''s tone, she understood something terrible had happened, and that this news would upset her greatly. Orion opened his mouth, and delivered the terrible news. "We''ve lost Tetra..." "..." Her eyes opened wide. Suddenly, an enraged expression warped her face as she clenched her hands into tight fists. She clenched them so tight her nails pierced her skin, letting blood drop into the grass. "What... What about Henrietta and Stella?" Orion grabbed her left hand, and slowly opened her hand, finger by finger. "Henrietta was dying when we''ve found her. She had an arm ripped off, with corruption spreading inside her. If I was a minute too late, she would''ve died too." This time, she bit her lower lip. Her scorpion tail was twitching relentlessly, showing how troubled she was. "Stella is... fine. Physically, at least." Lifting her head and looking inside his eyes, she saw the same expression he had inside his house. Pure, unfiltered hatred toward Miasma. "She witnessed them get attacked. There''s no way she''s fine!" Karteira said. "..." Orion looked away. "He knows it. There''s simply very little that can be done to mitigate the damages done." Elliott walked next to Orion, placing his hand on his shoulder. "Let''s hope this won''t affect the poor child''s growth." "I hope so, too..." The three fell in silence, before looking toward the rift crackling not far from their position. "Should I gather everyone?" Asking, Karteira glanced at Orion. "..." Thinking about his options, he pondered for a minute. "Elliott, you, Amelia, and me. That''s everyone." "Consider me in, too." A cold voice caught their attention. Footsteps grazing the grass approached the trio, until Henrietta came into view. "Henrietta, you know I can''t let you." "Why? Because I''m a Remnant?" Orion nodded calmly. "There is no point in hiding anymore. From the moment Miasma found us, it became meaningless." Her expression darkened. The surrounding air became suffocating the moment her gaze shifted toward the rift. "I have a right to participate in this fight." The two next to Orion stayed quiet, as he turned around. "Because Tetra died?" "Yes. I can''t accept this monster walking the earth after he killed my friend!" The face she made wasn''t pretty. Even if Orion refused to bring her along, he knew she wouldn''t listen. He knew because he was the same. "..." They exchanged a long silence, before Orion spoke. "I have no right to refuse. All I''m asking is that you don''t let these emotions control you. All I need right now is for you to join Tetra." "If you die too, I won''t be able to face Amelia ever again." His saddened expression caught her off-guard, which forced her to reconsider her thoughts. "Amelia... How is she doing?" Seeing her expression relax, Orion answered. The bridge between him and her wasn''t cut yet, which led to a simple answer. "She''s resting in Noctelagia. There''s nothing to worry about." A sigh of relief escaped her mouth, as she smiled faintly. "At least, that''s a concern off my chest." Orion nodded. "I''ll get her before we move to Eogis." He turned to Karteira. "While I''m gone... Please notify the others." "I''ll do that." With a nod, Karteira answered. She looked toward the fairy village, before moving away, wrapped in light. "I''ll wait here." Elliott closed his eyes, his hand on Vanitas'' scabbard. "Right. I''ll return soon." Leaving Elliott to his thoughts, Orion and Henrietta walked into a portal. After appearing in front of the Horizon''s portal hub, they walked through the one leading to Noctelagia, where they were met with an incredible sight. Chapter 373: Amelia awakens. Silence. That was the only reaction the two had after seeing a massive creature floating in the ocean. The sound of the waves, the sea breeze caressing their skin, and the cries of the seagulls. As the sun''s rays fell upon the coastal city as if the entire world were at peace, the residents walked about the streets. "Orion!" A blonde woman rushed out of the front door of the castle that stood majestically behind them, and threw herself at his back gently. Hearing the gentle voice of his friend and lover, Orion glanced at Olivia, who rubbed her cheeks against his clothes. "Olivia." For a moment, Orion smiled, before a strange feeling took over him. With confusion, he looked at her shoulder. ''The magic I placed on her is gone?'' Orion recalled hearing through the linked portal that she personally dealt with the army, but thereafter, he was unable to recall hearing anything from her. The same could be said with May and Deveralna. ''When have I...'' That''s when he remembered. ''When Miasma appeared in front of us. I was too focused to notice.'' With a faint smile, he closed his eyes and placed a hand on Olivia''s head. "Thank the world, you''re safe and sound." Olivia removed her face from his back, and looked at him with a serious expression. Her gaze shifted to Henrietta, who was unable to remove her eyes from the marine creature. "What happened?" Hearing the words coming out of her mouth, Henrietta turned her face away, biting her lower lips. "Nothing escapes you." Orion caressed her hair for a moment, appeasing the raging feeling in his heart. "Of course. Henrietta wouldn''t be here otherwise. They''ve been found out?" "..." "Worse. Let''s move inside, I''ll tell you after waking Amelia." His tone wasn''t the usual to Olivia. She looked into his eyes, and noticed a shadow that wasn''t there before. A bitterness that slowly crept into his soul, eating at his core. Her demon blood boiled, as the desire to remove his pain became stronger each passing seconds. "Alright. Follow me." She gently removed his hand caressing her hair, and turned around while holding it. Orion firmly grabbed her hand, feeling her worries through her voice. With Henrietta, they entered the castle, and walked inside its long corridors. A few minutes later, they arrived in front of a room. "Marie, I''m coming in." After knocking on the door and announcing herself, she entered. Most of the maid squad were inside the room, with two sent to fetch a drink after seeing the guests from the windows. "How is she doing?" The maid bent lightly at the arrival of their master, before straightening. Marie placed her finger in front of a strand of hair bothering her, and dragged it behind her ear. "She is perfectly healthy. There is nothing wrong with her currently." "If there was one element worrisome, it is that she is exhausted, hence her condition." Orion walked in front of Olivia, still holding her hand. The two walked past the head maid, who recoiled by instinct at his approach. ''Why did I...?'' Confused, she blinked, before looking at him. Orion, who noticed it, smiled warmly and nodded to appease the woman. He continued past her, and stopped next to the bed. His eyes scanned Amelia''s body from head to toe. ''There is indeed nothing going on physically. They weren''t lying.'' While gazing at Amelia''s sleeping state, he opened his mouth. "You have my thanks. Giving her such a comfortable bed and watching over her."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The maids all blinked as their gazes focused on him. They weren''t expecting anything from him in that situation, as it was simply an order from their master. Yet, inside, they felt appreciated. Few people thanked them for the hard work they did, where even the citizens of Noctelagia barely had the chance to talk to them. To say that they didn''t care about others apart from their master was no lie, but nonetheless, his appreciative words changed the view they had of him. Olivia smiled next to him, looking at the side of his face. ''Even in these circumstances, he is kind to everyone. It wasn''t a mistake to fall for him.'' As she thought that, Orion placed his right hand, which was free, over Amelia''s forehead. He placed his index finger on it, releasing a faint white light that permeated inside her. "Wake up, sleepyhead." Removing the exhaustion from her muscles and the strain on her brain, Orion smiled as she slowly opened her eyes. "Who''re you calling a sleepyhead?" Wiping her eyes with a smile, she sat in bed while yawning. "Where am I?" Her eyes then examined the room. She noticed twenty-five maids, Olivia, Orion, and... her mother. "Mom?!" She hurriedly stepped out of the bed, and ran to Henrietta. With a concerned expression, she grabbed her hands and clenched them. "Are you alright? If you''re here, then..." She glanced over her shoulder, and looked at Orion, who nodded. "We''ve lost Tetra." Silence fell inside the room. ... "Damn it!" Amelia slammed her left fist into the wall, leaving a large dent that spread cracks all around it. "..." With a tearful and distressed face, Olivia clenched her fists, not knowing what to do with herself. Appearing calm, inside, all she wanted was to cry. "Fuck!" Turning around, seething from anger, Amelia walked to Orion. "We''re making him pay, right?! We won''t let him go further after what he''s done!" "We share the same feelings. That''s why I''m asking you to settle down. If you don''t, forget about Miasma." "..." Orion received the entirety of her wrath as she glared at him. Despite that, he never looked away. Seeing the blood dripping from her clenched fist flow toward the ground, he gently pulled her arm and placed his free hand over it. Feeling the warm light remove the pain and close her torn skin made her reflect on her actions. "I... I''m sorry." She placed her other hand on her face, and looked down. "I didn''t mean to lash at you." "I know." Orion placed his hand behind her head, and pulled her in his embrace. Sticking her face into his chest, she wrapped her hands around his back and squeezed his back. "We''ll simply have to send those feelings toward Miasma, and properly send Tetra off after everything is done." The maid opened their mouths wide open at the sight of Orion''s gaze. The only one unable to see it was Amelia, yet, she wasn''t oblivious to it. ''It might be even harder for him...'' ''Tetra was a part of our family at this point. She possessed a piece of his heart, and now that she''s gone, he needs to fill the hole.'' Amelia contained her tears, and removed her face to look into his eyes. Orion and Amelia stared into each other''s eyes with the same expression. Hatred, and determination. As they nodded to each other without saying a word, they broke off. "It''s settled then." "I''ll go with you." She walked past him and sat on the bed, crossing her legs and placing her elbow on her knees. Then, she stayed quiet for the rest of the conversation. Orion understood that she had to carefully work around her feelings, to avoid becoming a liability in battle, so, he let her be. Suddenly, the pressure around him and Amelia subsided, finally giving room for the others to breathe. "You two are dangerous... I''m glad to be on your side." Olivia walked in front of him, and smiled dryly. "For that, there''s nothing I can do. But I can at least tell you one thing." His gaze fell on everyone in the room. The twenty-seven maids, Henrietta, and Olivia. "None of the people in this room is in danger. On the contrary, I will do everything to protect you." Marie stepped forward. "Even us? While you don''t know a single thing about us?" Seeing the woman walk forward with a concerned expression, Orion nodded. "Even you." Orion stepped in front of her with loud steps, releasing his powerful aura. The point wasn''t to scare the maids, but to make a point. "And I know more about you all than you think." Looking up into his deep gray eyes, she understood why Olivia succumbed to his charm. ''Those eyes... aren''t the eyes of a killer.'' She knew what his gaze represented, and what his power was meant to be used against. She simply couldn''t accept it before, afraid for her master''s safety around this man. "People who share Olivia''s ideals are the ones I wish to protect. The twenty-seven of you defended this city, with nothing in return. At her order, you are ready to place your life on the scale." "I always believed that humans were weak-willed, easy to corrupt. Frail and pitiful, yet managing the feet of mastering magic." "Even though I hate humans, I do not despise you. You have thrown your pride as humans and entered the entourage of a demon. Your dedication to pursue what is just in your hearts is none but praiseworthy." The maids, who were feeling threatened a moment ago, looked up to the man who understood them with respect. "That is why, you are part of the group I will defend until the end. You have protected Olivia until now, and for that, you have my respect." He put a lid on the aura he was releasing, making the room normal again. "Orion, please don''t seduce my maids." With a serious expression, Olivia glared at him. Orion glanced toward her, and smiled faintly. "That wasn''t my intention. I simply wanted them to know how I felt about them as a group." She sighed, looking at the women intently. ''...'' Each one of them was carefully checked, until Olivia closed her eyes. ''Seems like it was an overreaction on my part.'' All she could see in them was admiration and respect. Maybe a few of them looked flushed, but she knew none of them were interested romantically in him. But... It was just Marie, who looked at Orion with an entirely different gaze. Far greater than admiration, and stronger than respect. Her mind idolized Orion, as if he had become a divine being. Still, that changed nothing apart from the perception she had of him. Olivia opened her eyes, and called out to the maid. "Marie. Is there something you want to add?" "No. I understood without fault." The woman bowed in front of Orion, before taking a step back into her original spot. She then looked at Olivia, nodding to her that she wouldn''t interrupt again. For the first time in since forming this maid squad had she seen these women respect someone besides herself. And, she was all for it. It meant that Orion was accepted by them entirely. The only thing she refused was for them to fall in love with him. On the other hand, she knew that they would probably never lead a normal life anymore. Their ''quirks'' were a little too difficult to handle for normal people, and it was far too late to bother with love. As she nodded in response to her trusted maid, Orion walked to the window. "I know everything that happened during the invasion. What I don''t know..." "Is what that creature is." His eyes fell on the floating monster, far into the sea. "Ah..." All the maids opened their mouth and looked at Olivia, who scratched her head. "It''s... right. A little something happened." Olivia began to explain what happened after pushing back the three false Corrupted Lord, starting with the appearance of this gigantic sea monster. Chapter 374: Olivias dual magic. Returning half-an-hour prior to the tragic event in Horizon. Olivia pondered on a way to save the sea monster that appeared near Noctelagia, suffering from corruption taking over its body, and killing it at a fast pace. After walking in a circle for a long time, Olivia began to create a new branch of magic that no one ever thought of. "This... can my body even withstand it?" Frowning at the reality concerning her abilities, she looked at the city, standing far away. "..." Then, she turned back to the creature, who was staring at her with half-opened eyelids. "I''m sorry. While I was thinking, your condition kept declining." "You have no need for an apology. I have already made peace with my death." Olivia clenched her fists in disapproval, and walked forward. "Don''t you have wishes? You''ve said that you wanted to explore more of the world. Don''t lose hope yet!" "I haven''t. At least, not until you, little land creature, gives up." "Olivia... Call me Olivia. That''s my name." A loud and hot steam jet escaped his nostrils. "I will remember it, Olivia." With the creature learning her name, Olivia nodded. ''I shouldn''t hesitate. Orion would try it, even if it were to cause him damage.'' Olivia decided to follow Orion''s exemple, and try anyway. "Whatever happens, happens." At that moment, the air surrounding her shifted drastically. A magical aura with no element linked to it covered her body from head to toe, forcing her to wince at the unfamiliar feeling. "Kh! This is harder than I thought!" She arched her back forward, feeling her magical circuit burn from the unusual magic flow. Before long, her entire circuit was purged with neutral energy. At that point, Olivia began to act. "That''s a gamble... I will never take ever again!" With a crooked smile, she stretched her arms to the sides, and straightened. "If everything I planned is correct, then..." Her eyes focused on a single point in front of her. She opened her left hand, and aimed it in front of her. "First, I construct the body with dense water." Water magic rushed through her circuit, and traveled to her left arm, where it remained locked in by the neutral energy. By doing so, she discovered for the first time a power no one managed to. An ability that caused the death of many humans before her. As water flowed from her left hand, as if it had a mind of its own, traveled on the creature''s skin in front of her, before forming a humanoid shape. The amount of water used was so incredibly dense, it turned opaque. Not even light managed to light it up, as if this water had been taken straight out of the abyss. "Haaa~" Focusing her mind on the humanoid shape, it began to take a more detailed shape. Bones, muscles, organs, flesh, hair, fingers... She constructed an entire body made of water. In normal circumstances, this would have no impact on the world. It was a simple dummy body, which would be best used as a practice target or a decoy. Yet, this was only the start. "Then... I use dark magic." As the dark magic traveled through her circuit, it settled in her right hand. Olivia, at this very moment, became the first being to use dual magic. It was an impossible task, overheating the magic circuit of those who tried, ultimately leading to self-destruction. She wasn''t feeling fine, as her circuit was burning, yet, she was still standing strong. Her right hand moved toward the humanoid replica, before Olivia unleashed a wave of dark magic toward it. The replica absorbed the magic, which seeped into every nook and cranny of the humanoid.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. "This... will create a perfect... illusion." Her right hand moved to her face, as she closed her eyes. Placing her hand over her right eye, she reminded still for a moment. Through the opening between her third finger and her index finger, she opened her right eye only, which gleamed a dark light that replaced the color of her iris. "Now, awaken!" A dark spiral of dark energy erupted from the dummy''s feet, enveloping its entirety. ''Amelia wouldn''t let me hear the end of it if I forgot to name this ability.'' With a faint smile, Olivia thought of her friend, and opened her mouth. "Mirroring Phantasm!" *Cough* As she uttered the name of her creation, blood pooled inside her mouth, forcing her to cough it out. Not only that, but her right eye began to bleed alongside it. "I knew it, there''s little time remaining before this power devours me." Feeling the pressure of failure swirl inside her, what she understood was that it was too late to back down. The spiral engulfing the replica suddenly vanished, revealing a person she knew very well emerge from it. "That''s... a success." With a smirk, she stared at the person she had created. As it looked at his hands, he turned to Olivia. "What..." "There''s not much time. If you ask questions now, I''ll die." "Please... Orion." Two white wings stretched magnificently behind him, just as she remembered him. His face, expression, mind, body shape, every single detail about him was recreated perfectly. Orion''s replica frowned. With a single glance, he gathered everything he needed to support Olivia. "I''m not the real Orion... I have no memories of how I came here. For all I know, I am in Horizon trying to save Layla." His words shocked her. Olivia suddenly felt a weakness in her knees, making her fall forward. "Oops." Jumping forward, Orion caught her in her fall, and supported her steadily. "Leave it to me. Even if I''m not the original, I''ll do what I can." Holding Olivia''s waist with his right arm, he lifted his left hand above his head. "If it''s removing the corruption from this creature you want, who am I to refuse you?" A sphere of light formed in the palm of his hand. It grew to the size of a large ball, before Orion clenched his fist. With a fast and powerful punch, he hit the ball of light, sending it high into the air. After traveling a hundred-meter above them, the ball exploded like fireworks, releasing snow-like particles of light that fell into the sea. At the same time, he healed Olivia''s overheating magical circuit, and the wounds forming inside her body. The two looked at the gargantuan sea monster, watching the millions of particles fall upon his skin. Seeping deep into its massive body, the dark rashes on his skin were restored as if they never developed to begin with. "Hmm~" Orion closed his eyes, and through his feet, felt the being''s internal structure. With a quick scan, he watched as the corruption inside its body crumbled into nothingness, leaving a small sludge-like structure in its core, branching apart similar to a starfish. Sending a wave of light energy through his feet, he bathed the last patch of corruption in light magic, eradicating all traces of it ever from the beast. "I don''t know what you are, and I certainly have no time to ask, but if Olivia want this far to save you, then so be it." He looked at Olivia with a smile. "You better explain everything to me later." His body suddenly crumbled into a puddle of water, releasing the dark magic that created him into the air. Suddenly released from his grasp, Olivia fell backward. Falling on her behind, she looked at the puddle of water. "I will." - Orion opened his mouth in disbelief. "What you''ve done..." "Was it bad? Have I done something I shouldn''t have?" He shook his head. Amelia, Henrietta, and himself were all looking with the most stupefied expression ever. "I get it now... That''s why I managed to recover Layla''s soul..." His gaze turned to Henrietta. Thinking the same thing, she nodded. "Being in two places at the same time... Isn''t that against Nature''s rules?" Olivia shook her head. "It wasn''t Orion. What I''ve created was an illusion of him." "But from what you''ve said, it was Orion." Emphasizing the word, Amelia pointed out that something wasn''t clear in this matter. "It''s complicated." Walking back toward the center of the room, Orion took over. "I believe no repercussions apart from the danger of using it would necessarily be enforced by Nature." "In the end, we are talking about magic. She did not create a new being, nor did she play the role of a Remnant." "She simply used her memories to create what would help her in this specific situation, in this case, me." Henrietta confirmed his thoughts. "There shouldn''t be any problem, even if both were to meet each other. It''s not like the copy transferred its memories to the original, either. This being was him, without being him." Confused, Amelia tilted her head. "This is complicated indeed." Orion walked toward the bed, and placed his hand on top of her head. "Think of it as a mirror." "Oh!" The idea suddenly became clear to her. "Thanks." "No problem." Orion caressed her head for a brief instant, before moving toward Olivia. Feeling slightly ashamed of what she''s done as she failed to notify him beforehand, she recoiled slightly. Seeing his approach rapidly, she closed her eyes. "I''m relieved my mirrored self kept the same care as I do. You''ve done an incredible job at recreating me." He pulled Olivia closer to his chest, and hugged her. "I don''t even need to check on you to see that you''re healthy." "It means a lot to me." Her hands on his chest, she clenched his clothes. "W-Why?" "The trust you have in me, and in my personality. Someone unable to understand me cannot recreate me. You''ve understood the love I have for you, and the care I pour into your wellbeing." Yet, Orion turned to Henrietta. "There''s only one thing I don''t understand. Why was my mirrored self had the memories of my current self? It shouldn''t have known that I was healing Layla." Pondering, Henrietta fell silent. "Nothing-... without-... souls-..." A faint voice echoed in the room, surprising both Henrietta and Orion. "Who?!" Olivia suddenly broke away from Orion, switching to her demon form. Amelia jumped out of bed, and changed form using Leima. "Stop right there, you two." Henrietta glared at them both with an intense aura. "Do not do anything rash." Orion agreed with her. At his words, they returned to normal, but still on high alert. "Enri-... take-..." "Fine, just this once." Henrietta closed her eyes. Her breathing suddenly stopped, before the aura she had changed entirely. A barely visible crest appeared behind her back, as her eyes opened, revealing a radiance impossible to see in living beings. "I haven''t manifested myself since the beginning of time." Orion dropped his face slightly, ready to act in case anything were to happen. "Drop your guard, World Hero." The words coming out of Henrietta''s mouth made him freeze, before his body entirely relaxed. "Precautions." "I understand. I know what happened. More than a shame, it saddens me greatly." Henrietta''s expression was genuinely mournful. "Can you confirm with me what you are?" Her gaze stared into Orion''s very soul. "It is fine." The two nodded. "I am Nature itself. / Nature." Everyone in the room opened their mouth and eyes wide, finally realizing that they were blessed by the appearance of the creator of this world. Chapter 375: Nature and the world. Nature smiled with a divine glow. "I understand well that my appearance is shocking to all of you." With a smile less warm, she looked at Orion. "Yet, there is no time neither for I nor for you to lose time anymore." She crossed her arms, and stuck her back against the wall. "I am in a terrible predicament where this world as a whole could be turned into corrupt lands." "If it were only Triazils, I would''ve simply watched as this would be a trial for the individuals living on it, yet, this corrupted power is more terrifying than I gave it credit originally." Everyone listened quietly. "I''ve wasted too much time trying to seal Blanc''s loss of control. Ultimately, it came to this... losing one of my most trusted ally." The frown on her face wasn''t pretty. Anyone could see the pain in her eyes, as she thought about Tetra. "I will briefly explain why this whole ordeal is painful for me to deal with, and why Blanc''s wish to save Frey will never be possible." Orion opened his mouth in shock. "Even with Tetra''s Remnant power?" She nodded. "Originally, Blanc was the only Remnant on this earth. I brought him to life, to represent me. The power gifted to him was supposed to help me find other potential entities able to convey the rules I created for this world." "Power, Culture, Language, Space, Time, Fate, Destiny, Life, Death... I could recite them all, even the ones you are not aware of." With a faint smile, she basically told Orion that the amount of Remnant he had found was but the tip of the iceberg. "After the event that transpired with those invaders from another world, I settled with the daughters and sons of the Valkyries. With the expectation that they would develop into the pillars of this continent, I stopped influencing them." "But, I made a mistake. I forgot about Blanc, who turned his fundamental power into something dreadful. Instead of seeing the world as pure, he began to taint it." "In essence, I do not blame him..." A genuine expression of sorrow formed on her face. "But never mind what I think. The instant I noticed his schemes, I sealed his corrupted power. With less potential to cause trouble, I hoped he would give up." Shaking her head, she sighed. "Not only did it not work, but he managed to become even stronger. As a system, it was impossible for me to influence the world any more than this." "By a grace that I do not comprehend even to this day, a human Hero happened to grace our land." "Noah." Olivia muttered. "Yes. Noah. He was as mysterious as he appeared to be. Where he came from, what his goals were, I had no idea. All I know is that he relentlessly pursued Miasma and protected the people without asking anything in return." Orion frowned. "Even you, Nature, do not know a thing about Noah? How is that possible?" Nature, possessing Henrietta, closed her eyes. "I do not know, and there is no way to know either. I have made contact with Henrietta and Tetra at this point, doing whatever I could to support his fights." "That''s how Henrietta learned about the reality of the world." A dark veil covered her face. "It is unbearably difficult to change the events written in the book of destiny. Rewind the world''s timer as much as you want, it is near impossible to do so." "And it doesn''t affect you, am I right?" The dark veil disappeared, before her warm smile returned.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. "I am but a system. This consciousness was only developed after refining my thought process. Since I do not exist on the mortal plane, I am not affected." "If I had to compare, it is the same as your realm. Unaffected by the world''s timer, yet still living in the present." Orion thought about Horizon, before nodding. "I see." Satisfied with the explanation, Nature walked away from the wall. "I cannot stay much longer, or Henrietta''s soul will suffer from my presence." Stopping in front of Orion, she whispered to him. "Your fate is sealed. Even thought I would have preferred it otherwise, with Tetra gone, there is no more turning back." Feeling the pain in her voice, Orion nodded. "I am fine with that. Miasma needs to be stopped either way." The two looked into each other''s eyes, before Nature turned to Olivia. "Young demon, I have something to tell you before leaving." "Heh?!" Being called out suddenly, she jumped. "You''ve asked if I would think your magic would be against the rules of this world." "Y-Yes." "If it exists, it isn''t. If I had to be upset at someone, it would be toward your lamia friend." Hearing Deveralna coming out of her mouth, the girls suddenly frowned. "What has she done?" Amelia asked. "She pulled a mystical existence from another world into ours. With an entity as powerful as this one, I hope she controls it to perfection. Either way, I''m not planning on punishing her nor you." "Losing precious help against Miasma would be foolish." With a smile, she turned to Orion. Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and closed her eyes. "Take care of Miasma for me." One last time, she whispered into his ears. With a grim face, she said. "I leave Tetra in your hands." The crest behind her back disappeared, as Henrietta slumped into his arms like a doll having its strings cut. Since she was already in Orion''s arms, he caught her effortlessly. Picking her up, he placed Henrietta on the bed. ''What did Nature mean by that?'' The only option he could think of was to avenge her death. There was a lot to process, yet, Orion shook his head. "There''s no time to think about this." He looked at Henrietta, before placing his right hand over her face. Seconds later, she opened her eyes. "Once you''re feeling alright, we''ll return to Horizon." She sat on the bed, holding her head. "Sure. Give me a minute." After nodding, Orion walked to the door. He opened it, and with his back turned to everyone, he spoke. "Join me outside once ready." He closed the door, and walked alone into the empty castle. "..." Amelia stared at the door for a moment, before turning to her mother. "Mom, what was that at the end?" "We''re going to lose more than we thought, is what she said." With a pained expression, she hid her face between her hands. Concerned, the women quietly prepared themselves, before leaving the room in turn. ... "Olivia..." In one of the corridors inside the castle, a woman''s voice called out to the ruler of Noctelagia. "Saffira?" The humanoid kelpie walked toward her friend, and stopped next to her. The two began to walk together, followed by the twenty-seven maids, who were making hard faces. "How was he?" "Tired. I''ve managed to talk to it before he fell asleep. The corruption might have exhausted him past his limits." "That is good to hear." The two were talking about the gigantic creature. "So, what is the plan?" Suddenly, Saffira asked her this question. "I''ve seen Orion at the entrance of the castle. From the look on his face, I figured something is about to happen." "..." Olivia nodded. "We''re going to fight Miasma... Or so I thought." Inside her, she knew that Orion wasn''t planning to take her with him. "Most of us are far too weak to fight alongside him. If I had to guess, Orion, Amelia, Karteira, and Henrietta will go. Alongside Elliott too." "Since he explained the situation to us, he won''t have time to see the others. Deveralna and May are probably oblivious to the whole situation." They approached the main hall. "Alright. In that case, I will return into the sea with the kelpies." "Thank you for your help, Saffira. If not for you, the city would be a terrible mess." "We''re friends. It was nothing." Olivia smiled warmly at her. "Well then." Saffira waved while turning around, leaving the castle. Olivia watched as Saffira exchanged a few words with Orion, before heading toward the sea. "I suppose I''ll have a chat with the others." Moments later, she opened the door too. ~ A long sigh escaped a silver haired man''s mouth. "That''s the end for us too, isn''t it?" Reon looked at the screen in front of him, recalling the words Nature spoke to his son. "There''s nothing we can do either besides watch the end of his journey." Next to him, a crimson haired woman snuggled to his shoulder. "We should''ve died a long time ago, so I consider myself lucky to die alongside Orion." Orianne smiled, freed of her usual concerns. "I wish we could''ve done more for him. Now that we have been confirmed that his fate is sealed, there''s this faint feeling of conflict inside me." "On one side, I want him to keep fighting, to create his own path instead of following one written for him." Leaning backward, Reon looked at the wooden ceiling of his recreated house. "The other part wants this to end. He has suffered enough. We, as a family, have been through too much suffering. I don''t believe our struggle to have been meaningless, but the reality is there." Nodding, Orianne straightened, her eyes locked on her son, who appeared deep in thoughts. "You''re right. We had no idea that Miasma was the one trying to end our lives, the previous Hero failed to kill him, and Orion will meet the same end." "What we can hope for is that Orion and Miasma mutually kill each other. That way, his death wouldn''t be meaningless." Reon frowned. "I''ll never consider someone who sacrificed himself as a Hero. Do you imagine the pain and agony of those who will stay behind? This will be a tragedy for this family." The two stared in space for a moment, picturing Orion''s lovers and friends. "And Stella? Have you thought about her? Amelia is also very unstable. Without Orion, I fear her mind will shut down." "Karteira isn''t far better. She will probably revert to her former self." "Reon, stop." Orianne placed a finger on his lips. "Don''t torture yourself with those thoughts. We won''t be there to watch over their future." "Right..." Even though they wished for a happy ending, everything led to the opposite. The path ahead was a dead end. Yet, until the very end, they wished to be proven wrong. As they watched over Orion, who returned to Horizon with Amelia, Henrietta, Olivia, and her maids, the ending came in sight. With the fate of the entire world in stake, and Orion''s own future placed as a chip, the final confrontation was near. Chapter 376: Painful goodbyes. "You''ve returned." The group was met by Karteira, Dramia, Drania, and Senia in front of the portal leading to Noctelagia. "We''re back." A grave expression on his face, Orion walked between the four women. Following behind him shortly after, Amelia came out of the portal. Then Henrietta, finishing with Olivia and her maid squad. Suddenly, without giving a glance toward the others, Olivia walked toward the portal to Lahro. Orion glanced over his shoulder, and faintly smiled before continuing on his way toward the cracked opening Miasma had left behind. As she entered the portal with her maids, Karteira blinked, before hurriedly rushing toward Orion. "Is everything ready?" "Yes. All that is left for us is to fight Miasma." Dramia and Drania spread their wings, lifting their body off the ground. They joined Orion, floating at the same speed he walked at, over his shoulders. "Are you sure you don''t want us to help you?" "Don''t you need us?" The twins asked with concern clearly apparent on their faces. Without a word, Orion shook his head. "You can''t go without us! You know what will happen if we lose you! Won''t you reconsider?" Senia, swimming in the air thanks to her water magic, moved in front of Orion and tried to reason with him. "I knew you would be the one to refuse this idea." With a stern expression, Orion continued without entertaining her request. This was the first time they were met with a distant Orion after entering a relationship with him. Dejected, Senia moved out of the way, and swam next to him with pleading eyes. Karteira slowed down, and matched the speed at which Amelia was walking at. In a soft and quiet voice, she asked her friend. (Is he alright?) Nodding at her, Amelia answered shortly after. (He''s most likely trying to alleviate their worries.) (Why? It would be simpler to surround Miasma while we can, and kill him before he can do anything, isn''t that right?) This time, Amelia frowned and shook her head. (You know that this is impossible) (...) Karteira looked down, before sighing in defeat. (I know... This is the monster that killed a Hero. Even with all of us surrounding him, he would win.) (Exactly. Orion doesn''t want to lose anyone else. The fact is, only you and me are strong enough to support Orion. The more he had to protect, the less efficient he will be.) With a nod, Karteira agreed. (I don''t want to see them die either...) As the three in front were met with constant rejection, they finally gave up as a silhouette formed in the distance. Waiting at the same spot he was, Elliott opened his eyes, and turned around. Orion and Elliott''s gazes met, signaling that they would soon enter the rift. A few minutes later, the group arrived in front of the large opening. Orion stopped, before putting his hands into his pockets. It was an unusual action coming from him. Amelia, Karteira, Dramia, Drania, and Senia noticed for the very first time an apprehensive Orion. A single bead of sweet resisted the pull of gravity on his forehead, as his gaze settled on the cracking rift. His palms were sweaty, and his breath grew hotter and heavier. They could only watch with a knot in their throat, as Orion stood in front of his destiny, knowing deep in their heart that the outcome of this battle heavily pressured him.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "I know it might sound contradictory, but I will ask nonetheless." Elliott caught his attention, asking him one last question before leaving the realm. "Why not leave this matter to me alone? You''ve done far more than anyone else to protect this continent. I believe it is in your right to refuse this battle." "..." Orion glanced at him with a defeated smile. "I cannot ignore it. You know exactly why." Elliott gave him a sympathetic smile, and nodded. In silence, his eyes shifted forward. The reason Orion was unable to ignore Miasma was Tetra. Because of one mistake, one single moment of carelessness, a member of his family died. Even if the road ahead led to his demise, Orion would at least feel proud of his achievements, and happily accept his fate. But not before ripping the life out of Miasma, watching as his breath stops permanently. He owed it the Tetra. "I''m ready." Orion opened his mouth, and uttered the coldest tone to ever leave his mouth. "Amelia, Karteira, and Henrietta. You are coming with us." His back turned to Dramia, Drania, and Senia, he continued. "..." He glanced over his shoulder as a moment of hesitation sneaked into his heart. The three appeared depressed at first glance, yet, inside, they were cheering for them. Even if they were unable to be present during the battle, their hearts would be fighting alongside him. Not knowing if this would be the last time they saw him, they gently approached. Orion turned around slowly, as the first of the three jumped into his arms as he opened them widely. Dramia was the first to leap into his right arm. Without a word, Drania gently took the left side, before both rested their head on his face. "Don''t imitate Noah." Drania opened her mouth, her eyes glistening with tears. "We''ve had enough with his death. Don''t make us regret choosing you." Tightly stuck to his chest, Dramia kept her eyes closed, before separating herself from Orion. With a swift movement, she grabbed the collar of her twin sister, and walked away. Usually, Drania would throw a fit at being dragged by her sister, but this time, all she could do was watch Orion''s silhouette slowly drift away. His heart ached, seeing the tears of the two sisters drop from their cheeks unto the grass. But there was another person waiting. Senia. She was a mess. Her beautiful face was reduced to a cramped expression trying to reproduce a smile she failed to force out. With a single glance, he knew that, as the kindest and most pure lady of the group, accepting his potential death would be close to impossible. No one was fooled. From the moment Orion awakened from his fight against Elliott, they were told that his death was inevitable. Only, this time, he would bring down the source of the curse placed upon this continent. Without a word, Senia approached Orion, and hugged him with the most heartfelt feelings a young woman could bring out. Her warmth appeased some of Orion''s trouble, even though a little. "Don''t... die. I need you..." Placing his hand on her back, he pressed her against him, returning the hug in full. "I don''t plan to. I''ll do what I can to return in one piece." The two broke away after a minute of silence. Giving one last gaze at the siren, Orion requested only one thing. "Tell May and Deveralna, ''I''m sorry''." Senia shook her head. "You better return and tell them yourself. Those two won''t take it kindly that you went ahead without telling them." A faint smile formed on his face, before disappearing a second later. He turned around, doing his best to sever his emotions, as Senia''s sobbing voice entered his ears. ''Goodbyes are so... painful.'' Taking the first step, Orion walked past Elliott, and entered the rift first. "I guess this is it..." Amelia said, giving a sympathizing glance toward Senia, and the twins hugging each other in the distance. As she turned around, she spoke quietly. (I''m not ready to let him die, either.) She was the second person to go through the cracked portal. "..." His hand on Vanitas, and a death glare, Elliott followed shortly after, heaviness in his footsteps. The assumption that his father succumbed to his wounds caused this terrible situation. With a conviction incomparable to anything he ever set out to accomplish, Elliott walked disappeared into the rift, willing to put his life on the line to rectify the wrongs Miasma caused. "We should also follow." "After you." Henrietta and Tetra entered the rift in turn, with the quiet will to protect Orion from his unjust fate. After staring at the giant opening for a few minutes, the three women turned back, wiping their tears away, which continued to flow endlessly. ... Orion walked out of the portal, rapidly observing his surrounding. "..." His posture relaxed slightly, as nothing appeared to move in the vicinity. ''I thought Miasma would set an ambush the moment I would step out of Horizon, but it''s best to be cautious in case something were to happen.'' The others rapidly followed, until Karteira, the last one to walk out, looked at the sky. "Dark purple sky..." Amelia quickly concluded the same thing as everyone else, speaking her thoughts aloud. "We''re in Eogis..." Under the massive dome of corrupted energy erected by Miasma, it was impossible to ignore this fact. Elliott turned around, looking in the direction of the largest battlefield, bigger than the Southern Invasions ever managed to pull out from the snowy breeding ground. ''What a mess. The particles of magic in the air are choking full of the light element. What did you create that managed to destroy the land this much?'' As reading the flow of magic in the air was his specialty, Elliott saw the entire battlefield with his sixth sense. Surprised appeared on his face, as he noticed a low casualty count from the humans. ''...'' A faint smile appeared on his face, as he turned around, staring into the depth of the darkened land. ''You''ve underestimated the power of humans greatly.'' ''Even with the help of Agathion members, they survived the full assault of Miasma''s entire army of corrupted.'' While Miasma''s plan wasn''t to annihilate the entire human faction, Elliott couldn''t feel very proud of their accomplishment. ''Separating us, to access Tetra while we are looking away... This humiliation, it''s still freshly engraved in my mind.'' Elliott killed many people, including Orion''s parents. Yet, this came about unwillingly to begin with. Tetra''s death was a cold blade hitting at his sides. It was avoidable. "Let''s go." Orion''s cold words woke him up from his thinking. As he snapped his finger, a portal appeared in front of him. "Since my portal works again inside this dome, let''s move closer to where he went." It''s destination: the beach where he found his mother. Chapter 377: Spreading the bad news. The group walked out of the portal, not far from the northern point of Eogis. "..." Orion looked around, noticing large changes in the scenery. ''The rock arch is destroyed.'' Behind him, the arch supporting his portal was now a pile of rubble. Even the portal itself was no more. "Miasma found out about my power here... I was negligent." "It''s a good thing you''ve recovered your mother." Elliott walked past Orion, explaining his reasoning. "He found your power because he came to this place. Now, I don''t need to explain why he came here, do I?" Clenching his fists, Orion glared at the cave in the distance. "Are you telling me he knew about Orianne''s location?" "Most likely. After being sealed, he might have noticed what the four pieces that flew off the light pillar were." Even more anger filled his being. His hatred for Miasma grew only stronger. "If I hadn''t recovered her before the corrupted dome emerged... I would have had to fight my mother?" Amelia and Karteira frowned behind him. They weren''t feeling pleased about this news. "Really, the book of fate is truly mocking you. Am I wrong, Henrietta?" "..." The woman stayed quiet, avoiding Orion''s gaze. ''She''s not the one to blame.'' Shaking his head, Orion relaxed his mind. "She''s out of his sight, so there''s no reason to blame anyone here. The one to blame is Miasma." Elliott looked at Orion with a surprised expression, before turning his gaze to Henrietta. "I apologize. It wasn''t brilliant of me to provoke you unnecessarily. I hope you can forgive me." He bowed slightly toward her. "Ah... No, you don''t have to. It''s true that I am the Remnant of Fate and Destiny, and that I have barely any control over those aspects." If so, she would''ve found the correct timeline where Miasma wouldn''t have caused so much chaos a long time ago. "I''m going." A dark matter covered Orion, as he appeared in the demon form. His dark wings flapped, before Orion leaped in the air, sending sand flying everywhere. High in the air, he lunged toward the southern part of Eogis, creating a loud blast as he broke the sound barrier. Hearing the explosive sound diminishing, Karteira and Amelia looked at each other. "How long do you think he will find Miasma''s lair?" "Less than five minutes?" "I''m thinking the same." And as expected, before five minutes, a portal opened near them. "As expected. Let''s go." Crossing the portal, they were met with a deplorable sight. In the distance, a destroyed city laid, entirely wasted. Broken houses, burnt places, dilapidated walls... But it wasn''t the main point. What caused everyone to stop in their thoughts, was the disturbing monster that smirked at the group in the far distance. Orion was holding himself as much as possible to not close the distance and punch him in the face. "We''ve made it in time." Henrietta said, seeing the unchanged aura of Miasma. Letting go of his raging emotions, Orion observed his surrounding. ''This area...'' Dark clouds behind a purplish sky, the Talviera Mountain barely visible behind him, and a city that he didn''t recognize. He recalled that nightmare he had a few weeks ago. ''This is different.'' First, there wasn''t any crescent-shaped hole into the mountains. He was also far away from the mountains this time. But the city was the major factor in his confusion. ''Have we... changed destiny somehow?''Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. A slight thread of hope wrapped around his heart. He could potentially survive this encounter with enough carefulness. Still, he wasn''t about to cling onto it. Without ending Miasma, even if he survived, it would be useless. The portal closed behind them, before Elliott walked next to him. "This is it. Is your mind clear?" "I''m ready. We need to kill him before he assimilates Tetra''s power to control time and space." Orion glanced over his shoulder. Amelia and Karteira walked on his other side, while Henrietta appeared behind her daughter. The three nodded, signaling their readiness. "Then..." Bending his left knee and leaning on his leg, Orion prepared to leap away. "Kill him!" As a dark crossbow formed in his right hand, he vanished from his spot without a sound. Elliott''s body flashed white, before he disappeared, running after Orion. Amelia looked at Karteira, before placing her hand on her shoulder. "Take this, you will need it." Sharing part of her magic with her, the jewel at the base of Karteira''s tail lit up red. Once done, Amelia switched to Ceres, her earth dagger, which was the only element not being mastered yet, alongside the void element. "I''ll play support for now." "Alright." They nodded at each other. "Be careful." Speaking the same thought to the other, they smiled. Karteira released the light magic, which covered her entire body, before turning her plates into a knight armor. Then, she joined Orion and Elliott, who were closing on Miasma. "Mom, let''s go." "Support, right?" "For now." With that said, the mother and daughter combo ran toward the group, ready to assist them. ~ "What!?" Deveralna exclaimed in horror. "Like I said, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira have gone to finish Miasma. Alongside Elliott and Henrietta too." "They had no time left to gather everyone." The lamia opened her mouth wide open. "B-But why?" "Miasma killed Tetra and took her Remnant''s power." "..." Pure shock appeared on her face. "Are you..." "A hundred percent. Orion told me when he came to pick up Amelia." The five maids behind her nodded. "I... don''t know what to say." Recalling Orion''s voice during her breakdown, she thought everything was going well on his side. She wasn''t expecting to hear such a bad news now of all time. "What now?" "Nothing. I''m going to speak with May next." Olivia stood up from her chair, and walked toward the door. The maids bowed in respect to the lamia Queen, before following their master. "But what about Orion!" Deveralna abruptly stood on her tail, exclaiming loudly. "..." Olivia glanced over her shoulder. "The best we can do is prepare for the worst." She opened the door, and left. Repeating those words in her head, Deveralna slumped in her chair, crestfallen. "You know, too, that it''s impossible..." ... Taking the portal back to Horizon, Olivia entered the one leading to the battlefield next. While she had left most of her maid behind when coming to see Deveralna, this time, she brought the entire maid squad. Their order, save as many lives as possible. The instant they entered, except for Marie, the maids split up and ran across the camp, helping the soldiers and medical units that were saving the wounded fighters. "Now, to find May." "That won''t be necessary." Hearing the familiar voice of a friend, Olivia looked to her right. "..." There, she noticed Florian sitting on a bench while holding his side. Next to him, patching him up, was Kamala. "What happened to you?" Worried, she approached the two. "We''ve fought an unexpected enemy. It was stronger than anything we''ve faced so far. We suffered slight injuries." "Slight injuries, you say?!" Kamala, who awakened from her unconscious state fairly recently, pinched his arm. Watching Florian scratch the back of his head while smiling dryly, Olivia observed them carefully. ''Their wounds are worrisome... Yet, they seem to be fine.'' The cauterized side of Florian looked incredibly painful. This was a wound only Orion or Karteira could remove entirely. Kamala, on her part, had many scorched marks and shallow cuts. She suffered very little damage during their fight, which was a perfectly calculated risk taken by Florian. He did what he could to keep her away from dangerous attacks. "I believe you''re looking for May? She''s with Eric further back." With a warm smile, Kamala pointed at an opening in a tent, where the person she was looking for was. "I came here to tell her something important, but I''m also incredibly relieved none of you are hurt." Seeing the genuine relief on her face, the two smiled at each other. "But..." Suddenly, the mood changed. Olivia sighed, before telling them. "Something terrible happened in Horizon. Orion has left to fight Miasma in Eogis at this very moment." They both lost their smile. "Something terrible... did someone die?" Florian asked carefully, to which Olivia answered with a nod. "W-Who is it?" "Tetra." Olivia marched toward the tent without giving them a second glance. Even though they had barely any interactions with the woman, they still felt heartbroken. "So... someone did die." With a pained expression, Kamala focused on patching Florian again. ... "May." Olivia entered the tent. Her eyes settled on the woman, who pressed a large towel dripping with cold water on Eric''s right arm. "Olivia? What are you doing here? What about Noctelagia?" "I''ve protected it. There''s nothing to worry about." "That''s good to hear." With a sigh, she smiled. "Thanks, May. I''ll be fine now. I''ll go join the others for now." Eric stood up, and thanked her. "No problem. If you need me again, I''ll be here." "Sure." He walked toward the tent''s entrance, bent his head to Olivia with a smile, and continued outside. ''He is very considerate. I''ll thank him later.'' With a faint smile on her face, Olivia entered further inside. She stopped in front of May, and stared into her eyes. "W-What? Your gaze is scaring me..." "Sit down." ... A few minutes later, May was sitting on a chair, her head between her hands. "That can''t be possible... After everything we''ve done to avoid such a thing." "We had no idea Miasma was aiming for Tetra''s Remnant power. It came out of nowhere." "How''s... Stella?" The two made a bitter expression. "I heard she''s fine, physically at least. Seeing someone she liked perish in front of her might has left aftereffects in her mind." "That''s what I''m scared of." What she wished for were to rush back into Horizon, and hug the little girl. "Before you ask me, and freak out needlessly, Orion has left to fight Miasma, with Amelia, Karteira, Elliott, and Henrietta." "I thought so. Knowing Orion, he won''t be able to let this matter go with ease." Shocked by her reaction, Olivia lifted her eyebrows. "You''re taking it better than Deveralna." "Don''t tell her, but she''s still very immature as a person. She will need further battles to strengthen her mind. The only matter that sculpted her mind was the treatment of her fellow lamias." She hated herself for saying it, but the reality was there. "I''m not saying her struggles are inferior to ours, but you and I have seen more than one person die already." May''s gaze fell on the entrance of the tent. "Even today, hundreds of our people died in battle. I will have to live with this fact on my mind for the rest of my life. Good people, who fought to protect their home." Sympathizing with her, Olivia nodded. "She simply needs to grow up more. It''s something that will come with time." "Even if Orion dies?" "..." May bit her lower lips. "Even... if he dies." Silence fell upon the tent, letting the sounds of constant footsteps and voices take over from outside. The two stood up after a while, before leaving the battlefield entirely. They returned to Horizon, and made their way to the giant rift in the southern part of Horizon. There, they were met with Dramia, Drania, Senia, Deveralna... And Stella, holding the hand of Layla. Everyone was reunited, imploring the world to protect Orion, who was in a fierce battle against Miasma. Chapter 378: The final battle begins. Approaching Miasma, Orion suddenly stopped, which caused Elliott and Karteira to catch up to him, who, in turn, also stopped. "Orion? What are you waiting for?" Karteira questioned his abrupt stop. With his crossbow clenched in his hands, Orion glared at the monster standing a few hundred meters away. "..." His eyes squinted lightly. "I simply thought of something." Amelia and Henrietta came at that moment. Orion''s demon form changed to his angel from, enveloping the group into a comforting light. In silence, they looked at Orion. "I heard from Dramia and Drania, that Miasma took advantage of his corrupting powers to creep his way into his body during their fight." "There''s a possibility he will do that once again. I can''t risk losing my life in the way the Hero Noah did." Lifting his hand in the air, a pillar of sunlight breached through the dark dome, and forcefully pried it open. This light purged the corruption in the air, and on the surrounding ground. "As I thought..." Orion perceived traces of creeping corruption building inside them. If he hadn''t remembered, everyone would have fallen for the same trick. "Now that he has recovered enough to walk on this earth again, we should expect him to be a dangerous being. Forget about the fights we''ve gone through so far, and always focus on defending each other." The light pillar died down, instead covering the five in a faint light that protected them from the tainted energy. "Let''s do this, then." Elliott took a step forward, his hand on his sword. "Right." They nodded at each other, and before moving forward, exchanged a short glance. "Don''t throw your life away." "The same goes for you." Elliott rushed forward, while Orion aimed Alcyone in front of him. He aimed at Elliott''s back, and unexpectedly shot a fast-moving arrow into his back. "!" The arrow lodged itself into his back, sunk into his body, and entered his core. His eyes shone a white light briefly, before his speed and reaction time improved without the use of his abilities. ''Thanks.'' With this thought, Elliott focused on the deformed being in front of him. "Tsk!" A tongue-clicking sound echoed in his ears the moment he came closer to Miasma. Without exchanging a single word, Elliott slashed at him. *Cling* Miasma opened his hand, and caught Vanitas''s blade between his fingers. "Elliott. I''ve already went through this with you. You should''ve been a good son and stayed behind." "..." The glare he gave to the ''thing'' that was his father was full of hatred and disdain. He looked at the sliced eye of Miasma, and rapidly scanned for any sign of Tetra''s Remnant power. ''Where is it?'' Noticing the frantic eye movement, of his son, Miasma smirked. "Too bad." He jabbed at his chest after pushing the blade to the side. "Hmph!" Elliott dodged the attack, and sliced at Miasma''s arm after taking a step sideways. Then, they both entered a continuous state of focus, where they threw flurries of strikes at each other.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. But, this was only the introduction of the fight. Over them, a shadow suddenly fell on them. Miasma, intrigued, looked above him after kicking Elliott away. "!" He jumped backward, avoiding the raining arrows by a thread. A large amount of light arrows followed his movements, piercing the ground with loud thudding sounds. Forced to constantly avoid the arrows, he looked in the air once again. "Orion!" For the first time since his nightmarish encounter with Miasma in his dreams, the two fated enemies met and glared at each other. In his angel form, Orion aimed at Miasma with Alcyone from the air, his wings spreading radiantly behind him. Miasma aimed his palm at the mixed-blood Hero, and released bullets of corrupted energy at him. Putting his crossbow to the side, Orion opened his hand, and fired a beam of light from it. The two attacks met, but before a clear victor emerged, two blades of water flew toward Miasma from the ground. Not appreciating the ambush, he stopped attacking Orion, and placed his over hand toward the incoming water blades. He looked past them, and looked at Amelia and Henrietta with a hateful gaze. "Stop intruding." Clenching his hand around nothing, he destroyed the attacks. The corruption floating in the vicinity came back toward him, and engulfed the two blades, disintegrating them in the process. But as he returned to focus on Orion, two figures appeared on both sides. Karteira and Elliott both attacked his flanks, slicing deep into his body as they passed paralleled to each other. "Kh!" Miasma hurriedly repaired the damage done to his body with corruption, and ignored the two to focus on Orion. The need to get rid of him was stronger than Miasma expected. The more he looked at him, the stronger that deranged fear crept into his core. With a frigid expression locked on his face, Orion fired even more arrows at him, and even fired beams of light magic at him from a safe spot. "I won''t let you the time to assimilate her power." Two arrows pierced his shoulders, but Miasma didn''t react. In fact, most of the attacks he defended against would cause barely any scratched on him. Having a constant and near infinite supply of corrupted energy meant he was practically immortal. All he had to do was bide his time to learn how to control the power of ''Space and Time'', and everything would become meaningless. Yet, his mind was too preoccupied by Orion to focus on assimilating that power. He feared that Orion would cause everything to go haywire with his unique magic. Arrows pierced his large and twisted body, swords and sharp plates ripped pieces of sludge, and magic hindered his movements. Yet, none of them noticed a single trace of struggle on Miasma''s expression. Even if he was hit by attacks, there was no reaction. What began to be a concern to everyone was the fact that Miasma still hadn''t gone on the offensive. There was still the fact that he had to learn how to use Tetra''s Remnant powers, which explained his passiveness. But, at one point, the changes that they were waiting for began to appear. Miasma lifted his arms at his sides, and opened his hands in a very particular way, as if he was trying to catch something. In fact, they weren''t even at the same height. Which confused Orion. Then, everything became clearer. Elliott and Karteira appeared near him, and slashed his flanks. Unfortunately, the two blades slid perfectly between his opened hands, as he tightly grabbed them before they could leave his grasp. "Huh?!" Karteira exclaimed, surprised. She tried to pull her plated blade from Miasma''s clutch, but she was unable to. A state of panic suddenly overcame her. "Damn it!" On the other side, even Elliott was showing anxiety, as he found it difficult to pull Vanitas from Miasma''s hand. "..." Orion glanced at Henrietta. The two stared at each other for a very brief instant, but they managed to think the same thought. ''Miasma''s starting to use her power...'' He was, even under attack, able to steadily learn the power to manipulate ''Space and Time''. In that case, Miasma managed to get a glimpse of the future. But, at a cost. "Agh!" He let go of both blades as an arrow of light pierced his chest. "If only you knew not to overuse it. Were you seriously hoping to wield Tetra''s power without any unwanted consequences? What a joke." Miasma took a few steps back, pulling the arrow out of his chest. With a deadly glare, he clenched the magical arrow in his hand, and crushed it. "Don''t tell me you hadn''t thought about it? You took her authority without knowing that you couldn''t use it? Why do you think she never used it to rectify your mistakes?" "..." Hearing the mockery in Orion''s mouth, Miasma began to feel annoyed. "You, greenhorn, better shut it. If you don''t know what you are talking about, then don''t open your mouth." While still feeling the pain of the arrow where it punctured his skin, Miasma growled. He closed his eyes, before opening them again. The eye that was destroyed when stealing the Remnant''s authority appeared, healed of its awful wound. Inside of it, a blinking hourglass appeared, blinking in and out of existence with a faint pink light. "Stop resisting, bitch! Give me your power!" Miasma placed his hand on his eye, and arched his back in anger. With his enraged voice booming across the land, more resistance met his order. *Burst* His eye exploded again, this time damaging him greatly. Henrietta looked at this with a feeling of helplessness. "Tetra... She won''t give him her power, even now..." Hearing the screams of pain emanating from Miasma, she marched forward under the careful eyes of Orion and Amelia. Karteira and Elliott both jumped back toward Orion, and entered a defensive stance, knowing that the entire game had changed. With Miasma being able to see parts of the future at times, it became futile to try to weaken him. The air became heavy with wrath, as the footsteps of a blonde woman echoed on the battlefield. She placed her hands in her pockets, and retrieved two pieces of jewelry from each side. A golden bracelet with a fiery ruby embedded into its center, a silvery ring with a black opal encrusted on it, an entire jade jewel transformed into a ring, and an iron necklace with words etched in a language only elementals could understand. She put the four items on her, and approached Miasma. "What do you want?" Miasma clenched his painful face, and glared at Henrietta. "You''ve killed my best friend in front of me. Were you expecting me to sympathize with your pain?" Henrietta carefully stopped a few meters away from him, and glared at him without hiding the intense hatred she came with. "Pitiful. You should''ve died with her, that''s why I took the chance and attacked you." "Keep your pitiful excuses to yourself!" A blast of energy escaped her, pushing air against Miasma. Suddenly, his uninjured eye opened wide, as he noticed the absurd amount of magic emitted by Henrietta. "What..." "You don''t have to know. All you have to do..." "Is to die." The center area of Henrietta''s left backhand opened, revealing a large sapphire under her skin. Chapter 379: Henrietta without her friend. "Usually, I am not one to enjoy fighting." Various elemental auras enveloped Henrietta, as she walked dangerously close to Miasma. In the back, Orion observed her with careful eyes, ready to act on the slightest problem. Amelia was the same, her gaze alternating between her mother and Orion, who confirmed to her with a nod that it was fine to let her act on her own. Karteira and Elliott both walked around the two, prepared to assist the Remnant. "Yet, I''ve killed my fair share of people." She touched the sapphire on the back of her hand and caressed it. "Out of desperation, I once killed countless people. Many of your corrupted fell by my hand." "..." Miasma removed his hand from his face, revealing the split eye underneath. Not knowing what to expect from her, he quietly stared at Henrietta. "But the one to bring me out of it was Tetra. I cannot count the number of times she saved me from a mental breakdown." Orion closed his eyes and frowned. He was also containing the agony of losing a close friend, yet, he was unable to gather how painful it was for Henrietta before this moment. Now that he understood, he realized the situation. Quietly, he opened his eyes, and aimed Alcyone at her back. As his arrow pointed straight at her back, she continued. "Now that you''ve killed her, how miserable do you think I am?" "You, of all people, had no right to take her life for your pathetic plan to save a single woman!" "Do not insult Frey!" Henrietta lifted her eyebrows. "That is grand of you. Never have you accepted the death of that woman, when your son managed to focus on what''s truly important." "Yet, once again, you tortured him into doing your despicable actions, staining his hands with blood he wasn''t meant to touch." "How pitiful can you be, destroying life as easily as that?" The four gems and the runes engraved on the necklace shone brightly. "Since Tetra isn''t here anymore to stop me... to alleviate these feelings, all is left for me is to kill you." She watched as Miasma gritted his uneven row of pointy teeth. Slowly, his body straightened, and he glared at her. At this point, Miasma finally became serious. His dark purple skin stretched, ripped, and transformed. His body expanded, his muscles grew, and he progressively got taller. Spikes broke out of his shoulders, a row of bones formed along his spine, and two large horns sprouted from his forehead. The amount of corrupted energy released by his body was incomparable to what had been recorded before. This demented mass of tainted matter smiled maniacally, as two rotating spheres of dark purple matter formed in his hands. "I was getting tired of your preaching. I''ll rip your arm off once again, if that''s all it takes." Suddenly, a white arrow flew into her back. Henrietta smiled briefly, before focusing her entire being on her opponent. "This one?" Henrietta leaned forward, and disappeared. Miasma''s eyes frantically searched for the woman. Henrietta appeared at the same place, a dark limb in her hands. "..." Miasma glared at her, before glancing at his missing arm, gushing a dark matter out of it. Without giving it another glance, the arm grew back instantly. The right arm of Miasma faded in Henrietta''s arm as if it had never existed. "I can''t remember... was it the left arm? Or the right arm?"This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. With a smirk speaking louder than her provocation, Henrietta began to lose the grip on her emotions. She needed to kill Miasma, and stop this madness for good. The same could be said for Miasma. He was losing patience rapidly, and realized that the woman in front of him was probably an actual threat to his life. They exchanged a silent glare, before Miasma attacked first. He broadened open his arms, before slamming his hands onto the ground. Pools of dark goop formed under his palms, until they formed two deadly Corrupted Lords. A squirrel with sharp claws, and a large starfish the size of a man with a dark jewel embedded at its center. But before they were even able to take a step forward, they both exploded into thousands of pieces. Earthen spikes appeared from under him. Miasma''s face shook, before he jumped backward. Where his two minions appeared, he noticed a faint green color swirling. "Oh, I haven''t told you. Those elementals..." Henrietta looked at the rings on her fingers. With a faint smile, she returned to the assault. Rushing toward Miasma, a long pole of fire appeared in her hand. "Those are the five founders of the elemental factions. Be good to them." Thrusting the fiery weapon at him, she unleashed a rapid combination of attacks to push back Miasma. "Tsk!" The rod of fire spun wildly around Henrietta, slamming on Miasma''s arms as he stood his ground. Dark energy converged toward him, before exploding outward in a large circle with his body as its center. Jumping backward to avoid the sudden pulse, Henrietta released the fire in her hand, and switched to range attacks. The dark opal glowed brighter, until it released a constant flow of electricity that followed Henrietta''s every movement. When she pointed her finger at Miasma, hundreds of arcs crossed the distance instantaneously, crashing into the dome of energy released by Miasma. Eating away at its edges, the lightning began to erode the dome, until it entered and attacked him. Like a snake, it wrapped around his body, and burned him with a sizzling sound. "Enough!" The dome shattered, revealing a perfectly fine Miasma. He aimed his right palm at her, and glared at her. But nothing happened. Or at least, that''s what Henrietta thought, before suddenly frowning and moving away hurriedly. A jaw of corrupted energy formed where she was, and closed on empty air. Keeping his gaze on her every move, the claws caught on rapidly behind her. Then, as the trap finally opened under her feet, Henrietta returned on the offensive. This time, the runes engraved on the necklace glowed, before the ground under her feet expanded upward. A pillar of dirt and rock lifted her in the air, as the jaws devoured the base of the pillar. While falling down with the earth formation, she fired a volley of piercing metallic bullets that exploded in contact with a surface. Everyone watching this was shocked. Henrietta, who was usually pretty distant and relaxed, was aggressively fighting Miasma, who appeared to struggle in front of her. Orion watched carefully, analyzing her actions. Something wasn''t right to him. ''These attacks aren''t strong enough to fell a monster like Miasma. What''s her goal?'' He watched the next part of their exchanges, where she used exploding water bubbles to damage Miasma. Yet, again, it wasn''t enough to even damage him greatly. ''Knowing that the source of her magic came from elementals sure was a surprise, yet, this doesn''t appear to be enough.'' His mind was working in overdrive as he carefully observed. Occasionally, he could notice clear struggle on her face, as if what she went through looked unbearable to her. "..." Then, Orion understood. ''She''s providing us time! Fuck, we''re stupid!'' Suddenly realizing that this whole fight was just a way for Henrietta to help in her own way, Orion winced. A sour taste developed in his mouth as he turned his head toward Elliott. Feeling the gaze of someone on him, Elliott looked at him. When the two looked at each other, Orion used the opportunity to create a one-way portal next to him, small enough to let his words go through. "We need to locate Tetra''s source. Henrietta is buying us time, but not for long." "!" The sudden realization made Elliott focus back. At first, he thought that she was determined to kill Miasma, and that was why he respected her choice. Yet, something felt awfully off. With this insight, there was only one thing to do. With a nod, he focused his gaze on Miasma. Both he and Orion scrutinized every movement, every change in Miasma that could indicate where the source could be. Their battle kept going for a few minutes, until Henrietta turned pale with each passing seconds. "Is that all you got?" Miasma glared at her while lifting his chin, a dark grin in his face. One large problem with him was that it was impossible to damage him. The corrupted air and particles floating around constantly provided him with energy, enough to heal any damage caused. The same couldn''t be said for Henrietta. The amount of power she could draw out of the elementals was finite. With more uses, her energy drained faster. It wasn''t as if she were tapping into an internal magic supply like Orion or Amelia did. She truly was wasting time and energy into helping Orion find her friend''s stolen power. Yet, even after exchanging blows with him, she was unable to locate it. ''Where is it?! Tetra, where are you?!'' Her mental strength was also rapidly draining. She was unable to fight any more than this. She glanced over her shoulder, and looked at her daughter. The next moment, Miasma bent forward, and aimed his two large horns at her. Tainted particles gathered between them, forming a sphere of dark matter. After only five seconds, Miasma fired it at her. "Die!" A massive beam of dark energy crossed the distance, about to engulf Henrietta. "Not on my watch!" A portal opened above her, dropping a woman in front of Henrietta. With an earthen dagger in her hand, she pierced the ground with its blade. "Amelia?!" Ten rocky walls formed in front of them, holding the advance of the beam. "No time to think!" She grabbed her mother, and threw her high into the air. "Karteira!" "Got it!" A trail of light traveled across the place, and caught the exhausted woman with ease. Then, Karteira ran back to Orion, where she was safely returned. Satisfied, Amelia focused on the beam rapidly breaching through the earthen walls. ''I guess it''s my time to fight him.'' Cold air gathered around her, while shards of ice gathered into a scythe in her hand. ''Dana, we have work to do.'' As a blue crown appeared on top of her head, the dark beam swallowed her. Chapter 380: Altering Fate? Henrietta, held by Karteira, looked with desperation toward Amelia. "Ah-" A soft sound escaped her mouth, as the destructive beam of energy engulfed her daughter, and everything around it. *Swing* But, the clear sound of a sharp object slicing the air echoed across the area. The air split in half in front of Amelia as she spun the scythe above her head. She gripped the crystal clear, icy scythe''s long handle, and dropped it with incredible force toward the ground. The air froze around the scythe''s blades, before Amelia slashed at the beam of corrupted energy. *SHHHHRK* The icy blades glistened beautifully, holding the beam in place. Even though powerful, its strength wasn''t sufficient to push her backward. Noticing the remarkable resistance coming from his target, Miasma gathered even more corruption from the air and ground, forcing the beam to enlarge. On the other side, Amelia was forced to rethink her strategy. ''I thought I would overpower it and get closer to place a hit on him, but I guess it won''t be that easy...'' With a deep frown on her face, Amelia focused on Dana. The once beautiful water dagger, turned into a deadly, but gorgeous scythe. She placed her entire faith into her elements, and stayed her ground. Without glancing over her shoulder, she understood that if she were to move out of the way, the beam would become everyone''s problem. All she needed now was to bother Orion, and force him to use even more magic before fighting Miasma. ''The stakes are too high to go all out. If we lose Orion, everything is over.'' Her man was looking at her back with hidden anxiety, yet, she was unable to do anything else apart from that. She needed to protect him, before the fate her mother spoke off caught up to him. - "Mom..." "Is there something on your mind?" Henrietta was helping Amelia in her training of the fire mastery, when suddenly, Amelia turned to her mother. "You could say that." "Tell me. Even though I am what I am, I will be your emotional support as long as you need me." "Thanks." In her fire mastery form, she approached her mother. "Is there... something we can do to avoid Orion''s death?" Henrietta lifted her eyebrow, until she recalled the discussion they had in Noctelagia. "Is this about the fate of the Hero?" "Yes." Amelia gripped the fiery spear''s shaft tightly while showing the frustration on her face. "You''re the Remnant of Fate. Is there nothing we can do to avoid this end?" "..." Hearing the pleading tone in her voice, Henrietta paused and crossed her arms. Thoughts rapidly crossed her mind, but her expression showed that they weren''t promising. In the end, she shook her head. "There is little control over fate and destiny. While ''Fate'' dictates the life of every being, it only influences their birth, and death. Manipulating it is close to impossible, unless the world itself accepts the change." "Your birth is one of those changes." "Right." Nodding, Amelia faintly smiled. She was truly grateful for the opportunities she was given since her birth.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "At first, you weren''t part of this world''s fate. I brought you after many trials and errors, using the knowledge of another, rather annoying, Remnant." A warm smile appeared shortly on Henrietta''s face, before she returned to a more serious mood. "On the other side of things, ''Destiny'' is slightly more malleable." "?" Amelia tilted her head, confused. "I''ll explain so that you understand, just wait." Henrietta opened her right hand. She placed her left hand into her pocket, and pulled out a small notebook the size of her hand, alongside a pen. She placed the notebook in her right hand while keeping the pen in her left hand, and opened the notebook. "You see, ''Fate'' doesn''t influence your life itself. It is similar to the cover of this small book. On the contrary, what do you think ''Destiny'' represents in this context?" Holding the book in front of her daughter, she had high expectations toward her. Amelia thought seriously about it, and answered those expectations surprisingly fast. "Is the writings inside the book ''Destiny''?" Very satisfied by her answer, Henrietta nodded. "Exactly." She placed the tip of the pen on a white page of the notebook, and wrote two words. ''Amelia'', and ''Birth''. "You see, the world is held together by the power of the Remnants like me and Tetra. There are others than us that maintain relatively important roles, but as far as I am concerned, ours are dangerous." "If I write your birth in the book of fate, what do you think will happen?" "..." Taking this conversation as a lesson, Amelia focused. "Nothing would happen, from what you''ve told me." "Again, you are correct." She showed the page with the words to Amelia, before explaining in details. "What is needed here is the ''Destiny'' where you are born, not the ''Fate''. Because you are destined to be born, if I do something for it, then ''Fate'' will follow suit." "It is by writing my own destiny differently that I was able to bring you to this world. In other words, I stayed inside the rules of the world, but altered its ''Fate''." The conversation was easy to follow thanks to Henrietta''s explanation. Amelia frowned, and looked downward. "Then... if we want to alter Orion''s ''Fate'', we need to change his ''Destiny''?" "Correct. But what you are asking for is like trying to keep an ice cream from melting under a blazing sun." The painful reality was still present. If it was that easy to alter destiny, then Henrietta would have done it a long time ago, before watching the countless endings of this world. "You can push the deadline by altering some parts of the story, but ultimately, you have to read the ending... And that ending is dictated by ''Fate''. You cannot escape that, even if you try to alter the entire story." A torn expression warped Henrietta''s face, as she recalled the failures she went through. Not only did she watch Orion and Amelia die to a point her mind could break down, she also forced her best friend to die each time she needed to alter the timeline. "Then..." Suddenly, Amelia thought of a plan. "What if we stole the scene?" "Eh?" Surprised, she let out a small perplexed noise. "What... do you mean by that?" Amelia nodded. "What if I become the Hero instead?" - Dana''s sharp blades glowed brighter, before Amelia jumped backward. She managed to keep the beam in place with an icy wall for just enough time to prepare an attack, which she unleashed toward Miasma the instant her defense shattered. Spinning the scythe once counter-clockwise, blade turned to the sky, she sliced the beam in two with a frozen crescent-shape slash. Miasma noticed the dangerous attack, and abruptly stopped. He swiftly moved away as the attack ripped the ground in half, continuing far behind him. He hurriedly looked forward, but Amelia was already in front of him, ready to pounce on him with her scythe behind her. "You!" Unable to finish a full sentence, Miasma bent his body backward, avoiding narrowly the cold blades from ripping his head off. Taking the chance thrown at her, Amelia kept on pressuring Miasma. Her scythe split the air in half as Miasma dodged it repeatedly, trying to find a moment to put some distance between them. "!" Suddenly, as he was backing away, his feet sunk into the dirt. While dealing with him, she used her water magic to transform the dirt into mud. *Krrrrrrrr* The ground froze around his feet, leaving Miasma no choice but to defend against the onslaught. "Ei!" Amelia jumped up, and sliced Miasma''s right horn off his head. "Gah!" Then, as she fell behind him, she managed to slice the protruding spike on his right shoulder. As her feet touched the ground, she practically presser her entire body against the ground with her scythe above her back, before slicing both of his legs with a clean and swift strike. Miasma''s large body fell forward. He placed his hands in front of him to catch his fall, and managed to distance himself from Amelia by pushing on his hands. As he moved away, hi legs and broken parts healed, making Amelia''s efforts to fell him meaningless. "Tsk!" She clicked her tongue with incredible disdain, letting go of Dana. The icy crown above her head shattered, before its shards began to rotate rapidly. Its blue color turned white, and electricity replaced the shards. Her outfit changed with a flash of light, while two long chains dropped from her forearms. ''Leima.'' Amelia released an exploding amount of lightning, vaporizing the air itself around her. The ionization of the air filled everyone''s noses, forming a distinguishable smell of metal. "Girl, I''ll fuck you up if you stand in my way any longer." The deep glare in Miasma''s eyes showed that he was serious. Compared to Henrietta, this woman was even more dangerous. She had actually managed to catch him off guard. "Try your worse." The next moment, Amelia vanished, leaving behind an afterimage of herself. One chain suddenly wrapped around Miasma''s neck, and pulled him backward. Still, he gathered all of his strength, and managed to stay in place. "..." Amelia glared at him from behind, and gripped the chain with her hand. Dangerously high voltage traveled through the chains, electrocuting Miasma''s neck instantly. Yet, not a single sound escaped his mouth. His left hand moved upward and grabbed the tightly wrapped metal chain. "I am no pushover." He forcefully removed the weapon from his neck, and pulled on it, dragging Amelia toward him. Turning around abruptly, he swung his right arm toward her. Amelia jumped over his arm, and wrapped her other chained dagger around his arm. Jumping behind him once again, she pulled on his arm to maintain the advantage he had over him. "Let''s see if that''s true." With a condescending attitude from Amelia, it was only the beginning of their fight. Chapter 381: Corruption against Elemental Masteries. Miasma was in a predicament. His opponent was a problem he wasn''t expecting to face, but to his realization, she wasn''t an actual threat. Sure, she was damaging him constantly, but that was all. The corrupted energy was plenty, and his wounds were easily patched up. What was bothering him was Orion. He knew that time was against him. Elliott and Orion were both scrutinizing him in detail after each movement, each attack, each breath. It was a matter of time until Tetra''s source was discovered, and potentially snatched back. What was pressuring him was, once again, Orion, and not Amelia. He could still feel the fear-inducing gaze of hatred and contempt coming from him. For the second time in his long existence, true terror crept into his core, shaking the resolve he had crafted since the fall of the previous civilization thousands of years ago. It wasn''t as bad as it made him regret his actions, but he knew the sands of time were slowly flowing between his hands. Yet, his pride was also pestering him to act. Amelia was flying, jumping, dodging, and attacking relentlessly. She was starting to get on his nerves. Until a chained-dagger pierced his chest and shocked him. The pain wasn''t as bad as he was expecting it to be, but he was done taking it defensively. He had to put Tetra''s source under his control, but this was becoming difficult with this woman holding his attention. Since his body was so big, he was an easy target. His movements were following exactly as he wanted, but the swiftness behind them wasn''t present. So, he growled in anger. "You''ve been pestering me for quite some time now." Miasma grabbed the dagger lodged in his chest, and crushed it into his large hand, before the chain vanished alongside it. The copy of Leima zapped out of existence, before forming again into Amelia''s hand. The chain dropped to the ground as Amelia''s right foot scrapped the ground behind her. Ready to jump at Miasma once again, she carefully observed him. "If I could kill you, it would be even better." Her attitude was seriously bothering Miasma. He was usually the one to throw sarcastic remarks during battle, but this time, he was unable to. ''Fighting a Hero is one thing, but...'' His eyes scanned his surroundings. Behind Amelia were Orion, flying above ground, and Henrietta, recovering from their battle. On his left was Elliott, holding himself from jumping, and lastly, on his right, Karteira, who was watching Amelia more than him. ''Tsk!'' He internally clicked his tongue. ''And I''ve only managed to understand a third of the Remnant of Time''s source... This isn''t looking good.'' Feeling his life being threatened wasn''t something new, but the stakes were too high for him to back down now. ''Either I slow down scanning her source and focus on lowering their numbers, or I keep it this way...'' Hesitation filled his mind, which he managed to keep hidden from his expression. ''I have no idea how long this guy will stay up there, but once he joins in, I will have to focus entirely on him. If the others join him, I''m dead.'' The corrupted energy in the air was fine for now. It was far more than enough to keep him safe. But the moment the light magic Orion manipulates enters the fight, this energy would disappear without a trace. So, the answer became pretty clear to him. "Fuck it." Miasma grabbed the thorn protruding from his left shoulder, and crushed it. Then, he destroyed the right one. A deep dark smoke flowed from his shoulders, enveloping him entirely. Only his glowing red eye became the focus of everyone''s attention. A grunt escaped Orion''s mouth, as he hoped to locate the source of the Remnant of Time before Miasma became serious, but all he could do was hope that Amelia would be fine. The reality was, he would be unable to fight Miasma and locate the source at the same time. Seconds later, the dark fumes scattered around Miasma. From underneath the smoke, a more streamlined figure appeared.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Firmer and smaller limbs replaced the thick and powerful arms and legs of the Remnant. His chest minimized drastically compared to his previous form, and a large tail comprised of corrupted energy slammed the ground behind him. The beast-like form he assumed while fighting Henrietta was no more, replaced by this lizard-looking beast with sharp teeth. It was at that moment that everyone understood the extent of the threat Miasma represented. (He can take the form of anything he wants?!) Amelia hushered those words, hidden between two breaths. Miasma looked at his hands, opening and closing them a few times. A sigh escaped his mouth, before glaring at Amelia. "..." Then, he bent his left knee, and pushed on his leg, crossing the distance between them instantly. Amelia gritted her teeth in astonishment. She crossed Leima and its copy above her face, making the chains block the claw ready to rip her head off her shoulder. *Cling* The sound of two objects colliding echoed in everyone''s ears, as Amelia watched Miasma attack her stomach next, still in a dazed state. ''Shit!'' She bent her right knee and knee-kicked his arm before being gutted alive. Hurriedly, she wrapped the chains around Miasma''s arm, pulled herself above him, and released the grip on her dagger, successfully throwing herself above him. But Miasma''s tail met her in midair. *Woosh* The swift moving tail tore the air, closing on Amelia. "!" Having recovered from her shock, she threw Leima on the side, which pierced the ground further away. With an electric pulse, the chain pulled Amelia in Leima''s direction, barely avoiding the tail. Her feet slid on the ground as she grabbed her dagger from the ground, leaving a cloud of dust behind. Miasma bent his body backward, and looked in her direction while lifting his chin up. His eye pulsed brightly red, before he rushed toward her. With his newfound speed, Amelia had no leeway anymore. She had to be prudent with each move, or she would suffer life-threatening injuries. In this situation, she wasn''t sure Orion would be able to save her. Seeing Miasma closing in on her, she threw both chained-daggers in front of her. They pierced the ground a few meters away, while dragging her with them. The chains sparked wildly as they shrunk in length, until Amelia flew other the two daggers, pulling them out of the dirt. She met Miasma head-on, and kicked his chest with incredible momentum. Yet, she simply traveled through his body, making no dent on the Remnant. "Kh!" Her feet touched the ground once again, but she knew she had no time to recover completely. Without being able to stabilize her footing, she jumped sideways and rolled on the ground as two fists came slamming down on her. ''Leima, return!'' This battle of speed was her loss. She was unable to make use of the lighting speed she had mastered against Miasma, as the retaliation she was met with was hampering her every move. Instead, she decided to use another dagger. *FSSSSSH* A vortex of white fire swallowed Amelia, changing her outfit for the third time. The white crown above her head zapped brightly, turning into a radiant, flaming crown as bright as the sun. ''Vesta! Burn bright!'' In her left hand, a swirling fire morphed into a long spear, ready to devour anything in its path. Amelia spun the spear twice around her hips, before rushing toward Miasma with its tip ready to pierce his throat. "...!" Miasma recovered from his previous attack, only to meet the spear, unprepared for it. The air itself was set ablaze for a short time as the blade danced around Miasma, who managed to avoid being skewered by the blazing spear. Like a gorgeous dancer, Amelia jumped around Miasma, crossed his path multiple times, only to revolve around him as she slowly gained the upper hand. But Miasma wasn''t done either. "!" He lifted his hand abruptly, as the Vesta''s blade approached him from the side. The blade pierced his hand, and scorched his corrupted limb from the inside. With a painful expression, he gripped the blade with his pierced hand, before smiling. "I got you!" Amelia appeared troubled for a second, before she opened her mouth. "I wouldn''t be so..." *BOOM* A powerful explosion happened from inside his arm, ripping his entire arm off and creating a wide opening in his chest. Pushed back by the explosion, Amelia took a few steps backward, spinning her spear around her sides. "...sure about that." She finished her sentence with a proud smirk. Loud footsteps echoed from the fire, revealing an injured Miasma. "You... You are the second person to cause this much damage to this body." Corruption gathered once again around Miasma, and merged into his skin. The opening in his chest and his missing arm reappeared instantaneously, forcing her smile to die down. ''Really, this is unfair...'' She wasn''t thinking about the idea that his regenerating abilities were unfair, but the fact that she was hugely incompatible in front of this monster. ''Is Orion the only one able to damage Miasma? Is my plan to take over his role bound to fail?'' Regardless of how strong she wished to kill Miasma, her elements were useless against Miasma''s regeneration. In normal circumstances, she would''ve been a true match for him, but his ability had only one counter. Orion''s light magic. Still, she was unable to give up yet. With a determined expression, she pointed her spear at Miasma, ready to return to the assault. "Let''s get this over with." Miasma pointed his index finger at Amelia. With a bored expression, he focused most of the energy in the air in a single point, and fired a small, but extremely charged beam at her. "Eh?!" Taken aback by the abrupt nature of this attack, Amelia was unable to react. "Amelia!" From her left side, Karteira jumped in the air, covered in light. She flipped once, before dropping in front of her friend. "BASTION!" The scales around her arms expanded into a large shield that covered both herself and Amelia right before the beam made contact with her. Karteira held her ground, slightly pushed back by the beam''s tremendous power. Yet, she blocked it entirely thanks to her ability. Still, she was only able to hold this ability for ten seconds. Subsequently, the two would be meet their end if she were to fail. ''Please be done! Please!'' The sparks of the beam enveloped them as Karteira gritted her teeth, creating fireworks of tainted energy. Amelia blinked, as a memory resurfaced from deep inside her mind. The day she protected her from Orion''s most dangerous attack during their serious battle. "!" Seeing her first friend jump in front of her to protect her brought her back to reality. She placed her hand on Karteira''s back while hitting the back of her plated shield with Vesta''s blade. "Thanks." Karteira was unable to answer, as it took everything she had to hold the attack. The seconds were narrowing to two, before Amelia joined the defense. "Inferno!" From the front of the shield, a horizontal pillar of flame pushed back the beam slowly, before Karteira was forced to stop defending. Still, the energy Miasma was putting behind this attack was no laughing matter. Even using her most powerful attack, she only managed to get a few centimeters of leeway between her and the corrupted beam. "Fucking worm! How long are you planning to waste my time!" The roars of an angry Miasma echoed in their ears. Amelia clenched her jaws tightly, and glared with the entirety of her emotions behind it. "Not before you fucking die yourself!" Slowly, very slowly, Amelia marched forward. Chapter 382: Two friends against all odds. Orion''s fingers were trembling with anticipation. His most precious allies were fighting, while all he could do presently was wait. The anguish of letting others do his work made him extremely nervous, to the point where it was barely impossible to hold off. He was ready to warp the two out of there without a second thought if they ever showed pain for a second. Yet, he frowned. Amelia was actually holding Miasma back for now. The woman who grew up with him, the one who followed him to this wretched place, and the one who accepted his troubles. Before Karteira jumped in to help her, he was about to do it himself. But she opened another opportunity for him to keep scanning the Corrupted Remnant. By no means was he happy about this situation, but he had to. Tetra''s power was too much of a threat to this world to let in the world of a deranged monster. Still, the situation was turning worse with each passing minute. At one point, he knew he would have to intervene, either after identifying the source, or not. He glanced toward Elliott, furtively looking at his expression. The man was also frenetically scanning all over Miasma, sweating nervously. The fact that both of them were unable to find it was a miracle by itself, albeit a terribly unfortunate one. Suddenly, Orion was forced to focus back on the fight. "EEEY!" Amelia forcefully diverted the beam trajectory by making it bounce on Vesta''s blade. Traveling rapidly upward, it met the dark dome covering Eogis and shattered a part of it. A long trailing path ripped through the glass-like creation, making particles and shards of corrupted energy rain down on them. Orion lifted his hand, and erased the falling debris with light magic. Hi actions caught Miasma''s attention, who interrupted his attack at last. The Remnant looked at Amelia and Karteira next with a soured expression. "Why... Why are you still standing?" He wasn''t asking because he was bewildered by her power, he was intrigued by the intensity of her will to push back. Karteira was still on one knee on the ground, recovering her stamina rapidly, while Amelia was breathing roughly, her hands trembling holding her spear. She stepped back toward Karteira in silence, glaring at Miasma. Without him noticing, she managed to get in contact range of her friend, who placed her hand on her back. Energy flowed inside Amelia again, rejuvenating her exhausted muscles. This was the same sensation she felt when Orion relieved her of her training exhaustion. Her breath settled down, her hands stopped shaking, and her mind calmed down. ''That was close.'' She glanced at Karteira over her shoulder, and nodded as a way to thank her. The silent exchange brought the two even closer together, as Karteira stood up next to her. In return, she also nodded, signaling the start of their next struggle together. Miasma was losing his composure, showing the true nature of his tainted self. Grinding his teeth in frustration, he finally snapped. "Fine, if you keep standing in my way, all I have to do is remove you." Even more corrupted energy gathered around at a dazing speed. Even the three in the back felt the pressure of this amount of energy released. What was worse, was that Orion was unable to purge this terribly dangerous mass of energy. He couldn''t. Pressuring Miasma into his last effort would spell disaster for everyone. Something was gnawing at his mind, making it impossible to ignore. ''What if Miasma is pushed into a corner, and destroys Tetra''s source? What would happen to this world?'' The answer was rather simple. Destroying the core that supported ''Space'' and ''Time'' would doom the entire world in but an instant, erasing the entire existence of this world, going as far as to ignore the role of other Remnants like Tiohr-nam.Stolen story; please report. This distressing thought kept Orion in place, unable to completely erase the energy supporting Miasma. It was the reason for staying back, with his involvement only becoming a last resort option until the source was found. Suddenly, Orion snapped back to reality with another bone-chilling thought. His gaze turned to a mountain range behind him, straight in the path of the Remnant''s attack. "!" Hurriedly, he warped to Henrietta, grabbed her, and moved far away. "Eh- Wai-" "..." Orion ignored Henrietta''s surprise and focused on the girls, standing face-to-face with Miasma. "You better dodge that! No playing heroes!" Shouting that to the girls, he pressed them to be careful. Both listened to his words without turning back. Yet, they stood their ground after nodding at each other. Miasma lifted his right arm in front of him, opening his hand slowly. The palm of his hand pointing at the two women, he frowned. "Not enough..." *Pulse* A faint shockwave traveled around Miasma, pulling yet even more energy toward him. The amount of energy inside him was a hundred times what he was used to manipulating, but he didn''t care. The air pressure around him was so gross and powerful, the ground sunk under it. The grass was crushed flat by the pressure, unable to survive the horrible power. With the ground splitting under his feet, Miasma finally released the entirety of the accumulated energy. "!" A massive beam of purple energy erupted from his hand, erasing his arm progressively as more energy gushed out of it. It traveled even faster than anything this world had ever managed to create. Amelia and Karteira jumped out of the way at a dangerously close point, taking this chance where Miasma was unable to move to strike back. The beam continued on its course, leaving a trail of dark energy on its path that burned the ground. It continued, and before the two women could approach Miasma, the beam made contact with the Talviera Mountain Range. The ground shook violently across the entire continent. A massive mushroom-like cloud towered above the impact point, before revealing a crescent-shaped opening across the entire range of mountains. Suddenly, both stopped and looked behind them with wide opened eyes. "Seriously...?" Karteira could only speak in shock, before shaking her head. With Amelia doing the same, they returned to their plan. Orion looked in the direction of the explosion, and frowned. ''Fate cannot be manipulated. The Talviera Mountain Range was meant to be hit by this attack, and so it did...'' Suddenly, a realization came to him. ''What about the dragons?!'' Activating ''Eagle Eye'', his sight zoomed on the place the dragons were supposedly nesting in. Even zooming tenfold, he was unable to see the details above the mountains. Still, he managed to notice small dots flying frantically here and there toward the wide crescent opening. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, as he released his ability. He let go of Henrietta without a word, gently placing her feet on the ground, and returned to the air. ''From the point of impact, I''d say it avoided Ormrdivin.'' Relieved, Orion focused on Miasma. Still, this even only sealed his thoughts on fighting back his destiny. Even if the scenery changes, even if the people fighting are different, the result always ends up at the same point. But, he wasn''t afraid anymore. In fact, he was unexpectedly proud of his journey. "Hit this!" Amelia and Karteira crossed path as they slashed Miasma tail and remaining arm off. But the removed limbs stayed in place, only reattaching themselves to the main body. Miasma turned to Amelia, and fired a low concentrated beam of corrupted at her. A flash of light appeared in front of Amelia, protecting her from the beam. Utilizing a smaller plated shield to defend Amelia, Karteira easily repelled the attack while Amelia ran around her. "Firestorm!" With her spear in front of her, Amelia''s body gathered fire magic, similar to how Miasma did. Vesta glowed a bright white color, before a vortex of deadly white fire erupted from the tip. Miasma clenched his left fist, and punched the fire with all of his might. As he fought back the dangerous magic, Karteira appeared next to him, leaving a trail of light behind her. Her hands'' plates morphed into sharps blades, which pierced his side without much resistance. Confirming she was deep into his body, she widely spread her arms to each side, opening a wide, deep wound on her enemy. But it was nothing for Miasma. Unbothered by her, he kicked her chest, striking her like a fly. "Kh!" Karteira''s feet dragged grass and dirt with her as she blocked the kick with the plated armor. He ignored Amelia, who was gathering more magic to attack, and focused on Karteira. Closing the distance between them, he took the opportunity of her recovering from the hit, and went to grab her throat. "Heh." Karteira smirked, making Miasma uncomfortable. Yet, he was unable to stop his momentum, and went for it nonetheless. A stinger, which was invisible until now, pierced Miasma''s neck, putting him off-balance for a brief instant, enough to create a way for Karteira to avoid the attack. Forced to continue his attack, he missed her as she slid between his legs. Her stinger pierced his back, and with tremendous force, lifted Miasma off the ground, before slamming him down. "Gh!" The impact shook Miasma for a second, before a bright light caught his attention above him. "!" High in the air, Amelia focused her aim on the Remnant''s head, and threw her spear with everything she had. "Flash Fire!" Hurling the name of her ability, the spear broke through the air with an ear-deafening sound, and rapidly fell at a faster pace. Pined down by Karteira, who was smirking triumphantly, Miasma gritted his teeth. He slammed his remaining hand on the ground, creating a small explosion that forced Karteira off him. Still, the spear was faster, as it already came too close for comfort. Time flowed slower for Miasma, as a vision appeared in his mind. The only way to survive this attack appeared to him, before he smiled. With a speed that was unnatural for him, he placed his hand above his head, and released a shield of corrupted energy around him. Vesta made contact with the shield, but pierced it with incredible ease. Yet, this made it lose a large amount of momentum, which Miasma used to his advantage. He moved his head to the side, and let the spear pierce his hand, before getting stuck on the ground next to his face. "!" Suddenly, Orion and Elliott both opened their eyes wide. They looked at each other without hesitation, and nodded, as a faint smile replaced the concern they had. ''We''ve identified the source.'' Chapter 383: Recovering the source. After watching Miasma carefully, Orion and Elliott acknowledged a very peculiar action that was impossible to notice before. ''Tetra''s source... I should''ve seen it coming. Of course, it is there.'' Hidden inside Miasma''s own source. Elliott knew what Miasma''s source as a Remnant was. It was that jet black ink perfect pearl he threw up after breaking free from his control. That pearl was constantly moving inside Miasma, making it difficult to pinpoint its location. But ultimately, Miasma was unable to completely hide it from them. ''If Miasma can recover from any injuries, why did he move his head to avoid Amelia''s attack? He didn''t when Karteira pierced his neck.'' Orion frowned while watching Miasma stand up, his eye dripping a dark liquid after using Tetra''s power. Another detail that everyone noticed, was Miasma''s inability to heal his eye, and his right arm. Why was he unable to heal his eye was easy to understand, but his arm? Why was it still like this? The only clear answer that came to mind was that the terrifying blast of energy he released earlier was so intense and taxing on his core that his arm remained damaged even after firing it. And in actuality, it was exactly that. Miasma condensed too much energy into a single point, forcing himself into a state of temporary weakness. But even though Miasma was weakened, it wasn''t enough to cause radical changes to his actions. After only a few minutes, his core would recover from the shock, and rebuilt the missing arm. Nonetheless, thanks to this weakened moment, it made it possible to find what they were searching frantically. All traces of anxiety vanished from both Orion and Elliott''s faces, as they prepared to enter the battle. Even knowing what Amelia was trying to accomplish... Orion glanced toward Henrietta, who happened to be looking at him with an agitated expression. ''I should say something to her before going.'' He opened a portal near her, and spoke through it. "I''m going to recover Tetra''s power." That''s all he said before closing the rift. Henrietta''s eyes glistened slightly at his words, before a determined nod was sent his way. Watching the woman place her hope in him, Orion nodded. Then, it was time to finally join the fight. Lifting his left arm in front of him, he pointed his palm toward Amelia and Karteira. "Eh?!" Amelia was about to hit the ground after jumping that high, before a portal opened under her feet. The same thing happened to Karteira. Both of them sunk into the portal instantly, and reappeared behind Orion. "Wai- Orion!" Amelia was about to say something, but for the first time since knowing him, he ignored her. His body curled into a ball, with his mighty white wings wrapping around him. Miasma, confused by the sudden disappearance of his opponents, looked at his surroundings. "What''s happening this time?" Noticing the ball of light in the air, he understood the gravity of the situation. With a frown, he abruptly aimed his finger at the light sphere, and fired a beam. "..." But it wasn''t that simple. While Orion was in a rather peculiar position, and was opened to attacks, someone would have to stand ready to defend him. The one to jump in the air to defend Orion was a blond man with a radiant sword, covered in a faint light that appeared as an armor. Elliott jumped in front of the beam, deflecting it toward another spot. "Get out of my way!" Angered by the sudden interruption, Miasma exploded in rage. A wide shockwave traveled out of his body, rapidly moving toward Elliott. "I will not allow you to interfere with him." Dropping to the ground, Elliott tightly clenched Vanitas'' hilt in his hands. He aimed the sharp blade in front of him, and slashed the energy in half. Amelia observed the rest of the battle, knowing that it was too late to change anything, unknowing that Orion had already made up his mind after confirming his vision. She and Karteira stayed there, their heart hanging down their throat, as Orion''s wings opened widely. *Thump* The sound of a heartbeat echoed, stopping Miasma in his tracks. The expression on his face crumbled. *Thump* Another heartbeat, then another. In rapid succession, light gathered around Orion, who aimed Alcyone to the sky. Once the last heartbeat resonated inside everyone''s chest, he opened his mouth. "The purge begins." Firing a bolt of light that zigzagged through the air, Orion glanced at the sky. Part of the dome covering Triazils shattered in contact with the light, before arching back toward the ground.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. While reentering the dome, the arrow split into many parts, who rained all around Miasma. "What is this?!" Each part of the arrow crashed on the ground, or exploded in the air. Those translucent spheres and luminous spheres devoured the corruption, leaving nothing of it behind. None of the explosions happening from the magic damaged Miasma directly. Instead of focusing on Miasma, Orion purged the corruption hanging in the air, and on the ground. Feeling his power diminish, Miasma tried to think of something, but he was too unprepared. Never in his wildest dream did he ever thought someone would remove what made him so powerful. Another bold of light traveled in the air, before falling on the spots previously missed. But, that was all Orion could do with his light magic. Cleansing the area was too much of a task that he was expecting it to be. With his light magic drained, he plummeted toward the ground. The light around his body dimmed as he approached the ground slowly, until the radiance entirely vanished, leaving Orion in his angelic form without any magic to support him. Still, this was a success nonetheless. From the look on Miasma''s face, the corruption that supported his constant recovery had been removed. Elliott walked next to Orion, his gaze glued on Miasma, and his sword radiating a dangerous glow. A dark matter suddenly dripped from Orion''s back, covering his back, his wings, and his clothes. Darkness swallowed his body, as his demonic side took over. *Howl* A wolf emerged from his shadow, at least two times bigger than him. Its howl shook the mind of anyone who heard it. The Abyssal Sovereign appeared in front of Miasma, alongside his companion, the Abyssal Wolf, Sirius. Orion placed his hand on his companion''s fur, and glared at Miasma. Sirius growled with hatred at him, ready to pounce on the Remnant at the first order given. "Elliott, stay back." "Are you sure?" Slightly surprised, the blonde man glanced toward him. "You''ve done your part, now, it''s time to do mine. Protect the others in case something happens." He looked over his shoulder, and glanced at Amelia and Karteira, who were anxiously waiting in the back. Then, he glanced toward Henrietta, a little further away. Elliott sighed, before glaring at Orion. "I''ll do what I have to do. Don''t worry." "Just don''t go sacrificing yourself. I''m not responsible for the aftermath if you do." Knowing that Elliott was talking about the many people who were waiting for him, Orion faintly nodded without giving an answer. Suddenly, Orion''s mood changed entirely. His mind focused on Miasma entirely, removing any thoughts about others. Even Amelia and Karteira together wouldn''t be able to stop him. It wasn''t a berserk state, but the determination he crafted during his entire journey taking form. The long-awaited showdown between Orion and Miasma. With nothing holding them anymore, and a time limit to protect the continent, the first to move turned out to be Orion. "You like firing beams of energy, do you?" A mocking tone escaped Orion''s mouth, as him and Sirius pressured Miasma with each step. Lifting his hand in front of him, a dark sphere gathered in his palm, before breaching through the air in a straight line. Miasma blinked in shock, but rapidly moved away, dodging the dark beam in time. As he looked back, he saw the fuming ground and the large ditch created by the attack. ''If I''m hit by that...'' His will to fight wavered for an instant, before Miasma shook his head. But this was only the beginning. When he looked toward Orion, he noticed that the wolf had disappeared. Feeling a sudden chill on his back, he turned around hurriedly, and noticed Sirius gathering energy between his jaws. Frantically moving out of the line of fire, Miasma cursed his situation. ''Even if I give up now, I won''t have a painless death anyway! There''s no way I can lose this fight.'' The remaining eye of Miasma shined for an instant, as he made up his mind. ''All I need is time... That''s all I need.'' Focusing on Tetra''s source again, he accelerated the process while avoiding the beam of dark matter released by Sirius. But it wouldn''t be so simple. Orion leaned forward, and pushed on his leg. "Fourth Gear." Miasma couldn''t even blink. A devastating tremor shook his body, as a hand plunged into his chest. The shock was so overwhelming, Miasma was unable to gather what was happening. Orion was in front of him, his hand rummaging through his body. "...!" Orion found what he was looking for, and grasped a dark pearl in his hand, sending a painful shock to Miasma. "Get away from me!" Sending a powerful punch toward Orion''s face, Miasma hoped to get rid of Orion before it was too late. "Give her back!" *BAM* Taking the punch wholeheartedly, Orion ignored the pain and focused on the pearl. The dark magic in his body reacted to the pearl, and began to cover it rapidly. "I said... fuck off!" He grabbed Orion''s throat, and forcefully pushed him away. Orion was still clenching the pearl in his hand as he was pushed back, which made the pearl fly out of Miasma. The two staggered, before their eyes focused on the flying core. "!" Entering a full sprint with his life on the line, Miasma then jumped to catch his core. Orion flapped his wings, and leaped off the ground with such intensity that the ground cracked under him. They met in the air, glaring furiously at the other, as their index fingers made contact with the pearl. *BZZT* A small arc formed between Orion and the pearl. *BOOM* Before sending him flying back toward the ground. Miasma grabbed his core, and swallowed him inside his body. Without even thinking about what had happened, and before letting time for Miasma to fall to the ground, Orion leaped once again, and plunged his hand back into Miasma''s body again. Breaking the sound-barrier speed was an easy task for Orion in this form, which he made use to disorient Miasma. "Not again!" This time, Orion was prepared. "Sirius!" The wolf ran on air, and bit Miasma''s arm, holding him from interfering. ''Come on, Tetra! Come on!'' Orion struggled to catch the moving pearl, but managed to find it nonetheless. "Let me go, you fucking mutt!" Fighting against the powerful jaws of the Abyssal Wolf, and Orion''s relentless search for Tetra''s core, he knew that the end was near. Yet, Miasma was unable to give up. Even through this pitiful display, he tried to avoid his core from being destroyed. This time, Orion wasted no time, and pulled the source of Tetra out of Miasma with his void magic, ripping it forcefully from Miasma. "Ahk! Damn...it!" Dark liquid gushed from Miasma''s wounded eye and mouth, as a part of his soul was damaged. But unexpectedly, something happened. "Not yet! This is definitely not the end!" Miasma pulled his arm with all his strength, pulling Sirius in the process. He grabbed Orion''s head between his hand, and pushed him away. Then, time stopped. Orion and Miasma looked at each other during that entire time, their expressions painted with urgency. The ones looking presently were holding their breaths, oblivious to the event happening out of time. Even the two in a brawl were unaware of what was happening. While everything was in a standstill, a storm formed above them. Dark lightning bolts crackled through the clouds, who began to revolve upward like a reverse cyclone. The world''s time suddenly ticked back again, with Orion and Miasma feeling a dangerous power well inside them both. Orion''s void responded to Tetra''s source inside Miasma as he pulled her power out. But as both noticed the swirling storm above them that wasn''t there a few seconds ago, a powerful energy pushed them away. Miasma fell to the ground holding his chest, while Orion and Sirius slid on the ground further away. With something incredibly important in his hand, Orion opened it slowly. In the palm of his hand, an hourglass sigil floated freely, covered in a pinkish aura. A warm smile formed on his face, as he held the sigil over his shoulder, to let the others behind see. Henrietta blinked at the sight of her friend''s core, before tears welled up in the corners of her eyes. A sigh of relief escaped the others, as they could finally deal with Miasma without being afraid of the Remnant of Space and Time''s power. Until a sinister laugh broke through their relief. "Hahahaha!" Miasma placed his hand on his face, and arched his back. "You morons! You fucking morons! Even I wasn''t sure how I would be dealing with you!" Slowly, he straightened. Orion opened his eyes wide in shock, before staring at the sigil in his hand. "What?!" The Remnant''s missing right arm returned to its original state, and Miasma''s eye healed. As he opened that eye, an hourglass sigil appeared inside of it, confusing everyone. Then, the hourglass turned to a digital 0. "Thank you, Orion. Your power was helpful!" Dumbfounded, and at a total loss for words, Orion fell silent, as the roars of the storm above them became louder. Chapter 384: Paradox. A paradox. The two powers with ways to manipulate ''Space'' entered a resonance. Orion''s void magic, and Tetra''s source as a Remnant. In ordinary circumstances, those two would never contradict each other, or conflict with each over. Void magic was, even as a brand-new magic with brand-new rules, a branch of Tetra''s ''Space''. It was impossible for Orion to break the rules imposed by the Remnant of Space. Yet, because of Miasma''s meddling, and misuse of her power, this particular event came to be. One where Orion recovered Tetra''s power, but also stayed inside Miasma''s core. With Orion influencing the source with his magic, and Miasma wasting his life trying to keep it, a paradox formed. As Tetra''s soul, her source, and her power were ripped away from Miasma''s core, a piece stayed inside him. This piece, which was by itself a contradiction of the rules this world was built upon, became a conflicting matter. Nonetheless, this couldn''t stay as is. The world tried to repair the fault, but ultimately resolved the matter automatically. Since the Remnant of Space and Time was no more, it settled with the easiest solution. Giving it altogether to the nearest Remnant, Miasma. Tetra as a Remnant lost a part of her power, even if Tiohr-nam were to revive her in the future. Everything became uncertain. With Miasma obtaining the power to influence space and time, the situation took a turn for the worse. And this was proved immediately. While Orion was still confused, Sirius rushed to the side of Miasma, and fired a beam of dark matter from his mouth. Miasma lifted his hand, pointing his index finger toward it. Without glancing at it, he fired a beam of his own that clashed with Sirius''. "!" Orion came out of his shock, and scanned his surrounding. His eyes fell on the source in his hand, feeling a warmth he was familiar to. ''Go kick his ass!'' He heard the voice of Tetra in his mind, as if she was still there. But she wasn''t, or at least Orion persuaded himself that her voice was only a remnant piece of her past. He clenched her source in his hand, which sunk into his palm. Compared to Silka''s sigil that was passed down to him and merged with his core, he simply stored it into his soul, where the only way to remove it was to kill him. Watching Sirius struggle to fight back the beam of corruption, Orion stood up and leaned forward, ready to join his companion. ''This battle as changed entirely. I don''t know how far into the future Miasma can see, or if everything unfolds in front of his eyes gradually, but if I want to win...'' His eyes gleamed dark for a second, as his feet left the ground. ''I''ll have to be smart about it!'' Just like before, Orion closed in on Miasma using the ''Fourth Gear'' and his demon wings, breaking the sound-barrier. But Miasma knew it. He saw what would happen. Lifting his now healed right arm, he caught Orion''s punch, and leaned forward, before whispering into his ear with a chilling voice. "This is the end for you." But Orion ignored this entirely. Fear was unable to wrap around his heart from the very beginning of this encounter. Even if Miasma was able to see the future, it had a price. That was how Tetra''s power worked.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Yet, Miasma seemed to be free of those, which confused Orion. "Maybe it is too early to judge..." He glared at Miasma, before breaking away from him. The beam Sirius fired finally stopped, as well as Miasma''s. The jet-black wolf rapidly joined with his master, before both jumped above Miasma. Crossing path in the air, they flew above Miasma, firing a beam of dark energy together. Miasma lifted his hand above his head, and released a thick barrier of corrupted energy, protecting him from both attacks. As the two fell down, they ran around Miasma, crossing once again. When Sirius ran past Orion, he lunged at the barrier with frightening speed, and punched the barrier, shattering it on impact. "Tsk!" This wasn''t part of what Miasma saw, which seemed to irritate him. Orion noticed that and joined with Sirius. Mounting the large wolf, Orion pointed both hands at his enemy, gathering energy from his core. Two threads of dark energy revolved around his arms, focusing on a single point in front of his palms. Sirius bent his back, and let out a bone-chilling howl, gathering the same intensity of magic from his master. Dark lightning bolts crashed next to Orion and Miasma at the same time, which started the intensification of the storm above them. Lightning rained on the field, luckily sparing the observer further away. Anchoring his right foot to the ground, and placing his left foot forward, Miasma lifted his left arm while placing his right hand on his left shoulder. Orion and Sirius gathered as much as they could handle, gritting their teeth at the terrifying power. Dark orbs grew in front of them, two in front of Orion, and a third in front of Sirius. Those three orbs began to crackle with tremendous energy, ripping the air apart as they grew to the size of Orion''s torso. Threads of dark energy began to spin around the orbs, showing that no more power could be gathered in them. A similar thing was happening with Miasma. A bigger, larger sphere, the size of his entire body, formed in front of him, gushing air into every direction. The standoff took barely a few seconds, as they were unable to keep it stable. "...!" The two threads circling Orion''s arms snapped, releasing the immense energy toward Miasma. Sirius dropped his head, and released the large orb alongside Orion''s, which merged into a devastating vortex of dark matter. Feeling the energy approaching him, Miasma fired his energy too. A massive beam of corrupted energy, even more powerful than the one that destroyed part of the Talviera Mountain Range, rapidly met with the vortex of energy. *CRACK* The explosion was so intense the ground ripped in half into a large chasm between them, extending all the way toward Paraviel. With the decayed and ruined city collapsing into the ravine created by the exploding power clashing against another, another scar was forced upon Eogis. "GHHH!" Orion and Sirius were holding the tremendous energy back, focusing on stabilizing it into a single, centered point. If they were unable to, it could endanger the others watching in the distance. Miasma, on the other hand, was holding this with even more difficulty. His attack wasn''t pushed back by Orion''s, but his body was, by his own power. This time, he made sure to protect his arm from being erased, but that came at the cost of losing control over the output. Nonetheless, the clash of energy continued until the accumulated power was released, with no clear winner. Both expending more than a third of their overall stamina with one attack, they stared at each other from opposite sides of the crevasse. "..." Orion breathed a sigh of mild exhaustion while jumping off Sirius'' back. He patted the wolf, which was looking as exhausted as him, before vanishing from the spot. *BAM* His fist met Miasma''s face. "Fucke-!" Miasma was a little too late to react, watching a vision of the future that was instantly made true. Pushing on his shoulder blade with everything he had, Orion sent him flying backward. Not leaving the Remnant any room for breathing, he jumped in the air. Three dark crossbows formed over Orion, as he aimed at Miasma with nothing in his hand. But right then, a dark wave of energy swirled between his hand, creating a black crossbow that appeared more regal than any other crossbow in this world. The glistening dark crossbow, Taygeta, pulled its string by itself, and flashed a dark arrow in its groove. As Orion pulled the trigger, three arrows flew from the floating crossbows, aimed at the Remnant, while Taygeta fired a thin, concentrated beam of power. "Kh!" Miasma slammed his fist on the ground, spun a few times in the air, and dropped his feet to the ground. While sliding on the ground, he erected a barrier to protect himself from the arrows. With the arrows being deflected, he tried to create another, more powerful protective shell around him to defend against the beam. But a shadow drifted toward him. Sirius jumped on the first shield, ripping it to shreds with his sharp claws tainted by darkness. Watching the shards of his barrier drop in front of him, the world slowed down for Miasma, as his enemy''s attack was about to penetrate his chest. A vision flashed in his head, revealing the right path to take to survive. "!" He punched the ground with enough force to create cracks, before detonating it with a corrupted blast of energy. Sending himself flying in the air, he dodged the beam and protected him with another barrier, as more arrows came crashing on his shield. Sirius appeared once again to shatter the shield, but Miasma was prepared this time. A third arm, way larger than the other two, broke through his back and punched the wolf. Sirius jumped on dark matter, and away in a somersault maneuver. The arm''s hand opened in front of the shield, and caught the second beam Orion''s fired with Taygeta. A deep hole punctured through the arm, but Miasma was uninjured. "Feeeew..." Taking a deep breath, Miasma''s body began to show yet again, more changed. An egg of corrupted energy formed around him, which instantly cracked open. A giant shadow was cast over the area, as two large wings spread behind Miasma. "..." Orion glared at the new Miasma, clenching his crossbow in his hands. All the way back, Karteira opened her mouth, and described Miasma''s appearance, whose shadow appeared alongside black lightning strikes. "A dragon...?" Chapter 385: Under an overwhelming storm. Miasma took the form of a dragon. Yet, its size wasn''t nearly as imposing as a true dragon. Compared to them, Miasma was barely fifty meters wide from wing to wing. A dragon like Monolavir, who was larger than his peers, easily reached a hundred and fifty meters when stretching his four wings. But even a small dragon was a dangerous opponent. Even more when Miasma was the one wearing this form. He opened his mouth, releasing a dark purple cloud. Orion observed Miasma with focused eyes, and a stable state of mind. This dragon had light purple scales, a rather long tail with razor-sharp points following his spine, and two wings in an incredibly sorry state. It was to wonder how Miasma was able to fly with such damaged wings. Nonetheless, here he was, flying, unbothered by such a detail. The bone structure of the wings were crooked in various places, making the wings a mess. The skin forming the wings itself was ripped, uneven, and full of holes. Following the neck of the monster, a thick head looked down with its red eyes. Two large horns, arching upward, stood on each side of his head. *CRACK* Lightning rained around them. The storm above them was getting even wilder, as wind began to get siphoned into the pitch-black vortex. Inside the dark spot, black lightning bolts incessantly joined each other dangerously. As more time passed, the hole in the sky began to suck even the air near the ground. This was a scene no one even laid their eyes upon. From all the way over Hocride, the tall funnel of blackness could be seen, like a tornado ravaging the sky instead of the ground. The situation was turning grim for Triazils'' inhabitants, who barely survived the onslaught of corrupted humans thanks to two dragons. All eyes were turned to this unnatural phenomenon, and all ears were listening to the low rumble of the storm. Under this intense storm, only Orion and Miasma stood, unbothered by the changes occurring around them. Orion lifted his left arm in front of him, invoking rows of dark crossbows above him, all aimed at the purple dragon. Suddenly, a metallic object flashed in front of his eyes, wrapped around his wrist. The device that held his parents'' souls, the keepsake with his name engraved upon it. He looked at the tiny screen in the corner of the bracelet. There, a small number appeared, telling him that it was still working perfectly. Once before, a notification appeared on this screen. He was hoping that maybe his parents'' would once again convey something to him, but even as the seconds passed, nothing answered his hopes. "..." His gaze moved away from the bracelet, back onto Miasma. He made up his mind, and unwrapped the bracelet from his hand. He pressed it against his chest, and closed his eyes. Miasma, who had finally adjusted to his new form, fell toward the ground in a dive. When Orion opened his eyes, a starry energy, similar to the night sky, covered his demonic form. The energy merged with the dark matter, before Orion leaned forward, pushing on his leg with the ''Fourth Gear''. The crossbows that were over him fired toward Miasma, who switched directions a meter above ground, grazing the earth as he flew toward Orion at an incredible speed. With a breath of purple matter, Miasma countered the dark arrows, and lunged at Orion, his mouth wide open, ready to bite him. Orion and Miasma met, as Amelia, Karteira, and Henrietta held their breaths.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Using the small space below the dragon, Orion bent his knee, and slid under the dragon after avoiding his jaws. "!" Focusing the power of the ''Arm Overdrive'' in his right arm, he punched Miasma''s stomach. The dragon''s advance was instantly stopped, as a large shockwave traveled through his body, pushing its large body upward. A blast of air dragged Miasma upward, while Orion drew Taygeta with one hand. He aimed at his enemy''s chest, and fired a beam of dark matter. And then, Orion disappeared. A rift formed above Miasma, where Orion escaped from, before dropping a terrifying kick on the top of the dragon''s head, smashing the left horn in the process. Miasma fell to the ground, creating a large crater as he dug into the earth from the impact. Using this opportunity, Orion used a portal to appear in front of the fallen dragon, and punched its side with everything he had. Sending Miasma rolling toward the massive chasm, Orion appeared on his path, ready to give him another strike. But Miasma was done taking it without a fighting chance. Visions poured inside his mind as he rolled toward Orion. With a flap of his wings, he broke his momentum, gliding above the ground. His large claws dug into the ground as his feet made contact with it. With his whip like tail, Miasma attacked Orion, who was preparing to punch him with an even more destructive punch. The tail crashed on Orion, only to return to Miasma after behind countered. Seeing that a part of his tail was missing, Miasma attacked Orion with his corrupted breath. Knowing that Orion would move away from it, he reconstructed his tail, and turned his massive head to the side while opening his wide jaws. Orion was right between his teeth, having warped exactly where Miasma had seen it. Yet, this wasn''t enough to kill him. Orion used Taygeta to push himself out of the dragon''s jaws with a Pulse arrow, which he used against Julian''s corrupted form. He crashed toward the ground, disappearing into a dust cloud. Before the vortex above them pulled the dust toward it, Miasma slammed his front claw where Orion landed. Then, he turned his head to the other side, in the air. Releasing another breath of purple energy, he attacked Orion, who fired a dark arrow in his direction. The arrow traveled through the purple cloud as Orion warped away, piercing the thick scales on the neck of the dragon. It glowed brightly, before exploding. Miasma''s eyes opened wide at the pain this attack caused, which left a gaping hole after the explosion. Reconstructing this wound back to its original state would take a few seconds, seconds difficult to find in this fierce battle. But Miasma wasn''t discouraged. All he had to do was focus on not letting Orion use this weakness, and he would be fine. Whipping his tail around him, Miasma pushed Orion away, enough to distance himself from him. With more than a hundred meters between them, Miasma lifted his body, standing on his hind legs. A vision appeared in his head, as he stretched his neck tall. Then, he opened his jaws. Purple flames gathered, as a glowing light appeared under the skin of his chest. Orion, without wasting precious seconds, aimed Taygeta at the Remnant. He fired at the glowing part of the dragon in hope to stop the gathering of energy, but Miasma''s tail blocked the projectile, exploding a part of the tail instead. The glowing energy traveled upward, and through the throat. Miasma suddenly dropped his head, and fired a condensed beam toward Orion, ripping the earth asunder. A long trail of purple fire devoured the ground, as the beam approached Orion rapidly. "!" Warping somewhere this attack would avoid the others watching, Orion hurriedly left his spot. Miasma turned his head with little effort, following Orion precisely. For a minute, Orion was unable to do anything but avoid the incredibly lethal flames that could burn a city in less than a minute. Both had expanded more than two thirds of their total energy. Especially Miasma, who finally stopped breathing flames toward Orion. On the other hand, Orion''s stamina was starting to take a hit. Since he was unable to recover efficiently after expanding the entirety of his light magic, he had to finish this fight fast, or he would be the one to lose. ''Tsk! This power to see the future his troublesome.'' He glared at Miasma, who shared the same look of annoyance. The only thing keeping Orion alive was his resourcefulness. Without this tenacity, he would have been unable to fight back Miasma, who saw each future actions he would take. Miasma''s large body crashed on the dragon, as his front claws touched the ground. All of his wounds were now healed, with no traces of damage. Orion was at a loss. Nothing he would do would help fight this monster now that it could see the future. ''Is that it?'' Lowering his gaze, he opened his left hand. The bracelet, tightly clenched until now, entered his sight again. The ground rumbled, as Miasma ran toward Orion. The dragon opened its mouth near Orion, who kept his gaze on the bracelet. Miasma was about to close his mouth, before Orion suddenly bent his knees, and jumped out of his jaws. He spun in the air, flapped his dark wings, and dropped a devastating kick into the dragon''s skull, which managed to catch Miasma by surprise at the very last second. His foot dug into the skull of the dragon, crushing the tough scales and bones underneath. Orion then punched at the same spot resolutely, splashing himself with corrupted blood as he plunged deep into the large monster. Making his way deeper into Miasma, Orion fired Taygeta deep inside his head. The beam of dark matter ripped the insides of the dragon, destroyed his organs, and exploded his head. But Miasma was still fine, even if the pain was tremendous. He managed to move his core out of the way of Orion''s attack, and survive. But, this was it for the dragon form. As Orion''s feet touched the dirt, panting heavily, what remained of Miasma''s dragon body shrunk into a smaller, bipedal being. The usual smile on the Remnant''s face was no more. Anger was clearly visible, deforming his face even more. Yet, he wasn''t sure what to do anymore. Orion''s tenacity in front of his overwhelming power was just concerning at this point. As he thought that, Orion''s demonic form was released. His normal, human form appeared, showing that the last of his energy was depleted. A dark grin suddenly appeared on Miasma''s face. "I''ve won." The only one with energy left to spare... Was Miasma. Chapter 386: A Heros end. Amelia and Karteira both stepped forward with the idea to support Orion. But a blade stopped their advance. "Elliott?!" They glared at him as if he were the enemy. "It''s no use." Without glancing at them, he stood his ground, and stopped them nonetheless. "Amelia." Henrietta suddenly interjected, calling her daughter. Confused, and slightly angry, she turned to her mother. "This is Orion''s fight. Even if you intervene, there is no way to change the future." Both clenched their hands into fists, and dropped their gazes to the ground. "But..." Still, it was impossible for them to ignore Orion when he was in this exhausted state. They weren''t ready to let him go yet. "The only one who will change the outcome of this battle is Orion, and Orion only." Elliott, who had kept his eyes on him since the beginning of his lone stand, dropped his sword. "And still. Orion hasn''t given up yet." Saying that, the two women looked toward Orion, who breathed roughly. After a few seconds, he stabilized his breathing, and straightened. "..." Watching with anticipation, the heavy air around them only intensified as the two opponents entered the last act of their confrontation. Being at the center of the terrible storm, which only kept growing stronger, the entire area was covered by a dark veil, as if night had fallen on the group. Yet, not a single drop of rain fell on the broken and ravaged ground. Not a single cold bead came to alleviate Orion''s exhaustion and overheated body. Orion and Miasma glared at each other, with not a single speck of energy to spare. They stayed there, watching the other carefully, as they tried to find a plan to finish the other party. Even Miasma, who used his visions, couldn''t find a way, as all he could see was Orion standing on that spot without end. Unable to know what his enemy''s first move would be, Miasma was cautious. On the other end, Orion was also at a loss. ''There''s barely nothing I can do anymore.'' He moved his shoulder slightly, feeling his bone creak as it moved, even barely. His knees were locked in place, holding his weight as if this would be the last thing they would be doing. His left hand was unable to open, clenching the bracelet with the last bit of strength left in him. ''It''s been so long since I''ve felt like this...'' Countless hours of training in Auro led to this outcome, but since developing his light magic in the fairy realm, this exhaustion became a thing of the past for him. Still, on very few occasions did he let this feeling bathe his body with it. It was a good feeling. A feeling that proved that he was improving. That he was surpassing himself. And this day wasn''t different. Even threatened by his potential death, Orion remained calm. ''There''s only one thing left to do.'' His slate colored eyes glittered with determination. The will to live still hadn''t been extinguished in his soul. This was something he had to do. A battle to prove himself. To prove that the ones that survived, were those who made their own destiny. That the will to survive was stronger and purer than a rule imposed by the world. At that moment, as if he had lost any traces of patience inside of him, Miasma lunged at Orion. Heavy footsteps trampled the earth, as they approached the unmoving Orion. Lifting his arm above his shoulder, Miasma punched Orion''s face. The power was weakened enough, that it only pushed Orion back a little, without leaving a single scratch on him. Without leaving him a second to breathe, he kept pummeling him with punches that forced Orion to defend for a moment. But oblivious to what Orion was thinking, Miasma kept pushing. Bidding his time for the perfect opportunity, Orion endured the onslaught of blows. Face, stomach, chest, arms, legs... Every place on his body suffered weakened but painful blows. Until the perfect opportunity was offered to him. Miasma recoiled back for a more powerful strike, leaving his chest wide open. Orion clenched his right fist, and pierced Miasma''s chest without hesitation. "Kh!" The Remnant cowered back, fearing that Orion would find his core and crush it. Then, a vision entered his mind. A deranged smile broke on his face, as he turned his face toward a group of people. Out of nowhere, Miasma began to dash toward Elliott, who was acting as the defender in case something like this were to happen. "Tsk!"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Orion clicked his tongue, before following behind Miasma at his normal top speed. "...!" Elliott aimed Vanitas at Miasma, ready to intercept him, while Henrietta took the two women further away. The grin on Miasma''s face hadn''t vanished. Something was strange, and Elliott noticed it. His hair suddenly moved, as if unaffected by gravity. "Shit!" A dilemma appeared in front of him. Either stop his father here and there... Or die. Orion noticed it, as a memory flashed in his mind. One where he stood in front of Amelia, before dealing a serious blow to Miasma. He looked at Elliott, who was ready to sacrifice his life. Feeling his gaze on him, he looked toward Orion, who shook his head lightly. "..." Seeing this, Elliott thought for a second. Then, he covered himself with his energy, before lifting Vanitas into the air. "I''m counting on you..." Five bolts of black lightning crashed on Elliott as he said that. The blast was so intense that it forced Henrietta and the other two to fall back. Miasma avoided the area where Elliott was, and continued toward the three, with Orion close being him. "Perfect!" Miasma aimed the palm of his right hand toward them, firing an arrow of corruption at them. The arrow flew into the air, aimed at Amelia directly. Watching the projectile get closer, no one was able to react in time. Other than Orion. A portal opened in front of them, directly in the path of the arrow. *PUCK* The arrow pierced Orion''s left shoulder, as he emerged from the portal at the last second. Amelia fell backward from the shock, and dropped on the ground. She looked upward after opening her eyes. In front of her, Orion was gritting his teeth in pain, clenching the arrow stuck in his flesh with his right hand. He pulled the arrow from his shoulder, where his blood gushed out profusely for a second. Karteira hurriedly walked behind him, and pressed her hand on his back. "...!" This wasn''t part of his dream. Karteira healed the wound, and helped Orion recover a slight amount of stamina at that moment. He glanced at her with a smile on his face, the corrupted arrow tightly clenched in his right hand. "Thanks." Before she could say anything, Orion bent his knees, and kneeled forward. With enough energy to use the ''Fourth Gear'', he pushed on his legs and appeared in front of Miasma. The Remnant smiled, and threw a punch at him, only to be met by no resistance at all. Confused that his vision did not happen, he searched for Orion. "Looking for me?" Orion appeared behind Miasma, and jumped on his back. "!" Not letting time for him to move, Orion plunged the corrupted arrow inside his back. The tip of the arrow made contact with his core. Miasma opened his mouth wide, lifting his face to the sky. He felt a pain akin to no other wrap his body, pulling every fiver of his being apart. The core itself wasn''t damaged, but the arrow managed to corrupt part of Miasma''s soul. A part that wasn''t his. The power to influence space and time. "What... have you... done?!" Miasma shook Orion off, and backed off. Finally freed from the lightning strikes, Elliott hurriedly joined with Henrietta and the others, watching his father writhe in agony a few steps away. Orion warped in front of them, and glared at Miasma, prepared for one last event. He knew something was about to happen. A part of him was screaming ''danger'' incessantly, while his void magic cowered in fear. Miasma clenched his chest, feeling a power out of his control wreak havoc in his body. Feeling pressured, Orion opened a portal behind Miasma, and kicked him into it. He turned to Amelia, and opened his mouth. But before the words could leave his mouth, the last of the dream he was unable to hear played in his mind. - "Don''t worry. I''ll keep living inside you." - ''Did I... seriously say that?'' Orion gritted his teeth in anger at himself. He turned to the group with a frown on his face. Then, that frown turned into a smile. "I''m sorry I was unable to do more. Say that to the others." He turned around and followed behind Miasma, who was sent right under the eye of the storm. "O...rion?" Amelia, helped by Karteira to stand up, looked at the closing portal. The two women were shocked beyond belief. Their minds were trying to process those words, but ultimately, they were translated into his last will. Henrietta closed her eyes with a pained expression and looked away, while Elliott clenched his sword''s hilt while looking down. They all looked to the distance, where Orion and Miasma stood face-to-face for the last time. Suddenly, Miasma''s body swelled, before a beam of energy flew into the sky from his mouth. Before anything terrible was to happen to this world, Orion rushed to him, and punched Miasma''s guts with a fist covered with void magic. The beam undulated briefly, before disappearing into a rain of particles. Everyone thought that Orion had made it, but they weren''t prepared for what was about to happen. Orion''s void magic entered a synchronicity with the paradoxical power that Miasma stole from Tetra''s source. The two powers conflicted against each other, as large shockwaves emerged from the two as the center. Wind from all direction was sucked into the sky, as a dark sphere descended from the eye of the storm. The earth itself broke apart, sucked into that terrifying matter, destroyed and absorbed into its core. Even Orion was fighting back to stay on the ground. But to avoid this surreal energy from destroying Triazils, something had to be done. Gathering the entirety of his void magic in one single point, Orion focused. Two stars on his hands glowed brightly, as two orbs revolved around him. Light and dark elements merged with the point Orion was focusing at. His body flashed for a brief second, before revealing a starry night being with both the traits of a demon, and an angel. His voice echoed around the entire area, following his shift in posture and physical change. "LEGACY: PLEIONE!" A black and white crossbow formed in his hands, before a mighty beam of starry energy clashed with the gigantic dark sphere. The shockwave resulting from the two making contact destroyed the environment around Orion and Miasma. The clouds behind the sphere were instantaneously reduced to nothing, as the blue sky reappeared. But the clash between the two powers continued, until the world was unable to take it anymore. *TIK* Time came to a stop, but the standoff of the two energies continued in this frozen world. Orion gritted his teeth, holding the descent of the black hole with everything he could. The crossbow in his hand was starting to crack, threatening to break at any moment. With him being the only one able to fend off this horror, he screamed at the top of his lungs. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The six wings on his back flapped violently, as his feet left the ground. With difficulty, he closed the distance with the black hole, which focused the beam even further on a single spot. "I''LL PROTECT IT ALL!" Light enveloped both Orion and the black hole, before Pleione shattered into pieces. ... *TAK* Time ticked back on. As the black hole was broken and reduced to naught by Pleione and Orion, peace returned to Triazils. Amelia, Karteira, Henrietta, and Elliott looked into the sky. A demonic angel was falling down slowly toward the ground. The only thing shocking about it was that it was releasing particles at a rapid pace. They looked toward Miasma, who had the same thing happening to him. Orion opened his eyes, which met the beautiful and calm blue sky. "..." He opened his left hand, and looked at the bracelet. The chain was completely broke, but the device itself was fine. His soul and body were a mess. The light and the dark elements were no more in his core. The moment Pleione shattered, the two stars on Orion''s backhands flickered and disappeared, as well as the two elements that supported him so far. All that was left was the dying essence of the void element. But even the strength to think was beyond him at this point. "Orion!" Karteira suddenly grabbed Amelia, and covered in lightning, ran toward their dying companion. Ignoring the still and broken shell of Miasma, they stopped under Orion, ready to catch him. But when Orion was about to fall into their arms, him and Miasma vanished, as a rift formed under them. Swallowed by the remnant power that they both unleashed, the two slipped away from Triazils. As if to punish those who worked to save the continent, ''Fate'' continued, unbothered by their attempt to change Orion''s ending. The Hero vanished, leaving no trace of himself behind, except two faint lights that flew toward the wide rift leading to Horizon. Karteira stood there, her eyes searching for Orion. Tears swelled up at the corner of her eyes, persuading herself that this was but an illusion. That Orion would appear from a portal of his and be fine. But Amelia brought her back from this lie. "Orion? Orion?! No! That can''t be..." Amelia took two steps forward, before all of her strength escaped her grasp. As soon as the crushing reality descended on her, Amelia lost consciousness, falling into a deep slumber she would not wake up from. Chapter 387: Daughter in distress. Triazils was at peace, at last. The Remnant, Miasma, who conspired to kill all the life on this land, was no more. But that came at a price many people were unable to accept. One Hero sacrificed himself, unknown by the inhabitants of Triazils. The tale of our Hero, Orion Feales, was over... Or was it? ... The aftermath of the war was all that was left. With the armies led by Florian, Kamala, and Eric returning to their corresponding cities through the portals they came from, the Tainted War finally came to an end. Corrupted corpses were burnt, deceased friends were buried, and hope returned to people. Or so it was supposed to be. While the war was most of the picture, something terrible happened while everyone was occupied on the frontline. Hocride, Turric, Albriar, and Lahro were spared from this terrible event, but the result was still gut-wrenching. Civilians, in great number no less, died under the abject treachery of Miasma. As his plan finally was put in action, the corruption that was encroached on the inhabitants of the continent awakened, turning many into mindless murderers. No one escaped this tragedy. Even children were turned into puppets. This tragedy was stopped only by two dragons, who appeared from the sky and protected the people. A magnificent azure dragon with four wings, and a captivating green dragon with two tails. Monolavir and Ruminona acted in response to their friendship and respect for a single man. Thanks to their actions, the casualties were far less than it could have been. Sadly, with no way to save those already turned, many were lost. The public opinion on the dragons changed this day, as their appearance in front of total despair brought a glimmer of hope to everyone. Instead of adding to their worries, like they thought the instant the dragons appeared, they protected humans and beastmen alike. The tale of the dragons would be told by many in the future, but, that is a story for another time. ... "..." Four people and a dog walked through a rift, with one of them being unconscious. The expression on their faces was one of profound grief. As they stepped into Horizon, they met with the rest of the group, who were waiting anxiously, but patiently. Karteira walked through first, followed by Henrietta holding her daughter, Amelia, in her arms. The last to enter was Elliott. The instant his body was inside Horizon, he turned around, and slashed the rift with Vanitas, destroying it. May, Senia, Deveralna, Drania, Dramia, and Olivia stared at this with shock. Someone was missing. Someone they needed to see to appease their worries. But he was nowhere to be seen. "..." Karteira walked between them, and with her gaze cast downward, opened her mouth. "We were unable to protect Orion." They all opened their mouths in disbelief. "W-Wait! What happened?!" Olivia approached Karteira, who glanced at her. "And what about Amelia?!" May walked toward Henrietta, checking on the blonde woman who was unresponsive.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. To the twins, the world came crashing down. Drania turned around, hiding her face from everyone. Dramia hugged her sister, before the will to stop the tears was too weak to matter for the two of them. Senia fell in complete shock. Her brain shut down, as she flopped to the ground after her floating magic was forcefully stopped by her lack of concentration. The lamia Queen was in a similar state, but rapidly, anger took over her sadness. Clenching her hands into fists, she silently glared at the starry sky. Only Olivia and May were keeping a semblance of sanity. However, the news was particularly tragic for someone. "No... Papa..." Stella, who was on the side holding Layla''s hand, began to cry. Suddenly, the seven women stopped thinking, and turned to the poor little girl. Their emotions were nothing compared to what she was about to go through, which made them realized. They had made a mistake. "Stella-" The little girl let go of Layla, and ran toward the Elemental Shrine with an unending stream of tears flowing from her tears. "Stella..." Her cries echoed around Horizon, making the news of this tragedy even more painful to the group. "What are you doing?!" Elliott suddenly screamed at them. "She''s the last person you want out of your sight! Go after her!" The girl was already far away, no far from the shrine. The girls blinked for a second, before the seven of them hurriedly followed her. They were the last emotional support for this child. The grief in their heart was second at this moment. With Stella being Orion''s most precious child, it was impossible for them to simply ignore her pain. "..." Elliott, Henrietta, and Layla stared at their backs as they ran after Stella. "I have a bad feeling about this." Muttering those words loud enough for the two women to hear him, Elliott frowned. "If you say that, then I fear something terrible will happen." Henrietta looked at Amelia, who still had the expression of complete hopelessness etched on her face, even as she was unconscious. "Let''s hope this family can survive without shattering..." After a nod, Elliott looked at the large house in the distance. "With the pillar gone, everything is about to crumble. With Amelia out cold too, no one is capable of leading them, or appeasing their emotions." His heart was torn. After being accepted by Orion, he saw him as a friend. Even though the two had a terrible past together, they worked on making it right instead of being hostile to each other. He placed his hand on his chest, and spoke words no one expected him to ever let out. "I had no idea, that not being able to save a friend... could be extremely painful." This came incredibly close to heart for Henrietta, who agreed with him. "Right." With that said, Henrietta walked away, making her way toward the house. Elliott and Layla followed behind her in silence the entire time. ... "Papa!" The pain in Stella''s chest was unrelenting. Sobbing while clenching her chest with one hand, she ran. She ran, ran, and ran, as if her feet would lead her to a way to ease this pain, a way to forget about it. But it was impossible. Orion had taken too much space in her heart to be ignored. He wasn''t like Julian. Orion showered her with affection, listened to every word she said, and helped her build a new life. She had one father, and it was Orion. But he was gone. "Where are you?! Papa!" Her mind was unable to understand completely. She was but a ten-year-old girl. Her mind wasn''t strong enough to accept this reality. As she continued forward, she found the entrance to the Elemental Shrine, and entered without stopping. Wiping the tears off her face, which blurred and hindered her vision, she stood in front of the altar. Stella looked at her right hand. She was holding her sketchbook, which she had taken with her after seeing Tetra being murdered. Placing her back on the altar, her back slid on it, before she sat on the step. With her eyes still dripping beads of water, she opened the sketchbook. The first drawing was one of Orion, after she was healed by him. "Papa..." Her tears soaked the paper, as she looked at the other page. There, was drawn a scene in the dining room, with Orion drinking coffee while Amelia was cooking in the background. The drawings were incredibly detailed, and faithful to reality. Turning the pages, she looked at her drawings one after the other. Amelia relaxing on the couch with Orion, Karteira training in the distance alongside him, Sirius playing outside, again with Orion. Then, the picture of Orion lying in bed. "...!" Oblivious to it, Stella was unable to notice the sigil blinking in her eyes as she looked at the drawing. As she turned the pages further, drawings of Dramia and Drania bickering together next to Orion, Deveralna acting shy around Orion, May discussing a serious matter with Orion... Olivia fawning over him, and Senia swimming in the sea while Orion watched over her. That''s when she realized. Most of the drawings she made had Orion on them. She loved her father dearly, more than anyone in this world. Without him, was there a reason to keep on living? "Stella?!" She heard the screams of people she knew and loved, too. The memories she had with the various women of the house were still ever-present in her heart. But, it was still unable to bring her to answer. "-------" "?" Suddenly, a voice echoed in her mind. She looked around searching for it, wiping the remaining tears off her face, which finally stopped after looking at the last drawing. A light emerged from the vortex above the elemental shrine, which came down on the little girl. Wrapped in light, her body shone brightly, before exploding into countless particles that flew upward toward the vortex. The particles phased through the glass roof, and entered the vortex. "Where are you, Stella?!" Olivia entered the shrine first, while the others looked around it. "!" As she made her way to the altar, she noticed the sketchbook laying on the ground. "Damn it..." The only reason her sketchbook would be laying her without her would be if Stella herself had left. And... "Damned elementals." She glared at the sky, into the vortex. In her hand, the sketchbook was opened to the very last page, where the last drawing was drawn in pure blackness. Orion''s terrifying expression after finding Tetra''s lifeless body. As Olivia clenched the notebook, she made her way to the others, bringing the bad news to them. The family was on the brink of breaking apart, and Stella''s disappearance was only helping to facilitate the process. Chapter 388: Breaking apart. Inside the dining room, an hour after Stella disappeared. The situation was getting worse by the minute for the family. "..." After Karteira explained the confrontation between them and Miasma in Eogis, they all fell silent. Until one of them pressed her head on the table. "What are we supposed to do?" Senia''s heartbroken voice recalled everyone from their inner thoughts. They turned their gaze to her, understanding the pain in her heart. Olivia, who had remained silent until now, buried her face into her arms. As the one with the most experience in dealing with difficult tasks alongside May, she was normally the one to move the conversation into the right direction. But she was too emotionally unstable to even do that anymore. On the other hand, May was trying her best not to let those emotions get the better of her. "What is there to do?" She answered Senia with a cold tone. It wasn''t enough to hide the pain in her voice, which made her realize that hiding it would be harder than she had originally thought. Karteira looked at her, before continuing. "Miasma is gone. There isn''t any corruption remaining, either. Most of the corrupted beasts are probably dead by now. There''s nothing for us to do." Deveralna slammed her hands on the table. "Can''t we find a way to bring him back?! Are we going to let him go just like that?!" "It''s by giving up that it becomes truly over, am I wrong?" She tried to get the others to feel better, but it backfired on her. "Stop it..." Dramia, who was quietly consoling her sister, sent a bone-chilling glare toward her, which made Deveralna freeze on the spot. "I know that feeling, but what happened can''t be changed anymore. If it were this easy, then Noah would have survived his fight against Miasma." Her vision shifted to her sister, hiding her face on her shoulder, hands tightly wrapped around her back. "You might mean well, but the fact is, Orion is gone. The faster we acknowledge that, the better it will be for us." Deveralna watched as Dramia tried to apply her own advice to herself, miserably failing as tears gathered in the corner of her eyes. "This is... fucked up." Karteira placed her hand on her forehead and looked at the ceiling. "Amelia is out cold from the shock, which means our second in charge is gone. There''s nothing we can do, or even care at this point." "Orion is gone, and Stella disappeared." "Is there a reason for us to stay here?" These words cut deep into the women''s hearts around the table. May looked at her, a big frown on her face. "Are you trying to disband this gathering? Do you want us to go our separate way now that Orion is gone?" "What?!" Senia straightened, shocked beyond belief. "This is our home! Why should we split up?! Aren''t we supposed to work together, especially now?!" Unable to contain her thoughts, Senia spilled everything on her mind. "Are we strangers now? Without Orion or Amelia, is it impossible for us to look toward the future?!" "After everything Orion fought for, you''re the one who''s going to dismiss it?!" Gritting her teeth, Karteira was unable to take more. "Then what are we supposed to do?! Waking up every morning in this wonderful house, not able to see the one we love, remembering until our last moment how pitiful we were?!" "No matter how long will live, the fact that Orion isn''t there is undeniable. Senia, Orion is gone! I don''t have the willpower to suffer through this life without him..." "..." Thereafter, the grief stricken Karteira laid on her chair, holding her emotions back.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. They all knew that, alongside Amelia, she was the last to have seen him, before his body vanished into an unknown rift. No one could mock her reaction, as it was perfectly understandable. Defeated, Senia slumped unto the table, silent. No one remained to push them forward, no one there to whisper sweet nothing, and no one to return home to either. This was the end of the Agathion faction, and the end of this large family... "Wait..." Olivia suddenly broke the silence, alarmingly standing up from her chair. "Olivia?" Karteira and the others looked with confusion as Olivia walked toward the corridor. Intrigued, they all stood up and followed, even Drania, who started to let go of her sister. Drania also realized something strange. Her face, even though red from her tears, appeared full of hope. "Drania?" Perplexed in front of her sister''s reaction, she followed behind her. Olivia opened the door, greeted by her twenty-seven maids, who bent their upper body forward. Sirius, who looked dispirited, lifted his right ear while barely lifting his head up. The others walked outside, and stood behind Olivia. "Don''t you find it strange?" Her gaze fell on everything surrounding her. On the far left, a massive tree no more holding the consciousness of the Tree of Life, a forest full of arachnea further south, and large plains with hills and verdant vegetation stretching even further. Directly in front of her, the Elemental Shrine, with the training area slightly closer to them than the temple. On her right, in the far distance, a village of fairies that recently made Horizon their new home, with the Remnant of Life sitting at its very center. Closer to them, the hub of portals kept working just fine, leading to the destinations set to them. Behind her, on her right, the large Siren Sea spread as usual, its waves gently crashing on the sand after Senia returned it to normal after her fight. And, at last, the secondary house where Elliott, and the rescued Layla were staying. The girls followed her eyes. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. "Nothing is out of the ordinary?!" Suddenly realizing the implications, May exclaimed. "Olivia! Are you...? No, you wouldn''t instill false hope at this point." She appeared angry for a second, before her face relaxed. Drania walked next to Olivia, and pointed at the portal hub. "Don''t you think it''s weird that the place Orion created with his void element still stands, unaffected by his death?" They opened their mouths in utter disbelief. "We... were so shocked about the news of his death, that we hadn''t noticed something so obvious...?" Deveralna said with complete shock. Yet, her tail writhed in joy at the thought. "It''s... impossible. I saw him die... Amelia and I watched him as he disappeared!" Having difficulty acknowledging what Olivia and Drania were telling, Karteira shook her head violently. But Dramia, who finally recovered her cold nature, walked next to her friend and stood there without looking at her face. "Do you know what happened in here when Orion was about to die after his battle with Elliott? The whole place shook and rumbled. The light dimmed out all the time Orion spent unconscious." "Are you stupid enough to not believe in this fact?" She glanced at Karteira with a faint smile. A smile returned to Senia''s face, May breathed a long sigh of relief, and Deveralna felt the tension leave her shoulders as they dropped lower. Olivia and Drania looked at each other, before nodding in satisfaction. "Hope... is still there." Three people walked toward them. The voice of a mature woman caught their attention, as she approached with a smile. "Henrietta." Karteira glanced in her direction, still unsure of what to think. But Henrietta''s words finally removed the last bit of fear in her heart. "Orion. He managed to create his own fate." Hearing those words, Karteira bit her lower lip, and looked at the starry white sky with black stars. "Really..." Her voice trembled. "Where did he go?" "That, we don''t know." Elliott, standing next to Henrietta, smiled at the group. "Even though we don''t know, it is great news to know that he is still alive. We''ve also come to the same conclusion after a bit of thinking." Henrietta nodded, but then, her face relaxed. "I hope you weren''t thinking of disbanding this merry group? What else would he think if he returns? And what about Amelia when she wakes up?" They all showed a shocked expression. That''s right, Henrietta was still suffering. Her daughter was in a coma, showing no signs of awakening. She had lost her friend, but also her daughter, in this battle. Yet, she smiled warmly at them, holding her emotions like the mature adult she was. When remembering the tragedies she went through during her constant struggle to rewind time perpetually, the news of Orion''s state was but a gift from Nature herself. "Right... We should... stick together." Karteira finally let go of her worries, and smiled at the others. "I''m sorry. I shouldn''t have said that." They shook their heads, knowing full-well that what she said was correct. Leaving in this empty house without the main pillar in their life would be a reminder of their happy life. But with the thought that Orion was alive, somewhere, it cleared the doubts in their hearts. Until someone hurriedly crashed the moment. "Oh! You''re all still here!" A man covered in lightly, holding his side painfully, suddenly stopped near the group. "Florian?!" Seeing the blood pouring from the man''s flank, Karteira hurriedly ran toward him, and placed her hand on his wound. "Right. Thank you for that. I had completely forgotten." "But I''m sorry, while you do that, I have to relay something. Where''s Orion?" They looked at each other, before Olivia took the lead. "His gone for an indefinite period of time. Why do you need him?" Reading between the lines, Florian frowned. "Well, the thing is..." "Giant portals opened in every corner of Triazils." "!" The group lifted their eyebrows, while Elliott turned around. "Corrupted giants are walking through them at an alarming rate, and not two or three." "We''re talking hundreds here." Elliott vanished from the spot, only to reappear with Vanitas in hand. "I knew something like that would happen. Layla, we''re heading back to Triazils." "Yes, my Lord!" He walked next to Florian and asked him a short question. "Florian, where''s the most dangerous place?" "..." A quick thought later, Florian answered him. "Turric." "Alright." Elliott and Layla walked toward the portal hub together. "Oh..." Touching his side, Florian finally noticed that the pain had vanished. Not a single trace of the wound remained, not even a scar. "Thank you, Karteira." "My pleasure. Orion would have done the same." "You should go to Turric too... I don''t think Eric will be able to fight with his injury." Karteira glanced at May. "You''re coming?" "I am." The two turned around, entering the house. After a few minutes, they were in their battle attire. They nodded at the others, before leaving Horizon with Elliott and Layla. "Come inside, we need more details about this invading force. Then, we''ll dispatch everyone to various locations." With a determined expression, Florian followed Olivia and the others inside the house, telling them everything he learned from the others. Not even a day after Miasma was brought down, his influence on the continent lingered. Oblivious to what was actually happening, the Agathion factions acted to preserve the world their companion sacrificed himself to protect, for him to return to one day. Chapter 389: Stella in the elemental realm. The family has survived this moment of weakness, where the two most important people supporting them until now, Orion and Amelia, have left them to their own perils. Inside a room of the house, a woman walked through the doorway and closed the door gently behind her. "Tetra..." Henrietta approached the bed with a faint smile, hiding the grief in her heart behind it. On the bed laid Tetra''s soulless body, with its heart still beating, although very lightly. Without her source, all that she was now was an empty recipient with no chance of coming back. Her pink and lustrous hair, which she took extreme care of continuously, had lost its glittery appearance, now rough and messy. The room she was staying in was quite normal, with just one mirror in the shape of a heart stuck to the wall. Naturally, one would expect the master of love to have a saturated bedroom with plenty of pink accessories and decorations, but it was the opposite. Tetra was simple at heart. All she had, except the necessary pieces of furniture, was a picture of a man placed on top of a drawer next to the mirror. A tall man with short, messy hair. His red shirt and white pants looked very different from what the inhabitants of Triazils wore, but wore it very well. The feeling emanating from this man was one word: Seriousness. There was no trace of a smile on his face, nor was he even looking at the source of the photograph. Yet, his gaze was filled with kindness. His eyes were locked on something that wasn''t visible in the picture. This was the only, perfectly preserved, picture of the Hero Noah, that not even Dramia and Drania were aware of. Looking at her friend''s resting face, Henrietta bit her lower lip. "What are we going to do?" The older woman, as hold as the continent at this point, placed her head between the palms of her hands, and sighed. "From the looks of it, Miasma is probably still alive. And if what the intel on our enemy is true, then..." "Miasma managed to go back in time..." "But even if Miasma did return in the past, it doesn''t mean anything for us." Both Henrietta and Tetra had no secrets for each others. After living together for thousands of years, they knew everything about each other, even how their powers worked, and how they would influence the world. Tetra was able to do many things, but it required her to consume her soul in the process. A one-time use power that placed restrictions on such a dangerous ability. If it was simply looking into the future for a brief instant, like she did, to get a general idea of the casualties each time Orion appeared in a war, she ended up with only a severe headache. But, anything going past that, which meant directly playing with time, was a death sentence. Only Henrietta was able to use her power to return from divergent timelines that ended tragically. And each time, Henrietta used her own abilities as a Remnant to change ever so slightly the path leading to today''s events. "What I am afraid of... is not being able to change the present anymore. Without you, we are locked into this cycle for good." Henrietta straightened. "I''ve been way too used to using your abilities until now." She was on the verge of crying, but contained it. "With our last resort being you gone, I have to trudge on a path I do not know, with the fear of failure ever present..."This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. "This is... tough." Swallowing the pain making her voice weaken, she glanced at her friend. "Where are your witty remarks when I need them the most?" Staying in front of the bed without moving an inch, Henrietta closed her eyes. ~ In some strange and gut-churning space, a lone child floated with no sense of direction whatsoever. "Where am I?!" Stella looked around her frenetically, confused as to where she was. She remembered being in that wide building with her sketchbook in hand, right before being found out by the adults that came to find her. She was now in a colorful but dizzying corridor of light, falling, or maybe levitating, endlessly. Even though this scene could be incredibly enchanting or mind-bending to a curious child like her, this was the last of her interest currently. Her chest was still filled with regret and sorrow. The wound caused by the news of her father being gone was still fresh to care for such a view, or to feel excited toward. Yet, as she felt a sudden force pull on her body, the colorful view disappeared, replaced by a dark and moist cavern the moment her feet touched solid ground. Confused, and a bit scared, Stella glanced around her. "---" Whispering voices echoed through the brightly lit path of the cavern. Even though scary, they weren''t sounding threatening to Stella. Still, she was unable to understand a single word from them. Feeling a need to continue down the cavern, Stella walked forward, alternating her gaze left to right as she carefully treaded inside the elemental realm with no idea of where she was. ''Bright crystals on the walls... They''re pretty.'' The colorful crystals distracted her from her thoughts. There were blue, green, purple, brown, and red crystals illuminating the place. But as soon as the narrow pathway widened, tiny white and dark crystals lightly shimmered under the vibrant light of the others. As Stella continued further in, the sound of her footsteps echoed louder. Instead of looking to her sides, she looked in front of her. "!" Opening her mouth wide, she stumbled upon the largest room she had ever seen. Crystallized statues of animals and creatures of various shapes entered her sight. The marvelous view enthralled her heart, but it was nothing yet. There was one last part she had yet to see. "---" "---" The whispers became even louder as she made her way past the first set of naturally formed rocky pillars. Water flowed on both sides of her through carved trenches, running infinitely from even deeper. At this point, the most captivating crystal entered her sight. "Woah!" Unable to contain the amazement in her voice, Stella took a step back while shifting her gaze upward. A radiant white crystal of massive size was firmly stuck inside the back wall, halfway embedded through the ceiling. Inside of it, were two elements being refined, spinning around each other without end. But, the instant Stella noticed it, it was too late. The two elements gathered in a single point inside the crystal, before being flung at her. Almost instantaneously, they sunk inside her chest, pushing the little girl backward, who fumbled a few steps back, before falling on her behind. ''Is the girl fine?'' ''She should be...'' ''What if she''s not?'' ''Look, she''s fine.'' ''Really?'' Countless voices entered her ears. The whispers turned into real voices she could understand. "E-Eh? W-Who are you?" Confused, Stella looked frantically in every direction, trying to track down the sources of the voices. ''It worked?'' ''It worked.'' ''The girl can hear our voice.'' ''Good.'' After standing up, she took a few steps back. Her chest was burning up, which she was unable to ignore. Placing her hand on it, she began to find it increasingly difficult to breathe. ''Child, breathe in, and out. Slowly.'' ''Yes. Relax, and let the elements sink into your core.'' With a faint nod, Stella listened to the voices, who appeared to kindly help her. "Fuuuuuuuh... Haaaaaaah..." Stella did that for a minute, until the pain in her chest began to subside greatly. Though, a lingering unease could still be felt from the intruding elements now inside her. Yet, she felt a sense of familiarity with them. Without truly understanding that these elements were the same as her father used, Stella asked a question. "Who are you?" Cautiously, she looked around her. Then, as she scanned her surroundings, a crystal statue in the shape of a sheep glowed. From its color alone, its element appeared to be fire. A voice echoed from deep within the statue, catching her attention. ''We are the elementals.'' Then, another statue, this time green, looking like a large bird, glowed. ''We give magic to the world.'' More crystallized animals began to light up one after the other. ''We help those drowning in despair.'' ''We know what a horrible fate came down on you.'' ''We will support you, but also nurture you.'' ''We should tell you that your future is still bright.'' All the statues were brightly glowing at this point, before all of them spoke at the same time. ''For our Savior, who has left us to the Corridors of Time.'' ''Until the return of our Savior, the Remnant of Progress you will become.'' Confused, Stella tilted her head. "Remnant? Me?" Unanimously, the voices confirmed her question. ''Yes.'' Suddenly, a part of the back wall, right under the massive white crystal, cracked and broke loudly. The stones crumbled into a pile of rubble, revealing a new path leading deeper into the elementals'' realm. ''Walk forward. We will instruct everything you need to know to become like our Savior.'' Stella took a step forward, starting her long, perilous, but fruitful journey. Her small frame walked past the pile of rubble. With one last question on her mind, she turned around after entering the dark corridor. "Who''s your Savior?" A long silence answered her question. *Crack* Suddenly, the stones that were pilled around the entrance began to return to their original spot, sealing the little girl behind them. ''Your father.'' A single voice finally answered her as she disappeared behind the stone wall. Chapter 390: Learning the nature of the Remnant of Progress. With the wall closing behind her, Stella blinked a few times rapidly. "Papa saved them?" There were many stories Orion did not tell to his daughter. In fact, Stella knew barely anything about what he did before rescuing her. Even after, Orion never complained about anything that happened, either to her, or anyone else. This made the young girl think. Why was he keeping everything to himself? Yet, even though her curiosity was slightly piqued, there was something, a sentence, that kept bothering her. - ''Until the return of our Savior, the Remnant of Progress you will become.'' - The return of their Savior? Stella got confirmation that it was her father. "Does that mean that..." Her eyes lighted up, as the phantom of her past, returning slowly to replace her cheerful and changed self, was cast away. Orion wasn''t dead, is what the elementals told her. It would be impossible for her not to feel relieved and happy. Yet, the second part was bothering her. "I am..." She looked at her tiny hands. "A Remnant?" Oblivious to the spiral shape sigil sometimes appearing in her eyes, Stella pondered. "Like Miss Henrietta and Miss Tetra? Like Tio... Tior..." The name of the tree of life was stuck on her tongue, but Stella focused. "T-i-o-h-r. Tiohr-nam." Remembering to take it slowly if she were to ever struggle with something, she said the Remnant''s name without any more struggle. Even if she lived only a few months alongside Orion and the mother figures that were his companions, Stella grew tremendously as a person during that time. It was as if her past had been completely erased from her memories, or an entire lie. Living with them was such a blessing, that she never intended to leave Horizon. But life wasn''t as simple as giving what the individuals wanted. Now, Stella had to walk her own path, alone. Turning around, she looked into the deep darkness of the cavern. Such darkness was never seen by the young girl, who always had the starry sky of Horizon to watch through her window. "Do I... need to go forward?" In a way, when she was alone, she resembled Amelia when she was younger: a shy and withdrawn girl. But, she has a big support in her life now. "Can I really be... like him?" Placing her hand on her heated chest, she pondered once again. And, without looking back, Stella stepped forward, entering the dark path. Unknowing of what was ahead of her, she picked up the pace, and walked into the abyss. "..." With no idea if she was on the right path, she continued in silence. But the quiet air suddenly changed, as a faint voice echoed, testing the little girl. "Stella." "Papa!" Stella was overcome with emotion when she heard Orion''s voice. She scanned the darkness to find her father, but with no success. "Where are you?! Please! Tell me!" "I''ll..." Then, as she was about to tell the voice that she would look for him, she closed her mouth. Her eyes flashed briefly, revealing two spirals inside of them. The darkness suddenly vanished, as a curtain of light dropped on it. Stella, confused and saddened, confirmed that the voice she heard was but a figment of her imagination. A coping mechanism to help appease her anxiety in this dark environment. Slightly discouraged, she returned to the path, now visible thanks to her Remnant ability. But, what was that ''Progress'' that she heard earlier? Only one woman would be able to explain what it entails, and that''s precisely what happened. ''She'' will explain. "..." "Hi! I guess you could say I''m the remnant of the previous ''Remnant'' of Progress!" "Oh, I should shut up? Sorry, I''ll focus."Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! A little dispirited, the sweet and excited voice of an adult woman echoed around Stella to explain her power, as her footsteps echoed in her ears. "A wide range of functions could be defined as ''Progress''." "Everything created by Nature in this world has been affected by progress. " "Oh, by the way, if you hear this, I suppose it should be fine to say that I''m your mother. Your blood related mom. Hi!" Stella stopped. "Huh?" Confused by the sudden revelation, she listened to the voice, who suddenly made a weird noise. "Afuh!" "What was that for?!" "Fine, fine, I''ll shut up! For Nature''s sake, you''re one painful husband to deal with..." "..." "Ahem!" "Let''s start from the beginning, then." "Tetra came to me a few days ago, with an idea from Henrietta. The idea was to help me in my goal to create the true, most perfected child who will support the traits a Remnant of Progress should have." "As you might have seen, I have a little... quirky personality. I tend to go overboard when I do something. If not for Miasma''s constant attacks on the human cities, we would already be in the next civilization phase, but alas, these things require long periods of peace to be put in place." "It had been a long time, approximately four thousand years since I''ve seen them, but I was glad to finally hear news from them. It''s quite unfortunate that they need to live in hiding, but what can I say, it''s not my place to judge, especially when they are in danger." Stella listened to the woman ramble, thinking that she was very talkative. Was she really her mother? She compared herself to her, and found no similarities with her current self. "Anyway, that''s the gist of how you came to be. I''ve found a perfect mate, tried to create children a few times, but a Remnant isn''t someone on the rail of creation anymore." "It is INCREDIBLY, and I emphasize on it, difficult to have a child with a human-like Remnant. That''s when the ''Progress'' came to play." "I was the one who created the idea of ''Factions''." Suddenly, Stella froze. ''Did she really say that?'' "At first, Remnants had no power over than ruling over their given natures. By sharing condensed threads of magic deep inside of us, it becomes possible to create new life that doesn''t go against Nature''s rules." "In fact, I believe she was fine with us populating the continent after... that, happened." A little sorrowful tone escaped the voice, before she sounded joyful again. "If I succeed in bringing you into this world, I intend to share this information with Henrietta, who seems to want a daughter too." Henrietta''s daughter. Amelia. "That''s probably all you need to know about what I''ve been doing." "Now, to tell you what progress is." "..." "I hope she''s old enough to understand everything..." The concerned voice seemed to ask this to her companion, whose voice was inaudible. "Well, fine." Taking a deep breath, the woman exhaled and continued. "Progress, Advancement, Science, and Creation." "Those are the four natures you have under your control." "Progress is the idea that something needs to become... better. Do you get it? Hmm... See, it''s like a tree." "At first, it is only a seed, but with time, or ''Progress'', it grows into a tall and thick tree. It progressively changed into another state, better and stronger." "That can influence living things, or inorganic matter too. You could even change a cloud into a storm if you wanted it to." Stella, who had a clear imagination based on those words, pictured it perfectly, without a flaw. It made it easier for her to understand. "Then, comes ''Advancement''." "This one if rather straightforward. You have cavemen, then you have villages, and at last, cities. Is that simple? Or too lackluster?" "Explain it better? Huh... Well, it''s really just that. You advance the stage at which people or things stayed at. Like I said, this one takes either hundreds, or thousands of years. Thanks to Miasma, we''re seen very little improvement in factions development." "That''s all I had to do with ''Advancement.'' You simply push something to the next part of its life." The first exemple was enough for Stella to understand. Then, came the most difficult topic to understand. "Now, let''s have a clear idea of what ''Science'' is. It is a word that became a nature to me after the Hero passed away." "This was a new addition to our world by Nature, who decided to give it to me. To say that it helped me in my research is no exaggeration." Stella took a deep breath, and tried to listen without leaving a single drop of information go by. "The concept is rather strange. It looked like an idea that should be used in a more advanced, more civilized world. It uses countless electronic components that are incredibly difficult to find, or process." "But, with the knowledge I have on it, I had managed to create a few small devices a long time ago, but someone was way more knowledgeable about that than I could ever be, so I blessed them." The woman was talking about an angel that loved to create various complicated devices that he used to power up his magic. One of a kind among his peers. "If I had to give an exemple, it would be... I should use that book as a reference." "Imagine a chariot. It is most commonly pulled by horses. Instead of those horses, you place an engine, a self-sufficient, or close enough device that powers the cart alone." "That is science. A very practical, but complicated topic. I hope you will study this more than I did, as it might be a perfect subject for the next advancement of our civilization." This was probably the nature she understood the least. What was an engine? Replacing horses by a device? She had no idea, as this was too difficult for her young self. "At last, let''s talk about ''Creation''." "Honestly, I have no idea what it does..." The look on Stella''s face was one of bewilderment. How could this woman be this whimsical in nature? "What I know, is that this is the reason for creativity in this world. It is a nature that works best left untouched. Every faction as the potential to create something new." "Like me, who is trying to create you." A very pleasant and comforting voice took her by surprise. "I wanted to give you a name in person, but I might not be able to even see you before I pass. You see, even as a Remnant, I managed to go overboard before meeting your father. I destroyed many of my ''lives'' in an attempt to achieve my dream." "You might be my last chance at succeeding. If I do, I hope you won''t despise me for what I''ve done. Your father is someone incredible, he will have no trouble turning you into a great person." "Now, you should reflect on what a Remnant is. Feel the essence of things swells in your core, let them ink their mark on your soul, and ponder regularly on their existence." "Does someone need this? Is it useful? Too early or too late?" "There are no wrong choices. Unless you choose to destroy or civilization, everything is in your hands." "I hope you will stay healthy, and follow a path of greatness." "..." The voice stopped talking. At the end, she could feel the sadness in her voice, as if passing on the torch was a burden she would have rather not entrust to Stella. "Mom... My mother." A tear fell down Stella''s cheek. A faint memory of someone breaking into her house, killing the man of the house, and taking her away resurfaced. "Julian..." The man who kidnapped her, treated her like filth, letting her die on the floor. Adopting Orion''s character, she felt incredible anger at the man. But, he was dead. There was nothing to be done about that anymore. Orion had already taken the matter in his own hands, and avenged her late blood related father, who perished a few years after her birth. Suddenly, a light appeared at the end of the path. Stella placed her hand in front of her eyes, sheltering them from the blinding light. Her feet crossed the threshold of the light, before a gentle breeze caressed her cheeks. Adjusting to the light, she removed her hand. "...!" When she looked around her, blades of grass swayed from the wind. The sky was blue, and clouds went by peacefully. It was an entirely different world than the cave she was in. When she turned around, she confirmed that the path was still there. But, when she looked in front of her, that''s when the true shock came. A crystallized titan, taller than the highest clouds, overlooked the entire world, sunken halfway through a white colored sea. The humanoid colossi remained lifeless, even as she took a step back. ''Bring... me... back...'' With only those words echoing in her mind, Stella''s work began, to become the next Remnant of Progress. Someone worthy of being the ''Daughter of a Hero''. With Orion''s light and dark element inside her, the gears of her story began to turn. Chapter 391: A continental invasion. "What the fuck?!" The instant Karteira and May walked out of the portal, May noticed the massive rift opening at the south of Turric. A crack in space, leaking out beasts of the past that should have died long ago. Giant corrupted, alongside thousands of smaller creatures, invaded the present. Compared to the corrupted Miasma created during the last thousands of years, those were similar to the constant invasion of the southern border. But, it didn''t change the fact that hundreds of corrupted giants walked out of the rift, terrorizing the civilians who laid eyes on them. Without knowing what had happened to Miasma and how he managed to bring such forces to the present, it would be impossible to understand exactly what these creatures were. The only thing they knew was that these giants looked like reptiles. Some of them closely resembled other creatures, like spiders, rodents, and even flying ones that were unfamiliar to the people living in Triazils. From the looks of it, they were past a hundred meters tall, contesting even the tallest being ever seen, which was Velridar. Only his size was undisputed. The fallen dragon remains the largest and longest entity to ever set foot on this earth. While this was happening in Turric, the same circumstances were happening near the other three cities that remained unaffected by the corruption during Miasma''s attempt at destroying the continent. * With Turric, Noctelagia, Lahro, Albriar, and Hocride, the other parts of the continent remained untouched. Turric became the responsibility of Karteira and May, who chose to fight alongside Eric. Elliott, who had already left the city to fight the giants with Layla, had already thought about his plans to deal with the invasion. Noctelagia, which was Olivia''s city, was in her hands. Alongside Senia, who decided to help her, they walked out of Horizon. Albriar, at the center of the continent, was in the hands of Florian. Now that he has recovered, thanks to Karteira''s light magic, he went to defend his city. Lahro was Deveralna''s responsibility. She went alone, with the anger she had sealed inside her, to deal with the ones trying to trample her city. With the power of the Remnant of Strength in her, none of the girls felt the need to worry about her. And, lastly. Hocride, the coastal city in the Parsmata Desert, was Kamala''s domain. Normally, no one would volunteer to help such a secluded city, far away from any other city. Even though she was readying herself to deal with a new threat, two fairies walked out of a portal near her house. Dramia and Drania, who had made a pact of alliance with her, came to help. Not out of obligation, but simply as a gesture of friendship. Orion''s friends, who proved to be loyal to him, were also trustworthy to them. Kamala had proven to them that a world where humans and fairies lived together in peace wasn''t simply a dream but a potential future for both factions. All parts of the continent were defended by the members of the Agathion faction. Their name spread like wildfire during the war, thanks to May''s powerful speech at the beginning of the conflict. Still, the real introduction of corruption happened with the appearance of corrupt humans who wrecked havoc in cities where the Apostles were missing. More than ever before, the threat of corruption was visible to everyone. A plague that has been hidden from everyone since the beginning of civilization. * Shocked by the sight in front of her and by the fact that Florian''s words were actually true, Karteira frowned. "May! And... Karteira, right?" A muscular and tall man walked out of the house behind them before calling the two women out. Turning around, they were met by Eric Layman, Lord of Turric and protector of the continent since taking the title of Apostle. "Eric. How are you doing?"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. May walked to the man with a serious expression. Karteira recalled Florian''s words about his condition and approached without showing concern. He was a trusty man who participated in the defense near Eogis. Karteira respected people who showed their bravery and despised cowards. Eric was a human she could respect in that sense. "I''m not in perfect condition, but time is of the essence. Everyone is starting to panic after seeing those monstrosities appear out of nowhere." May and Karteira listened to the panicked voices of the citizens, with some packing their stuff and running away from the city. ''What does running away do when the entire continent is like that?'' Karteira thought. What she had forgotten was that the information about the invading giants had taken place on a large scale, unbeknownst to the common people. "I see. How long has it been since their appearance?" Asking that question the instant her eyes fell on the beasts, still dozens of kilometers away from Turric, Karteira turned to him. "Around thirty minutes. We''re at a loss for words about what to do. Simple infantry is no use against such an... army of giants." The hesitation in his voice told them everything they needed to know. ''His men are terrified to go into battle.'' May acknowledge the problem. ''It''s no wonder. This is like sending them to their deaths. There''s no coming back after entering such a battle.'' This wasn''t like the conflict a few hours ago. Even though they were fighting larger beasts, they were still easily dispatched by trained soldiers. But now, they would be against titans, with no weapon actually being useful against them. It''s not like they could use magic, either. And, to make matters even worse, they were all exhausted, dealing with the pain of the losses that this war caused. "But knowing that you two are here eases my worries ever so slightly. I''d rather not depend on you too much, so help however you want." The tragic expression on his face said that even if he had to, he would fight alone against this horde of monsters. May and Karteira''s sensitive hearing picked up the faint sobbing of a woman inside the house, even through the thick, closed door. "Turn around and ease Caroline''s concerns. Don''t make her suffer; it''s not yet a good day to die." Pushing him slightly, May ordered Eric to go back inside, which he did without objecting. The door closed, and Karteira was left with May, who watched the dreadful march of monsters. "!" Suddenly, following an earthquake and a loud rumble, half of the giant monsters died, exploding after a massive burst of energy. From the looks of it and from the cloud of steam released afterward, water magic was the catalyst used for such a terrifying nightmare. "That was... Layla, right?" "Probably. If I had to guess, it might be a joint attack. I don''t think she would have been able to do that herself." The shockwave of the blast dragged droplets of water with it, which fell on the city a few seconds later. "...!" Karteira touched her cheek after a drop of water fell on it. The water was so hot that her skin burned. It was only a bit uncomfortable, with no real threatening property, but it was still enough to melt the snow inside and surrounding the city. Eric suddenly ran out of the house. "What was that?!" "Elliott and Layla." May glanced over her shoulder and answered him. "Seriously?! Those two?" Looking toward the source of the explosion, Eric noticed that half of the invading giants were wiped out with this single attack. "This is... ridiculous." Karteira took the chance to grab Eric''s injured arm. Wrapped in a bloodied and filthy bandage, it wasn''t too difficult to spot the wound Florian was talking about. "Hey! What are you-" "Relax." Light began to shine on Karteira''s hand, bringing memories of something similar to Eric''s mind. Orion''s healing light came to mind. Since she was his ally, Eric relaxed as asked, letting Karteira do her magic. After a minute, the painful feeling in his arm vanished. With a frustrated expression, he looked at his arm. "Thank you. Without this, I don''t think I would''ve had a chance on the battlefield." Moving it back and forth and up and down, Eric smiled at the lack of pain. His arm was back to its former state, free of continuous pain and the inability to move it. After healing him, Karteira turned to May. "I''m leaving." Shocked by the abrupt words, both May and Eric looked at her. "Wha- Wait, why?!" "Did you not come here to help us defend Turric?!" A hint of anger appeared on May''s face. The woman trusted Karteira immensely after all she''d done, but suddenly, she changed her mind? The disappointment was slowly building inside her. "Let me get it straight." Karteira looked at her, then at Eric. "Me, May, Eric, Elliott, and Layla." Counting five on her fingers, she continued. "That''s the number of people defending Turric right now." "That''s right." "Someone came to us and told us to defend Turric, but he never asked anyone to help him." "..." May''s face suddenly crumbled in shame. "If I''m reading between the lines, Olivia and Senia are in Noctelagia, and the twins are in Hocride. Deveralna is definitely sticking to her city, and both of us are here in Turric." Eric nodded. "Nobody''s helping Florian..." With an apologetic face, May looked down. "I don''t blame you for thinking badly of me; it''s not like I explained before saying that I was leaving." "There''s simply no reason for me to stay when Elliott and Layla just... remove half of the threats in one attack." "I suggest you stay away, just in case. From the looks of it, smaller enemies are on their way to invade the city. It might be best to focus on that." As a past commander, Karteira knew exactly what to do in these situations. "We''ll follow your advice. You should hurry to Florian, since I have no idea how bad it is for him at the moment. It would break my heart to lose another precious friend now." Karteira smiled. With a nod, she walked back to the portal, but stopped right before going through. "Orion''s... not dead yet." With those words, Karteira vanished inside the portal, which closed behind her. Only people affiliated with Horizon and those given authorization could enter after Sirius stumbled through Lahro''s portal. Eric opened his eyes wide, before a faint, proud smile developed on his face. "That''s one tenacious man right there." Silently, May nodded with a smile on her face. ''He is.'' With Karteira leaving for Albriar, Turric''s defense against the invasion began. Chapter 392: Exhaustion setting in. "What a... pain in the ass!" Florian punched a beast right through its chest. Releasing a shockwave of lightning from his core, the beast''s body disintegrated into dust before it could move another muscle. Turning around, he looked at Albriar''s forces valiantly defending their city and the citizens trembling in fear with nowhere to go. Even though exhausted, the light in their eyes still burned bright, ready to lay their lives for their Lord. But this time around, the invasion came unexpectedly, even worse than earlier that day. Looking back in front of him, further north of the city, hundreds of giants watched patiently in front of the rift that brought them into this time. Not a single one moved, leaving Florian and his subordinates to deal with the large number of smaller beasts. The day was starting to end as the sky''s blue and appeasing color took on the warm light of a candle. With the bright ball of fire sinking into the horizon, the future appeared bleak for those fighting. ''Are we supposed to fight all night? What about tomorrow?'' Frustrated and demoralized, Florian ran through the ranks of the corrupt beasts, vaporizing them with a single touch. Moving at an incredibly fast speed, his body glowed bright purple as he continued to pump more lightning energy into his veins. The lightning ''Elemental Mastery'' became incredibly lethal against the flesh of creatures, while being a great help in reducing the burden on the soldiers'' shoulders. What was a one-versus-fifteen encounter became closer to a one-versus-three fight. That was how numerous the corrupt were. Not only were they all similar carbon copies of each other, but they were entirely covering the land north of Albriar. Even after killing an endless number of their kin, there seemed to be absolutely no end in sight. The fatigue was creeping inside Florian''s core. His muscles ached, and his mind grew foggy. Even though the pain on his side had been removed, the time spent with it drained his strength continuously, leaving him in a particular state of weakness. Even before entering Horizon, Florian had been fighting this horde of monsters. Less than an hour after returning, the first rift to open was the one near his city. It''s already been three hours, and he and his men were starting to lose this battle, thanks to the lack of rest this whole ordeal brought with it. Nimble and swift beasts tried to encircle Florian as he stopped to breathe. "!" Not letting him even do that, he focused on the creatures. Focusing the magic inside him into his chest, he clenched his hands into fists before releasing it in a powerful pulse of electrical power. The electrifying energy traveled through the beasts and burned them into ashes right away. "Kuh... *Cough*" Beads of sweat dripped profusely from his face. "I wish... I could see Kamala right now." Swiping the sweat off his face, he dropped his face and placed his hands on his knees, requiring a moment to recover. Suddenly, a wide shadow covered the field. Florian looked up, only to meet a gigantic reptile looking down on him. "..." A weird smile formed on Florian''s face. "If I have to die..." His body burned brighter as electricity ran wild through his skin. Crouching to jump at the monster, that smile disappeared when the energy that powered him ran out.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Ack! For the love of-" The giant monster lifted its left foot and moved it above Florian. In the middle of the northern fields of Albriar, its Lord was about to meet his hand. *Crash* Crushed under the giant, Florian disappeared. Or so it appeared. "Gh! Good thing I came in... clutch!" Opening his eyes, Florian''s gaze fell to the back of a woman he wasn''t expecting to see. "K-Karteira?" "That''s me..." Karteira was holding the giant monster''s weight all by herself, her shield above her. "If you could... move rapidly... that would be... appreciated..." Hearing the plates and bones crack under such a pressure, Florian gathered his thoughts in one place. "Right!" He hurriedly moved away. Without wasting another second, Karteira pushed the creature''s foot away. "Aaaaah!" Two containers opened behind her, pushing her off the ground. The hundred-meter-tall monster fell backward and crashed on the land, while also crushing a massive number of smaller beasts in the process. But that wasn''t all Karteira did. She continued upward, aiming at a specific area, before finally dropping with all her might in that place. "Get lost!" Her scorpion tail appeared out of its concealment, and she stabbed the neck of the reptile. "Explode!" The jewel on the base of her tail glowed brighter before releasing a beam of fire from its tip, which was inside the creature''s neck. Its head inflated until it couldn''t take anymore. In a large explosion of fire and gore, the entire head past the spot where Karteira stung it ruptured. As it did, the entire body turned to ash, which itself evaporated right after. "I''ll take your life as a trophy. Orion''s not the only one who can fight monsters anymore." Seeing the woman''s blue hair sway in the wind, Florian felt relief. ''I''m glad to be alive.'' Karteira turned around, threw her hair behind her back, and walked toward Florian. "Tired?" "More than you''d think." "I see." Karteira looked at the soldiers behind him, who were barely standing up. They were able to take a break thanks to her, as she killed the wave of corrupt beasts behind Florian before helping him. Suddenly, a loud whistling sound echoed from the rift. "What now?" Turning to the large opening, Karteira and Florian prepared themselves for another wave of enemies. But instead, they noticed the giants enter the rift and the smaller beasts retreat toward them. "..." In disbelief, Florian dropped his shoulders. The soldiers seemed to think the same as their weapons dropped to the ground in loud clattering sounds. Luckily, thanks to their experience earlier that day and the adrenaline still present in their system, no casualty was in their ranks. Some were gravely wounded, while others were in serious conditions between life and death, but for the moment, no life had been lost yet. "The rift... it''s closing." Karteira looked with interest at the portal. When the last tiny spot entered the portal, it closed entirely. No traces of the creatures were left from this battle. All the corrupted killed vanished into nothing, not even dust or ashes. As if their existence had never existed in this place, all that was left were exhausted soldiers and a confused Florian. On the other hand, Karteira was pretty satisfied. Even though not at the same scale as Elliott, she managed to kill one of the gigantic lifeforms that invaded the continent. Florian suddenly turned around and rushed toward his city. "The enemy has backed off! This is our victory!" Lifting his fist in the air, Florian encouraged his soldiers. For a moment, they appeared confused. But rapidly, a smile developed on their faces as the realization came in. They were too exhausted to cheer loudly, but the ones in shape hugged the person closest to them in relief. "We''re returning to the city posthaste! You are ordered to return home for the night and rest! If something were to happen tomorrow, it would lead to catastrophic damage to our forces if none of you are in shape." Florian had already decided that guard duty would be done by civilians tonight. His men''s health was a priority at this point. As the force made its way back toward the city with the wounded carefully transported away, Florian glanced at Karteira, who walked next to him. "Thank you. If you hadn''t come, I wouldn''t have been able to give a night of respite to these people." At his words, she looked in the distance. A frown appeared on her face. "Why didn''t you ask for help? You knew that you alone wouldn''t be able to cut it, right? You''re not that stupid." The words leaving her mouth cut straight through Florian''s mind. "..." The silence was deafening. Yet, after a moment, Karteira opened her mouth. "I might look like this, but I am a former commander. That''s why I cannot understand your choice to keep quiet. How long have you been defending this city?" Florian sighed in resignation. "That''s pathetic of me, isn''t it?" "I pride myself on the knowledge I''ve gathered, but when it comes to taking action, I chicken out." Glancing at him, Karteira asked him. "What do you mean? You thought no one would help you?" "Not exactly. I understand that all of you are kind-hearted people. If I had asked, you would have definitely helped." "So, what''s the problem?" "Orion..." The frown on Karteira''s face became even more serious. At first, she thought Florian preferred to be helped by Orion, but that wasn''t it. Instead, the real reason shocked her. "He''s gone, right? From the looks of it, he isn''t dead, but be it him, or Amelia, you have lost the two key pillars of this group." "It would be pretty inconsiderate of me to add to the grief by forcing you into battle when you have to deal with that." Her mouth opened wide for a second before a grin replaced that expression. Seeing her expression, Florian appeared confused. "Why the grin?" "I''m just thinking; don''t mind me." In her mind, Karteira was feeling even better about having saved him. She realized that these humans really were the last sparks of kindness, a flame that needed to be preserved until Orion returned. With a smile, she walked toward the city with Florian. Thereafter, the women of the Agathion faction returned to Horizon to rest and report on what had happened in each part of the continent. Chapter 393: Clouded future. "What was that all about?" During the night, the seven women regrouped inside their house. The one who asked this question was May, who, after helping Eric defend Turric, looked far more exhausted. "Really, this is incomprehensible. Why did the attack stop?" Dramia crossed her arms. The same thing happened in all cities. The giants barely moved away from the portal, only leaving an army of corrupt beasts on the loose. "Could it be because of Elliott''s massive damage to their forces?" Recalling what had happened near Turric, Karteira mentioned it. "This might be it. But from the looks of it, I''d say there are other circumstances. This whole thing felt like a warning." After defending against a wave of beasts with her maids, Olivia had her own opinion about it. "A warning, you say..." Deveralna agreed somehow. With a frown, she continued. "If it were a matter of destroying the continent, it would have been easy today. The number of enemies we had to face was incomparable to what we had to face before." The others nodded. "My sister and I came across that many corrupt beasts only when Tiohr-nam was getting attacked." Karteira closed her eyes. "Right, we''ve managed to deal with them thanks to Orion and Amelia. This was difficult at the time, but now..." She peered at the women sitting around the table. "We''re strong enough to deal with that by ourselves." A sense of pride developed inside all of them. Even the weakest member, Senia, could fight without problem. "But the issue remains. The number of giants witnessed is nothing to scoff at. Elliott does have experience fighting them, and he is rather quick to dispatch half of them in a single attack, but we can''t leave it to him alone." Deveralna said, with a conflicted expression. "It''s not that I don''t trust him. It''s just... that he won''t be able to be everywhere at the same time. We need to get rid of those giants by ourselves." "And we don''t have someone to rely upon. Orion, who could easily kill them, or Amelia, who fought a dragon by herself, are not here to bail us out." This was the truth, which everyone agreed to. "Without them, the continent depends on us." Taking over, Olivia leaned on her chair, tired. "This is a threat that wasn''t prepared for... Are we even ready to counter it?" They looked at her. "What do you mean, Olivia?" Confused, May asked. "Can we deal with those giants? I''m pretty sure if they attack all together, we won''t be able to resist for long. Karteira managed to kill one, but that''s all, right?" Nodding to her remark, Karteira kept her mouth shut. She wasn''t one to brag in this circumstance. "We don''t nearly have the firepower to deal with five hundred gigantic-sized corrupt. Maybe if we asked the dragons, we could get a chance to fight back, but even they aren''t a surefire way to protect the continent." An air of uncertainty filled the room as each one of them began to ponder a way to defend Triazils.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. But nothing came to them. There weren''t any mythical ways to deal with this invasion. They had no powerful weapons or magic, nor were they acquainted with powerful people to begin with. The only one with enough power to get rid of them entirely was Deveralna, but it would come at the expense of the land itself and probably the cities too. An uncontrollable power similar to the one she used against the mindless Kiel was out of the question. Then, May, Olivia, and Karteira turned their heads toward the corridor. "Henrietta, do you maybe have something that would help us?" "..." The others followed their gaze until a blonde woman walked away from the wall she had her back pressed against. Listening in silence to the conversation, she had no interest in joining until she was called out. As she stood at the door frame, Henrietta joined them. "Why are you asking me?" She approached the table and sat between Dramia and Senia in the spot where Orion always sat. No one was bothered by this, simply waiting for her to sit comfortably. Then, Olivia answered her. "Well, as far as this matter goes, we are helpless. The only one who can help us is you." Karteira nodded before adding something. "We know we are asking too much, right after losing your friend and after Amelia fell unconscious." Sighing to herself, Dramia finally entered the conversation. "There is no future for us if Triazils is destroyed. We don''t know when those monsters will return or if we will have another chance like this one." "While we have a few moments of tranquility, we should find a way to become stronger." Nodding next to her and sharing the thoughts of her sister, Drania opened her mouth. "It is exactly as Sis said. We can''t simply wait until the next invasion without even being prepared for it." "As we are now... we are too weak." Everyone was affected by this statement. Hearing that, Henrietta spoke, speaking with honesty what she had gathered about the women. "Senia is too dependent on water to be useful. While the output of her power is barely useful in crowd control, what she needs is a way to expand the amount of magic she can use and find more abilities that could turn the tide on this invasion." One after the other, she switched her gaze to the concerned party. "For May, the elemental fused to her soul and body is too young and too tainted to release the full potential inside both of you. Improving your link is important, as it would facilitate the flow of magic between you, leading to less waste of energy while removing fatigue buildup." While Senia looked at her hands resting on her thighs, May simply nodded. "Olivia has powerful water magic, but it isn''t as deadly as you wish it to be. Compared to the efficiency of your maids, who use only non-magical weapons, something is seemingly missing. A catalyzed source, something to condense your massive pool of magic while also working on your dark magic, which is far from being in your control." Hearing the words of the Remnant of Fate was like a wake-up call for the women. Olivia fell into deep thought, realizing that she had been completely seen through. "In Deveralna''s case, all she needs to do is control the flow of energy to perfection. With the help of that... critter, she could potentially become the most powerful entity in the world." "Drania, Dramia, you were far too lazy in your training. You were on the right path after finally following Orion''s routine, yet, as it was only the beginning, it wasn''t enough to deal with the current situation. You have to take this matter very seriously, or your efforts will be meaningless." "Lastly, Karteira. There is barely anything to criticize. Your constant growth and hard work led to this incredible explosion of power. If there is one thing to speak of, it is your reckless attitude in battle. You should lose that need to play with your opponent before it becomes your fall." They all fell silent. "Do you know why I know so much about you? For May, it is because I know my share of struggle with elementals. But for the others?" "Where am I sitting?" Speaking in a rather low voice, Senia answered her. "On Orion''s chair..." Henrietta glanced at her with a gentle smile. "Exactly. What I said about you was what Orion saw through the moments he spent with you." Their eyes opened wide at this revelation. "Orion?" "He watched over each one of you. Through the many portals he was able to create, he followed your growth very keenly." Recalling the conversation she had with him at that time, she smiled. "Through the countless iterations of himself I saw, his core never changed. Orion is and will always be a compassionate man who can''t help but protect the ones he cares for." "That is how he is and will remain. Pinpointing your failures is something he wasn''t planning to tell you. Because... the need to endanger you wasn''t necessary." The fact that the battle against Miasma was a fated encounter with him at the center resurfaced from the depths of their minds. "But this is different now." Henrietta''s face became serious all of a sudden. "Without Orion, this world is doomed. Or so I was persuaded." "Our hope to fight back is still present. You, the seven companions of the Hero, and the three allies that shared their fates with him." Standing up from her chair, Henrietta walked to the door and glanced over her shoulder as she stopped inside the hallway. "We, Remnants, will proactively help you. Our power is useless in battle, but our knowledge is worth more than anything." Her voice echoed in a way that forced a shudder down the women''s spines. "The time to hide is long gone. I will gather the Remnants scattered across this continent and bring them here." "Tomorrow, after noon, I want you all in front of the portal hub." After saying that, Henrietta opened the front door and walked out of the house. Shocked beyond belief, only empty air escaped their mouths. Finally, Karteira''s arms shook, bringing her back to her senses. "The Remnants... of Triazils..." She and Olivia shared a perplexed gaze. "In this place...?" The most incredible gathering of all time was about to happen, with Horizon as its center. A gathering of Remnants, whose notions they influence, shape the world they live in. Chapter 394: Henrietta and the Remnants of Trade and Commerce. Henrietta walked with a swiftness she thought died alongside her best friend down the path leading to the portal hub. ''The Remnants.'' ''At first, nine of us existed.'' ''The ten humans who were birthed by the Valkyries.'' ''Me, Henrietta, who became the Remnant of Fate and Destiny and adopted the name of Enri-Ann.'' ''Tetra, who became the Remnant of Time and Space, changed her name to Tia-Norun.'' ''The deceased Varellia, who gave her source to her daughter, Stella. We should consider the Remnant of Progress unavailable since Stella herself vanished from our sight.'' ''While Silka is gone too, his source was inside Orion, with Tiohr-nam healing his soul. This is also a lost cause.'' ''Kearel-si and Charel-si. I still don''t know their real names, even after all these years. All I know is that they are in Hocride. The Twin Remnants of Commerce.'' ''Tiohr-nam, becoming the ''Seed of Life'' after losing her life once. I''ll have to change her fate slightly if I want her to be able to help. Now that she has become the Remnant of Life and Death, there is little she can actually do in her actual form.'' ''Kagalkan, the Remnant of Peace and Wealth, is dead. The person possessing the source is... Interesting. The soul of the giant isn''t lost, yet I won''t be counting on it either.'' Feeling the ''Threads of Fate'' link with the person becoming the replacement of Kagalkan, Henrietta smiled. ''No, I should seek her out later. We''ll see how it goes.'' Then, she searched for the remaining two. ''The Remnant of Agriculture... Where is he? Keleanos... if I recall his name correctly.'' The last time she met him was in one of the failed timelines. ''I should visit Albriar.'' Now, only one Remnant remained. The most troublesome of all and the most enigmatic. ''Where am I going to find Heto...?'' As she thought that, she entered the portal leading to Hocride. ... The salty air of the coastal city of Hocride. The cold wind caused by the night contrasted with the hot breeze of the day. Small, flickering lights were floating above sea level here and there. Even in the middle of the night, people kept on chatting, but an air of chaos seemed to have replaced the usual cheeriness of the city. People busily rushed past Henrietta with carts full of items toward the port. ''That''s what happens when an unfathomable threat suddenly appears out of nowhere.'' She could discern the fear in their eyes. The fear of death. Turning around, her eyes fell on a house Orion and his friends often visited in the past. The birthplace of the void element. Kamala''s house. Henrietta walked to the door and gently knocked on it. *Knock* Knocking once, she heard footsteps approaching and backed off slightly. "Yes? Who is it at this hour?" The busy woman herself opened the door instead of her butler and aid, Timothy, who was absent. "M-Miss Henrietta?" Shock appeared on Kamala''s face the instant she noticed the blonde woman. "As the matter is rather time-critical, please pack the items you need and follow me."If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "This is about the surge of giants, right? Give me a moment." As if already prepared for such an event, Kamala walked away from the door before returning with a suitcase. "That is most fortunate. Using our time efficiently is a luxury we barely have at this point." "I agree." The two mature women looked at each other with a determined smile, understanding each other instantaneously. Though, Kamala had no idea what this entailed for her. "Let''s move on. I apologize, but your role as Lord will have to be ignored at this time. Do you have a replacement?" Kamala nodded. "I have already appointed my aid as the second in charge in case I were to disappear. I have already evacuated most of the citizens through the sea, so there isn''t much for me to rule over." "Understood. In that case, let us hurry." "To where?" A silence met her question. A strange silence that wasn''t one of confusion or reluctance, but rather one of pure concentration. Then, slowly, Henrietta turned in one direction. "Further this way." The place she was looking at was down the main road, leading to the market. With that said, they began to make their way down the street. ... After walking for fifteen minutes at a leisurely pace, they finally arrived at the intersection of the coastal area and the urban area. On her right, the marketplace looked entirely empty, an unusual sight that caused some mixed feelings in Kamala. To their left stood an inn. Under the streetlights, it appeared a clear blue, similar to the color of the sea. "The Flying Fish?" Kamala looked at the name on the billboard on top of the double doors, which was a place she often went to eat. "It seems like they are here. They are even waiting for me..." Henrietta opened the doors without hesitation. "..." Kamala followed behind her while keeping her emotions under control, even though she was slightly confused. "Welcome./Welcome." Two receptionists greeted Henrietta and Kamala very professionally. Their immaculate and unbroken smiles received them, showing their intent to refrain from fighting at all costs for Henrietta. The two had black, long hair, with opposite bangs covering a part of their forehead. A little bead of sweat appeared to roll down their cheeks as she approached the counter. Until the very last second, Henrietta kept quiet. "I am not mistaken in thinking you know who I am." "Yes./Yes." The twin receptionists spoke in synchronization, something even Dramia and Drania were unable to do. "Enri-Ann, what can we do for you?" "It is the first time we have received someone of your status at our establishment. Please excuse us if we show slight confusion for the moment." With a nod, Henrietta gave them a moment to breathe. It appeared those two were very troubled by her arrival. After a minute, they regained a semblance of composure, which Henrietta took as the perfect time to talk. She bowed forward. "I need your help." ... After explaining the gist of what happened, the receptionists looked at each other. "Orion... Orion..." "Orion?" The one on the left placed a finger on her cheek while tilting her head cutely. The other crouched under the counter, picked up a large book, and resurfaced with it. "A few months ago, I believe we had a guest registering by that name... There!" "Orion Feales, Amelia Diom, and Karteira. I remember." They both smiled, remembering the kind people who came to their establishment. "If I recall correctly, it was Lady Kamala who recommended them to our inn." "Correct." Kamala nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your constant patronage." "You are welcome." The three shared a moment of bonding before Henrietta broke it. "Kearel-si and Charel-si-" "We''ve renounced those names long ago. It was too bothersome to keep them." "Miss Henrietta, please call us Chelsea/Kelsea." They bowed forward, feeling more relieved after listening to the reason for her visit. "But to think that person was a Hero. No wonder our natures activated on sight." "Yes, this was a very strange moment. Why was a man like him so rich while not being associated with a business?" "Now we understand./Now we understand." The twins nodded and placed this information in the corner of their minds. By updating the information about Orion, he became an important individual. As an ally of the Remnants, he was, by proxy, their ally too. "The world is at a turning point. I need your help in instructing on what the Valkyrie... your mother, taught you." Making a difficult face, Henrietta knew that what she was asking was difficult to agree to. But, the twins looked at her with a straight face and bowed forward. "It would be a pleasure to be of help in these trying times." "We were failures in the arts of the Valkyries. If someone were to perfect our mother''s arts, it would make us proud." Their gazes softened. "We would finally be able to look at her face..." "At last./At last." Kamala felt the intensity of their emotions. It was a mixture of guilt and expectation. As their faces returned to their professional expressions, they nodded together. "Consider us teachers from now on." Chelsea, the woman on the right, opened the counter and walked toward the front door. "We will give our all to instructing those promising individuals." Kelsea walked out of the left side and followed behind her sister. "Business hasn''t worked well since the start of the war, so anyway." "We can close down until the situation stabilizes." They opened the doors and led the two guests outside before closing behind them. A sign signaling its indefinite closure was placed before the two sighed. "How long has it been since we''ve done something like this, Kelsea?" "No idea, Chelsea." Though, a smile formed at the corner of their mouths. "Alright, if everything is settled, we should move. There are still three Remnants we need to pick up." Henrietta looked up the slope leading to Kamala''s house. Her next stop was Albriar, where the Remnant of Agriculture was last seen. Will her effort to gather them be fruitful, or will she return with only those two? Even she was unable to know for certain. The ''Threads of Fate'' kept on interlocking, creating an uncertain future for Henrietta. A future she decided to participate in, one she would lead herself if she had to. Chapter 395: Searching for Keleanos in Albriar. On the way to the portal leading to Horizon. "Henrietta, are we really gathering all the Remnants in one place?" Walking up the slope, Henrietta turned to Kamala. "We are. The situation is out of control, and the risk of losing this battle is greater than ever. Even with Orion, it would have been a difficult struggle at most." "Why?/Why?" The Remnants of Commerce, Chelsea, and Kelsea asked at the same time. Then, Chelsea asked alone. "From what you''ve told me, he had the title of Hero, right?" Kelsea continued her sister''s thoughts. "Wouldn''t he be strong enough to deal with those monsters easily?" But Henrietta shook her head. "You have to remember, even a Hero is a living being. There is a limit to what they are capable of, or else they would become the next threat to this world." "Orion was blessed with incredible wits and a desire to learn constantly. This led to an explosive improvement in only four years." She glanced over her shoulder, her eyes meeting the twins''. "Not even a Hero is exempt from death. Their energy is expendable, like every one of us. Even we, Remnants, aren''t freed from those shackles." What she alluded to was that Remnants were superior beings. In a way, she wasn''t wrongfully saying those words. "There is a limit to what they were able to achieve. It was always so." Her tone became rather deep, almost sorrowful. But, recalling Orion''s survival, her eyes closed for a second before opening again a few seconds later. "That''s why it is our duty to act. We''ve stayed far too long on the sidelines, watching the world burn without interfering personally." The twins pondered her words. "But..." Kelsea opened her mouth. "The fact that we aren''t strong enough to deal with this incoming threat is the reason for our apathy. Are you certain that our knowledge will be enough to turn the tide?" Henrietta stopped walking, letting the three walking behind her overtake her. When they spun around to look at her, the answer she gave surprised the Remnants. "That ought to depend on how seriously you will undertake this teaching act. I promise those children are blessed; they simply lacked the opportunity to improve." Chelsea and Kelsea swallowed roughly. After so many years of living under the cover of their shop, a chance to be useful came to them. They were confused. Even through the toughest parts of history, they kept to themselves and hid their presence. The biggest question on their minds at this instant was: ''Are we worthy of doing something like this after all this time?'' But Henrietta saw right through their worries. "Worthy or not, this is a chance. You have nothing to be guilty of, as every one of us has stayed hidden since that day." That day, their civilization, family, and heritage went up in flames. "The only one who dared to defy her fears was... Tetra." She risked her life countless times by coming into contact with the Heroes. ".../..." The twins looked at each other, seemingly exchanging thoughts together, similar to how Dramia and Drania could. Noticing their silence, Henrietta took a step forward and continued.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. Not long after, the four people entered the portal before making their way to Albriar''s. ... Kamala looked at the brightly lit city. She could see the walls surrounding it perfectly, exactly as they were the last time she came here. In front of them, two guards jumped at the sudden appearance of four people. "O-Oh!" Then, they both relaxed, recalling the man who came and went during the war of Albriar. "This is Albriar?" Kelsea asked. "I will look for Keleanos. The three of you can do whatever you want. I will give a signal when it is time to move on." "Then we will take a look at the shops around the city." "Yes, we are rather intrigued by the other cities economic systems." Henrietta turned to Kamala. "Could I bother you with bringing Florian with you?" Slightly surprised, Kamala reflexively nodded. "I can do that." "I am counting on you." Now that everyone had their sights set, they approached the guards guarding the southern entrance. "Are we allowed to enter?" With a gentle smile on her face, Kamala asked the two men. "L-Lord Kamala. It is a pleasure having you in Albriar." Nervous, one of the soldiers clenched his weapon while bowing slightly. The cap on his head almost fell off as he bent forward before Henrietta grabbed it. "Please, you don''t have to be this stressed." Having his hat placed in his hand, the man smiled in relief. "Thank you." He placed it on his head and looked at his companion before the two nodded. "Yes, obviously, you are all welcomed in Albriar. Lord Florian will be delighted to know you are coming." The two greeted them as they walked past them and through the large door. Since the southern gate was barely used, it was smaller than the ones in the east and west, as those were the gates with the most traffic. Still, it was five meters tall nonetheless. Chelsea and Kelsea were reveling in the sight of this structure, which was different from Hocride''s. And, when they walked past it, the lights of the city instantly blinded them. "W-What?" "Chelsea, I can''t see a thing!" Even Henrietta looked slightly bothered by the brightness but got accustomed to it in a matter of seconds. "Albriar, the trading city. The central city with the richest cultural development and the largest number of citizens." Kamala said instinctively the instant she looked at the streets laying in front of them. Albriar was a beautiful city at night. With the introduction of magical items in recent decades, elementally infused gems were used to create the scene laying in front of them. Florian was a smart man. Placing his trust in the knowledge he accumulated, he modified the city. After taking a look at Horizon in the past, the idea to create constant lighting in the streets of his city became an idea, and with that came the very first illuminations. Streetlamps, infused with electrical gems, were laid everywhere in the city, letting its citizens walk outside even during the night. This brought a new kind of commerce into the city, where businesses like restaurants, shops, and libraries could continue to run even past sunset. Of course, it required constant maintenance. Humans and beastmen worked alongside each other, making this city a haven almost no other city, even Hocride, could compete with. When their eyes finally adjusted to the light, the twins'' eyes shone brightly. "Incredible..." "This is... breathtaking." For some reason, Kamala smiled at their comment. Those words were compliments to Florian''s hard work, which she genuinely felt happy about. "Alright, let''s split up." Henrietta, having enjoyed the lights for a few minutes, finally returned to her senses. "Yes./Yes." "I''ll return with Florian. Good luck in your search." Carefully, Chelsea and Kelsea walked deeper into the city to enjoy what it had to offer and to once again feel the thrill of their arts and crafts. Kamala walked toward the house of the Lord of this city with relaxed steps, and Henrietta wandered around the city, trying to pick up the faint signature of the Remnant of Agriculture, who appeared masterfully concealed. ''Keleanos, where are you?'' With that question in mind, time flew by at an incredible pace. ... A young man looked at the dark plains around the city atop the tallest building. It was a habit. In his eyes, the memories of a burning city played alongside the death of a woman. Those were the usual moments the young man passed each night. Then, as the memory faded, the dark plains turned into vast fields of wheat. Gold grains, swaying to the gentle caress of the wind. Then, it turned to brown fields, rapidly showing the budging lives emerging from deep within. The brown dirt eventually turned green as various vegetables grew, perfectly healthy. The various wildlife living among the crops nurtured his creations, surviving thanks to his power. "Keleanos..." The young man''s face turned slowly toward the voice. "..." His eyes met the blue eyes of a blond woman. "I had an inkling about the aura I had felt. It was you, Henrietta." "Indeed." The woman carefully walked on the roof of the tallest building. She then sat next to him, a fair distance away. "How have you been?" His gentle voice, carried by the wind, entered her ears. "It''s been a difficult life." There were signs of companionship in his smile. "I see. If you''re here before me, I can only imagine what happened. Would you mind telling me?" Henrietta nodded faintly. ... "Tetra... I understand now. She came to me multiple times to craft artifacts recently." "So, it was for the Hero of this time. I had no idea." His eyes went to the vast, starry sky above his head. Many thoughts seemed to traverse his mind before he opened his mouth. "Until the threat of corruption is entirely gone, it is impossible to create the visions I have." "Fields full of lives, full of hopes for the future. It has been like this since the beginning." "And those giants earlier today weren''t helping either." Henrietta quietly listened. Keleanos was a gloomy individual, but incredibly kind-hearted. Yet, his dreams were constantly denied to him. Corruption destroyed his fields, corrupt beasts trampled his creations, and Miasma himself tried to kill him multiple times. The power to sustain all living beings was a power with heavy responsibility. Without his constant care, famine and death would inevitably follow. "The Hero of this time managed to defeat Miasma, but after stealing Tetra''s power, went missing in the past. If we weren''t already strange entities, I wouldn''t have believed you." A comfortable silence fell between them. Until Keleanos asked a single question. "So, why have you come seeking me?" Chapter 396: Keleanos wish. Henrietta clenched the long robes she was wearing with a tight grip. Exchanging gazes with the eternally young man, Keleanos, memories surged from a time no others remembered. Silky smooth hazelnut-colored hair, brown irises, and features rival those of the most handsome features on this continent. His body was slightly on the frail side, but the baggy clothes on his body hid this trait to perfection. The general air around him was one of deep sorrow, perpetually roaming between memories and reality. The past and present were the same for this man, merging into one scenery, repeating itself each time his eye fell on the plains outside the city. "I..." Henrietta hesitated. Was bringing this man along a good idea? The rather hazy and uncertain future of this man was in her hands. She already knew that Keleanos would probably agree to her request without even questioning her. He was a kind-hearted man, with no attachment to this world apart from the Remnant duty he was forced upon. Taking a deep breath, Henrietta relaxed and turned to the sky. "Keleanos. I already know what you think of this world." "..." Silently looking at the woman, his expression remained unchanged. "I know that the past haunts you to this day." Her eyes picked up the faint twinkle of a blue star in the sky. Losing herself in its flickering existence, she did something she would normally not even think about. "If not for this large-scale assault on our civilization, we wouldn''t be here, watching the years pass by, freed from the shackles of age." "Right." Keleanos smiled faintly. His eye dropped to the street below, brightly lit and crowded with happy residents making their way home. "I... have hope." Henrietta''s gaze became suddenly serious. Her tone changed along with it, indicating that this matter was something she had thought about for a long time. "About the future? I can''t say my thoughts align with yours." "The future... Yes, there is that. But that isn''t what I am referring to." In her eyes, a memory of the distant past, one she usually repressed deep inside her mind, was forcefully brought forth. Threads of steel-colored hair shine like metal under the sun. The back of a woman took her entire vision as she fought to protect the life of her daughter, ultimately losing her life. Henrietta''s mother was also a Valkyrie. The same could be said for the Remnants walking this earth, all except for Velridar. "Have you ever thought of avenging the Valkyries?" "..." Keleanos'' face tightened for a second. "Denying your question would be lying to myself." In a resolute tone, he glanced at her. "Recently, that feeling has been growing stronger inside me." The spark of curiosity slowly rose inside the man''s heart. "Do you have any concrete plans to make it possible?" Still, there was only doubt in his words. It was impossible to forget the dreadful feeling they all felt in front of these creatures. They were overworldly monsters that, despite fighting the most powerful individuals in this world, devoured the Valkyries with little effort. Bringing one down was an idea no one had even thought about until today. "Miasma, or rather, Blanc''s idea, was moronic."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "Using all lives on this continent as a catalyst to summon the one who killed his wife was bound to fail. It doesn''t work like this." The eternally young man nodded faintly, sharing her thoughts. "Yet. There is one person who can cross dimensions." Opening his eyes wider, Keleanos looked at her with interest. "The Hero of this time?" "Yes, Orion." Bringing a finger to his chin, thoughts rushed into Keleanos'' head. Without breaking his posture, he spoke. "You''ve said that his magic is capable of crossing dimensions, right? Doesn''t Nature punish those who have too much power?" Having Tetra in mind, he asked. "To be frank with you... I don''t know what she is thinking anymore. Maybe seeing him fight over and over to protect her world birthed a new feeling inside her." "Perhaps she simply took a liking to him. She could even have purposefully ignored it, which is the reason for our current situation." Henrietta recalled something else. ''She ignored the magic Olivia created, saying that if it existed in the first place, it wasn''t a problem.'' ''There''s also that sphere of darkness that appeared when Orion and Miasma fought for Tetra''s core.'' Many recent happenings showed that Nature''s laws were bending, relatively often when Orion was concerned. "She may have realized that her laws were making it difficult to protect this world, while Miasma ignored them. The void magic existing is one detail that led to this diverging timeline." "And, against all odds..." Henrietta glanced into the eyes of Keleanos. "He changed his fate." "!" Keleanos was one of the few who understood the laws of ''Fate'' and ''Destiny''. That was why his attempts to rejuvenate the land were indefinitely postponed. "He survived? From what you''ve explained, I was persuaded that this Hero had lost his life banishing Miasma." But she slowly shook her head. "We''ve confirmed that he is alive. At least, not in a life-threatening state." "..." Falling silent, the gears began to turn in his head. "This man, Orion... Is most likely lost in time." Henrietta nodded. "Yes, that is the only explanation possible. Now, the question is knowing how we''re going to bring him back." "Right. Tetra is gone, which makes this particular task impossible without the power to bend space and time..." With a faint smile, Henrietta thought of her best friend. ''If she had been given the choice, she would have sacrificed her life to bring Orion from there, without any afterthoughts.'' ''That is the kind of person she is.'' "Keleanos." Brought back to reality, he let go of his thoughts and looked at Henrietta. "I believe that in the future, Orion will obtain enough power to kill those invaders." Her hope sank into Keleanos'' core. His eyes, which looked almost empty until now, appeared to focus on the present more than ever. "Are you serious?" "Do you want to make your dreams a reality? Will you relinquish a future where you could live freely, unbothered by the corruption?" That question caught his attention. "How... do you know that I have a dream?" Henrietta looked down at the street below. A stern expression replaced her smile as she spoke. "I am cheating, Keleanos. I''ve seen too many tragedies befall this continent. Is it that surprising that in one of those, you stood up valiantly to protect Albriar?" "!" "That''s how I came to learn your whereabouts." His eyes and mouth opened wide. Shocked by her sudden revelation, his mind froze. "Really? I..." Staring at his hands, Keleanos was in a state of disbelief. "Though, like I said, it was... a tragedy." "Thought so." The young man smiled in defeat. Still, somewhere in his heart, a weight holding his motivation down disappeared. "In that case, it becomes difficult to blame you." Standing up on his feet, his eyes fell on the plains, darkened by the night. "I want to resolve the problems concerning food. Craftsmanship and agriculture can do only so much when the world is in constant strife." "Our city was one of poverty in the past. It was difficult to even find a piece of bread. Albriar was in a similar situation until recently." Henrietta listened quietly. "Seeing the efforts of the past generations to break the barriers between factions, I followed suit and helped to revitalize the land around Albriar." East of the city was where the earth was plowed into fields. The many windmills and farms around there showed how serious the Lord of Albriar was about securing food for his people. So, with Albriar as a first attempt, Keleanos used his Remnant power to help them. Then, after hearing about the three other cities that appeared freed of corruption, his power extended to them. Hocride became renowned for the food it traded with other continents, bringing exotic meals to those who traveled to the arid desert. Seafood became Noctelagia''s primary resource, and only in this city could such delicacies be enjoyed. Turric, a land mainly underneath snow, was unable to grow its food. Berries grew rapidly instead, which soldiers used as rations during campaigns in the past. Since Florian adopted the title of Lord of Albriar, Keleanos'' dream came a little closer to being granted. If not for the constant attacks of corrupt beasts, the plains outside would be covered in a golden hue. Seeing that Keleanos was done explaining his past actions during the last twenty years, Henrietta stood up too. "Henrietta, you''ve given me hope." His gaze locked on the people below, and Keleanos smiled. A smile that he wasn''t able to bring out until this very moment. "What do you want me to do?" "To protect the future and create a world without hunger, I am prepared to help you. I had forgotten how much I loved this world, even though difficult times are constantly upon us." They locked eyes for a second before Henrietta answered him. "I would like to request that you teach your mother''s arts to Orion''s companions." Bringing a hand to his chin, Keleanos pondered. The expression on his face showed that he was recalling the teachings of the Valkyrie more than pondering the actual request. "If sharing my mother''s magic arts is sufficient to stop the giants invading our time, then so be it. I can''t use them anyway." Shrugging slightly, Keleanos walked toward the window leading inside the building. "Give me an hour. I can''t leave Albriar without carefully checking its current situation." "Sure. We''ll wait at the southern gate." With a nod, Keleanos crawled through the window and disappeared inside the building. "..." Henrietta''s gaze fell upon the stars shimmering in the night sky. ''That went better than I thought.'' Relieved, she sighed. Then, she turned around and jumped out of the roof, disappearing into the darker street below. Chapter 397: Forgive, but never forget. In the secondary house in Horizon. Since nighttime had fallen upon the world, and the invasion of giant corrupt vanished with the portals that brought them, two individuals returned home. *Clack* The front door closed behind Elliott, while Layla dropped on the nearest chair, exhausted. "How do you feel?" "That''s the tenth time you''ve asked." Layla answered his question with a tired smile. "I have to monitor everything at the moment. If anything happens to you, it would be my responsibility." Elliott sat a distance away from her, his eyes glued to her figure. His eyes scanned everything prudently. The heaving of her chest each time she breathed, the slight movements of her muscles when she stretched, her facial expressions¡ª everything. "This is... incredibly uncomfortable." In response to her words, Elliott blinked. He thought about what he was doing before his gaze turned away at last. "I am sorry. It wasn''t my intention to make you feel uneasy." He scratched the back of his head before heaving a heavy sight of exhaustion. Opening the first button of his shirt, he removed Vanitas'' scabbard from his waist before placing it against the chair. All the while, Layla kept her eyes anchored on him, enjoying the sight of the man she had idolized since her younger days. Layla''s eyes finally glanced away when she had enough, focusing on what had happened a few hours ago. "Is it really fine? After all I''ve done, I mean?" "What are you inferring? Perhaps, you think you are not worthy of being forgiven." "..." Layla slowly nodded. "If this point were valid, I wouldn''t be here either. I have caused more tragedies by myself that should not be forgiven." Elliott''s bent his back forward, placing his elbows on his thighs. Then, he counted on his fingers. "Starting a continental war, slaughtering countless people, eradicating three factions entirely, and causing the human faction to mistreat other factions." "And I am addressing it lightly. My existence has devastated so many lives that even this life of mine will not be enough to erase the actions I took." Layla bit her lower lips, causing a small thread of blood to drip down. "I know what you think. It wasn''t my fault, as Miasma controlled my every move. Yet, in history, the one who caused those horrors was me." "There is no forgiving." Elliott said it with a resolute tone. His voice carried an intent, as if ready to pay with his life the wrongs he had caused. But, his tone changed, and his expression relaxed. "Yet, I was forgiven nonetheless. By the man who suffered the most from my actions." Wiping the blood from her mouth, Layla looked into his eyes. They were full of compassion. "It took me quite some time to understand that his words meant more to me than any others." "Forgive, but never forget. To never let the same happen to anyone else." Layla nodded in silence. "Orion forgave me and gave me a place to return to in a world where no such place exists." "For the first time in my life, I felt free." Elliott stood up from his chair and walked toward Layla. "You are given the chance to be forgiven. Will you continue to blame yourself indefinitely, or will you use this opportunity to learn from it and change yourself?"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "It is a very difficult step to take. Still, because we are now free, we can finally move according to our desires. Corruption will never lead us astray ever again." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "For tonight, please think about those words. The first one who needs to forgive you is unironically yourself." He turned around, picked up Vanitas, and walked to his room, leaving Layla alone with her thoughts. "Forgiving..." As she looked at her hands, a sigil representing a stalk of wheat flickered faintly in her eyes. - Earlier that day. After Elliott and Layla walked out of Horizon and stepped on the snow covering the streets of Turric, they immediately noticed the giant monsters emerging from the large portal. At most, thirty percent of their forces were out of the portal, while the ones who came out marched toward Turric. "This is worse than I was expecting... How did Miasma come to create such a monstrous army?" Layla, shocked at the sight of these giant creatures, blinked in disbelief. Reptiles, arachnids, insects, mammals¡ª the list of giant animals was unending. What showed the mark of the corruption was that their skin, fur, feathers, and scales were all gray, with reddish lines drawn following their limbs. "...!" Elliott suddenly took a step back. The shock in his eyes appeared to be completely taking over his emotions. "I... recognize some of them." In the thirty giants that came out of the portal, two of them were the giants Elliott killed alongside Nylon. Seeing the giant bird and the jellyfish fly above the land giants, his eyes opened wide. As he scanned the entire force, he noticed creatures sent against the previous Hero, which died unceremoniously by his hands. "Impossible! Did Father return to the past, sending his past army to our present?!" His words caught Layla''s attention. "Really?" "There''s no mistaking. Those are dead corrupt... or at least, they are in our present." Rapidly recovering his composure, Elliott looked around him. The people of Turric were screaming in horror at the appearance of an army of corrupt beasts. "Run!" Suddenly, a crowd of people ran past them, screaming loudly. They both listened intensely to the voices, picking up the reason for such an uproar. "Run, or one of those beasts will catch you!" "They''re inside the city!" "Where are the soldiers?!" Without showing hesitation, Elliott took Vanitas from his scabbard and rushed forward. Layla, quick to react, ran alongside him toward the place under attack. They ran through the city, crossed a bridge, and found themselves inside the shopping area of Turric, where markets and shops were located. "..." Elliott closed his eyes before spreading his energy around. Like a bat, his senses picked up four corrupt beasts. "Layla, go west; there are two beasts held back by a few soldiers. Go support them." "On it!" Layla''s body instantly turned into water at his order, splashed on the ground, and rapidly moved toward the western part of the commercial area. Picking up the pace, Elliott activated Acedia. He rushed through the city, closing on the first beast that was damaging properties and searching for people to devour. *Swing* Vanitas sliced through the beast, which appeared to be a praying mantis, slicing its body in half. The upper half of the beast flew into the air before exploding into ash. The lower half fell to the ground, following suit. Without stopping, Elliott crossed the rest of the eastern area. At one point, a three-meter-tall monkey was attacking a couple of people. ''Can I make it in time?'' With the corrupt about to attack them, Elliott hoped to make it in time. But, to his surprise, the person who was attacked retaliated. Protecting a woman in a working uniform behind him, he caught the punch of the monkey, clenching his teeth to the point of bleeding. His uniform appeared similar to the woman''s, although a little tight for him. His broad and powerful build managed to defend against the opponent, but not for long. Pushing the arm away, the bald man punched the monkey''s stomach, pushing it away very slightly. ''Good!'' Elliott arrived just in time. With the monkey straight in his path, he slashed it into pieces before it found another chance to attack the couple. Exploding in ashes, the monkey disappeared. Elliott stopped after scraping his feet a few meters on the pavement. He turned around, focused his aura on the city, and breathed a sigh of relief. ''Layla managed to kill those two other beasts.'' He looked around and confirmed that no other beasts were in Turric. Then, he looked at the man, who was returning to his companion. ''She looks pretty shaken up. It wouldn''t be wise to intrude on them now.'' The bald man, whose knees were trembling slightly, managed to pick up the woman in his arms and run away. But before going, he looked at Elliott and nodded in appreciation. "Hmph..." With a satisfied smile on his face, Elliott looked in front of him. "Really, this world is still full of hope." ... A few minutes later, Layla and Elliott regrouped outside the city. Soldiers explained to Layla that those beasts were roaming beasts that suddenly turned into corrupt creatures. Luckily for everyone, the army coming from the portal and advancing on Turric was still far away. Now that the situation was under control, they were on their way to report to Eric, the Lord of Turric. It was only a matter of time before the entire army was ready to defend the city. "..." Elliott was quiet. Too quiet for Layla. "Elliott?" "..." Her voice seemed to enter one ear and leave through the other. While pouting, Layla walked in front of him. "What are you thinking about? Won''t you share it with me?" "Oh." Coming back to reality, Elliott looked at her carefully, still silent. "W-What is it?" Layla knew the situation wasn''t perfect to feel bashful about his intense gaze, but she couldn''t help it. Elliott was everything in her life, even after being freed of corruption. She had an unshakeable devotion to him. "..." After pondering for a long time, he finally opened his mouth. "Let''s go." Without waiting for her answer, he walked around her and continued forward. "E-Eh? Ah! Yes!" Troubled, Layla followed, unprepared for the absurd situation that was waiting for her. ... A fair distance away from Turric, the two observed an army of fifty giants march forward, unbothered by trees, slopes, and other corrupt beasts under their feet. "Layla..." "Yes, Milord?" "Would you be willing to become a Remnant?" Layla opened her mouth in complete disbelief. Chapter 398: The birth of the new Remnant of Peace. *Crack* The sound of trees breaking under the feet of the giants echoed in the empty fields. "Me? A Remnant?" Elliott looked at the army marching toward Turric with a face expressing distaste for his own idea. "Why me?" Layla asked with genuine curiosity. "Is it a good idea to give such a powerful duty to... someone like me?" A frown even stronger than the previous one appeared on Elliott''s face. ''I don''t like how self-deprecating that sounded. Still, I suppose it is inevitable after all that happened between us.'' Visibly bothered by her tone, Elliott sighed to remove the excess emotion from his mind and turned his head toward her. "I am not proposing this on a whim." Their eyes met, and a short silence, sometimes broken by the loud noises, occurred. Elliott opened his right hand, closest to Layla. "I have in my possession the source of Kagalkan, the previous Remnant of Revelry." An orb with a bright sigil escaped from the palm of his hand and began to revolve around his hand. "The Remnant of Peace?!" Seeing the most important nature of every faction in front of her eyes, Layla took a step back. She wasn''t expecting this in the slightest, which began to cloud her mind with questions. "Yes, this source also nurtures the power to bring peace, as well as Joy and Wealth." Elliott clasped the source in his hand, making it sink into his body to avoid losing it. "Layla, you are strong. The power you had when corrupted, most likely thanks to Orion, is still present in you. Although wrongly used before, your soul has returned to its most pristine form." "I have no fears concerning your falling victim to corruption ever again." A faint smile removed the anxiety from his face. "But we''re talking about a power capable of changing the fate of the continent. Peace¡ªisn''t it something everyone desires and strives to achieve through unending sacrifices?" "If you were to refuse, I would not hold it against you. This puts you at risk of being targeted by Miasma. Peace is something he doesn''t want, as it will bring everyone together against him." Elliott placed a hand on the scabbard strapped to his waist, making it sway up and down. "I wouldn''t mind spending the rest of this life protecting the ''Peace'' you would bring to this world." Layla''s eyes opened wide at his sudden declaration. Shock, but also guilt, took over her emotions. "I can''t force you to be stuck with me! I don''t-" Before she could finish, Elliott interjected. "I understand. You have your own troubles weighting on your mind, which have been torturing you since being revived by Orion." "It is not the time for this kind of conversation, so let''s leave this for another day." Glancing at the giants getting closer to Turric, Layla swallowed her words, and pondered seriously. Then, she nodded. "You are right. This is not the time for that." Her eyes fell, and her hands entered her vision. "When I became an Apostle, I had dreams of creating a peaceful environment for everyone." Elliott nodded. "I remember. It was quite a long time ago." "Two hundred and thirty years ago, to be precise." Layla''s magic was special in that it kept her body from aging rapidly. After only two hundred years, she approached her fifties. After Miasma possessed her body, her whole body recovered to her twenties. Her unparalleled beauty was brought back to its peak, yet, this boon never interested her. If not for the corruption encroaching on her core, she would never have abused this magic to live five to seven times her original time on this earth.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. "I was only a child, but corruption was so easy to infiltrate my thoughts. Before long, I was an adult with no common sense and showing no remorse for the pain I''d caused others." The pain and intense regret filled her voice, which Elliott resonated with. "Is it alright for me to receive another chance? Won''t it be wasted on me?" Elliott shrugged lightly. "Not even Enri-Ann, the Remnant of Fate, knows. Only by giving it a shot will you find the answer." After pondering his words, Layla clasped her hands into fists. "I will." Determination replaced the doubt in her eyes. Satisfied by her answer, Elliott nodded. "Give it your best." Then, unexpectedly, Elliott pulled Layla toward her. "Wha-!" The woman''s long hair flowed graciously in front of Elliott, who spun her body around, pulling her back closer to his chest. He held her right hand tightly, but not so strongly as to hurt her wrist. "E-Elliott?" She glanced at him over her left shoulder, and noticed a severe expression on his face. He was serious, and she was unable to free herself from his grasp. Not that she wanted to, actually. "I don''t know how you will react if I insert the source carelessly. Stay like this until I''m done, and I promise to make it as comfortable and painless as possible." "Alright." Without giving it a second thought, Layla nodded. Feeling the warmth of Elliott on her back, she closed her eyes, basking in this special moment. Elliott began lifting his left arm higher, before the source of Kagalkan appeared, tightly lodged in the palm of his hand. "!" With a swift and powerful movement, he slammed his hand on Layla''s chest, forcing the source inside her. "Ahn!" A moan escaped her mouth, as a foreign energy pierced her body. "Mmh!" She bit her lower lip to avoid making more embarrassing noises, and she began to fight back involuntarily. Held tightly by Elliott, who showed no trace of struggling, she was unable to free herself from his grasp. The source and Elliott''s energy slowly sank into her chest, creating a wave of both uncomfortable and comfortable feelings in her. Her limbs began to tremble, her breathing became rougher, and her face turned a deep crimson. ''This is the first time I ever tried something like this... I hope Tiohr-nam''s words were true.'' The idea to give the source to Layla came after Elliott spoke with the Tree of Life in Horizon. Right when Orion''s companions were discussing the fate of their faction, and their future without him, Elliott was having a discussion with her. After a heated argument, Elliott won. Tiohr-nam agreed to leave the source in his hands and find Kagalkan''s replacement. To help his endeavor, she shared a way to ease the assimilation. ''Bathe the source with my energy, and slowly let Layla''s core get accustomed to it.'' The problem was how tiresome and energy-consuming this process was. Luckily, Elliott still had a massive pool of energy unused thanks to Gula. Squirming in his arms, Layla was unable to fight back. Then, the source finally disappeared entirely into her chest. But Elliott kept his focus unwavering. This was only the beginning. Now that her core was being influenced by the source, he had to be careful. One wrong move, and her body would be affected by it. The source was still fully formatted as the giant Kagalkan. If his process wasn''t careful enough, Layla could turn into a giant herself. If possible, Elliott would prefer to let her keep her origins. Deep inside her soul, the sigil began to etch itself into her entire being. The powers given by Nature herself wrote themselves into her core, changing the perception she had of those concepts entirely. Compared to Deveralna, the power of the Remnant of Peace was barely worth something. There was no fear of rejection, like with the source of Power. Elliott silently covered Layla in his energy, protecting her from turning into a giant. After barely five minutes, his aura diminished. Reluctantly, he let go of her hand. Layla took a few steps forward, clenching her chest stronger with each steps. *Thump* Watching the blue aura around Layla grow increasingly stronger, he thought that even through his cautiousness, he had failed. But Layla proved that his assumptions were unfounded. "Fuuuh..." She took a deep breath, exhaled a hot cloud of steam, and shook her head. "How do you feel?" Caring for her actual wellbeing, Elliott asked. "I... can''t contain it..." Layla turned around, unleashing the peak of her aura in every direction. "..." As expected, the change was too much to take for Layla. Elliott sighed before pointing at the giants. "I''ll help you. Just focus on getting it under control." With a nod, Layla took this chance to ease his worries. "I''m not losing control. There''s just too much energy condensed in me. It''s like my proficiency in water magic just underwent a massive improvement." "If I let out the surplus of energy, I should be fine." Elliott nodded. She was the best to understand what was happening inside her. ''This surplus of energy is probably the remnant traces of what I used to facilitate the assimilation. It is partially my fault, then.'' Quickly gathering the reason for her explosive energy, Elliott couldn''t ignore this, as he was the cause of it. He walked behind her, and placed his right hand on her back. "I''ll manage the flow of energy inside you. Release as much as you need to." With a nod, Layla aimed both hands in front of her, directed at the army of monsters. A small orb of water grew in front of her. It rapidly grew, attaining the size of a large rock. Then, Layla''s body underwent changes. Blue lines appeared on her body. Pulsing with water energy, they helped her control it more precisely. Layla''s Elemental Mastery awakened. The orb suddenly began to spin wildly while keeping its form intact. The orb spun without altering its original form, while Layla continued to force more magic into it. With more energy forced into the water, bubbles began to burst on top of it. From the lines on her body, blue fumes erupted, covering the orbs with an even denser magic. Now that the entire extra amount of energy was out of her body, Layla lifted her arms slightly upward, dragging the orb with her. Then, with one slight push, she fired the orb in an arc above the ground. It crossed the distance with ease, and fell on top of the middle row of giants. *BOOM* The ground shook violently, and a white cloud of mist akin to a mushroom traveled upward from the impact. Layla and Elliott looked in shock as fifty giant monsters were atomized on the spot, leaving no trace of their passage behind. The snow covering the landscape melted instantly, while droplets of boiling water fell upon the land around Turric. Then, a powerful shockwave pushed them away slightly. Elliott grabbed Layla''s shoulder with his left hand and drew Vanitas out of its scabbard before planting it into the ground to avoid being pushed away. Covering them both in a veil of energy, he protected her from being scalded by the boiling droplets, which evaporated the instant they made contact with the ground. When the entire event came to an end, the energy disappeared. In utter shock, the two returned to the spot they were at before being pushed backward by the shockwave. "Layla... are you alright?" "I am..." Unable to believe the scale of the destruction they had caused, they looked at each other. "I think I am alright." The two then shared a faint smile while watching the remaining giants walk back into the portal, while the smaller beasts ran to Turric, meeting with the powerful army of the south. Chapter 399: The Remnants meet again. Henrietta exited Albriar by herself. She had told Kamala and the Remnants of Commerce, Chelsea and Kelsea, to wait for the sign of their departure. Putting on a bracelet of pure gold with a crimson ruby etched on it around her right wrist, she nodded. After telling the guards to ignore her next action, she aimed the palm of her hand toward the sky. A tiny spark of fire formed in front of it, before being fired into the air. The small flame traveled rapidly upward, overtaking the entirety of Albriar. Once above the city, the flame exploded into a flower of fire. *Boom* It looked very similar to fireworks, which made the residents of the city look in awe at the beautiful fire. Even the soldiers inside the city observed it without showing signs of moving out. Illuminating the night sky, five people looked at the fading red flower, and nodded. All of them then made their way toward the southern gate. Fifteen minutes later, the first ones to exit the city appeared. "Lord Florian?!" "Rest easy. I have some matters to attend to for a few days." "Is that so? Will you be fine?" The Lord of Albriar smiled at the guard and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I have the finest companion by my side. There is no way I wouldn''t." Kamala blushed slightly at his words, but looked flattered nonetheless. "I understand. Please leave the city to us for now." Florian nodded. "Everything is in my mother''s hands while I am away. Follow her orders if another invasion happens." "We will!" The two guards saluted as he walked away with Kamala next to him. Then, he joined Henrietta. "Miss Henrietta." He removed his glasses and bowed his head in a show of respect. "Florian, I am relieved to see you are well." "That is thanks to Karteira. Without her, I wouldn''t have survived another day." "I will have to thank her later too." Kamala said it with a serious face. She wasn''t pleased by the idea of losing Florian so early in their relationship. As Florian straightened with a wavering smile, other people walked out of the gate. "Henrietta!" Chelsea and Kelsea ran toward her with sparkles in their eyes. "This was incredible!" "We''ve never seen so many businesses and commercial opportunities like these before!" The look of awe in their eyes showed her that what they had seen in Albriar was enough to satisfy their nature as Remnants of Commerce. "I see, those two are the Remnants Kamala spoke about earlier." With a nod, Florian looked at the twins. "Owner of the Flying Fish Inn, located in Hocride, Chelsea." "Owner of the Flying Fish Inn, located in Hocride, Kelsea." Both suddenly straightened, adjusted their suits, and turned into business mode. "It is a pleasure to meet the Lord of Albriar./ It is a pleasure to meet the Lord of Albriar." Showing respect worthy of being the owners of an inn, they bowed forward. "Likewise. There is no greater pleasure for a man than to meet a Remnant. I should be the one bowing in front of you."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it Henrietta stepped in at this point. "Not all Remnants require others to revere them. Besides a few of us who are capable of fighting, people like Chelsea and Kelsea tend to stay hidden, for good reasons." Nodding, Florian looked at Henrietta with a serious expression. "I understand. Nonetheless, it is an honor to be in your presence." Then, after making his point, he asked the question. "I heard from Kamala that you were looking for a Remnant in Albriar. Were you able to find them?" Crossing her arms, Henrietta chose not to answer his question. "Hahaha~" Florian took it pretty well, turning his head to the southern gate. "That was a rather stupid question to ask." An individual walked out of the gate with a large book in his hands. A frail-looking man, with glaring determination in his eyes. "Keleanos." Chelsea opened her eyes wide. "It is really him..." Kelsea''s mouth trembled for a moment. Both were relieved to see the man alive after all these years without hearing of his situation. "Oh. I had no idea the Remnants of Commerce were also in this city. I thought they would be waiting in another area." Keleanos stopped in front of the twins, and smiled gently. "Are you perhaps unhappy to see us?" "Of course not! In fact, I am glad to see that you haven''t changed. In a way, I feel relieved." He shook his head without hesitation, making sure they knew he wasn''t lying. Henrietta smiled, then looked at Florian. "This is Keleanos, the Remnant of Agriculture and Craftsmanship." "I see. I had no idea someone as important as him was in my city." Without a second thought, Florian approached Keleanos. "Excuse me." Catching the attention of the Remnant, Florian swallowed hard. "Yes? Lord Florian of Albriar." A faint smile formed on Keleanos''s face. "Thank you very much for what you have done for us." Bowing even lower than when he had joined Henrietta, Florian continued, while Keleanos looked rather lost. "Learning that the Remnant was staying in our city is an honor I am far beyond worth receiving." "If I am not mistaken, the famine being a subject of the past is most likely thanks to your actions; am I wrong in believing so?" Keleanos scratched the back of his head bashfully. "N-No. You are not wrong." Florian straightened, placed his glasses back on his face, and carefully stepped toward him. After getting close enough, Florian extended his hand in front of him. "Then, please accept my heartfelt thanks. What you have done is greater than all the actions I have taken since becoming Lord of these lands." Weirdly, Keleanos was unable to ignore the man in front of him. There was no way such a humble person could be ignored. What''s more, Florian seemed to be genuinely glad to have met him. With Keleanos'' mind refusing to disrespect Florian, he grabbed the hand offered to him. "T-Thank you. Now I understand why everyone speaks of you so enthusiastically." The two men shared a moment of silence, while the surrounding women smiled warmly. "Alright, before the sun rises, we have to find someone else." Henrietta waited for their hands to break away, before returning to the business she had with them. "Wait, Henrietta! First, I want to ask something." "What is it, Kelsea?" "Where are the other Remnants? If it''s you, you probably know." All Chelsea and Kelsea knew was that they were looking for Keleanos. Nothing else. "Right, I was wondering that also." Keleanos stepped forward and joined the twins. "..." She pondered for a moment, but rapidly made a point of not keeping it secret from them. "First, you know that Tetra is out of the picture." "Yes." The three nodded. "Silka is dead. Corruption destroyed his body, with his source being in Tiohr-nam''s hands." "!" Shock settled on their faces, showing how unprepared they were. "Who else... is dead?" "Kagalkan." "Oh..." They really weren''t expecting so many of their old acquaintances to be gone. "Still, there is a possibility we''ll get help from his successor." "So his source wasn''t lost?" "No. It''s in the hands of Elliott." "I see." Keleanos and the twins showed very little reaction to his name. Since Henrietta explained what had happened during their battle against Miasma to them, they already knew that he was somehow trustworthy nowadays. "Also... Valeria." "She''s gone?!/ No way!" Chelsea and Kelsea both spoke together, this time in wholly different sentences, indicating how troubling that news was to them. "Valeria... This is troublesome." Keleanos frowned heavily. "You should know that she has a daughter, whom Orion adopted recently." "A daughter? Did she inherit her source?" Henrietta nodded at his question. "Then-" "I wouldn''t count on asking for her support. Stella is far too young to be teaching anyone, and, she doesn''t possess the knowledge of the Valkyrie." She also frowned seriously. "There''s also the fact that the elementals dragged her into their realms. We have no way to get her back." "This is a frustrating matter." Sighing in frustration, Henrietta recalled what Olivia said. Her sketchbook was left behind, with no trace of the young girl anywhere in the area. "..." They all kept quiet, feeling that Henrietta''s emotions were rather unusual for her. They were persuaded that she had grown attached to the girl, and they weren''t wrong. "You''ve said Tiohr-nam, but is she fine?" "She is. In fact, we''re going to bring her along." Saying that, Henrietta quickly finished with the most important individual. "Then, we''ll have to ask her where to find..." "Heto." A heavy mood fell on the group. "Heto... are you sure?" "Who knows what could happen around him?" The twins frowned. "Yes, I am sure. We need him." Henrietta turned around, and looked at Kamala and Florian. "Would you please bring Eric to Horizon later? We''re going to look for someone... dangerous." "Sure." Kamala agreed without hesitation. "Then, let us return to Horizon. You three, follow me." ... Six people walked out of the portal leading to Albriar. Inside the portal hub building, Keleanos quietly looked around him. "Gateways to other places on the continent. This is incredible." The room had arches etched into the wall, where portals were placed to represent doors. The wooden floor and roofing suggested that they were inside a building, but they were unable to see outside of it. "This place is not on Triazils. It is another plane of existence, created by Orion after discovering void magic." After adding to his remark, Henrietta turned to the two humans. "I leave the rest to you. I''ll speak to you at his house later." "Be careful." Florian said this before Kamala, and he walked toward the portal leading to Turric. After watching them be swallowed by the rift in the wall, Henrietta turned around. "Let''s go talk to Tiohr-nam..." With a resolute face, she led the way out of the building, while the other three silently followed. Chapter 400: Titania. "This is Horizon?" Keleanos observed the landscape of the plane of existence that Orion had created. "Incredible./Incredible." The twins were enthralled by such a world, where the worries plaguing the world were nonexistent. From atop a hill, they were able to see the entirety of the area and the place they were walking toward. After an hour of walking, they finally arrived at the fairy village. "I can''t believe it. I was sure I wouldn''t be able to see fairies ever again." Chelsea said it with fascination. "After what happened in the past, there were no signs of them anywhere else." Kelsea continued her sister''s sentence, looking around her as only a few fairies walked around the village. While it was the middle of the night, they were only greeted by a few fairies. "In this realm, fairies and arachnea live together. There is also the portal linking this realm to the elementals''." "There is also a different species of individuals living in the sea up north who were also rescued by Orion and his companions." Henrietta explained to them the importance of this place to them, starting by telling them who resided in Horizon. "All those rescued are those who were on the brink of extinction. If not for the artifacts Tetra requested you create, they would''ve perished a few months ago." Turning to Keleanos, Henrietta smiled. "I had no idea. Those artifacts weren''t meant with a clear idea of their purpose apart from what Tetra asked me to focus on." Nodding, she followed with an answer. "That was probably for the best. Orion''s destiny was forged by himself and not by those artifacts. Since they were an afterthought to him, they weren''t forcing him to ignore his own feelings." "By doing so, he protected every faction alike. Fighting Apostles while searching for the lost factions." The three behind her understood. Keeping the artifacts as a simple helping process was better than directing him toward the specific direction of the factions. If he had done that, he would have ignored many troubles happening in the world and lost opportunities to create allies like Kamala, Florian, and Eric. With a smile on her face, Henrietta spoke quietly. (For once, Tetra used her brain instead of rushing the matter. Though, this was Nature''s idea to begin with.) As the mansion partially stuck inside the massive tree appeared from behind the village''s houses, Henrietta and the group quietly walked up the slope and walked past the gate. Surprisingly, the lights that were used to detect if incoming guests were coming to harm the Queens remained dark, showing no reactions at their arrival. Motirion, who was waiting further inside, reacted to their approach. With only a quick glance through the window, his blood froze. He flew toward the front doors at an incredible speed and opened them. "W-Welcome!" Surprised by the opening of the doors, Henrietta stopped. "I am not your progenitor. There is no need for you to receive us." "Please, this is a matter of respect. It is already a shame for us not to have led us ourselves." Motirion bowed elegantly, urging the group to enter. Henrietta glanced at the three behind her, who nodded to confirm their readiness. Then, they continued forward and entered the mansion, walking past the fairy. "You don''t have to lead us further. I know where to find Tiohr-nam."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "As you wish." Motirion bowed once again before walking away. When he disappeared into another room, Henrietta''s face turned serious. ''This will be troublesome. I should be ready.'' With heavy footsteps that echoed inside the wide hall, she climbed the stairs. Then, she pushed the double doors at the top. "..." Tiohr-nam was already waiting for Henrietta in her Avatar form. "Take a seat, everyone." She asked them to sit down at the table. For once, the Queens of Fairies were absent, resting in the house further east. "Tiohr-nam, it certainly has been a long time since I''ve seen your magnificent shape. It brings back many memories." Keleanos sat first, placing the book he was holding on the table. "Let me apologize first." As the twins sat down next to him, Tiohr-nam closed her eyes. "I have lost my life a few times. Along with it, some of my memories have also slipped away." "Oh./Oh." Kelsea and Chelsea looked rather saddened by this news. "Nonetheless, I do remember you three. Keleanos, Remnant of Agriculture. It is good to see you well." She nodded with a normal smile. "What about us?/What about us?" The twins asked with a concerned expression. "Of course, I also remember you two. Chelsea and Kelsea, Remnants of Commerce. I am pleased to see you again." A gentle gaze was directed at them. They reminded her of Dramia and Drania, whom she considered like her own daughters. They both breathed a sigh of relief while placing a hand on their chests. Despite this happening, Henrietta said nothing. She took a chair, walked past the table, and placed it right in front of Tiohr-nam before sitting on it. Crossing her legs, she placed her hands on her knee and looked with a determined gaze at the Avatar. "Tiohr, I came to discuss something important with you." "..." "No, in this situation, I should call you by your real name." "Titania." The Avatar''s eyes brightened vividly at the sound of an unfamiliar name. A surge of memories suddenly flooded her mind, leaving her in a confused state. - Titania. Daughter of the Valkyrie Artheia. Memories of a past forever forgotten surfaced from the depths of the soul. Pages of her history and destiny returned to the book, writing the entire life of a valiant woman. A burning city, standing side by side with the Crimson Valkyrie, and a deranged entity grinning through its three mouths. After losing the battle, Nature appeared to her, gifting her the power of Life and Death before the light vanished from her eyes. Reincarnated as a seed, the woman grew into a gigantic tree¡ª The Tree of Life. Her tree became the pillar of the dragons, hiding Velridar''s children on her branches and leaves as the firstborns flew freely above the mountainous area her roots were digging into. Then, a terrible disaster breached the peace. Corruption began to turn every living being into mindless monsters, marching to eradicate those not in their ranks. Miasma, the source of every wrongdoing, fought bitterly against a Hero that appeared from seemingly nowhere and lost. The aftermath brought two shattered girls into her arms. To save their lives, she used the knowledge Tia-Norun shared with her. Fusing the core of the girls with a piece of her source, she created her first children, the fairies. Although half-humans and half-fairies, they were unable to recover from their wounds before a millennium had passed. Yet, barely a few years after their recovery, a tragedy happened. An explosion suddenly bathed the mountains in flames, while a bright light coming from the sky split the giant tree in half. That day, Titania died a second time, shattering one of her magical containers as a result. The culprit, the angel Reon, rushed to the scene with a heartbroken visage. He picked up the two barely injured fairies and the seed laying at their feet before traveling to the forest of birch trees, not yet named ''Dead White Forest''. Putting the seed in the center of an island inside a large lake, he placed the two unconscious women at the same spot and left. Within a few years, the sprout grew and gave birth to a new faction¡ª The fairies. Yet, as corruption was still present on the continent, humans began to listen to their desires more than their consciousness. Losing common sense, humans began to hunt the fairies for money, slaughtering them in large numbers. Seeing her children ruthlessly slaughtered, the sprouting Tree of Life made a difficult choice. She would lay a life for her children by creating a new world for them to freely live in. As she prepared to do so, a ring suddenly dropped from the sky and dug into the earth. Pulled by the magic signature of the ring, she searched for it. With little information about its wielder, she kept it. After pondering for a while, she used its energy and breached through space to create the fairy realm. After moving to another dimension with the fairies, the tree began to grow freely. Its size became even taller than her previous self on the continent. Keeping the ring close underneath her, she finally understood. The ring was that angel''s possession. The only one who saved plenty of her children but never came to her personally. Hearing the stories of her children, she realized. The man had died, leaving his power to protect her as a way to atone for his mistake. But with it came horrors she wished never came with it. A part of Miasma, encroached around the ring, began to pollute the soil, turning the creatures underground into corrupt beasts. With no one available to save her apart from the two Queens, who struggled in front of such an army of creatures, the last of her energy was drained to protect the ring. The rest of the story, Titania herself remembers. - "Henrietta..." Tiohr-nam, or Titania, frowned at her. "Call it underhanded if it pleases you, but I changed your destiny all the same. You died, but you kept your memories." "..." Titania ripped her right arm from the tree bark. "You have done something else." Her face showed that she wasn''t thrilled with what was happening. "It is inevitable. I need your help, Titania." The massive tree began to glow a light green, while the Avatar showed great discomfort. "Ngh!" The bark cracked around the Avatar, making louder noises as more time passed. Then, the light emitted by the tree was sent to the doll. With one last crack, the bark opened, expelling her from it. Her body floated in the air for a minute as branches sprouted from her collarbones. Blossoming flowers grew on it, while leaves fell downward. Two healthy wings of nature spread behind her back, flapping as her body floated toward the ground. Her bare feet touched the cold flooring gently, but the expression on her face was all but gentle. "Henrietta!" Her voice echoed through the room. Chapter 401: The power to alter a destiny. But, as soon as Titania glared at Henrietta angrily, she sighed. "Could you have not explained this before..." She looked at her freed body. It wasn''t an Avatar of the Tree of Life anymore. Green veins traveled through her body, supplying her with an energy different from that of every living being. Feeling the blood rushing in her heart, its beating, and the feeling of warmth accentuated on her skin, she clasped her hands multiple times. The moss on her arms was soft, her skin wasn''t rough like bark, and her limbs moved unrestrained. Her mind, finally unclouded by her past death, processed better than ever. "This body is... close to a human." "But it is not." Henrietta said with a serious expression, her posture unchanged. "I can feel that. It feels more like sap than actual blood flowing in me." "Your nature as a Remnant had not been erased. Titania, even now, you control your concepts, and those massive trees that have taken root in this dimension." Titania turned around, and stared at the gigantic tree. Her eyes glowed brightly as her sigil, a leaf, blinked into existence. The tree slightly shook as Titania lifted her hand. "You are right. This is still a part of me." Henrietta nodded. "I''m relieved it went correctly." As those words entered the ears of Titania, the twins smiled dryly, knowing that their friend wasn''t going to ignore them. "Why did you do that anyway, Henrietta?" She turned around before her feet were lifted from the ground. Her delicate wings gently flapped, lifting her entire body as naturally as a bird would fly after leaving its nest. Titania sat on empty air right in front of Henrietta, and glared straight into her eyes. "What happened to you? You are not someone who acts without giving a first notice." "Time is a luxury we don''t have, Titania. In all honesty, I am genuinely sorry." Henrietta bent her face forward while looking apologetic. "..." Thoughts began to rapidly flow through Titania''s head. "I cannot necessarily blame you for being hasty. Not only did you lose Tetra, but Amelia is unconscious too. Without her, dealing with Miasma''s invading forces will prove difficult." Yet, Henrietta shook her head. "You''re partially wrong about this." "Oh. Would you mind telling me then?" "I''m about to search for someone. You are required to find him." "Him..." Titania pondered for a second as her eyes fell on the three Remnants behind Henrietta. Then, the pieces fell neatly together in her head. "Don''t tell me you are looking for Heto?" Her expression looked neutral enough that it impressed Henrietta. She was expecting her to freak out more. "I am." "You know how troublesome it is to look for him. Who knows where he is currently?" "That''s why I need you to track him down." A long sigh escaped Titania''s mouth. "Are you planning to teach them our knowledge?"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Nodding slowly to her question, Henrietta stayed silent. Titania bent her upper body backward, looking at the ceiling with a blank expression. "I see. It might not be a bad idea." Having recovered the entirety of her memories, she recalled the days she was trained by her mother. "I''ll answer your first question. Get used to this new body as you listen." Titania''s face dropped. "Right, go on." Taking a deep breath, Henrietta began. "It is no mystery at this point, but I am the Remnant of Fate and Destiny." The four others in the room nodded. "Even though my powers don''t let me influence much due to the alterations they can cause, I am still able to change someone''s destiny ever so slightly." "It is impossible for me to change the fact that you died twice, but it is possible to alter your memory loss." "I made it so you had never lost them to begin with. What was lost became sealed to avoid creating an irregularity between your history and your memories." Henrietta explained carefully. "They simply returned when I called your original name. That way, it avoided a potential conflict in history." Titania nodded. "I understand. It would be strange to remember my past while also supposedly unable to." This made sense. This would either create a paradox that erased the entirety of Titania''s existence on the spot, or make her unable to live further past that point. That point was what made Henrietta''s power so dangerous if used improperly. Instead, she placed those lost memories in a bubble inside her mind instead of losing them forever. When Henrietta spoke her name, that bubble popped, releasing those memories that were supposedly lost. "It''s a little trick on how to bend the world''s laws in my favor, which doesn''t contradict Nature in any ways. However, she probably won''t be very pleased by my meddling." "But at this point, I don''t care anymore. There''s only two results now." Uncrossing her legs, she stood up. "Either we lose everything, or we win. There is no middle ground." "We Remnants have stayed far too long on the sidelines; it is time for us to do our part, and protect the continent in our own way." Those words echoed in the large room, as Titania opened her eyes wide. "Incredible. Never would I have dreamed of seeing the woman who hid for four thousand years speak those words with such pride." "Was losing Tetra such a blow?" Henrietta smiled dryly. "You have no idea." Titania dropped slowly to the ground. Her feet touched the ground, while her wings wrapped around her waist, creating a layer of leaves over her green dress. "I am sorry I could not recover her soul." She bowed in front of Henrietta. "If I were to blame you, in no way would Tetra forgive me. Like me, you are not almighty. That is how our concepts work." Then, Titania straightened. "And what about this body of flesh? I cannot believe this is your doing." "That''s..." Henrietta looked away. "It is?!" Shocked, Titania took a step forward, inching her face closer to Henrietta''s. "It''s a... byproduct of something I wanted to try." Taking a step back, Henrietta smiled weirdly. "I might have played with your... entire origin as a Remnant. That is a bit difficult to explain." "You- What?!" The three behind them looked in shock at Henrietta. "Is that even possible?" Keleanos asked with a frown. "Normally, it isn''t. But the entity known as Tiohr-nam was a tree." Henrietta glanced over her shoulder and looked at him as she answered his question. "Everything about her was technically inorganic. I simply modified the destiny of that wooden body to be an organic one." "Though, I couldn''t change the nature of her being, she is still a plant-like entity." "But now, she can walk alongside us." Proud of her accomplishment, Henrietta smirked. "To say Nature will not be pleased is an understatement..." Titania placed a hand on her forehead and sighed. "I don''t care. I''ve returned from innumerable times when the world was destroyed. Helping a friend see the world after being stuck for an eternity is barely a crime against her will." The progenitor of the fairy''s body trembled slightly at her words. "You... did this for me?" "Of course. Saying that I needed you was the excuse." With a gentle smile, Henrietta approached Titania and placed her right hand on her shoulder. "You can finally hug those two." The green heart in her chest thumped louder, causing her slight discomfort. Nonetheless, she felt tears swell up in her eyes. "Ah. Yes, I could do that." Seeing the woman smile brightly, Henrietta returned to her chair. ''That''s how it should be. I won''t tolerate any one of us living in agony anymore.'' Henrietta picked it up, and she sat down at the table with the others. "But before that, we have to find Heto." The smile on Titania''s face disappeared, as a more focused expression replaced it. "Right. We have to find him." Titania walked toward the table, and sat next to Henrietta awkwardly. "Ngh... were chairs always this uncomfortable?" After squirming for a few seconds, she stared at Henrietta. "Have you ever found Heto in the other timelines?" "No." She shook her head. Henrietta cupped her hands together and frowned. "Even through everything, Heto never appeared in Triazils." "Which means his location is hidden, or even outside our plane of existence." "I''d lean on the second. We have to remember what concepts Heto possesses." "..." Everyone around the table fell silent. "That''s probably why he isn''t anywhere near this continent. Even though his presence is elsewhere, his concept still rules." Keleanos said it with great concern. "Disaster." "A necessary concept to balance the world. Without it, we wouldn''t have weather perturbations and other life-threatening events." They nodded at his words. "The problem is, it doesn''t fall only under that authority. That concerns problems like war, which means..." Henrietta nodded. "If he were to know, this information would distress him." Titania closed her eyes. "He is too kind for this type of concept." "Still, we know that he is alive. If not, the war against Miasma wouldn''t have happened. Something even worse would have happened." Something worse than war. Total destruction, with no survivors. To avoid complete disorder and chaos, the concepts of ''natural'' and ''man-made'' disasters were created. "Heto, the Remnant of Order, Disaster, and Consciousness." "Where could he be?" As Henrietta said that, a long silence replaced their discussion. "I might be able to track him down, as you''ve said." Titania opened her eyes, gleaming a light green that took their breaths away. Chapter 402: Hetos thread. The room fell silent. As Titania focused on her power of Life, she tried to track down the thread leading to Heto. "Since Heto is alive, there is a chance to find him. The problem is, is my power capable of picking his signature in a sealed space?" "Because..." She made a pained expression even with her eyes closed. "I lost Orion''s life thread when he disappeared. I was certain his death was unavoidable." But not long after, she relaxed her expression. "If not for Dramia and Drania, I would perhaps not have found the peace of mind to help you." Henrietta swallowed the words she wanted to speak and simply nodded. The others also kept quiet, waiting patiently for the Remnant to continue. The minutes passed with no reaction from Titania. "As expected, Heto is nowhere in Triazils. The lead is cold at this point." "..." While sighing, Henrietta nodded. "Then he is somewhere hidden. Is there a way to find him?" "Yes." Titania opened her eyes and looked at Henrietta. "Where was Heto seen for the last time?" Keleanos fell into deep thought before opening his mouth. "Last time was... near where Turric was erected, if I am correct." "This was where that ancient city was before being destroyed." The city he came from. Destroyed along with many others at the time. "Understood." Titania closed her eyes once again. She sent her consciousness out of her body and made it go through the portal leading to Turric. The world was discolored and pale, and nothing was distinguishable. The only thing she was able to see were the threads of life and death. Green threads floated in place for healthy people, and red threads slowly disintegrated for sick and dying people. But among those threads, a blue-colored variety sometimes appeared, with no real end point. When Titania focused intently, she could find those threads. The threads of the existence of a Remnant. But around Turric, no such threads seemed to form. As if Heto never existed. ''Strange.'' Nonetheless, she relentlessly pursued the search, scanning every nook and cranny of the city and its surroundings with her aura. She ignored the green and red threads and focused to the point of having a slight headache. ''...'' Her thinking stopped, leaving her mind to process the information instead of diverting it toward her thoughts. As the ground gave no clue, she turned to the sky. The vast body of air that moved above everyone''s head. After a few minutes of searching, nothing came up. Titania was about to give up when she scanned one last area. "!" Suddenly, she opened her eyes, which trembled in response. "I have found his signature!" "Really?!" Henrietta and the others looked at her with obvious excitement. "It is thin, but I was able to find it. The thread is floating west of Turric, quite far, too." "Far?" "How far?" Chelsea and Kelsea asked. "Probably many kilometers away from the city. That thread is incredibly thin, which means it has been countless years since his previous appearance around here." "And with the thread so high in the air, I believe it lines up perfectly with the time he moved away. There are two threads separating near Turric." "One is most likely the one tracing the path when all survivors of the massacre met, which means us Remnants, while the other one is when Heto returned to his destroyed home and chose to vanish from our sight."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. They nodded to Titania''s explanation. "Then, could you trace back to where his whereabouts are?" "Of course." She nodded at Keleanos'' question before focusing back on the search. The three fell silent as Titania stopped responding, her eyes closed. Patiently waiting for her to inform them of her findings, Henrietta looked out the window. "It''s morning." Horizon''s starry sky was slowly shifting toward a brighter color, indicating the start of a new day. She frowned slightly. ''Let''s hope we can find him before noon.'' ... "Aaah!" A girl crumbled to the ground, her face tearing up. "I-It hurts..." She sat in the grass while looking at her bleeding knee. Holding back the tears with newly acquired strength, Stella frowned. Pressing her hands on the wound, a white light enveloped her hands and healed her skin, bringing it back to a more pristine state. "Why? Why can''t I do it like him?" With a frustrated expression, Stella stood up. Her long hair reached the back of her knees, even tied into a high ponytail. Stella was taller, and her limbs were firmer. The frail little girl was no more, replaced by a prim and proper lady. Five years had passed inside this space, attempting every day to wake up the gigantic titan of crystal. Not a single moment passed without her thinking of Orion, her father. Day after day, he became the force pushing her to new heights. "I should take a break. I''ve been at it for a few hours already." Turning heels, she walked toward a tree holding countless crystallized fruits on it. Standing under the tree, she looked at the fruit she wanted. "Alright." She opened her hand and stayed still. Her right hand released a thick shadow that moved rapidly over the fruit. It wrapped around the crystal-like apple and pulled it gently until it broke free from the branch before placing it in Stella''s hand. "Good. Today, too, I can control it perfectly." With a smile, she bit into the crystal. *Crack* The crystal was a type of sugar coat, while the interior of the fruit was full of nutrients necessary for her survival. A clear liquid flowed from the corner of her mouth as she bit into the fruit''s flesh, which she instantly caught with her tongue before it could dribble down. She sat down and pressed her back on the tree''s trunk. As she ate, a gentle breeze flew by, caressing her skin. Her eyes fell on the crystal titan sleeping in the distance. "I wonder how the others are doing?" She played with a strand of hair with her free hand while recalling Orion''s companions, her eight mothers. "And Henrietta... I hope she is doing fine." The tragedy that happened was still ingrained in her mind. Seeing Tetra''s lifeless body was etched in the depths of her memories, acting as a reminder of her weakness. Her eyes shone a light purple as a spiral sigil appeared deep within her pupils. The previous thoughts in her head went somewhere else as she focused on another problem. She looked at her outfit. "It feels a little tight around the chest. I think it''s time to improve it." Biting into the crystal, she touched the soft fabric she was wearing. Imagining an outfit close to what Orion was wearing each time he went out, her outfit glowed. Then, her entire outfit turned identical to his, adjusted to fit a woman. A sleeveless dark gray shirt, black shorts stopping at the middle of her thighs, a leather belt, and black high boots. As an extra feature, she wore black stockings to hide her bare skin. What she avoided wearing was the coat. She wanted to leave this part of the outfit to him and not steal his entire appearance. Furthermore, she was persuaded that it wouldn''t look as good on her as it did on him. "Good." To add a little more, she adopted Karteira''s leather jacket on top of the shirt. It was more comfortable than she thought it was. Her chest was developing nicely, almost catching up to Amelia. The ones on the smaller side would cry in despair at her growth. Stella was perfectly healthy. Thanks to having many beautiful women in her life, she tried to keep her curves on the same level. "I''m full. Thanks for the food." She spoke to the tree while standing up. Wiping the dirt and grass off her butt, she walked back toward the cliff. Now full of energy, she returned to her attempts at waking the crystallized titan. "Alright!" *PSSSH* The wind rustled the grass as a blast of energy exploded from her body. Stella spread her arms on both sides while opening her hands. A wide sphere of light energy formed in her left hand, while a dark sphere of dark energy formed in the other. "Control the output. This is nowhere near what Orion was able to bring out." Now that she had aged, she was unable to bring herself to call Orion ''Papa'' anymore. It felt more natural to call his name. The two spheres grew while rotating wildly on themselves. They pulled air alongside their rotation, battering the area and Stella with wind. Though, she didn''t care, her focus was unwavering. "More!" With the two energies being three times her size, she was unable to infuse more power into them. "That''s nowhere near enough..." She stared in front of her in frustration. "Well, let''s try anyway." She dragged the two orbs in front of her. The two energies, which were opposite, began to push each other like magnets. The pushing force was so strong that they began to revolve around each other faster. "Go!" Stella pushed the spheres with both hands, sending them toward the sleeping titan. They dropped toward sea level before ripping through the water surface. Then, when they came closer to the crystallized elemental, they moved upward and crashed into its chest. The two orbs were swallowed inside without damaging the being, something common in Stella''s every day. "..." She waited anxiously until a flash of light inside the titan caught her attention. "Not again..." With a defeated expression, she dropped her shoulders. Then, she immediately took a defensive stance. *Boom* A loud, muffled explosion came from the titan, who rejected the two energies. They came back in full force toward Stella, ready to crash into her. "Come at me!" With a smile similar to Orion''s, she emulated his personality to get through those tough moments. The two energies came closer, and Stella gritted her teeth. Covered in a dark aura, she leaped forward to the edge of the cliff. With both hands in front of her, a dark barrier appeared, thicker than her. Both spheres touched the barrier, but only the white energy one entered a conflictual state with it. The dark sphere traveled through the barrier and threatened to hit her. "Suck it!" A dark shadow emerged from under her clothes and wrapped itself around the sphere. It rapidly devoured it, replenishing Stella''s energy in the process. "Now, the toughest part." Stella had a better affinity for dark magic compared to light, which meant that recovering the remaining energy was a challenging part for her. "One... two..." The barrier disappeared, letting the white energy continue on its way, ready to hit Stella. With the dark aura retracting inside her, a white aura took over. "Gh!" She grabbed the white sphere with both hands, feeling her entire body being pushed backward. "Get... back... inside!" Slowly, she absorbed the energy back into herself, releasing the pressure building on her. Once she was safe from her magic, Stella breathed a sigh of relief. "No injuries this time." She dragged herself toward the cliff and sat down on the edge, careful enough not to fall. "What will it take to wake you up, I wonder?" Unknowing what was happening on Triazils, Stella continued through the trial of the elemental. This process took place for five years, and she was still nowhere near reviving this primordial elemental. Until her power as a Remnant awakened. "Hmm?" Her head slowly turned around, her eyes glowing out of her control. "Who...?" A figure, cloaked in a white light, stood silently behind her. Chapter 403: A researchers ghost. Stella stood up hurriedly, her senses in high alert. Carefully, a shadow moved down her hand, ready to strike at the entity. "You asked who I was, right?" The entity looked at its hands, its face unrecognizable from the light. "Hmm? That is a good question. Who am I?" It tilted its head quizzically. After staying alone for so long, Stella was cautious. This was the first time since entering this space that she heard someone else''s voice. On edge, she kept her distance while glaring at the figure cloaked in light. Without noticing it, her eyes flashed, revealing the figure. A tall woman wearing a lab coat appeared in front of Stella. She had short black hair, very similar to Stella when she was younger. Under her coat, she wore a buttoned black shirt, opened at the second button below her neck. She wore light-brown pants with black high heels. On one of her fingers was a beautiful silver ring. Her gaze was full of love and compassion, very different from someone wishing harm to Stella. "Oh!" Suddenly, the woman''s eyebrows jumped as something clicked in her head. "I see. That is unexpected, but, I suppose, necessary." Her eyes fell on Stella. "Hello, my name''s Varellia." Still cautious, Stella walked around her, moving away from the cliff. "..." "You appear rather evasive for someone who called me here." Stella opened her eyes wide and stopped moving. "I-I did?" "Well, that is the truth. You haven''t noticed? Your eyes are shining with the sigil of Progress." Touching her face, Stella looked confused. "Eh? Why?" Varellia looked around her before walking around with great interest painted on her face. "There are many reasons. The first one that comes to mind is that you have attained a bottleneck. Your wish to improve further activated the concept growing in your core." She walked past Stella and stopped in front of the tree. With a finger on her chin, she kept talking as she analyzed the fruits dangling from the branches. "The second idea I have is that you seem to have an incredibly precise image of what you wish to become. Does that bring something to your mind?" Stella blinked a few times until the image of her father''s wide and protective back flashed for a brief moment. "I... Yes, there is someone who pushes me to get stronger." Saying that with an unshakable expression, she nodded. Pocking one of the fruits with a branch, Varellia continued. "The last thing, and probably the reason I am the one who appeared..." She let go of the branch and turned around. "It is because I am your mother." With lightning-fast steps, she closed in on Stella. Moments later, the girl found herself in her mother''s embrace, her face buried in her bosom. "E-Eh?" Confused by the sudden revelation, Stella was unable to react. "Even if I am just a phantom of my original self, I cannot express how happy I am to see my daughter." Rubbing her cheek on Stella''s head, she began to talk increasingly fast. "From the looks of it, you are in your teenage years, right? Your body is firm and healthy; that is good." "Your hair is similar to mine; incredible! Moreover, it is like touching silk. I can''t believe it is so smooth." "You took more of me than you took from your father. I''m super happy about that! Also-" Stella pushed her away. "W-Wait! Wait a second!" "Oh?" With a faint smile, Varellia crossed her arms.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. "Even if you tell me that now..." Then, she recalled the voice she had heard five years ago after she was dragged into the elemental realm. "..." She stood there with a frozen expression. Her eyes fell on her supposed mother until she looked inside her eyes. In them, she saw a spiral. A galaxy-like sigil that radiated a purple aura. Her knees trembled, her mind began to freeze, and her hands shook. "It''s... Mom?" "It took you quite a bit, but yes, it''s me. Come here." Varellia spread her arms wide, inviting her daughter into them. "Mom!" Stella leaped forward and wrapped her arms around her mother''s back. Unable to contain her emotions, she began to let out the pain that had accumulated all those years. The pain of losing her family, the horrors of her life with Julian, the heartbreaking separation with Orion, and the long years alone in this place. A fifteen-year-old girl cried with all her might in the arms of her mother, who was brought back thanks to her wish to get stronger. ... "It''s fine." After a while, Varellia spoke. She caressed Stella''s hair gently, tightly wrapping her other arm around her back. "You''ve suffered quite a lot. I am so sorry to have let you alone in this awful world." Stella slowly unwrapped her arms and took a step back. Her face was a mess, with the corners of her eyes red from her endless sobbing. But, even in this state, she shook her head. "I know it''s not your fault. Those who came and stole me from my father are the ones to blame." Varellia gave an unhappy frown. "As I thought, they came for your father. He most likely died protecting you. It was a fear of mine, but to think it became reality. Such a shame." She appeared very torn by the news. "..." Stella quietly nodded. Yet, her expression relaxed. "If not for Orion, I wouldn''t have survived." "Orion?" "Yes." A kind smile formed on Stella''s face as she explained to Varellia who Orion was. "He saved me when I was dying. He gave me food, a place to live, and a family. Until the end, he protected us from the wrongs of this world." Her eyes fell, as she really wanted to bask in his warmth once again. "Wait... was he a human?" Shaking her head to each side, Stella corrected her mother. "No, everyone said that Orion was an angel and a demon." "A mixed blood?! From two annihilated factions?" "That''s what I heard. Since I was too young to understand anything, I never asked for more information." "All I know is that those elements were his." In both hands, a small sphere formed. One of pure light, the other of intense darkness. "The light and dark elements!" Varellia opened her eyes wide and leaned forward. "This means that the one who saved you was..." She turned around, two fingers on her chin. "The second Hero. What a shame! If I had postponed my research, I would have been able to meet such a person... but if I had, my daughter wouldn''t have been rescued by him, and I wouldn''t be here." "Aaah! What a dilemma!" She scratched her head and made a mess of her hair. Then, she shook her head and calmed down, putting her hair in the right places. "Scratch that. It''s already done, so there''s no need to bother thinking about that." With a satisfied smile, she calmed down. "Who would have thought that the power of Progress was capable of replicating me to such a degree?" "What do you mean?" Stella blinked unconsciously at her words. "This was expected. You haven''t yet understood the true power sleeping inside you." She walked in front of her and gently grabbed Stella''s hand, pulling her toward the tree. Varellia made her sit under the tree while she began to explain. "First of all, I am not exactly your mother." Stella nodded. Inside her, she already knew that the being in front of her was fake. "To me, I am the real one, but in reality, I am a ghost brought back by your power as a Remnant." "You asked for more power, for a way to break through this wall that bothers you. Hence, I returned from the dead." Varellia tapped on her forehead with one finger. "Though, am I even the real Varellia? I do not know. The only way to confirm it would be to..." She closed her eyes while opening her other hand to the side. "Catharsis." But nothing happened. "Hmm~" She looked with interest at her hand. "It appears I am the real one. Astounding discovery." Her spirit as a researcher was working in overdrive, picking up every piece of information that was developing in front of her. "What was that?" "Something that I passed on to you before dying." Confused, Stella tilted her head. "Something I have?" "Yes. A weapon I recovered from... your grandmother." "My grandmother?! Who was she?" With a look of surprise, Stella bent forward, listening intently to her mother''s words. "It is a rather sad story. Do you still want to listen?" Stella nodded, switching to a more serious posture. "Alright." Varellia walked next to her daughter and sat next to her. "Have you heard of the word ''Valkyrie''?" ... After a while, the story came to an end. "After my mother passed away, all that was left was her weapon and the teachings she etched in my soul." "That''s the story of your grandmother, Skadii." Stella was clenching her stockings, almost tearing a hole into them. She had already heard about the Valkyries through Elliott, the day he told the story of Frey and Blanc, but she had no idea all the Valkyries had perished that very day. Hearing that this happened in her family, she felt a rage unfamiliar to her. A raging light burning brightly in her heart, and freezing darkness ready to engulf everything. That rage was difficult to ignore, but Varellia eased her heart. "Those entities¡ª even I do not understand what they were. All we know, after discussing the matter between us, is that they came from a space, a world, way different from us." "A world of light, where purity is devoured. That''s what we managed to gather. Not much, I know, but apart from that and their names, there are no clues on how to even access their world." She titled her head with a finger on her chin. "The only one stupid enough to try was Miasma. Making our lives even more difficult in the process, I hope his end wasn''t peaceful." The frown on her face wasn''t pretty. "All I know is that Orion won, but never returned with the others." Stella added with a sad tone. "Then, the chances are Miasma is still alive. Not only did he manage to survive Noah through sheer cleverness, but he also managed to manipulate the world for thousands of years, only to perfect his control over them." "Really?" "Most likely." The grave air around Varellia said everything Stella needed to know. After a short silence, Varellia stood up. "Alright." She cleaned her lab coat and walked in front of Stella, further from the tree. "Stella." For the first time, she called the name Orion gave her. "Yes." She stood up and approached her, ready to get things done. "Repeat after me." With a nod, Stella already knew what to say. "Catharsis." Before Varellia said anything, the name of the Valkyrie Skadii''s most trusted weapon echoed in the realm. The ground shook as an incredible amount of energy surged from within her core. Her father''s elements merged into the artifact, exploding into two dangerous vortexes of energy that rose upward from the very center of her chest. A shaft emerged from her chest, ready to be pulled out. "Gh!" Stella gritted her teeth and grabbed the tip of the weapon with both hands. Varellia took a few steps back and smiled. "You can do it, Stella. Believe in yourself." Her reassuring words entered Stella''s ears as she pulled the artifact out of her core. "Aaah!" Slowly, a long spear was tugged out of her. The sharp, curved blade emerged as the energies settled inside her. "That... was exhausting." Holding herself on the spear while catching her breath, she looked at her shaking knees. "Is that... it?" "Yes, that is Catharsis. The Crimson Purge." A polearm, called a fauchard, radiantly gleamed as it appeared once again after many years. Chapter 404: A mother and daughters goodbye. Two more years passed for Stella, as she learned to manipulate the artifact slumbering inside her. She learned from her mother how to act properly as a Remnant of Progress and how to simply live without regrets. Slowly, the spirit of the researcher began to seep into the girl''s mind, turning her daughter into someone similar to her. This slow change came naturally, as Stella had an innate interest in evolution. Before long, she shared with her mother many ideas on what to focus on and, more often, talked about the ''science'' branch of their concept. One day, while the two were lazily looking at the clouds, Varellia spoke the words Stella wished to never hear. "Stella, there is nothing else for me to teach you." "Eh?" The young Stella, now ravishingly beautiful as a young adult, turned her head in shock. "Everything your grandmother left to me, you''ve absorbed like a sponge. Even our discussions are becoming stale, as all my research has filled a space in your brain." With a satisfied smile, she looked at the sky. "I will soon return to rest. The elementals made it possible for me to return for two years, so I would rather avoid trampling over their goodwill by staying more than necessary." They both gathered enough information to conclude that the mixture of elemental will and remnant energy caused this small singularity. This seemed to barely enter the realm of what Nature authorized, and as a compromise, Varellia was unable to ''live''. Eating and sleeping were impossible for her. Her life had already been lost, with no way to return. Only through this ''miracle'' was she able to meet Stella. "But-" Varellia shook her head as Stella pulled herself from the comfy grass. "Everything has an end. In any other normal circumstance, you would''ve never known who your mother was." Her eyebrows dropped slightly, forming a slight frown, showing her uneasiness. "Like I thought, whoever is affiliated with Orion is most likely authorized to break the rules ever so slightly. I wonder why it is like this." "If only I could hear Nature''s voice once again..." She had many questions floating in her head that would forever remain unanswered. Yet, she chose to ignore them and live through two peaceful years with her daughter, learning everything about her. Varellia was, as a mother, more than satisfied. Her will was successfully passed on, and her ideas lived through someone dear to her. But more than anything, she was authorized, even if only for those two years, to share a moment with Stella. Her heart was full to the brim of love and satisfied beyond understanding. She was ready to move on for good. "I... know. I understand. I also need to return to the others." With an understanding expression, Stella nodded. There was no trace of sadness on her face. "My little daughter grew up to become such a tall and responsible person. Your mother is proud of you." Stella stood up next to her, and both exchanged a very sweet smile. Stella''s hair slowly changed as her style became more pronounced. Still wearing her knee-length black hair in a ponytail, what truly changed were the square bangs hanging slightly above her left eye. While she was still at an age where growth was proceeding smoothly, she had already passed her mother in height. Varellia was a rather short woman, only 156 cm (5''1"). Her lab coat almost always dragged behind her on the ground as she walked around. Stella, on the other hand, attained a height of 173 cm (5''6"). But, she had a lean constitution, not overshadowing Varellia at all.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Catharsis." Softly, Stella murmured that word. The tip of a polearm emerged from her chest, which she grabbed without hesitation. She pulled it out with no effort and slammed the metal cap at the tip of the shaft into the ground. "This is not even a fauchard anymore..." Seeing the artifact her mother used in a different form, Varellia smiled. "It only took the form of a weapon I saw in a book at home." The barely decorated blade she knew was no more. Now, Catharsis had turned into a magnificent weapon, shimmering with destructive energy. "If I remember, you called it a... Naginata? It''s another type of pole, a glaive." "Yes." Stella nodded, her eyes admiring the two jewels, one white and the other black, embedded just below the blade, where the shaft met with the sleek, curved blade. The entire weapon was way bigger than the first time she pulled it out. Before, Catharsis was around 120 cm, but now that it has turned into such a dangerous weapon, it has become even taller than Stella, towering at 200 cm. While the shaft wasn''t thick by any means, it was incredibly flexible, leading to wide and far-reaching swipes. "Are you ready?" Varellia stood up and remained next to her daughter. "I am." Stella turned to her mother before releasing the wooden shaft of her weapon. With just two steps, she was next to her. Then, she pulled Varellia into her arms. "I''ll miss you." "Me too." The mother and daughter shared one last, passionate hug. A small act that would forever stay imprinted on both Stella''s mind and body. "Thanks to you, I have managed to get through those two years without feeling lonely. I have learned so many things that I don''t know if I''ll ever manage to meet your expectations." Varellia sunk her face into her daughter''s chest. "The roles are now reversed. How funny." Recalling the moment she hugged her daughter when they met, the emotions she repressed deep inside slowly resurfaced. "Aaah~ I don''t want to leave you. I want to see you live through the rest of your life and support you. I hoped to see this ''Orion'', and thank him for everything he did for you." "Continuing my research with you might also be worth a shot. Imagine the great things we could''ve invented together." Both began to pull each other even stronger, as if refusing to separate. Their faces crumpled, with the smiles slowly crooking into agonizing grimaces. "I know. I''ll keep you close to my heart forever! Like that, you''ll always live in me." "Even after I return, I''ll continue to research what you''ve left behind. I''ll create those scientific objects and show you the results." "You''ll see! It''ll change this continent!" Unable to contain the sadness, tears flowed from Stella''s eyes. The same happened to Varellia, who was unable to endure the sadness seeping through her heart. "Stella, you have to stay healthy, you hear me? Don''t work too hard. You have to eat three meals a day, and not those simple fruits anymore. Also, don''t forget to smile a lot." "You have to remain strong, even-" Stella pulled her mother even closer, forcing her to stop talking. "I know. It''s not the first time you''ve said that." The two smiled as tears slowly stopped flowing. "Alright, that''s enough of the crybaby act. Pull yourself together." Breaking away reluctantly, they wiped the tears off their faces. Varellia turned around and sighed. "Goodbyes are always so difficult to deal with. I''ll never be used to it." "Me neither." Stella grinned happily as she wiped her face with her sleeve. "Mom." "Hmm?" Turning around, Varellia looked at Stella. Her eyes opened wide. "I love you." Stella grabbed the shaft of Catharsis with her left hand and pulled the cap out of the ground. Surprised by the sudden words of affection coming from her daughter, Varellia felt another surge of emotions. A memory she had no idea existed flashed in her head, as if the world itself had given her one last gift before moving on. She saw herself holding a small baby in her arms. Her baby. "I-" Two energies gathered at the tip of the naginata, enveloping it in a gray aura, as both dark and light magic were perfectly balancing between one another with no sign of conflict. Varellia stepped forward right before Stella threw the weapon at the gigantic elemental. "I love you too! I''m proud that you are my daughter!" Shouting those words, she watched Stella unleash Catharsis with all her strength. "Karma!" *Fush* A blast of air exploded behind Stella as Catharsis flew in a straight line toward the chest of the giant. Varellia was forced backward, falling on her butt from the intense release of energy. In just three seconds, the spear made contact with the elemental''s chest. *CRACK* Compared to the attempts she made to resurrect it, the glaive kept pushing on the crystal instead of being swallowed inside it. Light began to burst through the cracks forming from the collision of the two objects. Then, the entire crystal cracked as light and dark ravaged the crystal layer that was sealing the monstrous creature. Giant chunks of crystal dropped into the sea below as the giant began to move. *WROOOOOOOOOOOO* A low growl escaped the creature as it awakened. Stella and Varellia looked at the elemental, leaning backward with its arms stretching widely at its sides. Then, as one single howl escaped the titan''s mouth, everything turned black. At that moment, Stella and Varellia''s time together ended. ~ "Is this the place?" Henrietta and the other Remnants walked into a snowy landscape, coming out of a portal never used before. "This should be it." Titania, who walked upon the ground of Triazils once more, looked downward. "Snow sure is cold." "You should''ve worn shoes like I told you." Snapping at the progenitor of the fairies, Henrietta crossed her arms. "I-I know... Sorry." "..." Seeing her friend show such a saddened expression brought a sour taste into her mouth. Bringing her hand into the small puffy bag dangling from her waist, she brought out a pair of warm shoes out of it. "Eh?" "Just... take these, alright?" "Thanks, Henrietta." Keleanos, Chelsea, and Kelsea smiled at this interaction. They knew that the only one who was Henrietta''s true ally was Tetra. But now that Tetra was out of her life, Henrietta was making efforts to create new connections. Titania rapidly placed her frozen feet into the warm, fur boots with a genuine smile. Once she was ready, she nodded at Henrietta. "As you''ve asked, this is the right place. This is where the lead on Heto stops." The group looked at a dilapidated, derelict city. "The ruins of Ryghs." Chapter 405: Breaking into the sealed space. The sound of crunching snow echoed into the empty city as five people walked with caution. "This place is creepy." Chelsea walked in front of her sister, who was holding her right sleeve, as they progressed deeper inside Ryghs. "This place is not a ghost town. I cannot feel the thread of death anywhere. There only appears to be one spot in particular." Titania glanced over her shoulder and eased Kelsea''s fear slightly. "O-Oh. That''s good to know." While walking the lifeless streets with caution, both Henrietta and Titania stayed on guard. There was always a possibility of something unexpected happening. "We''ll avoid that spot. This is where Orion killed one of Miasma''s pawns." "Understood." Confirming with Henrietta the path forward, Titania nodded. "The lead stops nowhere near that area anyway, so there is no need to check." Hearing a small sigh of relief coming from the back, Henrietta and Titania smiled at each other. But suddenly, Titania''s foot stopped. "..." She looked into the sky while everyone abruptly stopped. They silently stared at her face, which was focused on one spot. "There it is." As they all lifted their eyes to the sky, nothing seemed to be different from normal. "Are you certain?" "I have no doubt about it. The thread disappears at this exact space." Titania closed her eyes, spreading her aura toward her surroundings. The world became paler, while the thread leading to Heto''s location unraveled from thin air. A strange vortex the size of a pebble appeared, swallowing the rest of the thread. This was the indication the group needed to find their peer. As she opened her eyes, she nodded. "It is right there." Pointing at the exact spot, she made Henrietta and the others squint their eyes in an attempt to see what she had observed. "I... can''t see anything." "Me neither." Chelsea and Kelsea tilted their heads quizzically, both in opposite directions. "For that matter, I cannot see anything either." Keleanos joined the twins, as he was unable to see the entrance to Heto''s hideaway. "..." In front of them, Henrietta quietly stared at the empty spot. The frown on her face indicated that she was thinking, so Titania remained silent as her friend strained her mind to find a solution. After a few minutes, she began to lift her right hand toward that space. "..." The others looked at this action as an intense aura covered her body. The golden aura emanating from her was unfamiliar, which made them stare with great interest. They took a few steps back, leaving Henrietta to concentrate. Henrietta moved her left hand in front of her chest, as if she were holding a book. After a few seconds, a small orb flew out of her chest and moved above her hand. The orb floated for a few seconds before morphing into a thick book that possessed, at the very least, a thousand pages. The book, opened in the palm of her hand, began to flip its pages automatically, responding to the will of her master. "Right... there." Stopping abruptly, the pages stopped flipping. With the page settling gently on the others under it, a blank page of history opened in front of Henrietta. "Heto''s hideout... in Ryghs." The page, devoid of any information, slowly became covered in writing. As the state of this precise matter was revealed to her, options appeared to her.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. With her right hand still pointing at the opening, she glanced at the book. "I see. It''s impossible to enter. Even if Orion tried to force his way in, it would be impossible." Titania frowned and, unable to ignore her comment, asked her a question. "Then, are we leaving this place without him?" Glancing over her shoulder, Henrietta grinned while answering her. "Of course not." Turning her head back to focus on the book of destiny, she finished her thoughts. "Who do you think I am? I am the Remnant of Destiny. Changing an unknown entrance''s configuration is an easy feat for me." With a reassuring smile, she wrote inside the book with her intent. Modifying the rules themselves, what was written became reality. "I can see it!" "It''s really here!" The sisters pointed at the vortex. The dark green energy swirling around a pitch-black dot appeared to them, proving what Titania had seen. But as the words formed on the page, something caught Henrietta''s attention. ''The words are vanishing.'' Not surprised by the event, she stared at the blank space where the change was written previously. This was an effect falling under her concept. If something was impossible, it disappeared from the book itself, causing no changes to the world. It showed her that what she tried to modify would cause too much change in the world. ''Does that mean something is dangerous inside there?'' "..." She frowned, thinking of the information she had gathered. ''Probably not. The space itself is most likely too weak to support more people besides himself.'' ''If I were him, I would have done the same.'' Thinking of the words Heto spoke before departing from the gathering, Henrietta bit her lower lip. Focusing her intent on making this sentence the truth, she glared at the rift. Answering the will of the woman, the vortex slowly opened, its center growing. "Gh!" Henrietta closed the book and made it return inside her core as a powerful force began to pull her closer to the dark sphere. "Henrietta!" "Don''t worry. This is normal." While her feet dragged some snow as she wasn''t able to resist the pull, she turned her waist to the others. "I''ll bring him back; just wait a little bit." They looked at Henrietta''s face before giving a definite nod to her. Then, the rift pulled her into the air and sucked her in. Left to their own devices, the four looked into the sky, worried. ... A world of warping blue. A wavy pattern of bluish colors perpetually continued to fall, unbothered by the notion of ''ground''. In this quiet space with no wind, no sun, and no life, clear footsteps resounded in the void. With no floor whatsoever and no sense of direction, Henrietta walked with unrelenting strength. "Heto!" Her voice echoed inside this realm, met with an absence of answer. "Show yourself, Heto! It''s me, Henrietta!" Again, no answer. "Tsk..." Clicking her tongue in annoyance, Henrietta stopped walking. "Continuing like this will only exhaust me. I have to think of another way to find him." She knew Heto wouldn''t respond to her. What she was unaware of was if Heto was avoiding her or asleep somewhere. "..." Looking at her surroundings, she sighed. "This place is a mess. There are no clues whatsoever as to where I am." "Even the exit may be tough to find again." The moving scenery almost made her sick, but it mostly created an instinctive sense of dread in her heart. Being lost forever in this place was a serious possibility, and she wanted to avoid that at all costs. It would be easier for her to retrace her steps toward the exit the less she explored the area. The deeper she went, the more she exposed herself to getting lost, with no guarantee of finding the person she was looking for. Closing her eyes, she looked into the Book of Destiny in her core. ''No information about his whereabouts, but also no confirmation that I would get lost here forever.'' A sigh of relief escaped her mouth as she opened her eyes. "My destiny isn''t to wander this area forever. That is good to know." "Still, I shouldn''t walk too far in nonetheless. Risking everything for nothing isn''t my preferred approach." Taking a few steps backward, she hesitated. "..." "Oh." Then, an idea came to her. This was a brilliant idea that would clear the hurdle of looking for Heto. "Please." She caressed the back of her hand, where the blue crystal was embedded. While hidden under her skin, it still answered her call. A blue aura covered her body as thousands of regular water droplets formed around her. "Spread." With a swipe of her hand, she sent the droplets in all directions. She closed her eyes and listened. *Plop* Multiple sounds caught her attention, but, as they came from behind her, she ignored them. ''That was the exit.'' Then, she listened intently. ''...'' For a few seconds, there were no other sounds. Still, the magic she used was still pursuing its order. The water traveled further and further, until something fell into the net of droplets. "Mmh~?" She opened her eyes and looked in a precise direction. To her right, she caught something that appeared to move the moment the water impacted it. "This way?" Having located the exit with water magic, Henrietta walked forward without being afraid. After walking for five minutes, she finally arrived. "That''s..." She approached a strange structure with a pondering face. Her hand scraped the tough wall as she walked around. "Heto!" Shouting his name, she expected an answer. "W-Wha- Who''s there?!" And an answer she received, at last. With a satisfied smile, Henrietta walked through what looked like a door, and her eyes fell on a tall man. "Finally, we''ve found you." Relief took over her, but the same couldn''t be said for the man. "Who are you?" In the dark corner of the house, the man''s silhouette rose, towering above Henrietta. It''s bright blue eyes glared at her like a wild beast stalking in the dead of night. "How long has it been, gentle giant?" "..." The man suddenly stopped moving. "There was only one person who gave me that nickname... Henrietta, is that you?" His feet moved closer to her, revealing a tall, large, and muscular man with deep scars all over his body. "Yes." As the two-meter-tall Heto looked at her, memories resurfaced from many eons ago. "Oh." And, with a pleasant smile, he dropped his tensed shoulders. "I sure wasn''t expecting anyone to come into this sealed place." "Trust me, it wasn''t easy finding you." Lifting her shoulders in exhaustion, Henrietta answered him. "But..." At that moment, all the kindness in her heart disappeared, and a serious frown took over. "That''s how necessary you are. We need you to come back, Heto." "..." His blue eyes glimmered for a second at her words. Oblivious to the events happening on Triazils, Heto was about to be told everything that had transpired with no missing details. Chapter 406: Rise of a corrupt in Ryghs. "It''s taking a while..." Keleanos walked next to Titania, his eyes glued to the rift. "I agree. Still, there is nothing we can do other than wait." "But it''s been more than an hour." Chelsea joined them, with her sister right behind her. "And..." She turned around and looked at Kelsea, who was shivering. Her eyes were darting left and right, as if she were afraid of something. "We might have some company." With a serious expression, she looked at Titania. "..." At her words, she squinted her eyes slightly. This appeared as a doubtful sign, but in reality, Titania was simply searching for a potential enemy with her aura. Then, her eyes darted in one direction with extreme bewilderment. "What a blunder on my part!" Suddenly, Titania took a few steps back, pushing the others at the same time. The sound of rubble falling down from a building echoed quite a way further into the city. Until... *BOOM* Pieces of a large, collapsed mansion flew into the air. Its pieces crashed everywhere into Ryghs, destroying the empty houses and shops. "Dodge!" As a large chunk of wall fell on them, Titania jumped to the side. Keleanos and the twins followed suit and jumped to avoid the debris. "Damn it! Why did I not look for traces of corruption? We know that Miasma is not gone for good, so why did I ignore the signs?!" Titania stood up, blaming herself. "This is not the time for that! We''re in danger right now!" Shouting at her from the other side, Keleanos helped the twins get back on their feet. "..." She glanced at them and straightened. Her gaze sharpened, causing her body and mind to relax. "Fuuuu~" Taking a deep breath, she stared forward. *CRASH* Houses were crumbling down, suggesting something was marching in their direction. The aura released by their enemy was something Titania recognized instantly. It was a feeling that gnawed at her for centuries. "I cannot believe corruption is still present around here..." With the rest of the rubble crashing down around them, destroying everything behind them, they looked around. Everything across a fifty-meter range had been flattened, with piles of broken-down buildings hindering all movements. Still, what was a large road turned into a vast field. Titania confirmed that the sky was freed of falling chunks of wall and straightened her back. At that moment, the last house separating the intruding corrupt and the group of Remnants broke down, revealing what their opponent was. "Urk!" Chelsea and Kelsea both felt a nauseating feeling take over as they looked at the ''thing''. A humanoid with a frail-looking body, like an older man, walked toward them. What truly disgusted them were the large worms writhing from the body. The humanoid had no head and a deep hole in its chest. From those places, they could see the sickening worms violently thrash around. "What is wrong with this thing?!" Kelsea trembled at the simple sight of this monster. Both sisters were far from fighters, having avoided this kind of life since becoming Remnants. "Kh..." Keleanos stood in front of them, but he knew better than anyone else that his knowledge about fighting was barely enough to lift a sword. Yet, he courageously stood while observing the creature. For the three of them, it was the first time seeing a corrupt entity this dreadful. Usually, they were mindless beasts, but they were still normal creatures.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. This simple, distinctive visual was enough to speak volumes about what Miasma was working on. "This is awful..." Titania stared at the humanoid. Under its skin, she could see the worms move, most likely animating the corpse. With inhuman and abrupt movements, the corpse''s right arm grabbed a piece of wall next to it and, with a throw that broke the ambient air, launched it toward the three non-fighters. "Damn it!" In an instinctual move, Keleanos shielded the sisters under his chest and closed his eyes. As he was preparing himself to be hit, nothing as such happened. *Crash* Instead, he noticed two pieces of wall crash on both sides. Behind him were the sounds of wings flapping and an unusual humming noise, as if countless people were chanting. The faint but constant sound caught his curiosity, forcing him to release the sisters from his arms. As the three looked at the source of the noises, their eyes opened widely, astonished. Titania was floating above the ground, an array of luminous swords slowly revolving behind her back. In her left hand, a short sword as clear as a mirror vibrated, as if excited after a long slumber. "T-Titania." Keleanos picked himself up and approached the fairy. "Try to stay away. I will handle this monster." "..." The situation being what it was, Keleanos nodded. He turned around and picked up both women. "Ah! Wait!" "Keleanos?!" With Kelsea under his right arm and Chelsea over his left shoulder, he turned to look at Titania. "I''ll look for this thing''s weaknesses. That''s the least I can do while I''m forced to leave this battle to you." Glancing over her shoulder, Titania nodded. Seeing her response, Keleanos ran away swiftly, stepping and jumping on the piles of ruined buildings. "..." Titania looked at her left hand, holding the sword. "I have not seen you since the death of my mother..." "Avalon." ~ "So, that''s the reason for your presence. I understand." Inside the dark house built in one part of the space Heto had created, Henrietta finished explaining everything that had happened and her reason for seeking him. "I understand if you were reticent about coming back with us. I take it you are still afraid of that concept, right?" He briefly looked downward before nodding. "You''re correct." "In that case, I''ll work on hindering the effect of the disasters happening around you." His eyes opened wide, showing the beautiful cyan color of his pupils, visible even in such thick darkness. "Is that even possible?" "With some tinkering, I should be able to come up with something more useful. It''s difficult to control, isn''t it?" Her assumptions were correct. Heto nodded before adding something. "More than difficult, it is impossible." "I had very little knowledge of the concept at the time, but after leaving here for so long, I began to understand more." Looking at Henrietta, he continued. "Disaster. This encompasses everything related to the world itself and what the factions have brought upon themselves over many years, such as war." "The problem is, to avoid any of those, I would need to be on the same scale as Nature." "It is impossible to modify meteorological events, or else many deadlier consequences would happen." He explained his findings in great detail. "If I were to stop a flood from happening by stopping a storm, a drought would happen not long after. If I stopped the drought by creating a storm, this time, tornadoes would ravage the land." "And if I tried again, even more dangerous events would destroy this planet. Earthquakes, typhoons, solar eruptions... I think it could even make stars fall, but not the beautiful kind." Hearing his explanation, Henrietta nodded. "I get it. The same would happen with war. Stopping one would result in a larger-scale battle, resulting in even more losses." "Correct. That''s why I sealed myself here. I''ve tried many things in here, resulting in this... broken world with no light." He hesitated slightly, fearing that Henrietta would be afraid. "So that''s why. No wonder it felt sickening. It was a good thing you haven''t tried this on Triazils." Instead of being afraid, she appeared to sympathize with him. "R-Right." Heto nodded. "Knowing you, you also came in here to avoid meddling with the factions? I''m pretty sure it would''ve been difficult to watch the conflicts happening, knowing your simple existence was the cause of them." "You have a big heart." Scratching the back of his head in embarrassment, Heto smiled. He was happy to finally have someone to talk to after all these years alone. "But... What can you do to affect this concept? I don''t think there is anything that will result from it." "That is for me to find." A golden aura shone from Henrietta at its center. The light broke through the darkness, blinding the tall Remnant, who hadn''t seen the sun''s rays for centuries. After meddling with the Book of Destiny for a few minutes, she sighed. "You''re right, that concept is untouchable. There is no way for me to change how it works." "Alas, that''s what I thought." With a defeated smile, Heto sat on a chair inside the room. With Henrietta still looking for a way to fix this unfair power, silence returned between them. ... After thirty minutes, a sweating Henrietta gasped. "It worked?!" Heto stood up from his seat in fury. "Are you serious?!" "I am! I''ve managed to bring it under your control!" It was a basic change, but enough to make the power of disasters diminish greatly. "It''s like a compromise between you and the event. You can lower the damages or casualties caused by a disaster in exchange for a more dangerous one next time." "Isn''t that a bit paradoxical?" His excitement subsided, as this news wasn''t that great overall. "You don''t get it? You can fiddle around with this!" "How so?" Henrietta released the aura surrounding her and smiled. "It''s simple. You avoid a large-scale disaster on land, but create a dangerous one in the middle of the sea." "For example, you lower the range of an earthquake that would''ve damaged multiple cities, and in exchange, you unleash a dangerous cyclone above the sea." "Or you unleash a volcano underwater. In that case, there would be no reason to feel bad about your power." There were still the countless losses of underwater creatures caught in an event, but even in normal circumstances, such occurrences were normal. With a pondering expression, Heto entered a state of deep thinking. He simulated what Henrietta told him before the frown on his face vanished. "This! This might work!" With a relieved expression, the curse placed on him finally disappeared. "Thank you, Henrietta! I had no idea you were able to create such miracles." She shook her head. "Me neither. So, are you ready to follow me back to Triazils?" Heto looked around him. There was barely anything in this small house beside a bed and some rough furniture. ''I won''t be missing any of these.'' Yet, he walked toward the wall on his right. There, he grabbed something that appeared to be covered in dust. "My duties as the son of a Valkyrie can continue at last." He picked up a massive hammer that glowed a faint green light. "I''ll come with you. It''s time to teach this generation of prodigies what we, the descendants of the most powerful humans, can do." With heavy but determined footsteps, Heto walked past Henrietta and exited the house he lived in for four thousand years. With the hammer hanging on his shoulder, Heto walked toward the entrance of the rift, with Henrietta next to him. Chapter 407: Titania, the Warrior Maiden. Titania, now her entire self again, looked at the sword in her hand with a warm gaze. The vibrating sword, Avalon, was the keepsake from her mother she had forgotten about after dying once. Now that her memories had returned, everything concerning this sword and the arts taught by the Valkyrie Artheia was freshly imprinted in her mind. She was a fighter. Like Elliott, she fought to the bitter end alongside the Valkyrie but perished as a result. Yet, as her memories were sealed away previously, the proficiency and arts she had learned from her mother felt comfortable. It was as if she hadn''t lost a fraction of her power since then. As her fingers wrapped around the hilt tightly, the vibration stopped. The sun''s rays bounced off its metallic blade, illuminating Titania as if she were an overworldly being. Behind her, twelve thin blades of light revolved freely. They radiated with the intent to protect, as they existed for this purpose and none other. The arts of the Valkyrie Artheia existed to protect. As dangerous as her sword was, she never used it for anything other than that. And now, it was Titania''s turn to take her mantle. As the corrupt walked eerily toward her, she pulled the sword upward, focusing the rays of the sun on the blade. "My Knights, advance." The swords on her back began to revolve faster before, one after the other, floating in front of her. Aligned perfectly, they glowed brightly before morphing into Knights of Light with the glowing sword in hand. Twelve armed knights stood in front of her, patiently awaiting their orders. "Erase the threat." Pointing the sword forward, Titania ordered the knight to advance. Needing no more orders, they walked menacingly toward the corrupt, the clattering of their plates of metal armor echoing into the destroyed city. Under their helmet, a trail of light bobbed left and right as they approached the humanoid. And then, as the two forces approached each other, the battle began. From the hole inside its body, tendrils emerged. The speed at which it came out surprised Titania, but not the Knights of Light. Gripping their weapons, they split into three groups of four and dodged the tendrils crashing down on them. Focusing on supplying them with her energy, Titania watched each knight carefully. This was also a way to get familiar with the sword''s ability, which she had only learned and seen from her mother. She wasn''t sure if she would be able to replicate them from her memory alone, but it appeared to be an idle thought. One of the group of knights sliced the tendrils as they touched the ground. Retracting back inside the walking corpse, an opportunity to strike appeared. The two other groups cornered the enemy on both sides before going on the attack. But the worms were quick to react. From the hole where the head was originally, small worms akin to threads sprouted out, growing massively large instantly. Their giant, gaping mouth showed four rows full of teeth. One after the other, they bit on the knights, removing chunks of their shining bodies. Fighting back the worms, the knights were forced to retreat, unable to cause any damage to the main body. Seeing the deplorable state of her knights, Titania frowned. Transmitting her energy, she healed their damaged bodies. Having returned to their previous state, they split.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. At this point, they divided their groups into six teams of two. Three of those six dedicated their attention to countering those worms, while the others attacked the main body. And, it worked. As the worms tried to protect themselves, they were unable to stop the teamwork of the knights. Slowly, the sword of light in their hands began to slice the worms. Increasingly disgusting noises of wriggling and thrashing caused Titania to feel sick, but she contained it. Losing focus on the battle was similar to asking to be killed. The knights in front suffered wounds, while the ones on the back hacked the biting worms away. Making their way toward the source of this horror, the worms began to show erratic behaviors. Yet, something troublesome caught the progenitor of the Fairy''s attention. ''The worms are healing... and quickly at that.'' A severe frown broke her neutral expression, watching the sliced parts of the worms create new ones. "!" Her expression turned to shock when she noticed an even worse detail. "Behind you!" Yelling those words at her soldiers, Titania managed to warn them in time. The severed heads of the worms were still alive, and they rapidly turned to attack the knights. Now, the front focused on defending the back row, while the back defended against the revived forces sliced down by the front row. ''It''s a never-ending cycle at this point. Do I have to join them?'' Looking at the struggle, she hesitated. For a few minutes, she observed the fight. The knights were losing, as more worms emerged from the cut pieces, rapidly overwhelming them. Titania''s regenerative energy wasn''t enough to keep up with the damage done to them. "Return, my Knights." This single order was enough. The knights turned into blades of light, which returned to Titania. Now, an army of agitated worms turned toward her, ready to bite her flesh chunk by chunk. "..." Focusing on the task at hand, she glared forward. The path was clear; it was revealed to her in a brief moment. Clenching Avalon, her feet touched the ground. She leaned forward, recalling the art of the sword she had mastered. With a single pulse of her wings, she vanished. *Slice* Reappearing in front of the first wave of worms coming her way, she slices four of them horizontally. The second wave was shortly upon her. With writhing movements, they jumped on Titania. But she jumped higher than them, slicing downward at the same time. Worm heads rolled on the ground as their bodies limply wriggled on the ground, spewing a disgusting black fluid of putrefaction. She flew over the third wave and fell in front of the fourth. With a swift movement, she turned around, stepped on one of the worms, and sank Avalon deep into its back. "Explode!" Light engulfed the struck-down worm before its body exploded, spraying its interior forward. As a result of this attack, light particles floated in the air. The other worms of the third wave and the ones of the fourth wave encircled her. But, Titania jumped again, looking down on the area the worms were in. "Dawn Bringer!" The particles of light turned into sharp swords before falling down on them, resulting in more exploding worms that soiled the ground with decomposing fluids. She turned to the last wave, where the source of it all was. Titania angled her body and, with a single push of her wings, dropped in the middle of the fifth wave. Her body crashed into the ground, sending bits and pieces of worms flying everywhere. *Ching* With a crystal-clear, satisfying sound, the sword sliced the cloud of dust and every worm around Titania, leaving a light trail behind it. Then, she took a step forward and aimed the tip of Avalon toward the corrupt corpse. With the blade''s flat side toward the sky, she pierced the corrupt''s neck, lifting it off the ground. In the blink of an eye, she pulled the blade out while it was still in the air. "Let''s end this." With this single sentence, her body glowed brightly. The sword behind her back began to revolve at an increasingly fast pace, creating a sharp sound as each blade of light ripped the air itself. Avalon, brilliantly reflecting the light of the sun, mirrored the corrupt. "There!" Titania heard Keleanoa scream from a distance. "Strike the knot inside the gaping hole!" Inside the chest of the humanoid, a knot of worms'' lengthy bodies dangled for a split second. Noticing this peculiar attribute, she focused on it as she acknowledged Keleanos'' warning. Before it could vanish back into its host, Titania stepped forward. "!" She slashed the knot in half horizontally along the body of the corrupt. The twelve blades behind her flew straight at it and followed with additional attacks, turning the humanoid into thousands of pieces. Avalon, still reflecting the possessed corpse on its blade, vibrated slightly. It appeared satisfied, as the entire sword released particles that entered Titania''s chest. Before long, Avalon disappeared alongside the twelve blades of light. Titania flapped her wings and jumped backward before the fallen corrupt fell toward the ground. *Splat* A disgusting mess of rotten flesh, worms, and decaying fluids splattered on one spot. Neither the worms nor the source of those creatures moved an inch. As time passed, they turned to ashes and vanished into the air, never to be seen again. Seeing that the battle had been concluded, the three hiding Remnants came out of their cover and joined with Titania, who slowly returned to the ground. "That was incredible, Titania!" "You took my breath away!" The twins jumped at her and looked all over her body for any signs of injuries while complimenting her. "Are you hurt?" Keleanos asked with a worried expression. "Only scratches. Nothing Karteira cannot heal." Her right knee and her left arm had a scratch on them, caused by a few worms she was unable to push away, but overall, nothing too severe happened to her. With a smile, she confirmed to the three that she was fine. "What in the world happened in here?!" Henrietta''s voice echoed as she looked at her surroundings. "That is... a long story." As Titania turned around to look at Henrietta, her eyes fell on a giant man with a massive hammer on his shoulder. The four Remnants opened their mouths in shock. "Heto!" Chapter 408: Gathering of Remnants. Heto placed his free hand behind his bald head and bent his head slightly downward with a bashful smile. "It''s good to see you, everyone." He looked at Keleanos, then at Chelsea and Kelsea. "We weren''t sure bringing you back to the continent forcefully was a good idea, but from the looks of it, Henrietta managed somehow." While the three Remnants walked toward him with large smiles, Titania stood further away as Henrietta walked next to her. Turning to look at the voice, Heto opened his eyes wide. "Wait. Tiohr-nam? How is that possible?" With a relieved smile, Titania shrugged. "Thank Henrietta for that. Also, call me Titania." "Titania... Is that your true name?" She slowly nodded at his question. "So you finally remembered your past. That is good news to hear from you." He gently dropped his hammer on the ground, crushing the rocks under it into dust. The group ignored the hammer entirely, knowing that this was the artifact left by his mother before she died, akin to Avalon. Heto bent his right knee, dropping it to the ground. Then, he placed his hands on the twin''s heads. "Chelsea, Kelsea, I am glad to see you are well." Accepting his gentle head pats, they smiled. Even though they were adults, in front of a giant like Heto, they were like children. Nonetheless, he rapidly stood back up after showing his tenderness. Then, he turned to Keleanos. "Keleanos." Extending his hand to the man, he smiled. "..." With a faint smile, Keleanos hesitantly grabbed his hand. "Don''t crush my hand, please." "I wouldn''t do that, but I''ll be careful." They shook hands amicably before parting ways. After everyone greeted Heto, Henrietta asked her question again. "Titania, what happened in here? Why is everything destroyed?" Keleanos stepped forward. "I''ll explain. I''m the best person for that." With a nod, Titania and the twins accepted the proposition, leaving Keleanos to tell the story of the event that took place a few moments ago. ... "..." The perplexed look on Henrietta''s face showed that the news of corrupt worms attacking while she was away wasn''t pleasing her. "This... isn''t my fault, isn''t it?" Heto asked this question with frustration, but Henrietta rapidly shook her head. "No, this has nothing to do with you. Your concept doesn''t single out an incident; rather, it is on a larger scale." "Oh, right." Relief replaced his previous expression. "This is Miasma''s doing, or more likely, a new type of corrupt beast. That monster probably released those corpse-moving worms through the rift that opened near Turric." "They traveled all this way and found a body in Ryghs capable of being manipulated." Thinking about it, she knew exactly who the corpse''s owner was, but she kept quiet as it wasn''t relevant to the matter at hand. "Should I consider this bad luck or good luck that we were here?" Titania asked with a faint smile. "Consider it good luck. Thank you for protecting everyone."The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. Feeling honest gratitude coming from Henrietta, Titania nodded. "It was good practice, so you won''t hear me complain." Fighting this creature brought back her senses as a warrior she hadn''t used for thousands of years. She also confirmed that she possessed the sword Avalon and that it had stayed the same even after changing hands. They shared a brief moment of silence before focusing on the task at hand. "Alright, now that we are all together, it''s time to return. Heto, follow us." "To that other realm you''ve spoken about earlier?" She nodded. "I''m not asking any one of you here to fight." "What I''m requesting is..." The grim expression on her face showed that she was more than serious about this matter. "That you teach the strongest warriors of this generation." She looked at each of them one by one. Hearing her words loud and clear, they all nodded. "If that is all you ask of me, I can do that." Heto, who was against violence, was still the son of a Valkyrie. If the necessity were to call for him, he would join in the fight, albeit reluctantly. Because the duties given to these Remnants came directly from their mothers and because protecting this world was a task so important that it couldn''t be ignored, the descendants of the Valkyries followed in the footsteps of the Valkyries. The ones to fight would be someone else, but they could teach their knowledge to others. With non-fighters like Chelsea, Kelsea, and Keleanos, this was the only solution. The time came for Orion''s companions and members of the Agathion faction to meet the oldest protectors of this world and learn from them. ''Now, all we need is...'' With a neutral expression, Henrietta turned around and walked toward the way they came from. They followed behind her, ultimately returning to Horizon. ... "You wait here." Henrietta explained to the others right after walking through the portal. "There is someone else I need to pick up. Since this place is our meeting point, wait for me to return." She was actually in a hurry. It was almost noon, and she wasn''t entirely prepared. "Sure, I will entertain them while you are gone." Titania gave her a slight nod, which Henrietta answered with a smile. "I leave this to you." Hurriedly, Henrietta ran out of the portal hub, leaving her friends behind. ... *Knock* *Knock* After running toward a house, Henrietta finally arrived and knocked on the door. Waiting for an answer, she crossed her arms. Hearing footsteps come toward the door, she took a step back. "..." *Clack* The door handle turned before the door opened, revealing a woman behind it. "Yes?" "Just the person I was looking for." Henrietta spoke with a smile. "Oh, hello. Can I do something for you? Henrietta, right?" With a nod, she continued. "I have something important to discuss with you; would you mind letting me in?" Politely and calmly, she asked Layla if she could enter. "Of course. Please come in. I mean, this isn''t my house anyway." A helpless smile appeared as she led Henrietta inside. "..." Henrietta observed the woman''s back with a neutral expression, thinking to herself. After entering the house, she was led to the table placed in the center of the room. Then, as she picked the nearest chair to sit on, a door opened behind her. "Elliott." With a glance, she recognized the man. There was no trace of irritation on her face, which surprised him slightly. "Henrietta." He greeted her back. "Could you join us? This matter concerns you also." Following a simple nod, Elliott joined them at the table, sitting next to Layla. After a minute of silence, Henrietta opened her mouth. "So you''ve succeeded." This simple sentence was enough for them to understand why she was here. "This is about Layla becoming the Remnant of Peace, isn''t it?" "More or less." Henrietta entwined her fingers together and looked straight at Layla. "First, I will remove any presumptions from your mind. I have no qualms about you becoming a Remnant." Layla showed surprise, while Elliott nodded. "This role had to be fulfilled anyway, so this is a problem I won''t have to focus on. For acting quickly, you have my thanks." She looked at Elliott, dropping her head slightly. Then, she straightened. "What I came to do was see for myself her current state and ask for help." Tilting her head slightly, Layla asked with a confused look in her eyes. "You came to ask for help from me? I''m not sure if I''ll be useful in my current state." But Henrietta shook her head. "Allow me to explain before assuming anything." Layla nodded, focusing on the conversation. "Now that you''ve merged with the core of the Remnant of Peace, there are some things you will need to know and learn." Elliott crossed his arms and closed his eyes, deciding not to enter the conversation. "Yes. I was told the same before Elliott asked me to become a Remnant. This matter is still very blurry to me. I still don''t really understand what those sensations I am feeling are." Henrietta looked directly into her eyes. "Those are most likely the concepts you are bound to, slowly etching themselves into you. It is an automatic process, as far as I know." Since Layla became a Remnant, she was, technically and effectively, one of their own. Refraining from helping her figure out the status she had obtained would only create more trouble down the line. "But we can make that process go faster. Obviously, it will depend on you and on how fast you will assimilate the entirety of the source." Layla nodded. But Henrietta wasn''t done. "I came to ask you to join in instructing Orion''s companions on how to fight." "Eh?" Elliott suddenly opened his eyes. He glanced at Henrietta with a confused face, while Layla looked lost. "What I''m going to tell you is to be strictly kept inside you. I would like your word that you won''t speak of it to anyone." "..." Pondering for a moment, Layla frowned. Nonetheless, it took her very little time to agree. "Alright. You have my words." She was serious about it. Henrietta noticed that and smiled in return. "Good." "In that case, I will go ahead and tell you our secret." Standing from her seat, she took a few steps back, spreading her arms on both sides. "Dyrnwyn." A blazing sword appeared, floating vertically in front of her chest. Vanitas shook slightly in its scabbard, surprising Elliott in the process. "This sword..." With a single glance, it was very similar to Vanitas. It was a weapon used by a Valkyrie, one of the guardians of humanity. His eyes opened wide as the implications rampaged inside his mind. "Wait..." He stood up with his hands pressed on the table, his gaze cast downward. "What am I?" Unable to repress the raging emotions in his heart, he looked at Henrietta in disbelief. "..." As Henrietta grabbed the hilt of Dyrnwyn, she stared into his eyes. "You should know it by now, Elliott." The only sound echoing inside the room was the crackling of the flaming sword in Henrietta''s hand. Chapter 409: Stolen source. Elliott straightened and pondered. "..." Layla watched him with worry as a bead of sweat fell from his cheek. "I am not a Remnant, that I am sure of." "And you are correct." Confirming his thought, Henrietta nodded. "Or, it should be more apt to say that you are no more." "..." The frown on his face indicated that everything was beginning to get more organized in his head. "Miasma..." "Most likely." He sat down and crossed his arms. "I had no idea." The air grew heavier as anger took over Elliott. "This secret, we Remnants, have kept it hidden for as long as we''ve been created. Normally, you would''ve been instinctively accustomed to the concept under your control, but you have none of that." Henrietta explained her thoughts on the matter. "If I recall correctly, you said that you were unconscious after falling under Miasma''s control, right?" Elliott nodded. "During that time, he most likely stole your source. Now, I understand why Noah was unable to win against him." "The concepts still forged you, as you were the one to receive them, but ultimately, Miasma was the one to steal your Remnant source." Placing a hand on her brows, she looked at the ceiling. "No wonder each Hero struggled against him." As her gaze fell on Elliott, her eyes gleamed with a brilliant light. "Hmm..." A few words formed in her mind that were not hers. "Bravery, Integrity, Virtue, and... Justice. No wonder those concepts barely exist anymore." Her eyes returned to normal. "Corrupting... no, sealing. If they were corrupted, similar to purity becoming tainted, no Hero would ever be born. Nature''s doing." Elliott opened his eyes wide and looked at his hands. "Those concepts... sound very familiar to me." "As if..." Layla placed her hands on his left hand. "As if your entire existence were centered around them." He nodded. His life in its entirety now was to repent of the errors he had committed under Miasma''s control. With a grin, Henrietta let go of her sword, which returned inside her. "The qualities of a knight. Are you not one?" A sigh escaped his mouth as the anger he was feeling subsided. "So that''s why I have my mother''s sword. I was supposed to be like you, a Remnant." Glancing at Vanitas, which had stopped shaking in its scabbard, he smiled briefly. "You are, sadly, an exception, as your source was stolen and used to weaken you and the Heroes. This was an oversight on Nature''s end." Layla removed her hands from his and sat straight, satisfied that Elliott was back to normal. "This doesn''t change anything for me. There is only one person I wish to train. Until his return, I''ll stay put and give advice to whoever needs it." Henrietta nodded. "I leave that to you. Orion gave his trust to you, so we will cooperate and follow suit. You are still, technically, our comrade."Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. His heart throbbed for a second, playing a single word on repeat in his head. "Comrade..." Elliott, who was resolute to live the rest of his life alone, suddenly found a place for himself in the Remnants'' ranks. "I swear on this sword to never betray your trust." He tapped Vanitas lightly with a resolute look in his eyes. The words Elliott spoke were not lightly delivered. Seeing the honesty with a single glance, Henrietta smiled in return before looking at Layla. "So, what is your answer?" "I will help." With the same resolve as Elliott, Layla agreed to help assist the members of Agathion. Satisfied, Henrietta turned toward the front door and walked leisurely. "I have gathered all the Remnants that are children of Valkyries. Meet us at the portal hub around noon; that''s when I''ll introduce everyone." As she approached the door, Elliott suddenly stood up. "Wait. I have a question." "..." She stopped and turned halfway around. "Was Kagalkan going easy on me?" Henrietta pondered for a second on the meaning of his question before realizing what he meant. "Either he was too weak to pull the artifact from his core, or the corruption made it impossible to. While Vanitas cannot return inside your core due to your human nature, Kagalkan was still a Remnant." "Maybe he judged you worthy of killing him. Nobody will know for sure." His eyes looked at the floor as the giant''s words came to mind. "I think... that I don''t need an answer to that." Kagalkan fought to his heart''s content without going all out. But Elliott knew that he wasn''t at his peak. If so, he would have struggled far more, similarly to his first encounter with him thousands of years ago. "It appears you have your answer. In that case." Henrietta bowed slightly and walked out of the house, leaving the couple together. "Who would have guessed that being a descendant of a Valkyrie was so complex?" He walked away from his chair and silently returned to his room. "..." Layla smiled warmly at this sight before pondering the meaning of the power dwelling inside her. ~ Noon came for the women living in Horizon. With hardened hearts, they stepped out of the house one by one. The only people left inside the house were the unconscious Amelia and the eternally sleeping Tetra. As they exited the house, they noticed Sirius, looking unhealthily sad. With his master gone and Stella nowhere to be seen, his interest in doing what he liked was gone. With a grim look, they looked away and walked toward the portal hub as a group, in complete silence. Karteira, who was at the forefront of the group, walked with a grave look on her face. She, like everyone else, had an inkling as to why they were called to gather at the portal hub. Meeting the Remnants of Triazils and being trained by them. This was the gist of what they had discussed, which made it difficult to walk in a lightened mood. Ultimately, Henrietta said that they were too weak to even be useful against the invading corrupts. As they approached the building, they noticed Henrietta alone, waiting for them with her arms crossed. The expression she wore said everything they needed to know: She was ready. They all stopped in front of her, silent. "No one''s missing. Perfect." "We wouldn''t turn back after coming this far." Olivia spoke next to Karteira. "This is something we have to do." May, who stood behind Olivia, continued. "For Orion and for us, we''ll work harder." Senia pressed her hands against her chest with a determined look in her eyes after having made up her mind. Karteira, Deveralna, Dramia, and Drania all nodded, confirming that they were all on the same page about this. "I like that mentality." Another voice that wasn''t Henrietta caught their attention. It was a voice they knew very well, especially Dramia, Drania, and Karteira. "!" The three opened their eyes wide at the sight of a woman covered in leaves and flowers. Her green hair, and especially her face, made them think they were hallucinating. "T-Tiohr?" Drania let go of her sister and flew at high speed toward Titania, who stopped walking. The fairy stopped inches from her with teary eyes. "Is that you?! You can walk?" Touching her arm, she felt the warmth of life emanating from her skin. "I can, thanks to Henrietta. Now, I can do that too." Her arms enveloped Drania as she pressed her head against her chest. "A-Ah..." Snuggling against the woman she considered her mother, Drania embraced her back, hearing the beating heart inside Titania''s chest. "This... is a miracle." With her mouth opened in utter shock, Karteira couldn''t help but exclaim out loud. "I''m with you on that." Dramia was also unable to think straight. In fact, she was starting to walk toward Titania without noticing it. After just a few steps, she was in front of her. Titania stretched her free arm, asking Dramia to join her sister. With a faint smile, the twin followed her sister''s example and sunk her face in the Remnant''s bosom. "What happened? You''re still Tiohr-nam, right?" Cautiously, Karteira asked with a neutral expression. "I am, but I am also someone else." "What... does that mean?" Afraid that the person in front of her wasn''t the same mother she knew, Karteira clenched her hands into fists, prepared for the worst. "I was forced to recall the memories I had lost. The name I had as the Remnant of Life was a false name, similar to Henrietta calling herself ''Enri-Ann'' or Tetra being ''Tia-Norun''." "It was a precaution against Miasma we took before splitting up, although, with time, the others returned to their original names since they were not singled out by him." Patting the heads of the twins, she explained to Karteira at the same time. "If you want to call me Tiohr-nam, I will not stop you. But you should know my name." She let go of them and took a step back. "Titania." "That is my name." Crossing her arms, she looked at Karteira without speaking another word. Taking that as a signal to continue, Henrietta coughed to catch their attention. "Alright, it''s time for you to meet the people who will make you stronger. Far stronger, far more than Orion during his peak." They all shuddered at this unexpected development. Stronger than Orion, who single-handedly fought Miasma? This felt like a lie. Glancing over her shoulder, her eyes met with someone inside the building. Shadows began to move before someone came out of the portal hub. Multiple people¡ª some they recognized, some they had no idea who they were¡ª lined up in front of them. Though, a few familiar faces joined them instead, those being the three Lords, Florian Delur, Kamala Genathis, and Eric Layman. But there was someone else¡ª no one, not even Henrietta, was expecting him. A black-haired beastman, also regarded as Orion''s brother, Nylon, stood by their side. Chapter 410: The start of a new age. Nylon entered the portal in Logran after defending the beastmen village with his parents. As repairs were needed, it took some time for him to finish and get in touch with the rest of the group. The moment he entered Horizon, he met with the group of Remnants and Titania, who explained what had happened. Orion''s disappearance, the corrupt invasion, and the incoming training of the Agathion members. Without wasting his breath, he asked to join the training. Titania, who had nothing against it, accepted. After relaying the information to Henrietta, Nylon officially joined the others. The Remnants stood in front of them as Henrietta explained how this whole process would be carried out. "I''m now going to dispatch each one of you with a teacher. They will observe you and advise you as time passes, making you a fighter closer to the realm of what a Valkyrie could do." She crossed her arms and looked at the starry sky. "..." "Henrietta?" Titania noticed her gaze drifting off and caught her attention by calling her name. "It''s nothing." She shook her head before looking at the people in front of her once again. "I won''t participate. The only one I can efficiently train is Amelia. But don''t worry, no one will be left out." "Chelsea, Kelsea, step forward, please." The twins did as they were asked and walked in front of the other Remnants. "Aren''t you...?" Karteira suddenly recognized them. "Hello./Hello." They bent forward similarly to her memories, which confirmed it for her. "The receptionists in Hocride... You were Remnants?" "Indeed./Indeed." Giving her a professional smile, they looked at Karteira. "Forgive us for not speaking of our identity before." "We had no idea Orion was the Hero at that time." But Karteira shook her head after recovering her composure. "No, it''s fine. Even if you had known, keeping a low profile isn''t something I can criticize. The service was great, and that''s all that matters." Both sisters bent even lower. "Thank you for your kind words." "We are pleased to know the service we offered pleased you." While straightening, a genuine expression of happiness was on their faces. Henrietta took this chance to continue. "Dramia and Drania. I want you two to go with them." "I understand." With a nod, Dramia, who had returned in line with her sister previously, agreed to follow Henrietta''s instructions. "We''re training with another set of twins!" Drania smiled while approaching the two sisters. "It is a pleasure to work with you." "We are not fighters; please understand." With that said, the four walked away inside the building, disappearing from Horizon after entering one of the portals. "Are we not training here?" Olivia asked with a confused face. The others also looked perplexed at the idea of leaving Horizon. "You might be used to seeing... explosive... training from Orion, but that''s normally not what happens." "Pertaining knowledge to others isn''t supposed to destroy half of the continent."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. That sarcastic remark made them smile, as they were reminded of Orion''s absurd training sessions. "Olivia and Florian, you will join Keleanos." Right after, she brought another group together. "That would be me." Keleanos walked to the right of Henrietta, a faint smile on his face and a thick book in his hands. "It is my pleasure to work with you." Florian walked in front of Keleanos before extending his hand. "Lord of Albriar. You have my gratitude for creating a peaceful environment. Thanks to you, I was able to work around the corruption and provide relief to those in need." "There is no reason for you to thank me. I was doing what everyone should have done long ago." Nodding, Keleanos grabbed his hand and shook it. "Please, if you need something from me in the future, don''t hesitate to discuss it. There is so much more to do to alleviate the hardships our past generations forced on others." "I will keep that in mind." They let go of the other''s hand as Olivia approached them. She leaned forward and graciously introduced herself. "My name is Olivia, Lord of Noctelagia. It is a pleasure to meet you." "The pleasure is all mine. I am Keleanos." Keleanos wanted to ask for more details about the situation in her city, but now wasn''t the time. Cutting it short, he pointed at the building behind them. "There are many things I would love to discuss with you, but we are currently bothering the others. Please, follow me." The two trainees nodded. "Where are we going?" "Well-" While Olivia and Florian followed him and asked questions, they entered the portal hub building and vanished somewhere on Triazils. Henrietta smiled faintly at this sight. She was rather relieved that they easily accepted the people she had brought, even if they were strangers. "I... have a question." Layla stepped forward with a worried expression. "Yes?" "Is it really fine for me to teach someone? I know that this looks like I''m getting cold feet, but when I think about it, I was recently fighting these people." She looked toward the ones in front of her, who stared with a neutral expression. "..." Henrietta looked at one of them before asking a question. "Senia." "Yes!" The siren jumped slightly at her sudden call. "Is it something you mind?" "..." Senia looked at Henrietta while lifting an eyebrow. Then, she looked at Layla. "Orion saved you, right?" "He did, but-" "Then it''s fine." Layla felt some guilt as her gaze drifted downward. But, she rapidly made up her mind. "If you are fine with it, then I will train you. I was told that your water magic is in its infancy, but you are capable of moving a tremendous amount of water." With a nod, Senia approached the former Lord of Paraviel. "Elliott... I''ll be going." Before parting ways with him, she wanted to speak with him, even briefly. "Work hard. I''m sure you will learn alongside her." His genuine smile helped Layla to focus. "..." The frown on her face turned into a smile. "Senia, right? Do you mind following me?" "Of course not." As Senia was the weakest member of the Agathion faction, she was ready to work incredibly hard to catch up to the others. With a determined face, she floated next to Layla as they, too, went somewhere on the continent. The ones left were Karteira, May, Eric, Kamala, Nylon, and Deveralna. "Then-" Henrietta was about to continue, but someone else was faster and walked forward. "I said I only wanted to train Orion, but my curiosity became stronger than those words." He pulled Vanitas from its scabbard and pointed at someone. "The lamia..." And at another person. "And Nylon. You''re coming with me. You two are very fascinating." "I really want to see you at your peak." He walked past Deveralna, who had her mouth wide open. "Since you two possess a tremendous amount of magic energy, we will stay in Horizon. This place can withstand your power to some extent." Turning his body slightly, he placed Vanitas back in its scabbard. "Sure, if that''s what you want." Nylon shrugged and joined Elliott. On the other hand, Deveralna looked at Karteira with a frustrated frown. "..." Karteira slowly nodded, which Deveralna pondered on for a second. "Fine. I''ll follow you." She wasn''t particularly fond of Elliott, but if it meant getting stronger, she would swallow her pride and train under his guidance. "There''s no time to lose." The three walked toward the training field of the realm without saying another word. "That honestly helps. Those two are completely out of anyone''s expertise, as they have special powers." Henrietta sighed in relief while turning her gaze toward Heto. "Heto, I will let you choose who you want to train." "I can?" "Because I have a feeling I know who you''re going to pick." Scratching the back of his bald head, Heto smiled dryly. "Well then." Pointing his finger at two people, he continued. "I would love to help these two. With just one glance, they certainly look like hardworking people." The two people he pointed at were May and Eric. "Us..." May and Eric shared a faint smile before joining the giant. "We are in your care." Picking up his giant hammer, Heto turned around. "If you have a place to train, please tell me. I was out of the continent for quite some time, so I''m not very knowledgeable about places to train." Eric nodded. "In that case, let us return to Turric. There is a large plain a bit to the north, perfect for sparring." "Perfect. Please, lead the way." Heto followed Eric and May, who led him to Turric. "..." Henrietta watched them walk away before her gaze fell on Titania, who had stood next to her all this time. "I do not know if that is impressive how well you understand us or if you used your ''Book of Fate'' to affect us, but those two are the ones I wanted to help." Shaking her head, Henrietta rejected her suggestion. "I have done no such things." "Mother..." Karteira smiled warmly. She and Kamala were the two left, which meant Titania would take them under her wing. "I will teach everything I know to Karteira, while I will push Kamala, the woman who protected my children with her life, to new heights." "How does that sound?" Kamala felt warm inside. She had no idea Titania thought of her so positively. "I haven''t done much... Still, I can''t say everyone would have done the same, seeing as our world is a mess." A sarcastic smile appeared on Kamala''s face. "At first, I did question your motive for breaking the barrier of distrust between humans and fairies, but after that display during the realm''s collapse, I can positively say that you obtained my trust." Titania walked in front of Kamala and looked inside her eyes. "That''s why I will give you the strength to protect everything you wish to." Turning her gaze to Karteira, she nodded. "I will turn the both of you into warrior maidens." Henrietta silently walked away, leaving them to their matter. Someone had to stay in the house to look after the unconscious Amelia and feed Sirius. The fate of Triazils, now in the hands of the Agathion faction, changed as time passed. With each member under a Remnant''s teaching, a new age was about to begin. Chapter 411: Mind-breaking loneliness. Darkness. Or was it a long corridor of light? A dizzying space that confused senses, where the top was the bottom and left was right. As if space itself were devoid of gravity, a lone figure traveled through the corridors of space and time. Unconscious, Orion continued down the endless path. Each second that passed inside this space, memories of the continent played back around, skipping through in reverse. Orion''s life appeared as a literal blink in the continent''s history. As the time before his birth continued to go by, his eyes opened. "Where... am I?" The exhaustion of his mind and muscles immediately confirmed to him that he was still alive, to his extreme astonishment. "I can''t move?" Feelings of helplessness took over his body as he scanned his surroundings. "Ugh... This sickening feeling..." This reminded him of the time he was transported to the elemental realm through the gate that trapped him and May for a short period of time. The sickening path of light churned his stomach, which forced him to close his eyes. "..." Yet, now that he had regained consciousness, questions began to flood his mind, one after the other. The first question was finding where he was, but at the current time, it was impossible to know. He could see his arms, his legs, and his chest. With one glance, he confirmed that he had no injuries. Even though he was unable to move, Orion''s eyes were able to drift freely. Slowly, he closed his eyes, letting his body drift into the endless void. ... "How long has it been?" When Orion opened his eyes again, the sickening feeling coming from the space was no more. A light blue dot pattern replaced the alternating light and dark corridor, making it less rough on his mind. His sense of time was slowly being eroded, creating increasing unease that Orion was unable to free himself from. "..." Having no choice but to remain in his current state, he began to work his brain to avoid boredom. "Let''s recall everything that happened; maybe I''ll find a clue about this place." Orion brought out the memories of his last battle. Miasma''s dragon form, the paradox created by their clashing powers, and... The moment when he used every ounce of strength available to stop the black hole from engulfing the entirety of Triazils. Thereafter, everything became hazy. "I... somehow remember Amelia and Henrietta calling my name, but that''s all. I was gazing at the blue sky when I blacked out." "!" With a sudden twitch, Orion forcefully fought the force pressuring him and moved his left hand. After struggling for a while, he slowly opened his hand. "It''s there." Relief appeared on his face as a familiar bracelet rested in the palm of his hand. But, the device itself was inactive. "Damn it! It''s been a long time since I''ve fed it energy... I hope it''s not too late." Without waiting, Orion focused on releasing his magic. "..." Nothing. "Wait, what''s happening?" Neither of his elements manifested.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Panic took over him as he closed his eyes to scan his soul. "H-Huh?" Inside his core, the only energy remaining was void magic. There were no traces of either light or dark elements. A devouring sense of loss ate at his mind as he opened his eyes again. The scenery changed once again, bathing him in a fiery red hue. "W-Wait! No! No! That''s impossible!" With the device shutting down and his inability to feed it energy, Orion was despairing. "Mom... Dad..." He clenched his hand and forcefully pulled his hand to his chest. The pain inside his chest rampaged violently, but Orion contained it nonetheless. "..." Drifting endlessly with agony, he closed his eyes once again. ... "I miss them." Solitude was rapidly settling as he recalled his time with his friends. "I hope they are fine." Orion looked at the light yellow waves passing him with a heavy frown. "Were they saddened by my disappearance? Are they looking for me?" An even more severe expression accentuated the frown. "Or did they forget about me?" This was something he wanted to ignore, but anxiety was eating at him to the point of turning his thoughts around. "Amelia." The picture of his childhood friend flashed through his mind. "Karteira." Then, the fairy commander he met after arriving in the fairy realm. "Dramia and Drania." Recalling the cold and the free-spirited sisters brought a smile to his face. "Senia." The siren he saved from that poacher in Hocride brought back a wave of intense hatred toward humanity that he shook away rapidly. "May." A hardworking general in Turric was transplanted with an elemental to keep her alive. "Deveralna." The lamia who became the ruler of her faction after Orion''s first interaction with the Apostles. "Olivia." Being the youngest of the group and a demon, she worked incredibly hard toward peace on Triazils. All of them were ever-present in his mind. Using their image to keep his sanity in check, Orion remained unable to do anything. ... Years, maybe centuries, passed. Orion was unable to clearly define time anymore. "..." Even the faces of his friends faded from his mind. Even Stella, his adorable daughter, slowly disappeared from his memories. His eyes showed how unfocused he was; as time passed, this space broke his mind. Loneliness, despair, and sorrow¡ª this isolated space destroyed the identity of the man called Orion. No emotions could be seen on his face, as not a single thought traversed his head. Even his heart grew empty. The lingering need to meet with his family again also disappeared. A husk of himself who managed to break free from his fated death. "..." But, even after all this time alone, there was someone else with him. Even though her voice was inaudible, she was still within him, bringing a small light into his darkened soul. "Te...tra." The source of the Remnant of Space and Time, Tetra, was still shining within the deepest parts of his core. Instinctively, without a trace of will, Orion used the void element, which responded to his call. ... Probably a century later, changes appeared. Orion, still lifelessly floating in the void, had grown a long beard. His hair was a mess, double the length of his body. Inside his soul, a little spark of life ignited. The source of Tetra absorbed that spark and gently shook. The void element worked tirelessly, draining the infinite pool of magic from its master and bringing about this second miracle. It took many more years for the source to stabilize, but rapidly, a will returned. The soul of Tetra began to function again. "..." "W-Where?" A heartbeat resounded inside Orion. One that wasn''t his own. Yet, he showed no reaction to it. "I... remember having my soul siphoned." Her voice echoed inside him. "Why am I... thinking?" Suddenly, the lethargy disappeared, and the source grew. *Thump* Her own heartbeat synchronized with Orion''s, immediately bringing the state of her host to her attention. "I''m inside... Orion? Wait!" Panic overtook her as she noticed his lack of response. "His heart is beating too slowly for it to be healthy! And why is his mind so... empty?" She could feel everything coming from him, as her soul shared the same space as him. "Shit! He''s dying..." Then, the void element appeared in front of her in an incredibly worrisome state. Just like Orion, its spirit was dying alongside its master. "You... brought me back?" Slowly fading, the element came to rest in front of her. "There''s no time for that." The choice she made was instantaneous. There was no time to lose; she needed to bring him back at all costs. ''You saved me.'' ''You recovered my source and soul from Miasma.'' ''Not saving you in return... Henrietta would berate me for that.'' Her soul flew straight toward the flickering flame of his soul. "Orion!" Calling his name, she approached the flame. "Orion! Answer me! I know you can hear my voice!" She continued to call his name while turning around the flame. "Tsk! You leave me no choice." The small bead that was Tetra''s soul moved away. "Wake up!" Before ramming into his soul with all her might to force a reaction out of him. *BZZT* Both souls rejected each other, with Tetra being sent flying backward. "I''m not giving up! You have to wake up!" Relentlessly, she tried to reignite the flame. "Kh... Why is he not responding?" She was starting to give up. Every attempt made to bring him back exhausted her soul. "I..." Stopping at last, she remained in place as the flame continued to dwindle. "If you die, what will happen to me?" "Will I die too?" But just as she finished those words, the flame of life exploded in front of her. "W-Wha-" A bright, colorful flame turned into a sphere of light, glowing as brightly as the sun. The darkness in Orion''s soul dissipated, lighting the surrounding area. "That''s... not happening." A breathless Orion answered her worries. "O-Orion! You''re alive!" "Of course... I am." Her despairing voice called him back. The solitude was no longer present, shattering the numbness enveloping him. "But... why are you...?" After many years of silence, Orion had trouble speaking properly. "I have no idea. The void element brought me back." Now that Orion had regained consciousness, the void element was floating in a more relaxed way in front of Orion''s soul. "It probably... repaired your soul." He recalled what had happened with Layla. Although, his mind was behind after not being used for years. Forcing his mind to work was a bit too difficult for him to clearly understand what had happened. "I''m just glad you are fine." Tetra''s voice soothed his broken mind. After being alone for a long time, Orion obtained some well-deserved peace of mind. ... Once Orion regained the ability to think and speak properly, they discussed everything and anything. Time continued to flow endlessly before Tetra and Orion came to a conclusion together. "Let''s break free from this space." "Alright." With the power of Time and Space in Tetra''s hands and Orion''s void element, they worked toward their freedom. Chapter 412: Shattering the boundaries of time and space. As Orion drifted through time, the pressure exerted on his body slowly faded, letting him move more freely. At the first opportunity, he pulled the dagger from the holster around his thigh, shaved his beard, and cut his hair. All the while, his relationship with Tetra improved as she teased him for every little thing. Even if she bothered him sometimes, he was grateful to have someone to talk to in this endless nightmare. After getting stuck for many more years, Tetra recovered some of her power. Without her body and magical circuit, simply pulling a fraction of her power became challenging. She was only a soul, unable to affect the world as much as she could before, but they rapidly found a solution to that problem. Orion simply had to become the host of her power. Linking her soul to his was a simple solution, if not paradoxical in nature. A body hosting two souls was, by the laws of Nature, impossible. This only became conceivable because they were in a place outside of Nature''s reach. But it was easier said than done. Tetra had to send her power through Orion without overloading his circuits. At first, a conflict happened between the void element and her source, similar to the clash between Orion and Miasma. With carefulness and patience, they broke through the challenge and pulled it out. Orion''s void element merged with the power to control ''Space''. It was an overwhelming mass of energy that could only be used once. They were both getting ready to break through the boundaries of this place. "Are you sure this will work?" "If it doesn''t work, we''ll be stuck in here forever." Orion nodded, looking at his surroundings. "This place sure is strange." "The ''Corridors of Time''." Tetra, being a Remnant controlling this concept, understood this place better than anyone else. "You were there once before." "Right." Tetra spoke slowly in a rare, serious tone. "It is because of us that you were sent through time. I wouldn''t mind if you were a little madder at me." "Why should I?" The frustration on his face showed that he wasn''t very interested in entertaining her inferiority complex. "We''ve already spoken about this matter. It''s been so long that I can''t even bother to care." They had been stuck in this place for thousands of years at this point. Since this place was special, Orion had no need for food or sleep, making it especially tough to adjust to. His base needs were completely gone. But so were his memories. The faces of his companions were gone, but his love was still present. Thanks to Tetra, who kept describing them to him, he managed to pull through his darkest times and remember them. He was eager to return to Horizon and hug them all. "Well, I know. Still, we''ve basically forced you to become the next sacrifice." "And without it, I wouldn''t have met any of you. I would''ve died with my parents when Miasma controlled Elliott. If I had to choose, I''d pick the surviving path." He pulled the bracelet from his pocket and clenched it in his hand. "..." "Is it still unresponsive?" Orion nodded. Through Orion''s eyes, she was able to see what he was seeing. "Yes. Without light and dark energies, this device won''t power up."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. "I..." Tetra was about to add something, but Orion put the bracelet back in his pocket. "I''d like to believe they are simply asleep." With a faint smile, Orion looked into the empty air. He wasn''t able to imagine them, but he tried nonetheless to recall their figures. "In that case, we''ll have to try to revive that device after getting out. Are you with me?" "From the beginning." Both agreed to escape this place and return to the time they came from. "I can''t wait to see Henrietta''s face when she finds out I''m still alive." With a faint smile, Orion closed his eyes. "You have a very nasty personality." "Stop saying that! I have a perfectly fine temperament; I''ll have you know!" Orion could imagine Tetra crossing her arms and turning her head away while puffing her cheeks. They had been together for so long that he could picture her actions from her tone of voice alone. "Sure." "Ah! You don''t trust me, do you? Wait until I''m back; I''ll make you eat your words." "You''re digging your own grave; you should stop speaking." This type of exchange was usual for them, as this was the only relief they had. They were once simple acquaintances, but now, a powerful friendship and mutual support helped them fight against their worries. "..." Tetra suddenly kept quiet. Then, she asked for confirmation one more time. "Are you really sure? Because I''m about to send my power through your veins." After a short silence, Orion nodded. "I''m ready. Let''s start slowly." "Alright." Inside Orion''s core, Tetra approached the bright sun that was his soul. A tethered link formed between them as she focused on stabilizing the transfer. "I''m sending a drop just to make sure." A tiny drop of energy flowed through the link, entering Orion''s soul. *Thump* Now that he was accustomed to her power after many trails and errors, his heart throbbed slightly at the alien energy that wasn''t his own. He opened and closed his hands to let the drop of energy travel into his magical circuit, letting his body get accustomed to her energy. "This isn''t the first time we''ve done that, but it sure is a strange feeling. Is that how Deveralna felt when she became a Remnant?" "Probably a thousand times more potent, if you think about it. She surely had a steeled mind to have survived the full release of the source of Power." "..." Orion nodded, recalling the time it took for her to adjust to the power. "It was a terrifying prospect. I don''t know what I would''ve done if she never returned from that cocooned state." The drop of energy traversed his entire circuit, returning to Tetra. "Are you ready?" Sighing in preparation for the intense feeling that was about to submerge him, Orion smiled. "When you are." "Then..." An influx of energy flowed like a tidal surge through Orion''s magic veins. "Gh!" Gritting his teeth, Orion focused on keeping everything under control. His breath became erratic, his muscles screamed, his bones creaked, and his vision blurred. "Fuuuu~" Taking a deep breath, he stabilized his body. The beat of his heart synced with Tetra''s, and his muscles relaxed. Then, the surge of void magic slowly flowed alongside the energy Tetra sent through their connection. Tuned in perfect synchronicity, Orion and Tetra worked together to make this whole process succeed. ''Carefully and precisely.'' The flow of energy became manageable. After letting the two energies flow together, they began to merge. Two similar energies became one, creating a power capable of severing the shackles that kept them locked in the ''Corridors of Time''. But it was still in an uncontrollable form. Orion was in no position to wield it efficiently. Time was required for this terrifying power to show its potential. "Orion, be careful." His focus was concentrated on stabilizing the two energies rampaging inside him, but he still nodded quietly to her worried voice. After a few long minutes, Orion slowly opened his eyes. Etched on his pupils was the sigil of the Remnant of Time and Space. "You''ve attained the first stage. Continue." * Tetra''s sigil was a bit different compared to the other Remnants. The power available to her appeared as a number. She explained how her power worked during the years they spent together. When she was in a neutral state, the sigil appeared as an hourglass. When she used the minimum amount of energy to influence time and space, a ''1'' appeared, replacing the hourglass. The power used to see into the future brought the ''2'', while the power to modify the past appeared as a ''3''. Everything past ''3'' was a death sentence for her. * They were aiming for a new breakthrough. A stabilized version of her power, where the void element neutralized the effects of her Remnant power. "I... can see." Orion''s third eye began to open as various visions played in his head. Visions of various periods of Triazils, mixed and jumbled up, randomly played from this unnatural place. The second number appeared in his eyes. "Focus! Don''t let the visions take over." "I am." Ignoring the visions, Orion let the process continue. The surroundings suddenly flashed by Orion as the surrounding space rapidly flew by. "Third door... Don''t move an inch; we don''t want to inadvertently interact with any part of history." The third number flashed in Orion''s eyes before glitching violently, bringing intense pain to him. "Ack!" He closed his eyes. "Open them, Orion! You have to overcome the pain." "That''s... easier said than done!" Angrily answering back, he forcefully opened his eyes. "I''ll help you!" Tetra, seeing through his eyes, observed the flashing memories of the continent. "Where is it? Where-" She looked erratically to find the present, or a time after Orion had been gone. "I can''t hold it for much longer! This is our only chance!" "I know! But-" Orion blacked out for a second. He bit his lower lips, which brought him back. "Tetra!" "..." She sighed in defeat. "Do it..." The glitchy number in Orion''s pupils suddenly stopped moving and morphed into the number ''4''. "Wherever we go, let''s hope it''s still Triazils." Orion slammed the palms of his hands together and released a pulse of energy. The ''Corridors of Time'' abruptly stopped flowing before Orion thrust his hands forward. His fingers pierced the fabric of time as he pulled it apart. "!" Tetra felt the sudden pull of reality drag them out. Orion stretched his arms and threw his body into the opening without hesitation. "Whatever happens, at least I''m not alone." His words were swallowed by the closing rift as time flowed again. Chapter 414: Where the past met the future. Orion faced the Tetra of this time, determined to avoid making the situation worse than it was. "You''ve asked who I am, but to answer your question, I will ask for you to calm down." "Without a level-headed state, I believe you will still perceive me as an enemy even after explaining my situation." His gaze shifted toward Noah, who understood his concerns. Noah placed a hand on Tetra''s shoulder and spoke calmly to her. "Breathe, Tia." With those simple words, the past version of Tetra sighed while shifting her gaze away with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "Fine." She proceeded to do as he said, inhaling and exhaling oxygen at a steady pace, until her nerves calmed down. "I''m listening. Your power is under control, so I should believe you''ve earned it fairly. Otherwise, you would''ve died a long time ago." Orion nodded. Still, instead of answering directly, he chose another topic. "Can I call you by your name, Noah?" Looking at the man in his thirties, Orion asked. "I don''t see why not. My senses aren''t picking up any of the darker vibes I feel from the corruption, so you are perfectly fine in my eyes. You can be trusted as far as I am concerned." With a nod, Orion gratefully took him up on that. "Noah, are you aware of Te-... Tia-Norun''s friend?" "!" Tetra''s shoulder trembled. Her glare spoke louder than words, questioning Orion with her eyes. "The Remnant, Enri-Ann? If so, I am already aware of her existence. I heard she was lying low somewhere only Tia could enter." ''Well, I never hid anything from him. Or at least, I only kept things unnecessary to his quest.'' Inside his core, Tetra confirmed what her past self said. "Tia-Norun, staying hidden won''t help this time around. Would you be inclined to bring her out?" Anger twisted her face. "Are you serious?! How do you even know about Enri?" Orion stood his ground and asked her one more time. "Please, could you give it a try? She needs to be included in this conversation and not stay as a third party. If you cannot trust me, speak this name to her." Taking a deep breath, Orion spoke the name of his dearest friend and companion. "Amelia." "..." Her face suddenly turned neutral. "You are a strange person. Your knowledge of us is deeper than I gave it credit for." Leaving a short blank in the conversation, she pondered. Then, she made her choice. "Fine. Give me a minute. If what you said makes her leave her hideout, it''s your win." After speaking her mind, Tetra walked behind Noah without reappearing on the other side. ''That was Henrietta''s power. Since we were watching over Noah at all times, she could send me anywhere close to him with her power.'' Then, Orion watched as the air warped in front of him. ''It worked... You are pretty cunning, you know that?'' A blonde, mature woman walked in front of Orion with her arms crossed. "..." Then, this era''s Tetra returned from behind Noah, joining her friend. "I believe you will explain to me why you know the name of a child I have not yet conceived." Her gaze wasn''t pretty. "I hope it warrants putting my life in danger." The cautiousness was visible. If Orion tried anything, she would leave immediately without batting an eye. That was how on edge this Henrietta was. ''This is a time when she still hadn''t suffered through countless failures. Now that I see her face, this is undoubtedly the beginning of her agony. I was blind before, but I can see it clearly now.'' The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "My name is Orion. Before I go further, may I ask you something, Remnant of Destiny and Fate?" The surprise on her face showed how troubling it was for her to hear someone else call her by her title. "How many times?" Then, confusion replaced the surprise. "What do you mean by that?" "I''m sorry, I should''ve been clearer. How many times has Noah failed?" Suddenly, the air grew silent. Noah''s eyes opened wide, Tetra''s body shook, and Henrietta''s face turned pale. Tetra looked at Henrietta with concern. "W-What does this mean, Enri?" "..." Noah slowly glanced toward her, waiting for her answer. Henrietta closed her eyes, swallowed dryly, and spoke with a trembling voice. "A-Around five hundred times." "!" The news shook both Noah and Tetra. "As we thought. This is only the beginning of this infinite struggle..." With a concerned frown, Orion looked at Noah. "As you might have surmised already, I am from another era. I inadvertently traveled through time after a battle against Miasma." "W-What?!" Tetra exclaimed with a loud yell. "Noah, in history, you died fighting Miasma. Henrietta has tried hundreds of thousands of times to alter your ending, but was unsuccessful in doing so." "My name is Orion Feales, the second Hero." The news shocked everyone, including Henrietta. But, Noah''s expression wasn''t as dramatic as Orion expected it to be. "You don''t look surprised about learning of your death." "This is something I signed up for when I was brought to this world. I never believed I would survive an encounter with Miasma anyway." "Noah?!" Tetra''s shoulders trembled while hearing his defeated response. He stayed silent until Henrietta stepped forward. "Orion, would you tell me what happened? In every detail if possible." A weird glimmer of hope appeared in Henrietta''s eyes, unmissable to Orion. "That''s why I had you come meet me." With a severe frown, Orion began to tell them the entirety of his time''s history, his parents'' past, Miasma pulling the strings, and his own story. ... "As I traveled through endless time, I suddenly recalled the source of Tetra being in my core." "I linked it to my soul, pulled a sliver of power enough to be controlled even by me out, and breached through it." "..." Orion stopped talking, letting the others process the heavy information he had shared with them. The air was thick with various thoughts and feelings. Guilt, anger, sadness¡ª every emotion on the spectrum appeared on their faces as he spoke. "I... died." The one showing the most shock was Tetra. "That''s why I said that hiding wasn''t an option. If I came to this era, it wouldn''t be a stretch to think Miasma also made it in some way." "Noah said earlier that Miasma''s demeanor changed and that the corrupt beasts suddenly became free of cores. This was a change in our time." "If that is true, your hiding spot is of no use. You will die before even being able to do anything, and my future will be ruined." He looked at his hands. "If I''m still here, it means that our future is mostly unchanged. Meeting you here hasn''t created any paradox, which is a good thing." As he looked at Henrietta, he continued. "I have two possibilities in mind concerning that." Noah looked at him. "Either this timeline isn''t related to yours..." Orion and Noa spoke at the same time. "Or Nature has removed herself from overseeing the world." They nodded in synchronicity. "Wait, is this why we are unable to contact her?" With an anxious frown, Tetra stared at Henrietta. "If someone from the future is here in the past, and our enemy obtained the knowledge of his future self..." Henrietta looked at her feet. "Then, I can only see chaos in our current future. This is, by the laws of Nature, impossible and untolerable." But, her gaze remained focused. "If she removes herself to avoid causing further adjustments that could break this world even more, then history will correct its course over time." "Past... The past. And the future." Her knowledge of the matter piqued her interest. "I get it... Tetra, you and I are a part of this unfolding story." "What exactly do you imply by that?" The two friends began to seriously ponder the prospect of this new future. One where Henrietta never failed to save Noah, never went under increasing pressure under failure, and where Orion and Noah worked together. "You will have to instruct Orion on how to use this power. The void element is related to your area of expertise." She nodded. "It is, but... I had no idea it ever existed." "I am in the same boat. All of this is making my brain work in overdrive. We just need to focus." "Your job is simple. Mine is a little more complex. I will have to overwrite many people''s memories to avoid causing paradoxes in Orion''s future." "If history corrects itself, why do you need to do that?" Henrietta''s face grew serious. "That''s my role. Minimizing the impact that this event will cause is in my field of expertise. We all have a role to play presently, which has changed with the arrival of Orion and Miasma''s changes." "Noah." Noah, the Hero of this era, was strangely quiet. "..." Meeting Henrietta''s gaze, he listened to her words silently. "I swear, we will do everything in our power to send you back alive." Then, a smirk formed on his face. "I have no choice but to trust you. Nonetheless, my role hasn''t changed. I will fight whatever Miasma throws at us, even if it ends in death." But someone was having none of it. "No!" Tetra stomped her foot on the ground before walking closer to him, staring straight into his eyes from below. "When we said we''d save you, we meant it. You better do your utmost to protect yourself!" They looked into each other''s eyes for a few seconds before Noah agreed. "I never planned to die willingly. Don''t worry about me." Satisfied, Tetra took a step back and smiled, her hands behind her back. "That''s the answer I wanted." She walked toward Henrietta, who spoke to Orion. "Orion." "Yes?" "We will discuss this in detail between us. Meanwhile, I would like to know what you plan to do." Pondering on the subject, his eyes drifted toward Noah. "I..." "I would like to follow Noah. I want to see history as it plays out." His seriousness showed that it wasn''t all. "Learning from him is something I never thought would happen. Are you fine with me sticking around?" Noah nodded. "Likewise, I have something I would like to learn from you." Two orbs appeared in both of his hands: a white orb and a dark orb. Without needing any other explanation, Orion silently nodded. "In that case, please do so. We will keep an eye on you." "Feel free to call for Tetra when you require her. Your combined power might be the key to saving Noah''s fate." With that said, Henrietta and Tetra warped together in their hiding cave, leaving Orion and Noah alone. "Shall we move ahead?" "Sure." Orion and Noah began their journey together. Inside Orion''s mind, Tetra was freaking out. ''Was I always this heavy and obsessive?!'' ''Aaaaaaah!'' Ignoring her screams in his head, Orion looked in the distance, toward the visible mountains. In the middle of it, a gigantic tree overlooked the entirety of the continent. ''Seems like our destination is straight north.'' He thought of Tiohr-nam with a faint smile on his face as his legs pushed him forward. Chapter 414: Where the past met the future. Orion faced the Tetra of this time, determined to avoid making the situation worse than it was. "You''ve asked who I am, but to answer your question, I will ask for you to calm down." "Without a level-headed state, I believe you will still perceive me as an enemy even after explaining my situation." His gaze shifted toward Noah, who understood his concerns. Noah placed a hand on Tetra''s shoulder and spoke calmly to her. "Breathe, Tia." With those simple words, the past version of Tetra sighed while shifting her gaze away with a slight tinge of red on her cheeks. "Fine." She proceeded to do as he said, inhaling and exhaling oxygen at a steady pace, until her nerves calmed down. "I''m listening. Your power is under control, so I should believe you''ve earned it fairly. Otherwise, you would''ve died a long time ago." Orion nodded. Still, instead of answering directly, he chose another topic. "Can I call you by your name, Noah?" Looking at the man in his thirties, Orion asked. "I don''t see why not. My senses aren''t picking up any of the darker vibes I feel from the corruption, so you are perfectly fine in my eyes. You can be trusted as far as I am concerned." With a nod, Orion gratefully took him up on that. "Noah, are you aware of Te-... Tia-Norun''s friend?" "!" Tetra''s shoulder trembled. Her glare spoke louder than words, questioning Orion with her eyes. "The Remnant, Enri-Ann? If so, I am already aware of her existence. I heard she was lying low somewhere only Tia could enter." ''Well, I never hid anything from him. Or at least, I only kept things unnecessary to his quest.'' Inside his core, Tetra confirmed what her past self said. "Tia-Norun, staying hidden won''t help this time around. Would you be inclined to bring her out?" Anger twisted her face. "Are you serious?! How do you even know about Enri?" Orion stood his ground and asked her one more time. "Please, could you give it a try? She needs to be included in this conversation and not stay as a third party. If you cannot trust me, speak this name to her." Taking a deep breath, Orion spoke the name of his dearest friend and companion. "Amelia." "..." Her face suddenly turned neutral. "You are a strange person. Your knowledge of us is deeper than I gave it credit for." Leaving a short blank in the conversation, she pondered. Then, she made her choice. "Fine. Give me a minute. If what you said makes her leave her hideout, it''s your win." After speaking her mind, Tetra walked behind Noah without reappearing on the other side. ''That was Henrietta''s power. Since we were watching over Noah at all times, she could send me anywhere close to him with her power.'' Then, Orion watched as the air warped in front of him. ''It worked... You are pretty cunning, you know that?'' A blonde, mature woman walked in front of Orion with her arms crossed. "..." Then, this era''s Tetra returned from behind Noah, joining her friend. "I believe you will explain to me why you know the name of a child I have not yet conceived." Her gaze wasn''t pretty. "I hope it warrants putting my life in danger." The cautiousness was visible. If Orion tried anything, she would leave immediately without batting an eye. That was how on edge this Henrietta was. ''This is a time when she still hadn''t suffered through countless failures. Now that I see her face, this is undoubtedly the beginning of her agony. I was blind before, but I can see it clearly now.''You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "My name is Orion. Before I go further, may I ask you something, Remnant of Destiny and Fate?" The surprise on her face showed how troubling it was for her to hear someone else call her by her title. "How many times?" Then, confusion replaced the surprise. "What do you mean by that?" "I''m sorry, I should''ve been clearer. How many times has Noah failed?" Suddenly, the air grew silent. Noah''s eyes opened wide, Tetra''s body shook, and Henrietta''s face turned pale. Tetra looked at Henrietta with concern. "W-What does this mean, Enri?" "..." Noah slowly glanced toward her, waiting for her answer. Henrietta closed her eyes, swallowed dryly, and spoke with a trembling voice. "A-Around five hundred times." "!" The news shook both Noah and Tetra. "As we thought. This is only the beginning of this infinite struggle..." With a concerned frown, Orion looked at Noah. "As you might have surmised already, I am from another era. I inadvertently traveled through time after a battle against Miasma." "W-What?!" Tetra exclaimed with a loud yell. "Noah, in history, you died fighting Miasma. Henrietta has tried hundreds of thousands of times to alter your ending, but was unsuccessful in doing so." "My name is Orion Feales, the second Hero." The news shocked everyone, including Henrietta. But, Noah''s expression wasn''t as dramatic as Orion expected it to be. "You don''t look surprised about learning of your death." "This is something I signed up for when I was brought to this world. I never believed I would survive an encounter with Miasma anyway." "Noah?!" Tetra''s shoulders trembled while hearing his defeated response. He stayed silent until Henrietta stepped forward. "Orion, would you tell me what happened? In every detail if possible." A weird glimmer of hope appeared in Henrietta''s eyes, unmissable to Orion. "That''s why I had you come meet me." With a severe frown, Orion began to tell them the entirety of his time''s history, his parents'' past, Miasma pulling the strings, and his own story. ... "As I traveled through endless time, I suddenly recalled the source of Tetra being in my core." "I linked it to my soul, pulled a sliver of power enough to be controlled even by me out, and breached through it." "..." Orion stopped talking, letting the others process the heavy information he had shared with them. The air was thick with various thoughts and feelings. Guilt, anger, sadness¡ª every emotion on the spectrum appeared on their faces as he spoke. "I... died." The one showing the most shock was Tetra. "That''s why I said that hiding wasn''t an option. If I came to this era, it wouldn''t be a stretch to think Miasma also made it in some way." "Noah said earlier that Miasma''s demeanor changed and that the corrupt beasts suddenly became free of cores. This was a change in our time." "If that is true, your hiding spot is of no use. You will die before even being able to do anything, and my future will be ruined." He looked at his hands. "If I''m still here, it means that our future is mostly unchanged. Meeting you here hasn''t created any paradox, which is a good thing." As he looked at Henrietta, he continued. "I have two possibilities in mind concerning that." Noah looked at him. "Either this timeline isn''t related to yours..." Orion and Noa spoke at the same time. "Or Nature has removed herself from overseeing the world." They nodded in synchronicity. "Wait, is this why we are unable to contact her?" With an anxious frown, Tetra stared at Henrietta. "If someone from the future is here in the past, and our enemy obtained the knowledge of his future self..." Henrietta looked at her feet. "Then, I can only see chaos in our current future. This is, by the laws of Nature, impossible and untolerable." But, her gaze remained focused. "If she removes herself to avoid causing further adjustments that could break this world even more, then history will correct its course over time." "Past... The past. And the future." Her knowledge of the matter piqued her interest. "I get it... Tetra, you and I are a part of this unfolding story." "What exactly do you imply by that?" The two friends began to seriously ponder the prospect of this new future. One where Henrietta never failed to save Noah, never went under increasing pressure under failure, and where Orion and Noah worked together. "You will have to instruct Orion on how to use this power. The void element is related to your area of expertise." She nodded. "It is, but... I had no idea it ever existed." "I am in the same boat. All of this is making my brain work in overdrive. We just need to focus." "Your job is simple. Mine is a little more complex. I will have to overwrite many people''s memories to avoid causing paradoxes in Orion''s future." "If history corrects itself, why do you need to do that?" Henrietta''s face grew serious. "That''s my role. Minimizing the impact that this event will cause is in my field of expertise. We all have a role to play presently, which has changed with the arrival of Orion and Miasma''s changes." "Noah." Noah, the Hero of this era, was strangely quiet. "..." Meeting Henrietta''s gaze, he listened to her words silently. "I swear, we will do everything in our power to send you back alive." Then, a smirk formed on his face. "I have no choice but to trust you. Nonetheless, my role hasn''t changed. I will fight whatever Miasma throws at us, even if it ends in death." But someone was having none of it. "No!" Tetra stomped her foot on the ground before walking closer to him, staring straight into his eyes from below. "When we said we''d save you, we meant it. You better do your utmost to protect yourself!" They looked into each other''s eyes for a few seconds before Noah agreed. "I never planned to die willingly. Don''t worry about me." Satisfied, Tetra took a step back and smiled, her hands behind her back. "That''s the answer I wanted." She walked toward Henrietta, who spoke to Orion. "Orion." "Yes?" "We will discuss this in detail between us. Meanwhile, I would like to know what you plan to do." Pondering on the subject, his eyes drifted toward Noah. "I..." "I would like to follow Noah. I want to see history as it plays out." His seriousness showed that it wasn''t all. "Learning from him is something I never thought would happen. Are you fine with me sticking around?" Noah nodded. "Likewise, I have something I would like to learn from you." Two orbs appeared in both of his hands: a white orb and a dark orb. Without needing any other explanation, Orion silently nodded. "In that case, please do so. We will keep an eye on you." "Feel free to call for Tetra when you require her. Your combined power might be the key to saving Noah''s fate." With that said, Henrietta and Tetra warped together in their hiding cave, leaving Orion and Noah alone. "Shall we move ahead?" "Sure." Orion and Noah began their journey together. Inside Orion''s mind, Tetra was freaking out. ''Was I always this heavy and obsessive?!'' ''Aaaaaaah!'' Ignoring her screams in his head, Orion looked in the distance, toward the visible mountains. In the middle of it, a gigantic tree overlooked the entirety of the continent. ''Seems like our destination is straight north.'' He thought of Tiohr-nam with a faint smile on his face as his legs pushed him forward. Chapter 415: The dangers of influencing the past. Noah and Orion walked for a few hours in complete silence. It wasn''t an awkward silence, as they both had a lot to think about. For Noah, it was time to process everything, and for Orion, it was time to gather himself and discuss with Tetra. ''We need to avoid interfering with this era as much as possible.'' Orion was the first to bring this matter forward. ''You are right. Even if Henrietta''s words were correct, we need to refrain from causing her any more work.'' As much as she wanted to interact with her, she was afraid of talking to her friend. During the big reveal of Orion''s identity, he chose to hide the fact that the Tetra from his time was alive inside him. The main worry was the paradoxical nature of having two Tetra in this world. Unless she was brought up or discovered, no one apart from Orion, a person from her time, would know of her presence. Passing her source as an empty vessel that Orion used to break through the rift was a better idea than putting her at risk of such an event. ''From the looks of it, it has already been four years since Noah showed up on our continent.'' Hearing her recall the events of their past, she explained to Orion. ''There will be... painful events waiting for you in the future.'' ''I hope you will be able to suppress your emotions and think carefully about your every move. As you said, we can''t interact too much with this era.'' Orion nodded internally, keeping in mind her warning. ''What kind of events are we talking about?'' ''Don''t... ask me that. From what I recall, it should happen in a month or so.'' Six years. That was the deadline before Noah went to battle Miasma. It was after recalling this moment that Orion understood. ''Dramia and Drania...'' He heard a sigh in his mind, coming from a heartbroken Tetra. ''I wish you weren''t so keen on picking up details like those.'' Glancing furtively around, he confirmed that the two fairies, who were humans at this time, weren''t following. ''They haven''t been rescued by Noah yet. I warn you, as a friend and as a Remnant, to mind your own business, Orion. You will have to take it upon yourself to not step in.'' ''The tragedy that happened will have to happen, or you will never meet them again. Some of those changes are possible to happen, as far as I am concerned.'' Tetra explained what Henrietta described a long time ago. ¡ª "My powers border on rewriting history. It is possible, but ultimately, what needs to happen will happen." "At least that concerns major events." Henrietta and Tetra were sitting inside their hideout, a few months after becoming Remnants, and learning the rules of their respective concepts. "Then you could-" "Let me finish before making your own conclusions. I wasn''t done yet." They weren''t as friendly with each other at that time, but they weren''t on bad terms. "Those creatures... they are parts of something even bigger than major events. It is remotely impossible for me to alter our fate on the matter." "I won''t be able to modify what has been done since this incident has birthed us as Remnants. If I were to do that, it would be paradoxical in nature. Not that it is possible, anyway."If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Tetra nodded, listening to Henrietta. "A cyclone is a major event. I cannot rewrite it, as it is Heto''s field. But, what I can change is the fate of those who could die at the hands of that cyclone." "Yet, I cannot do that every time. Death is a concept protected by the Remnant of life. It is remotely impossible for me to break the rules constantly." A question appeared in Tetra''s head, which she asked immediately. "What would happen if we were to change some events?" Henrietta pondered. "Those concerned by the change would have a different future. If you were to return in time and save someone from a tragic experience that was meant to be, the ones close to you..." "They could potentially disappear from your future altogether. Your memory would be wiped clean of their presence, and your destiny would be altered by creating a world where they aren''t a part of your life." ¡ª ''This is scary...'' Orion understood the danger of his actions. The most he could do to avoid affecting his era was to simply assist Noah in his battles. Though, there was a problem with that. Orion had lost any means of fighting. The light and dark elements weren''t present, and his faction traits were sealed for a reason he couldn''t comprehend. His only grace was the void element, but even it was barely behaving properly. Something was tempering with the nature of the element. Horizon was blocked entirely, inaccessible in this era. It was an obvious result, but he still tried to connect the two eras. Yet, the element itself wasn''t even behaving like it used to. The warping effect was barely possible, and it didn''t even manifest outside his core. And Orion knew the reason for such a state. The void element was terrified. It was left alone when the elements that created it separated from Orion. At this point, Orion was a human on the tougher side of the spectrum, knowledgeable in martial arts. His knowledge of hunting became useless, as it became impossible to bring out elemental crossbows. The Abyssal Sovereign power was sealed alongside his demonic trait, and his healing capabilities and enhancements were locked alongside his angelic features. It was no laughing matter. Suddenly, Noah stopped. "We''ve got company." Brought out of his thoughts, Orion looked in the same direction, noticing an army of corrupt beasts making their way toward a human village. Without a single moment of hesitation, Noah pulled a piece of ore the size of a pebble from the pouch. The five elements flashed brightly behind his back as Noah leaned forward. Orion did the same. He leaned forward and followed behind Noah. "Could I let you deal with this? I would like to observe how you fight." "Sure, fine by me." Noah agreed to fight by himself. "Then, I''ll go first." A burst of wind magic exploded from him, pushing him forward at an unrivaled speed. ''That speed... this looks like the ''Second Gear''.'' Orion tried to activate the power of the ''Shackles'', and, miraculously, managed to bring it out, to his greatest surprise. ''...'' Tetra kept quiet, which made Orion turn his attention to her as he let go of the ''Shackles'' power. ''What is it?'' While watching the carnage take place in the distance, he spoke with Tetra. ''It''s... nothing, really.'' Hearing her reluctance to talk in her tone, he spoke freely. ''We''re past secrets at this point. Henrietta already told me when we met that she was the one who influenced destiny to merge this artifact with my soul.'' ''But... I find it strange that I am able to use the ''Shackles'' while the lost elements are unavailable. I thought they were unseparable?'' At this point, Tetra unexpectedly opened up. ''This was... my idea. Putting the artifact in you. Not Henrietta, not Nature, me.'' ''You know how I feel about him. I was enraged. I couldn''t endure the pain of living without him, so I brought up the idea of creating another Hero...'' Orion opened his eyes widely. ''This artifact... is an item Noah fiddled with all the time. It broke into two pieces, and Henrietta managed to recover a fraction of seconds before he... exploded.'' ''One piece became imbued with the light and dark energies, while the other became the vessel of his five elements.'' With a nod, Orion confirmed this revelation. ''The ''Shackles'' and the ''Key''.'' ''Correct.'' Tetra continued with a perplexed tone, as if she wanted to keep this to herself. ''In reality, they aren''t close to being that. Henrietta created that tale from scratch, modified their appearance in your and Amelia''s souls, and led you to believe they were artifacts.'' But Orion felt otherwise. ''They are artifacts. Whatever you''ve created is indeed the source of our power. I don''t see the problem.'' ''...'' This silence coming from her was enough to pique his curiosity. With a quick thought, he understood her completely. Surprised by it, he exclaimed out loud. "You''re feeling guilty..." ''I told you to stop picking up on these subtleties... Damn it.'' She sounded frustrated beyond belief. ''Yes, that''s right! I''m feeling intense guilt! Happy?'' Orion smiled faintly. He preferred her being feisty more than gloomy. ''Your creation as a Hero came from me being a petty woman! I wanted some form of revenge against Miasma, who survived while Noah sacrificed himself.'' ''But I started to realize the mistake I committed. I forced something on an unrelated individual and sealed their fate in the process.'' Explaining all this made her raise her voice. She spoke her reason with anger filling her soul, she released everything. ''I''ve forced a piece of Noah, albeit it being an item he used, into the next Hero. This is the reason for this title being unique. It cannot exist if a shard of the previous titleholder''s isn''t present.'' A detail caught his attention. "What about Amelia?" ''We''ve made sure she wasn''t one. She acted as an ''on-off'' switch. Still, from the looks of it, she is on a path to becoming as great as Noah at his peak.'' Suddenly, silence. Only the sound of the wind passing through the branches of trees and the grass entered his ears. ''Orion...'' "Yes?" Tetra asked for a favor from Orion as Noah walked back toward them with a breaking sword in his hand. ''Would you mind teaching Noah how to use his power like you did with Amelia?'' Chapter 416: Heroes partnership. "Job''s done." Noah''s murderous aura disappeared as he returned to Orion. With the words Tetra spoke to him previously, he questioned himself. ''Is it alright to make him even more powerful, even after saying that we shouldn''t interact with this era?'' This was troubling. Tetra was actually letting her own emotions speak instead of following Henrietta''s warning. ''...'' Taking this moment to think when Tetra wasn''t able to listen, Orion thought very intensely on the matter. ''Miasma... You fraudulently managed to flee while I was busy pushing back that black hole.'' ''I should''ve been more careful in destroying your magic containers.'' He contained the flurry of insults he wanted to throw at the Remnant. Not only had this fight brought him to his very limits, but it was ultimately for nothing. Suddenly, Orion opened his eyes wide. ''That fucker! At which point did he return?'' The prospect of Miasma trying his worst to change the past became an instant worry. From what Tetra explained, the Remnants were unable to influence past a certain threshold in time. This point was the day they became Remnants. That means, even after going back in time, Miasma most likely realized he wouldn''t be able to succeed in saving Frey since this moment was remotely inaccessible. ''It''s not his body that returned... His mind traveled back instead. Compared to me, who remained trapped in the ''Corridors of Time''.'' This was merely speculation at this point, but that would be the only explanation. Miasma''s body truly died at that moment, but the bead that composed his being survived. Unknown to the number of magical containers still fueling his dastardly plans, this wasn''t a thought during the actual battle. Orion had been too fatigued by the end of it to think about his many lives. Still, he destroyed one. He was sure of that. ''That explains the lack of cores on that giant corrupt beast and the smaller ones.'' Henrietta told him, when they had met for the first time, that Nature created this rule to hinder his army of immortal creations. The immortal trait was gone for good, but at the time of Noah''s era, the cores were prevalent. Without them, it was a matter of knowing Miasma. The Miasma of his present created these types of creatures. But there was one detail that he didn''t ignore. ''What I find strange is why that giant turtle didn''t release that shadowy form.'' Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The giant eel, the brown dragon, the giant Kagalkan, Disaster¡ª all of these were corrupted to the point of turning entirely. ''Maybe I''m overthinking. This was most likely a creation of this time, and Miasma simply neutralized the cores.'' The picture became clearer for Orion. ''If this cheating bastard is trying to cause trouble for everyone in our time, then I have no choice but to retaliate.'' With a chilling smile, he whispered. (I''ll send you the most troublesome, overpowered Hero on your sorry ass.) Tetra listened quietly as she noticed a shift in Orion''s stance on the matter. (Not one, but two. I''ll hunt you down and make you pay for separating from my partners.) After being separated from them for so long, his possessiveness was through the roof. He wanted to see them, hold them, pamper them, and live life with them, but now it was impossible. "Orion." Noah stopped in front of him, pulling him back from his plans to mess with Miasma. "You truly are a powerhouse. Yet, as far as I can tell, this isn''t even a fraction of what you can do. Am I wrong?" Orion hadn''t ignored the battle. Even while speaking with Tetra, he processed everything Noah was doing. "Destroying an army of that size alone is already a feat by itself, but in so little time? It proves that you aren''t fighting at 100%." Crossing his arms with a faint smile, Noah asked. "And how do you know that?" The two men stood in front of one another with a disconcerting pressure exerted on them. They were the same. Everything concerning them was very similar, except their lives. That''s why Orion bent the knee first. "We are... the same." "We walked a path of destruction... of desolation, where our lives meant nothing." The expression Noah made was one of frustration. "Our path led to the same result. Both of us were meant to die, leaving behind what we had protected." Orion looked downward. "I''ve been led to believe vengeance was my only path, to self-destruct after completing my purpose." "Miasma was cunning enough to win against you, even though you possess a power even stronger than mine." Clenching his hands into fists, he then stared into Noah''s eyes. "You and I are two different sides of a coin, yet we are on the same coin. We are Heroes. We fight for others, relinquishing our lives to protect the weak." With a determined look, Orion ignored the heavy pressure emanating from Noah and walked in front of him. "Noah, let''s break this curse. Together." He extended his hand toward him, who remained standing with a dry smile on his face. ''Will he accept my offer?'' A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he waited for the man''s answer. "You have balls of steel." The aura around Noah vanished as his arms dropped to his sides. He shrugged before scratching the back of his head. "What you''ve said is exactly right. From the beginning, I knew that this world would lead me to my death." Orion caught on to the little detail. "This world?" Noah nodded. "I believe I can trust someone who came from the future. If you don''t know, then it means I have kept it hidden, even until the very end." ''...'' Tetra listened with trepidation. "I am a stranger to this world." The way he had said this made him sound like someone who came from another continent. "You came from..." Pondering, Orion kept quiet. "I was spirited away from another... world, is all I can really explain. A different plane of existence, somewhere unrelated to this entire world." The revelation shocked Orion and made Tetra gasp. ''Wait... what?'' Tetra was unable to process the discussion. "Spirited away... You were taken from your original world. To... fight for us?" Orion''s expression began to morph as he processed the words. From shock to neutral, and from neutral to anger feelings. "I had a wife and a son. After all this time, the only thing I have from them is this picture." Putting his hand in the left pocket of his pants, Noah pulled out a device very similar to what Reon used to craft. He opened the device, and a small screen appeared. "It''s called a phone, by the way. This is the only thing I had on me at the time." Clicking on one button, the device''s screen lit up, revealing the picture of three people in a strange place where buildings grew as tall as the lamias'' castle. He extended the ''phone'' to Orion, who gently held it in his hands. "..." The emotions were raging inside of him. ''He had... a family. They were happy together.'' Seeing the smiles on their faces reminded him of his own family, which he dearly missed. Tetra''s mind crumbled as she learned that Noah already had people important to him. ''That''s what he was... looking at with such a melancholic stare...'' Orion could feel the great sorrow emanating from her. She wasn''t jealous of his family, she was simply heartbroken to learn the truth. ''Was I... not enough? He never revealed anything to us.'' This wasn''t a secret Noah kept to himself, yet he never felt the need to explain his circumstances. He had his duty, and instead of dwelling on depressing thoughts, he picked up the sword. With the tiny spark of hope that one day he would return to his family. Gritting his teeth, Orion gave back the device. "As you''ve said, we are alike. I cannot see my family, and you are unable to return to yours." "Our struggles are very similar, too, with Miasma being the main concern for both of us." Orion nodded, holding the feelings of rage inside of him. "Who... or what, pulled you into our world?" Noah pondered. "I think it was Nature herself. I am not entirely sure." Both Orion and Tetra felt an intense rage fill their souls. They rapidly extinguished this furry following a deep breath. ''If she had to bring someone from another plane of existence... it means that she had no other choices?'' Tetra''s voice trembled as she tried to find a reason for dragging an innocent, unrelated man into their world. Orion joined her in that thought. ''At that moment, she might not even have obtained her sentience yet. We can''t judge her actions without asking her...'' Miasma was growing stronger, and nothing appeared to regulate this turnover. With no other choice, she crossed the line between this one and another world, bringing Noah to become the Hero of Triazils. This time, Noah extended his hand. "It would be an honor to have a companion like you, Orion." With a neutral expression, Orion nodded. He grabbed Noah''s hand and smiled. "Likewise. We will both break this hateful fate." And with an intense will, his eyes shone the sigil of the Remnant of Space and Time. "And I swear to you." Tetra''s voice overlapped Orion''s. "We will return you to your family. Safe and sound." Chapter 417: Noahs immense power. The Heroes formed a bond. Noah, an adult from another world, and Orion, a young adult from the future of this land. At first, their interactions were awkward. As stated by Dramia and Drania in the past, Noah was extremely reserved. His thoughts were often focused on doing his job as a Hero. On the other side, Orion slowly made his way into his everyday life, accompanied by Tetra, who enjoyed this new side of Noah. ~ A week had passed by then. Noah was preparing food with the meat of the critters he had mercifully killed. ''This era is strange.'' Orion observed around him, sitting on a rotting log. His eyes looked all around the forest, where he noticed many wild vegetables and a relatively large number of uncorrupted critters. ''Why?'' By this point, Orion and Tetra were frequently comparing their past with this one. ''In our time, this place is a city... this information is very mind-boggling.'' They were actually north. Further north of Albriar and east of Lahro, which didn''t exist yet. None of the modern-era cities were nonexistent, replaced by various small villages of humans and beastmen. They were far more numerous than the few cities present in the future, but the people living in them were very few. And most of them were constantly attacked by corrupt beasts, making the destruction and creation of those villages a recurring event. During this week, Noah and Orion traveled north at a very fast speed, helping those villages by eradicating the marching stampedes of beasts before they could arrive at one. Now, they were having a meal to recover from one of those missions. But, there was something bothering Orion greatly. As Noah passed him a bowl of soup, he caught his attention. "Thanks." "No problem." "..." "What is on your mind?" Orion showed a very disheartened expression. "I haven''t been very useful..." Since Orion came to this era, he has lost all of his abilities related to the light and dark elements. Everything he had worked on became useless without the power to bring it out. All he had were his bare hands, a dagger, and the knowledge of martial arts. He also had the ''Shackles'' power, which made available the power of the ''First'', ''Second'', ''Third'', and ''Fourth Gear''. He could also use the ''Overdrive'' mode, but in this state, this was a perfect way to break his bones. Without the light element to heal his wounds, the ''Third'' and ''Fourth Gear'' became useless, and the ''Overdrive'' became a sealed ability. Silka''s sigil was sealed too. Probably naturally, as it could create a conflict with the Silka of this time. The only exception was the power of ''Space and Time'', which remained in the hands of Orion and Tetra, but they were exceptions. Still, both Orion and Tetra were unable to openly use that power. Something was blocking their attempts to use it. This led them to think that Miasma had found out about them and was openly trying to stop them from interfering in any way. "That''s nothing to worry about. I was supposed to carry that alone."Stolen story; please report. Orion took the spoon full of soup and placed it in his mouth. ''It''s good... but I really miss Amelia''s cooking.'' With a faint smile, he looked toward Noah. "If only there was more I could do, I could help alleviate your work as a Hero." "You''ve been helping me refine my control over my elements, so there''s no need to feel so guilty about it." Orion was giving Noah instructions on how he was using his elements before coming to this era. There were a few inconveniences, coming more or less from Orion being a mixed blood. Noah, being the original wielder of light and dark magic, was capable of devastating even more enemies than Orion could, even using his Abyssal Sovereign form or Angelic form. ¡ª "Hmm~" Both were standing in front of an army of a few thousand beasts. Noah was standing a little further in front of Orion, a crude sword in his hand. "Well, I''m going to explain how my stuff works. It''s rather unique, but very straightforward." This time, the elemental spheres stayed hidden inside Noah. To start, Noah gathered a fraction of the light element in his hand and transferred it to the sword. "Those two elements were a ''gift'' I received when I arrived in this world, alongside this strange ability." He extended his right hand to the side, which was holding the sword. "I can create those swords with anything at my disposal. Be it wood, stone, bones, or anything else available." "But most materials cannot withstand my power. Before I am able to even strike, it crumbles into dust." A wolf-like beast jumped at him, ready to bite his neck. *Slice* It instantly separated in half from the middle of its body and crashed on both sides before Noah moved his hand. "Ore fragments, like iron, silver, copper, gold, and other various types I can extract, are viable for a single strike." The crude sword of iron crumbled, as he explained. "What you''ve just witnessed was me using the light element. That power accentuates your perception of the world and boosts your cognitive abilities. It is also very useful for moving at a faster pace, just like I''ve just done." Noah''s speed was no joke. Even with ''Calm Analysis'', Orion was unable to see the speed at which he had moved his arm. "I''ll demonstrate the power of light magic with half of this army. Look closely to the right." Orion nodded and did as he was told. Noah pulled a piece of titanium out of his other pouch and transformed it. "I usually don''t use this pouch, as it contains the toughest ores, but for an example, I will make an exception." Just as he looked toward Orion, the sword crumbled into dust. With a shocked face, his face alternated between the sword and the right half of the beasts. Noah, who was still in place, was already done attacking. The right half of the army simply exploded into a flash of light, leaving behind nothing, not even blood. "Wa-" Orion opened his mouth in complete shock. Noah being the most powerful human in history was no joke. He feared that even Elliott was no match for him. "That was the fastest I could move. What I did was imbue the sword with light magic and transfer it into them on impact. Then, the light devoured the corruption, leaving nothing behind." Orion knew that the light element was a weakness of the corruption, but he was never able to use it so efficiently. The most Orion was capable of bringing out was the large beam of light energy that destroyed the giant eel creature. "Taken aback?" Noah smiled while dropping his face. "That''s spoken lightly..." This was an unbelievable sight for him, who had worked so hard to get stronger. Truly, the world was still a large place where many surprises existed. "What about the dark element?" Orion asked with clear interest. "Do you need a weapon to imbue it with?" With a quick shake of his head, Noah explained further. "No. Look." He extended his hand forward as the remaining beasts approached dangerously close, almost ready to trample him. But suddenly, they all stopped moving. Each of them, with no exception. "!" Orion opened his eyes wide. He noticed a thin layer of darkness under the beasts, encroaching at their feet. "But that''s not everything. I can do that too." He pointed his palm toward the sky. His fingers, one after the other, twitched, and a terrifying scene appeared in front of Orion. A part of the frozen beasts was pierced by dark spikes coming from underneath them. In nature, how Noah used his power was very similar to Orion. The only clear distinction was the sheer power achieved between them. "And I''ll finish with something I rarely use. It is... of rather bad taste." With a frown, Noah looked forward, hiding his expression from Orion. His hand closed slowly, and the remaining beasts that weren''t pierced by the dark spikes began to sink into the darkness under them. As they struggled and cried, their muffled screams slowly vanished, until... *PSSSH* The darkness crushed the beasts, releasing geysers of dark blood upward. "Really... what kind of power is this?" It appeared Noah wasn''t very keen on using this power, even if it was powerful. Yet, he needed to show Orion how he used his magic if he wanted to receive help. His mouth agape, Orion stood there, his worldview shattered. ''And here I thought I was strong...'' ¡ª "The way you''ve described how you use your magic is interesting. Forget about the amount of power exerted for a second, and let''s discuss it." Noah, with his own bowl in hand, sat in front of Orion on the other side of the camp. "Light magic is mostly enhancements. I mostly used it to travel more efficiently and attack my enemies to finish rapidly." "Dark magic is a terrifying power, similar to a curse. Its destructive power is on a different scale altogether." Orion nodded. "But you''ve brought a new vision to me. Creating weapons with the elements, healing injuries with light magic, and causing ailments to the enemy." "These ideas never crossed my mind." Eating his share of food, Noah nodded to himself. "That is a very fascinating perspective. I had never searched for ways to improve or change the way I manipulated these." He pulled his ''phone'' from his pocket and opened it. "I use lightning magic to charge it. Maybe it''s because I have the perspective of a man from another world that I use them like such." Noah opened up a little. "You see, I was a cop. It''s a line of work where you protect the laws established by society and help the citizens in their times of need." Orion had no idea what this could entail. Seeing the confusion on his face, Noah gave a different example. "The closest thing to that is a soldier. Imagine a soldier who, instead of being on the front line, protects the normal citizens in the city." Then, the picture became clearer for Orion. With a nod, he listened. "In our world, you saw countless individuals committing crimes: murder, theft, extortion¡ª all of that was common in our lives." "Yet, I took this job because I wanted to help everyone. Humanity as a whole depends on people like us to create a peaceful environment for them to live in." He nodded to himself while putting another spoon in his mouth. After chewing for a few seconds, he swallowed and continued. "This world is the same to me. This corruption encroaching on the living is a nightmare that needs to disappear." Orion agreed with him with a nod. "You are strong, Noah. How you can continue to fight even far from your family is something I cannot comprehend." Noah smiled. "My son loved seeing me in uniform. He admired my work." That''s when Orion understood. Stella''s smile flashed in his mind. "You can''t bring yourself to betray his expectations, even in this world..." "Exactly. My wife would destroy me if I ever made him cry." Orion''s teeth were grinding against each other. "The way I use those elements came from my son. I am very ignorant of fantasy settings, but he always loved to imagine." They continued to eat in silence for a moment, until they both finished their bowl. Suddenly, Orion opened his mouth. "There is someone..." Noah lifted his face and looked at Orion, who was clenching his fists on his thighs. "A young girl I saved..." At that moment, Orion opened his heart to Noah, who was very similar to him in every aspect. He told the first Hero everything about his meeting with Stella and the brief moments of happiness he enjoyed with her. The regrets of leaving her behind and the sadness of not being able to see her again. Noah and Orion shared their true feelings that day, as their family was a crucial part of their lives, pushing them to survive in this treacherous time. Then, after their conversation finished, the two exited the forest they were staying in and traveled north all afternoon until late at night. The next day, they arrived in front of a village of beastmen. Chapter 418: A Remnant in love. Most of the villages had no names. As their destruction was an unavoidable fate, there was no reason to even bother doing so. "Is this the place you were planning to visit?" Two men walked at a relaxed pace toward the entrance of a beastman village, discussing the reason for their presence in the area. Orion looked in the distance, seeing the massive tree overlooking the Talviera Mountain Range and the continent itself. Around its tall trunk and branches, tiny dots appeared to fly around it. Those were the dragon''s firstborns: the First Generation of dragons created by Velridar. At most, only five dragons appeared to move around the tree. "Yes." Noah, leading Orion and Tetra, nodded. ''It was my duty to lead Noah to his next goal. With Enri''s power joined with mine, it became easier to pinpoint attacks on the continent.'' ''All that was left to do was tell Noah where to go, and that was it.'' Tetra explained her role in leading Noah to complete his duty. Without the past Tetra, Noah would have been a Hero, unable to save anyone, as he would have been oblivious to the events happening on Triazils. ''I see. So this place is one that will be attacked soon.'' ''Correct.'' The moment Noah and Orion walked past the entrance, someone walked out behind Noah. "Hello." This era''s Tetra caught their attention. "As expected of you, I was wondering when you would be appearing." With a severe frown on his face, Noah turned to her. "I know you''re here for business, but would you mind relaxing when I''m in front of you?" Tetra smiled dryly while playing with a strand of her long pink hair bashfully. "..." Noah''s eyes squinted, telling her that he wasn''t here to joke around. Answering his serious gaze, she sighed. "Fine, fine. Give me a moment." Letting go of her seductive attempt, she shook her head with her hands above her head in a defeated posture. "Thank you." Relaxing his facial muscles, Noah nodded. ''This is... difficult to watch.'' ''I can relate to you.'' Orion internally nodded to his era''s Tetra, who sounded relatively annoyed. ''Seeing how he reacts to you now, I can already tell he knows what you''ve been trying to do.'' ''Stop! I know! If only I was aware of his family at the time, I wouldn''t have made that mistake!'' He could imagine Tetra kneeling on the ground, grabbing her head while thrashing her chest back and forth. Seeing herself hitting on Noah and seeing the cold reaction he always had to her, she cringed. Suddenly, Tetra glanced toward Orion. "Yes?" Feeling her gaze, he asked.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "Is there something you need from me?" She nodded. "We''ve been watching with suspicion for the last few days. Understand that it is difficult to trust you unconditionally." "Seeing your recent interaction together, we''ve decided to give you the benefit of the doubt and will trust your story nonetheless." Her face darkened. "It is a fact that Miasma has been showing changes that do not correlate with his previous actions." "That''s why, please, continue to support him. We will search for a way to return you to your era. No promises, though." A surprised look appeared on Orion''s face. "I see. Thank you." He had no idea what to say. Orion arrived in this era with only the knowledge of his world and the presumptions of what could have happened to Miasma. His journey with Noah was unexpected, but this was the only thing to do, as he was all alone in this place. With so few ways to feel at peace, the thought of becoming Noah''s enemy never crossed his mind. And, in his situation, there was nothing he could even do to fight back. "Confirming Miasma''s strange activities and the corrupt beasts'' changes was one way to check the credibility of your words." Tetra looked back at Noah. "There are numerous corrupt beings with cores still, but we''ve noticed an influx of coreless beasts marching toward this village. Noah, could you defend this place?" With a decisive nod, Noah showed no hesitation. "That''s why I''m here." He looked further into the village. There, beastmen looked at the three strangers with worry and fear. "I won''t allow these people to suffer any longer." Beastmen were practically extinct by this point. There were less than thirty villages left untouched, putting the number of beastmen alive at close to five hundred. They were massacred by humans on the first occasion, as the history between them was one of constant clashes, continuing even after the entire civilizations of both factions crumbled alongside the Valkyries. The beastmen had lost their will to fight, ending up in this state of slow destruction caused by their lack of resolve to endure their fate. That''s where Noah came in. He turned to Orion and pointed past the entrance, into the village. "Could you wait here? I am going to meet with the ones in charge of this village." With a nod, Orion agreed. "Alright. Give me a moment." With a hidden smile, the first Hero entered the village and began to exchange with the terrified residents. "Wait! I''m coming with you!" A little late to react, the living Tetra ran after him, leaving Orion alone... but not really. ''...'' Hearing the exhaling noise from Tetra inside his core, Orion smiled. ''Feeling bad?'' ''Is this some kind of sick punishment? Watching my older self act like a fool, running after a man who won''t ever look her way?'' The heartbroken tone in her voice was enough to understand that she was slowly forcing herself to kill her emotions. ''Let''s talk about it for a bit. We have some time to think it through.'' Pressing his butt on the fence built in the village, Orion crossed his arms and remained motionless as he spoke with his saddened friend and only companion. ''Talk about it? About my feelings for Noah?'' Orion internally nodded. ''You were also the Remnant of Love, were you not? You know my feelings for everyone and know how important they are to me.'' ''Tetra, are you that oblivious to your feelings?'' Her tone indicated frustration. ''Of course not! I love him! More than anyone else...'' ''But this love... it is more painful than you can imagine.'' Listening to the murmurs of Tetra, Orion kept silent. ''The love you built with everyone. It felt so warm, so lovely... so... real.'' ''My love isn''t like that. I am obsessive, as you''ve noticed with those interactions. I break the personal space of the one I love and try to force my way into his heart.'' He could hear her voice trembling. ''I am the one who can feel love, but I might be the one who isn''t destined to find love.'' ''After his death, I had no choice but to accept it. Learning from Enri that she traveled through time to save him countless times was a shock, and I was unable to let it go.'' She became so accustomed to expressing her true emotions to Orion that she inadvertently continued. ''But now... I get it. My love went nowhere. Noah already had someone important to him, and I was simply inching my way through his life.'' ''I know I have to let go. To stop thinking about him...'' That''s when Orion gave his opinion to ease her aching heart. ''No one said you had to forget, is there?'' ''What do you mean?'' Sitting on the fence, Orion looked into the sky, watching the clouds pass rapidly over his head. ''There is more to it than simply saying, ''I am not worthy of love''.'' ''Of course you are worthy of it. It is because of your existence that so many people build families and warm places to return to.'' ''You were far too engrossed in this love because it was your first, I think?'' The clouds were also seen by Tetra, who watched through his eyes. ''You don''t have to forget him, but you should turn the page on those emotions you have for him.'' His expression hardened. ''I say it for two reasons. The first being that you won''t be able to see him when we return to our present.'' ''The second... is to preserve your mind from crumbling down in case you have to see Noah''s death a second time.'' He heard a vivid gasp. ''I had no thought of that.'' Orion felt bad for what he was about to say. ''I can''t let you lose control of yourself. I need your power if I want to return to the others.'' Those words were cold. In fact, he hated himself for playing this card. But he had to do it to avoid letting Tetra walk down a path of freedom instead of the path of regret she had taken until now. ''That''s... true. Enri told me the same thing: to never let my emotions take over, or it could spell disaster for the world.'' Orion nodded. ''You could... turn like Miasma. Invert into your other self, ultimately forcing yourself to cross blades with those you care about.'' ''Henrietta...'' She missed her friend greatly, and simply imagining having her as an enemy only made her heart ache. ''It is not a matter of choosing who''s better than the other. It''s to put boundaries where you need to.'' Leaving on those words, Orion straightened and moved away from the fence. "Orion, we''ve got a problem." Noah and Tetra arrived rapidly, worry in their voices. "I know." The situation changed as a cloud of flying gray beasts covered the sky. "This is not a normal situation. Flying corrupt beasts are rare, so to see that many..." Tetra made a hard face. "I''ve seen my fair share in the past. If only I had my crossbow..." Orion, looking at his right hand, said. (---swer---) (---call---name--) Voices echoed in Orion''s mind. "Ah!" A sudden headache broke his concentration, and he grabbed his head in pain. ''Those... voices... Were?'' He looked around but found no one. ''What is... happening? Orion began to black out. Chapter 419: Reons biggest secret. As Orion blacked out, he felt a sudden pulse coming from the bracelet in his pocket. "Kh..." Biting his lower lip, he forced blood to flow out and pulled his consciousness back to reality. ''Orion?!'' Hearing Tetra''s voice, Orion confirmed that he was conscious. When he opened his eyes, he had one knee on the ground while holding his head. "Run! Everyone, run!" The beastmen began to panic at the sight of the first wave of enemies coming toward them. "This is bad. Even for me, flying enemies are a pain to deal with." Noah frowned while Tetra gasped in shock. Both were unaware that Orion had been suffering some kind of headache. "We''re going to die!" Something wasn''t right with Orion. The voices, which he had heard before blacking out, began to merge with the voices of the beastmen. Then, his vision blurred. A different scene, yet very similar, played in front of him as he struggled to keep his mind working. ''What... Damn it!'' Orion pulled himself off the ground and took a step forward. The radiating feeling coming from the bracelet began to permeate through his thigh muscles. As he noticed it, he slowly put his hand inside his left pocket and pulled it out. ''Orion, what is happening? Where are we?'' Tetra, who was deeply rooted in his core, could see the same thing as him. ''I... don''t know.'' His head was thumping horribly, to the point that his thoughts were clouded by the pain. Still on his spot, he looked around with one eye open. "Flee! Go to the spot we''ve been told to!" "But what about them?!" "Think of your life first! They are fighting for us, knowing full well that they are sacrificing themselves!" Two women ran past Orion as if he weren''t there, ignoring him entirely. ''Those people... Orion, look around.'' Hearing Tetra, his blurred vision began to clear out, revealing the place he was in. "!" Both Orion and Tetra gasped in pure horror. ''I knew it! Why are we here?!'' The features of the people running past them screaming were all familiar to Orion, or at least, closely related to him. ''This is when...'' In great distress, Orion focused on the matter in front of him to distract himself from the pain. ''Yes...'' Tetra''s hesitation confirmed it to him. ''This is the day the angels and demons... perished under Elliott''s carnage.'' They knew that the true culprit was Miasma and that the most affected by this event was Elliott. Not able to contain her confusion, Tetra began to frantically try to understand. ''Why are they running this way?'' As Orion turned his head toward the direction west of the clashing and explosion sounds, this made no sense. Since there had been no survivors, it was questionable as to why they were directly staying near a disaster such as Elliott. "Where... are you going?" Seeing his people for the first time, Orion''s emotions began to shake his focus. Then, his vision switched to a different place, as a pulsing shockwave similar to a drop meeting a puddle of water. "This is where Reon told us to go!" "Can we trust this fool of an angel?!" A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. "Shut up! He''s fighting that calamity head-on alongside Orianne! She''s pregnant, damn it!" Demons. They were all rushing east while questioning the man who instructed the citizens of both factions to reunite at a single point. ''The demons... they''re following Reon''s orders?'' With a quizzical voice, Tetra observed as the demons ran out of their houses. ''Isn''t that part of the things you should know?'' Orion asked Tetra, the Remnant who was alive at this particular time, who should have known that this event had happened. ''This is something neither me nor Enri watched through the spying water! How should I know?'' As more demons, even women holding their children in their arms, passed in front of them, Orion became even more confused. ''I don''t understand any of this? All I know is that this is a fragment of our past.'' ''The day the angels and demons were eradicated.'' The sour taste in his mouth was accentuated as a ripple once again transferred him somewhere else. ''!'' Tetra made a sound that, if she had a mouth, would be similar to a loud gasp. ''This is impossible! That man!'' ''What did he do?!'' After losing her self-control, she began to understand. ''...'' Orion observed with utmost attention the five large pillars glowing a blue hue. Symbols only the individual could read were etched on them as they stretched high toward the sky. Between those five pillars, on a large circular pedestal, people with horns, wings, tails, scales, and halos were all anxiously waiting. The fear on their faces painted the full picture for Orion. They had entrusted their entire being to a single man, Reon Feales. The ones who weren''t asked to fight were leading the members of these two factions into this spot, where their fate would be placed in the hands of a genius. "Are you sure about this?!" "We don''t know, alright?!" ''...'' "Mama!" "Don''t worry, everything is fine." Orion''s heart tightened up. Children, adolescents, adults, seniors¡ª all the people from both factions were reunited in this place, with the threat of total annihilation weighting over their heads. The sight of this alliance really made Orion feel proud of his parents, who managed to create this environment for them. Suddenly, the pillars began to glow. The ground shook violently, and a crushing pressure pushed them all to their knees. Then, the ground ripped in half as a massive blade of energy traveled toward the pedestal. "No! We''re going to die!" Someone who was able to watch forward noticed it and began to lose their calm. "..." A terrifying silence took over the area as one of Elliott''s energy blades closed in on the poor angels and demons. They had all accepted their deaths. Orion, compelled to stand in front of the attack, took a step forward and extended his hand. But he was too far away. The energy blade would arrive before he could get in front of it. Still, he jumped forward without hesitation. "NO!" He shouted with such intensity that his body listened to him, and the ''Fourth Gear'' activated, instantly bringing him to the required coordinates. As he opened his arms wide on both sides to shoulder the full brunt of the attack, he looked over his shoulder. The pillars suddenly activated, and the entirety of the people present began to be covered by a blue light. Then, they vanished. As Orion smiled in relief, he closed his eyes, letting the blade of energy rip his body and the pillars alike. Or so he expected. "The ''Savior'' of our factions combined." "Finally, we are able to meet." Hearing unfamiliar voices, Orion slowly opened his eyes. "Huh?" A white light blinded him. As he got used to it, his mouth opened wide. "Mama, he''s making a funny face." "He sure does, isn''t he?" A sea of people were watching him, all smiling. "W-Where am I?" Orion felt confused, uncomfortable, and shocked. This state made him unable to focus on his own thoughts for a few seconds. "Isn''t this place familiar to you? We are inside that bracelet Reon created." Feeling the pulsing device in his hand, Orion looked at it. "Inside... the bracelet. So, you are..." Clenching the bracelet, Orion stepped forward. "We''ve been watching you for a long time. Your exploits, your struggles¡ªthey truly belong to the one shouldering our legacy." A man armored in a bright white armor with wings stretching behind his back smiled at Orion as he held his helmet between his arm and his chest. "Yes, we''ve been waiting for a chance to talk to you." A woman with tall horns and a long tail, wearing casual clothing and an apron while holding the hand of a child, nodded, also smiling. The little girl let go of her mother''s hand and ran toward Orion. She hugged him on the knees and looked up at him with a big grin. "The ''Savior''! Orion! Hello." Orion gritted his teeth as reality sank in at last. He looked up in the air, clenching his fists. He felt a warm liquid drip down his cheeks as he cursed his father. ''Why did you not tell me anything, dad?'' Tetra, feeling the intense emotions of relief, anger, pride, and happiness flow inside him, stayed silent. She was also trying to process this matter. "Why are you crying? Do you hate us?" Swiftly, Orion recovered his composure and shook his head at the girl asking him. He kneeled in front of her and placed his hand on her head. "No. Of course, I don''t hate you." As he said that, the people residing in a part of the bracelet began to circle Orion. No one appeared to hate him or even show cautiousness around him. As he stood up, the ones who knew about Reon''s orders explained them to Orion in great detail. These people were angels and demons that Reon managed to save at the very last second. Instead of letting the entire faction die, he chose to protect those behind him. Reon had earned the respect of everyone by holding up to his promises. His back was the back of a man who sacrificed himself for people who laughed at him in the past. In the bracelet, they were half awake. They only knew what was happening through the words he and others spoke around the bracelet, and sometimes through a mental image. They told him that his attempt to avenge them brought them an immense wave of pleasure and satisfaction, but that his choices were ultimately just. Through these twenty years, they learned to accept each other''s through the brief moments of awakening. The bridge between angels and demons was entirely destroyed with Orion''s birth. And at the very end of their explanations, the biggest revelation happened. "Orion, are you in need of our power?" A woman wearing crimson armor and a spear walked in front of him. She looked with such an intense gaze that Orion was unable to answer immediately. "Do you require our power now that you are weakened?" "If so, we will leave our expertise in your hands." She held her spear horizontally and extended it to Orion. "Is that alright?" Hesitantly, Orion extended his arm. "Do what you want with it. We will support you in your travels from now on." When Orion''s hand was below the spear, she opened her hand gently. The spear fell into his hand before he nodded. "Please." The angels and demons all smiled at him with warm feelings. He was one of them, not an ostracized individual with no place in the world. Orion was in front of a big family, accepting him for who he was, and helping him to survive. "By the way, my name''s Hecate." Hecate, the demon who gave Orion her spear, placed her left hand above her left breast and bowed elegantly. She had a very lean body, which was expected from someone wielding a weapon. She had a long tail, as thin as Olivia''s, that wrapped around her right thigh. With two flat horns going horizontally from the back of her head to her forehead and crimson scales on her neck, she really was the definition of a demon. "Hecate. Thank you." Orion nodded, and with gratification filling his gaze and mind, the entire space blacked out. When Orion opened his eyes, he was standing behind Noah, who was pondering what to do. "Leave it to me." Walking in front of both him and Tetra, he extended his hand to the side. "Orion?" He walked out of the entrance of the village and glared at the flying beasts. "Hecate''s Spear: Crimson Art." The words came out naturally. A blazing, crimson flame exploded under his extended hand, engulfing his entire arm until the elbow. "I am in your care." As he grabbed a long spear into the fire, a piece of armored equipment covered the parts that were devoured by the flames. A red, spiky arm piece of armor covered his clothes, and a radiant spear appeared in his hand as the fire subsided. ''I can feel the knowledge flowing in my head.'' As long as Orion held on to the bracelet, they would help him. He spun the crimson spear over his head before pointing the tip at the enemy. "This is where you stop." Chapter 420: Hecates Spear. Noah opened his eyes wide, while Tetra looked at his back with confusion. "I won''t let you proceed further." Orion spun the spear above his head with one hand, as if he had done this all his life. The people inside the bracelet transmitted the weapon mastery they worked all their lives to master to Orion, who absorbed their knowledge like a sponge. For a brief moment, Orion was able to bring out the element used alongside the weapon, merged into one single ability. ''Orion... You''ve unlocked a part of the ''Shackles.'''' In his core, Tetra spoke with trepidation. ''I''ll describe it as ''Wisdom of the Past''.'' With a faint smile, he nodded. ''Sure, let''s go with that. Your naming sense was always a step ahead.'' She sounded happy as a snort escaped her missing mouth. ''I''m glad you think this way. Anyway, go kick some asses.'' ''Will do!'' Armed with the spear of Hecate, Orion took a step forward and abruptly stopped the spinning motion of the spear over his head. He leaned on the foot he dragged forward and aimed the spear like a javelin toward the corrupt beasts flying toward the village. There were many birds among them, but there were also insects and bats. Their numbers appeared to be well over three thousand at most. "Spear Art: Blazing Javelin." He spoke the name of one of the abilities Hecate had created when she was walking on this earth. The spear began to ignite from tip to end in his hand. Orion turned his waist, breathed in, and rotated his body to throw the spear. Using the muscles in his hips to maintain his posture firmly and the ''Overdrive'' to throw it at full force, Orion sent the spear in a straight line toward the flying beasts. *Puck* The spear pierced a large yellow bird, ripping a hole through its body. Then, it continued piercing more and more beasts. Seeing a few of the corrupt beasts fly toward the ground, Orion opened his hand and pointed his palm to the sky. "Explode." The moment he clenched his hand into a fist, the pierced creatures exploded in a massive explosion that engulfed numerous beasts. And, as those beasts were devoured by the fire, they began to explode too. A chain reaction of explosions happened, destroying 80% of the entire wave of enemies. The spear magically vanished into the fire, only to reappear next to Orion, its tip stabbed into the ground. Its blade scorched the ground, slowly turning it into a puddle of magma, before Orion pulled it out. "Come." The remaining corrupt beasts were diving toward Orion in their final attempt to kill the one responsible for such a carnage. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. With the spear held horizontally behind his back, Orion waited for the gray bat to get closer. The armor around his arm was holding back the injuries that the ''Overdrive'' state would otherwise cause, which made Orion able to unleash it for a brief moment. With the ''Second Gear'' activated, Orion took a step forward when the bat was closer to the ground. Right behind it, the other creatures were flying close to the ground, grazing the grass with their claws and legs. "Fuuuuuu~" Taking a deep breath, Orion began his assault. "Hup!" He leaned on his leg and came into close contact with the bat. With a swift movement of the spear, he sliced the bat in half, which fell to the ground without showing any more signs of life. Then, the other corrupt beasts followed. One after the other, they fell to Orion, who rapidly moved the spear and dodged any attacks thrown his way. In rapid succession, he created a pile of dead beasts behind him, until not a single flying corrupt was in sight. "That felt pretty good." After thousands of years of lethargy, Orion felt refreshed. But, out of nowhere, a gray eagle dropped on him from above, ready to sink its claws into him. He simply glanced at it and moved out of the way. Leaving the spear on the spot, with its blade turned toward the sky, the eagle plunged to its death. *KAAA!* It gave a cry of agony as the center of its body slid down the shaft of the spear. Orion grabbed the spear when the eagle touched the ground and kicked him toward the pile of dead corrupt beasts behind him. The moment the eagle touched the other bodies, they began to ignite into a blazing inferno that devoured their bodies, not even leaving ashes behind. "Thank you, Hecate." With a satisfied smile, Orion looked at the spear. The armor around his arm began to crack, and before long, it crumbled into embers. Her spear cracked alongside it, turning into embers as well. He moved his arm to find any inconvenience using the ''Overdrive'' state could have caused before nodding to himself. ''I''m fine. Nothing''s broken.'' ''That''s a relief.'' Tetra also agreed. ''Though, this was incredible. You still have it in you, don''t you?'' ''...'' Orion pondered for a brief instant. ''I can''t remember how to use the spear.'' The faint smile on his face showed that he was expecting this to happen. ''This is shared knowledge, similar to a symbiosis.'' ''Those people residing inside the bracelet probably chose what to share and when to stop, depending on the situation you are in.'' It wasn''t difficult to guess how this ability worked. This ability was a temporary means for Orion to fight back in this time period, where his elements were gone and impossible to manifest. Until his fighting abilities returned, or he were to find a way to use the void element again, they would assist him as long as he needed. "Orion." Noah approached from behind and looked at the fire, which was starting to die down. "This was... incredible, to say the least." The living Tetra followed behind him with a cautious stare, aimed at Orion. "Was I able to help you?" With a nod, Noah gave a thumbs up. "That was more than I hoped for. I won''t pry into why you suddenly obtained the power to fight again, but I''m glad you did." He crossed his arms. "Flying enemies are a pain to deal with." Orion felt good in many ways. He was finally able to be useful, he was able to exercise, and he obtained a new ability. But most of all, he learned something incredibly important. A secret his father kept hidden even from his son and wife. But Orion wasn''t angry anymore. He knew why Reon did what he felt was right to do. Not discussing it was his way of fighting back against Elliott, or Miasma in this case. It was his standoff against total annihilation. If Orion had known and inadvertently revealed it where Miasma would be able to listen, the bracelet would have been the first thing Miasma would have destroyed. He would have focused everything in his power to kill Orion and break the device. And Orion knew that he had to keep it a secret from the entire world. All he could say to Noah was a sentence that wasn''t the whole truth while not being a lie. "There are many people pushing my back. I have to find my way home, so I can''t stay weak anymore." "That is true." Tetra relaxed behind Noah, seeing that he hadn''t changed and showed no traces of hostility even after having this newfound power. "Tetra." Noah glanced over his shoulder and looked at her. "What is it, Noah?" "Are there the usual second and third waves coming?" She nodded with a serious expression on her face. "There is. Enri was able to help me see a bit of the future." Something unexpected left her mouth, which made Noah frown. "There are four more waves coming your way." "The two incoming are your usual weaker beasts, but the last two are... different." With only the vision of those incoming beasts as a way to gauge the situation, Tetra''s stress was going up. "The fourth wave is a few hundred of those corrupt beasts that use magic." The expression on Noah''s face wasn''t pretty. "The ''Corrupted Lords''... this is worse than I thought." But Tetra shook her head. "There is more. The last wave... is composed of three giants." A heavy sigh escaped Noah''s mouth. "That is definitely strange. Giant corrupt beasts aren''t a common sight, so three of them are a rather perplexing sight." "Something absolutely happened with Miasma. As Orion stated, he might also have moved through time after their battle and began to influence the past." The expressions they were making weren''t pretty. There was a mixture of confusion, cautiousness, and seriousness on their faces. "Do you think it will be possible to defend the village?" "..." Both Tetra in Orion and the one next to Noah spoke at the same time. "Impossible." ''Impossible.'' Orion closed his eyes and smirked slightly before taking the matter more seriously. "Why is that?" This era''s Tetra looked at Noah and shook her head. "You are still only one human. Even if you possess the power to annihilate their armies, those giants are too difficult to deal with by yourself." "One, maybe two. You''ve proven multiple times that you can kill them before disaster strikes. But this time is different." Noah listened with great attentiveness. He did not take Tetra''s words as an offense, but actually as advice. "We are against a giant octopus, a massive reptile, and one enormous caterpillar." He rolled his eyes and sighed. "I get why you said it would be difficult. What a painful situation we are in..." Slowly, Noah turned to look at Orion. "I was waiting for you to look my way. You want my help, right?" With a simple nod, Noah relaxed. "You seemed to have enjoyed that fight earlier, so maybe it could help you evacuate those frustrating feelings inside of you." Then, he looked over his shoulder toward the village of beastmen. "I would like to request your help to protect these people. I understand they are not from your time and that you might think they are unrelated to you, but I would like to ask you nonetheless." Noah approached Orion and extended his head toward him. "Would you fight alongside me?" A slight hesitation appeared on Orion''s face. He wasn''t reluctant to; in fact, he wanted to agree. But he had to ask Tetra for her opinion. ''Tetra. What was the fate of that village in our past?'' ''Right...'' She pondered for a very brief instant. ''They survived. There were no flying corrupt beasts of any kind at that moment, and it only ended with three ground-level waves that Noah dispatched successfully.'' Orion grabbed Noah''s hand without any hesitation in his mind. Tetra''s words were enough to convince him. ''We don''t know what will happen if something changes in this era. We ought to respect the destiny Enri managed with an iron hand.'' ''I agree.'' With both on the same line of thought, Orion and Tetra prepared themselves to fight this unprecedented event. Chapter 421: Competition between Heroes. Orion and Noah both walked in the direction of the incoming wave of corrupt beasts. Tetra returned to Henrietta, where both continued to look at the two Heroes through their spying magic. ''What do we do for the next wave? You can''t use that blazing spear anymore, right?'' In his core, Tetra asked a question. Pondering, Orion placed his hand in his pocket and touched the bracelet. ''...'' While walking, he focused on the device and opened himself to it. His mind received the instant knowledge of another individual inside the bracelet. Someone who wanted to help him and willingly shared their weapon mastery with him for a time. ''Don''t worry, Tetra. We''re going to be fine.'' Orion removed his hand from his pocket and clenched it in front of his chest. Just then, both stopped and looked forward to a large cloud of dust coming their way. "That is very unusual. I haven''t seen that many aquatic beasts since coming to this world." Focusing on his eyesight, Orion used the ability ''Eagle Eye'' to zoom on the beasts. "Seahorses, crabs... I also saw multiple mollusk-looking beasts." Noah crossed his arms. "Look behind that incoming force." Listening to what Noah said, Orion focused his vision past the second wave of enemies. "Ah~ I see." Orion nodded. Behind these corrupt aquatic beasts, another wave of enemies followed closely behind. "This is actually the third wave in front. Miasma is either more experienced and dangerous, or those beasts are simply too dumb to follow simple orders." Without moving, he let out a frustrated laugh. "So far, it hasn''t been difficult to understand Miasma''s tactics. They were straightforward and basic. Now, it''s becoming difficult to read him." "Beasts without cores, giants appearing more often, and unusual beasts being thrown at me..." He frowned immediately. "The more I notice these changes, the more I fear for this world." Orion looked forward with the same frown. "To some extent, this was caused by my inability to deal with Miasma. If I had been more prepared and hadn''t let my guard down when I needed to be the most cautious, this whole matter wouldn''t have happened." "Tetra''s death was... difficult to swallow. I might have scared my daughter at the time, and I''m not even able to apologize to her." His tone was apologetic, but his gaze was determined. As the waves of enemies crossed the five hundred-meter mark before reaching them, Noah looked at Orion. "Are you fine with a little motivational competition?" Surprised, Orion glanced toward him while lifting his chin. "A competition... The one who kills the most corrupt beasts wins."You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Noah nodded. "Does that sound alright with you?" "..." Pondering, Orion dropped his gaze to the ground and grabbed his chin with his index finger and thumb. "Let''s make it a little more interesting." "Alright. What''s on your mind?" With an intrigued but excited smile, Noah waited for Orion''s suggestion. "Whoever wins gets to ask a personal question about the other." "That''s fine with me." Inside Orion, Tetra let out a long, exasperated sigh. ''Boys will be boys...'' Hearing her dismiss his interest in Noah as a person, Orion immediately growled at her. ''Oh, shut it. Don''t try to make me believe you wouldn''t kill to know more about him.'' ''...'' She quietly ignored him. ''I don''t know what you mean.'' ''Girls will be girls.'' Recalling how Amelia acted a few years ago, he became convinced that women were creatures of love. They shone brightly when their feelings were reciprocated. That''s why he tried his best to help Tetra put the last dot on her feelings. This little challenge was the best way to learn more about Noah and to ask questions Tetra never brought up during their time together. Orion''s expression was always neutral when talking to Tetra, which made others unable to notice his discussions with her. As his expression turned to a satisfied smile, he nodded at Noah. "Then it''s decided." The ground began to rumble as the stampede of aquatic creatures approached the two Heroes. "I''ll take the right." Noah looked to the right. "And I''ll take the left." And Orion leaned to the left. The image of the man in white armor flashed in Orion''s mind, giving him a thumbs up. He placed his right arm horizontally in front of his chest, dragged his right foot behind him, and extended his left arm further to his side. "Cael, member of the Seraphic Guard, lend me your strength." The first person who helped Orion, Hecate, was a woman mercenary. She worked under the orders of the chief of the demons, which was Orianne at the time. Dispatching corrupt beasts invading their land was part of her duty. On the other hand, Cael was a long-time guard working to protect the angels under Reon''s orders. He was a member of the Seraphic Guard, the most powerful force after Reon himself. Calling out the name of the angel, his body began to shine. Two ethereal wings of light emerged from behind Orion''s back, covering his entire body. When the wings disappeared, Orion appeared armed with a large shield on his right arm and a gleaming sword in his left hand. "Seraphic Champion." Without notifying Noah, Orion leaned forward and leaped forward. "Hey!" With a smirk, Noah rapidly followed behind him while pulling an ore fragment from his pouch. The art of the sword and shield flowed inside Orion''s head. More precisely, the way Cael himself fought appeared clearly. While using Hecate''s spear, the same happened. It was Orion who was fighting, but his movements were those of Hecate. Using the ''Second Gear'', Orion began to pick up more speed and bumped into the first corrupt crabs with his shield. *CRASH* The crab exploded from the impact, making his organs and limbs fly upward. Orion continued to run in a straight line, ravaging the ranks of the corrupt beast. A seahorse avoided his shield and slid to the side to attempt biting his thigh. But Orion still had his sword in hand. With a swift wrist movement, the head of the seahorse became detached from its body and flew high in the air. Its limp body fell to the ground, making crabs and mollusks crash on it. On the other side, Noah jumped in the air before clashing with the front of the army. The five elemental orbs emerged from his back. "I have a challenge to win. Don''t hate me for being ruthless." Noah was more excited than ever. It had been such a long time since he was able to work with someone, and that reminded him of his time in the force, when he patrolled everywhere with his buddy. The orbs behind his back began to spin faster and faster, until a volley of elemental bullets were fired from above his head. Fire, water, wind, lightning, and earth bullets crashed on the right side of the force, sending pieces and entire corrupt beasts into the air. "What the fuck?!" Orion grinned as Noah created a carnage like no other on the other side of the battlefield. "I can''t let myself be beaten." He nodded to himself while abruptly stopping, pushing the corrupt beasts in front of him as his feet dragged blades of grass and dust. While sliding, he bent his knees and pushed on his legs using the ''Second Gear''. "Hup!" He jumped five meters into the air, almost at the same height as Noah. "What''s better than a bit of..." "Meteoric Crash!" Orion threw the shield at the beasts under him at an absurd velocity before plunging toward the ground. The shield crashed like a meteor, sending the enemies flying in the air like Noah did. But that wasn''t all. When Orion crashed to the ground, he began to swiftly move past the beasts, slashing at them at the same time. He returned to where the shield was, grabbed it, and began to use it like a weapon. Bashing and slashing. Those techniques were what Cael learned as one of the strongest angels. "Not bad. Very interesting!" Noah followed Orion''s example and returned to the ground in the same process. With a crude sword made of silver in his hand, he began to slash his way through the enemies. At that moment, the third wave, which wasn''t far behind, clashed with the second one. This was a wave of dangerous buffalos and bulls with uncharacteristically long horns, ready to impale them. They ruthlessly ran through the second wave and crushed, impaled, and killed the aquatic beasts without a care. "That calls for a quick death." Noah took a few steps back out of the stampede while spinning his sword to his side. It was now an iron sword, as the previous one had already crumbled into dust. His feet began to lighten up before a trail of light formed behind him as he ran toward the beasts. Spanning through their ranks, heads fell to the ground as Noah rapidly dispatched the entire right side of the two forces. "I can''t lose!" Orion noticed that Noah had entered his ''serious'' state and was rapidly killing beasts. ''Tetra.'' ''I know what you''re going to ask. Knowing Amelia, she would have refused, but I''ll indulge you.'' Tetra, who was the ''Key'' before she revealed herself, was able to unlock Orion''s abilities instead of Amelia. ''As usual, you have a very short window. Don''t go overboard, as you don''t have any healing abilities anymore.'' Internally nodding, Orion added something. ''I''m not the same reckless mess that I was before. Trust me.'' ''Alright.'' His body began to heat as Tetra unlocked the ''Fourth Gear''. ''You have... 20 seconds. No more.'' ''That''s...'' Orion leaned forward. ''Plenty enough!'' As the enemies behind him went flying from the impulse Orion had caused, he began to hold his breath as Cael''s sword sliced the enemies. The sword''s sharpness was so pronounced that the beasts'' bodies began to separate only a few seconds after being struck down. With both Orion and Noah going at their full might, the entire stampede of corrupt beasts was eradicated. Subsequently, it became time to find out who had killed the most corrupt beasts. "Damn..." The winner was... "Guess I won." Noah. With a frustrated but satisfied smile, Orion shrugged. "Here." Noah lifted his arm and asked Orion to tap his hand. "Heh~" Orion approached him and, with a loud slapping sound, slapped Noah''s hand. "Good work, mister Hero." "Same to you, future Hero." Chapter 422: An inexplicable discovery. Orion and Noah looked at each other until one of them sighed while lifting his shoulders in a defeated way. "Go for your question." The fourth wave wasn''t in sight, so as a way to waste time, he spoke to Noah about the bet he had lost, which was a personal question from the loser. "Is it fine?" "I lost. I won''t go back on my words." With a nod, Noah placed his hand on his chin and pondered. "Well, I would love to have more stories to tell my wife and son if I were to return, so please bear with my curiosity." Orion felt a little tinge of sadness, knowing that Noah never made it back home in his time. "Sure." If satisfying his curiosity was enough to help, even just a bit, Orion would answer anything. After a few seconds, Noah nodded to himself. "Right, I know what I want to ask. It''s about those people you haven''t spoken about in your story." "My story... that I came from your future and everything?" "Yes." Orion appeared to think. "You''ve said multiple times that you have important people waiting for you, but you haven''t said anything about who they are or how important they are to you." Astonished, Orion opened his mouth slightly. "I definitely did not... Is that what you want to hear about?" "Most certainly. You know about my family, and I know about Stella, your adopted daughter. If that isn''t too much prying into your life, I would love to hear more about those close to you." Noah smiled as Orion looked very apprehensive. He wasn''t planning on holding his thoughts in front of Noah, but he was scared his memories of them had been altered from the long time he had passed on the border of insanity. At one point, he resolved himself and looked at him. "Well, if that''s what you want to know, I can indulge you. I don''t know how long we have until the next wave comes, but I''ll continue later if we''re interrupted." "Please do." Then, Orion began to explain his relationship with everyone. They were both standing in the middle of nowhere, their backs turned to the mountains and the giant tree. ¡ª Amelia was his childhood friend and first love. They became a couple a few months after departing, once Orion had realized what was truly important. She was a strong woman, albeit a little weak-willed. The world of constant fighting wasn''t for her, and Orion feared for her reaction after his disappearance. He feared for everyone unconditionally, but Amelia was the most worrisome person in the group, as Orion was her world and nothing else. Without him, she would probably sink into the depths of despair, unless the others supported her. # Karteira. The most powerful fairy in the entire faction became his lover after a terrible accident during a battle that caused Orion''s heart to stop for a brief moment. She was a stunning woman whose charm lay in her unusual hair color and cool demeanor. This battle addict was worse than Orion every so often, but she was a very kind and amicable character.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. It took very little time for him to enjoy her company. # The little devil, Olivia. She was the youngest of the group and the most proactive in breaking the barriers between factions, going as far as to kill without a single remorse toward those committing those atrocious acts. As the last demon alive on the continent, she had a powerful attraction toward Orion. It was so powerful, she had a very difficult time containing her love occasionally. Even though she was powerful, she was far too young to realize the true implications behind Orion''s fights. Only time would help her get around those weaknesses. ¡ª *Rumble* As Orion was about to continue with the twins'' importance in his life, the ground shook as a massive portal opened in the distance. "What in the hell!" Noah looked in the direction of the flash of light and noticed an army of ''Corrupted Lords'' emerge from the portal. "There''s more than a hundred right there." Orion frowned at the sight of such a large gathering of elemental creatures. Yet, this army appeared to be the same beasts, as if one beast had been copied a hundred times over, with only its element changing. "What... is this beast?" Confusion appeared on Orion''s face. This was the first time he had ever seen such an animal. Even after reading countless books and knowing almost everything this continent had to offer in terms of flora and fauna, these beasts were an unknown discovery. But not to Noah. "That''s an insect known as a Thistledown Velvet Ant." Noah placed one hand in the back of his jeans and pulled a small, battered notebook from his pocket. He opened it and used the small pen attached to it to write inside it. "Interesting. I had no idea such insects could appear in this place. Usually, those wasps are found in arid areas." Closing the notebook and putting it back into his pocket, Noah crossed his arms. "A wasp? Didn''t you say it was called an ant?" Confused, Orion asked. If he could learn more about this newly discovered insect, his thirst for knowledge would be satisfied. "You can call these subspecies, evolutionary traits, or simple resemblances." Noah glanced toward Orion, answering his question without annoyance showing on his face or in his tone. "How do you know so much? I took a quick glance at that notebook, and it seems like you have written numerous interesting things in it." If he had the chance, Orion would love to read his notes. "Before joining the force, I studied wildlife and their habitats. In fact, I studied almost anything and everything." Impressed, Orion focused in front of him. "I would love to discuss more with you." "Haha~ We need to deal with this invading force before, and then you need to finish introducing the people close to you." "Sure." Orion nodded and, with a faint smile, prepared to rush toward the incoming ''Corrupted Lords''. But as both were about to attack, a massive tentacle ripped through the portal, crashing into the center of the army. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had happened. Countless wasps went flying in the air, crushed and mangled into horrible shapes. Then, a sight that neither Noah nor Orion were expecting walked out of the portal. "Noah..." "My god... this is fucked." Both looked with pure shock as a giant lizard emerged from the portal. In its mouth, the giant caterpillar''s head was dangling lifelessly, while the octopus was being squashed under its claws. Trying to free itself from the lizard, the octopus'' tentacles thrashed around but ineffectively harmed the aggressor. "That''s a sphenodon. Isn''t that a truly rare species in my world?" Noah felt something strange looking at this truly rare monster. "I had found it strange before. There are plenty of beasts that are not endemic to this continent. Tigers, lions, elephants¡ª the list is endless." As Noah explained what was on his mind, the giant squamate spat the caterpillar''s head to the side and chomped the octopus'' head from above. Blue blood exploded from the octopus as its thrashing began to subside. "Miasma... since when have you been able to drag the knowledge out of me?" His suggestion was that Miasma, at some point, managed to learn about the world Noah came from. Either this knowledge came from him, or those animals and insects came from another part of this planet, which Miasma somehow knew about. But even then, he wasn''t sure about that idea. How could Miasma even pull Noah''s knowledge when they hadn''t met yet. And this happened even before Orion appeared in front of him. Which meant that Miasma knew about these animals before Noah even came to this world. "Are they simply residing somewhere, on another continent? That could be a possibility." As the sphenodon devoured the octopus, Noah placed this worry in the corner of his mind. "I''ll ponder later. We have to do something about it." But again, they weren''t ready for what happened next. Fire, water, and earth. Those three elements began to explode out of the sphenodon. A collar of fire traveled alongside the squamate''s neck and nape, while its eyes shone a bright blue. As it opened its mouth, a massive beam of pressurized water traveled into the sky, cutting a cloud in half. Its claws and feet were slowly being covered in a thick layer of brittle stone, adding more weight with every step. Orion opened his mouth in utter shock. "I..." "This is the first time I have witnessed a corrupt beast with more than one element." Noah nodded. "The same goes for me." *SCREECH* The giant sphenodon opened its mouth and screeched at the Heroes, prepared to fight them as it trampled the corpse of the octopus. "We have our work spelled out for us." With the remaining forces of the ''Corrupted Lords'', which amounted to one fourth of their original strength, coming toward them, Noah slammed his right fist into his left open hand. Orion nodded, pushing his shock away. ''Be careful, Orion.'' Hearing Tetra''s concerned voice, he internally nodded. ''I will.'' Both Heroes rushed forward, ready to intercept the threat weighting over the beastman village behind them. Chapter 423: Borrowed Mastery. The first one to jump into the horde of ''Corrupted Lords'' was Orion. ''You can''t use those weapons anymore?'' Tetra asked as Orion closed in on the enemies. The army of thistledown began to shake their butts, releasing the magic energy from their bodies in the process. Lightning strikes began to fall on him. With large strides, Orion dodged the electrical explosions before seeing a volley of fireballs coming down on him. Then, earthen spikes blocked his path, while bullets of water rapidly pushed through the air. At last, powerful gusts of wind hindered his progression. The full combination of elements made it difficult for him to proceed forward. As he avoided the incoming lightning strike by instantly warping to the left with the ''Second Gear'', he slid in the grass to avoid the next volley of fireball. Orion slithered his way around the earthen spikes with incredible swiftness and jumped over the water bullets before coming to a sudden stop against the intense wind. ''I''m waiting for the next person to share their knowledge.'' The process was quite precise. For Orion to obtain someone''s knowledge, they had to share only one consciousness. He could only use one weapon mastery at a time. Braving the dangerous wind that caused a few cuts on his cheeks and arms, Orion watched as every element came crashing down on him. ''Fuck...'' Tetra spoke as a bright light enveloped Orion the moment the attacks met with his body. Orion suddenly felt a powerful feeling he hadn''t felt in ages throughout his body, a fraction of a second before receiving the attacks head-on. An energy wrapped around his legs, and with a reaction time accentuated by the ''Calm Analysis'' ability, Orion disappeared from the spot. *BOOM* Glancing over his shoulder, Orion observed the ground itself split from the combination of attacks before his gaze went to Noah, all the way to the right. Since Orion was focusing all the enemies'' fire on him, Noah was able to close in on the giant without being hindered by the ''Corrupted Lords''. While running, Orion looked at his feet briefly. A light energy was covering his legs, spreading this familiar feeling of light magic throughout his body. He nodded to Noah in appreciation while fighting against the wind with ease now that he had obtained a way to resist it. The ''Second Gear'' plus light magic enhancement was enough to brave this situation straight-up. ''I got it!'' Suddenly, Orion opened his eyes wide, a grin on his face. ''Then go for it! What are you waiting for?'' Tetra urged him to bring the weapon out, which Orion did immediately with a nod. "Eurian! Share your power with me!" Jumping over spikes in a cartwheel movement, two long, curved blades appeared in his hands. His eyes shone with the power of lightning, leaving a trail behind as he landed on the ground. *BZZT* The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. A black cloak made of black lightning formed behind him, and a dark hood covered his face entirely. * Eurian, the demon assassin. He was part of the previous generation of demons, under the orders of Orianne''s father. After taking the lives of many angels during the many wars, his thoughts about his place in this world began to weigh on him. Once the peace broke out between the two factions, his stained hands were of no use, and his existence was only a threat to this already fragile peace. But Orianne, and even Reon, were against his execution. They managed to give the man a new purpose in life. With a renewed will, he swore to protect instead of reaping lives. * With three energies coursing through his body, Orion vanished, leaving behind him a trail of light energy. His erratic movements corresponded to the savage and violent lightning that fell upon the ground unannounced. The wasps'' heads and legs began to fly and crash on the ground as Orion traversed the entire army in a split second. Out of the twenty ''Lords'', only a handful survived. Their large bodies, even taller than the first ''Corrupted Lord'' Orion had fought in the past, or future in this case, were nothing against him. ''Are you alright?'' Concerned about Orion''s situation, Tetra voiced her reservations. ''I am.'' Orion slid into the grass, his back turned to the giant squamate while facing the back of the ''Corrupted Lords''. With an impressed look, Noah ran past Orion and leaped in the air, catching the attention of the giant in the process. While Noah dealt with the empowered giant after it had eaten its allies, Orion focused on rapidly killing the stragglers that survived the thrashing of the now-dead giant octopus. Out of the entire horde, only forty had survived. After Orion''s first approach, this number went down to fifteen. But, the enemies were stupid. They immediately turned around and fired everything at him, even going as far as attacking the other ''Lords'' to make sure Orion was under constant fire. Earthen spikes pierced the closest beasts, fire devoured their bodies, lightning ravaged the spot they were at, water bullets riddled their bodies with holes, and sharp wind blades cut them to pieces. All the while, Orion dodged through these with such ease that it wasn''t fair anymore. In the end, Orion''s level was far past that of the ''Corrupted Lords'', even without his trusty elements to constantly support him. But, without Eurian''s elemental and weapon proficiency, Orion would have been struggling. Noah''s help was also a big plus. This only happened because Orion taught him how to use his light magic on others while coming here. Leaning on his left foot, Orion ripped a patch of grass as he returned to the assault. Zooming through their ranks, he continued to slash a path through the enemy ranks like a bolt of lightning. The shrieks of agony from the wasps fell in and out of his ears, as only the crackling of the daggers entered his hearing. Picking up the pace even more with the ''Second Gear'' and the light enhancing his movement, Orion vanished entirely, replaced by a dark light that moved between the long legs of the beasts. Unable to even focus on Orion''s position, they kept firing everywhere, hitting each other''s in confusion. With the help of ''Calm Analysis'', Orion was able to keep his vision from being blurry and to avoid the erratic movements of the insects as they tried to hit him. But his brain was beginning to be saturated from the overload. ''I have to finish this quickly.'' Even Tetra wasn''t able to catch his attention, as her voice echoed slowly in his head. He knew he couldn''t stay in this state for long, so he pushed even further, not realizing that his body was morphing into a shapeless and ethereal light. Even while fighting off the giant sphenodon, Noah could see the plasma in the air. The smell of ionized particles permeated through the air, and a low rumbling echoed from where Orion was. This was the beginning of a new discovery for Noah. Something everyone knew in Orion''s time but never existed in Noah''s own era. The ''Elemental Masteries''. ~ "What is he doing?" Somewhere, in a cave. "I don''t know, but this looks incredibly dangerous, don''t you think?" Henrietta was looking down at a table with a round dent in it, filled with water. Her arms crossed over the table, she peered inside the water and watched as Orion, in his plasma form, killed the last of the ''Corrupted Lords''. With a frown on her face, Tetra looked into the water. "Enri, this man is too dangerous." "And I keep telling you that you need to stop worrying." "..." Tetra frowned even more at her friend''s words, making her pretty face a cramped mess. "Stop being selfish for a moment. Since you''ve learned that Noah was meant to die and that he already did, you''ve been a pain." "You can''t be suspicious of him and trust his words only when that goes your way." The way Henrietta saw it, Tetra was being rash in her decisions, something she needed to avoid at all costs. "You want some comfort?" "..." Pouting on the side, Tetra glanced toward Henrietta. "His destiny, and his fate." She pointed at Orion. "It is the same as Noah." Finally, Tetra showed some interest. "Be it past, present, or future, it is nothing for the ''Book of Fate''. Everything will be written on it the moment I meet someone." With a severe expression, she brought the books out of her core. "There..." As Henrietta pointed at a page after opening it, Tetra leaned next to her. "!" Her eyes opened wide. "This is... the same?" The story of Orion was written. In this era, even if it was four thousand years before his birth, his fate wasn''t changed. His battle with Miasma was meant to be his last, yet he was here. "I trust your power more than anything, Enri. This isn''t falsified, right?" "Even if I could, I would have no reason to. Lying to you would amount to nothing." Tetra took those words with gratitude and once again thanked the world for her meeting with Henrietta. "Is that enough for you to stop worrying about his stance? Noah isn''t a stupid boy. He is a grown man with a lot of experience reading others." "If Orion was a threat to him, he wouldn''t have taken him along." At last, Tetra began to relax at the sight of Orion. "So... He''s just been helping Noah earnestly." "Most likely. Like he said, he probably just wants to return to his loved ones." Yet, another frown appeared on Tetra''s face. "That is what''s bothering me." "What is it you felt?" She knew Tetra wasn''t one to normally fuss over nothing. The reason for her suspicion was legitimate. "I can''t feel love emanating from him, like, at all. If he has so many people-" But Henrietta immediately stopped her. "You''re as dumb as they make them." "Wha- Excuse me?!" Her expression was priceless. It was a mixture of disbelief and bewilderment. "You''ve forgotten already... That''s incredible." Henrietta smiled while rubbing her eyebrows. "What have I forgotten, huh?!" Like a spoiled child, she slammed her hands on the table, creating ripples in the mirroring water. "What was your first worry when this man appeared?" "..." Tetra pondered for a moment, until the memory returned. "..." Then, her expression turned to shame. "Don''t you think a potential ''conflict'' could have happened?" "I''m sorry..." Slumping defeated on her chair, Tetra looked at the ceiling. "You''re right. I''m dumb." "At least you know it." The ''conflict'' was that Orion also possessed the source of Tetra from his present. Her ''Love'' aspect was cancelled out by his, making it impossible to read his emotions concerning that matter. Oblivious to the fact that the future Tetra was blocking every piece of information that could lead to others finding out about her survival, they kept watching the water in silence after that. Orion was done killing the ''Corrupted Lords'' as they spoke and joined with Noah to kill the giant sphenodon, still endangering the beastman village. Chapter 424: A sudden alternate end. While this era''s Tetra was finally accepting Orion, the man in question finally stopped, breathing heavily. "Ugh..." Orion felt sick. His head was violently thumping, and his blood was burning. The cloak of black lightning disappeared alongside the daggers in his hands before completely returning to normal. ''So, how are you doing now?'' With a smirking tone, Tetra asked him this, fully aware of his state. ''I feel like throwing up.'' His vision was slightly blurring now that he had stopped moving, and his legs were trembling from the speed at which he had run around. For him, this took a long ten minutes, but in reality, this disgusting mess of thistledown body parts took roughly a few seconds to destroy the ranks of ''Corrupted Lords''. The headache came from the ''Calm Analysis'' ability, while everything else came from the link between him and Eurian. ''I have a lot to learn. I relied far too much on what I had, and this shows.'' Thinking of his missing elements, Orion frowned while placing a hand on his forehead. ''I''d say that you did not take it for granted. This was the only path that was opened to you at that time.'' ''A path me and Enri forced on you...'' The apologetic sound of her voice made Orion unhappy. With a pained but honest smile, he corrected her. ''And that''s why it''s great. Now, there is much more for me to learn.'' ''If you say so, who am I to contradict you?'' She relaxed and nodded internally. These two had formed a strong bond where no amount of depressing thoughts could bring them down. They have supported each other since Tetra was brought back to consciousness. While she was a conflicted woman, her support was gone, which was the only thing keeping her sane. With Henrietta gone from her sight, she felt empty after all those years together. Yet, Orion began to replace her in her eyes. He was the only person able to relate to her, share emotions with her, and understand her. The same could be said for Orion. Without his family, he had slowly lost his mind and even started to forget them. Without her, he would still be floating endlessly in the ''Corridors of Time'' while being an empty shell of himself. While they shared a moment of comfortable silence between each other, Orion knew that the fight wasn''t done yet. With a pained expression, he turned his face and looked at Noah, who was fighting the giant sphenodon. ''Really... Miasma isn''t holding anything back anymore.'' With a worried gaze, Orion looked as Noah punched the squamate with a fist covered in darkness. ''Huh?'' Tetra suddenly exclaimed. ''What is it?'' Confused, Tetra ignored Orion and kept talking to herself. ''Why is he doing that? I don''t remember him using that element like that?'' The punch sent the sphenodon to the side. With its four legs up in the air, it rolled on its side while slapping its long tail around to try to hurt Noah, who was falling toward the ground after jumping into the air. This beast wasn''t small by any means. It was thirty meters tall and around seventy meters wide from head to tail. It was the largest lizard the men had ever seen. Its body was the usual gray color, but the elements it had absorbed appeared clearly on its body, changing some colors around some parts.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Across its spine, a row of short spikes traveled down, but only on its back. Its large claws broke through the tough earthen protection around its legs. Still, in front of Noah, one giant was nothing. While falling, Noah pulled out a piece of ore, and as he met the ground, a sword of iron appeared in his hand. Without holding anything back, he imbued the dark element into the blade, and with both hands holding the hilt, he dropped one knee into the grass and held his sword to the side, where the tail was coming at him. *Slice* The tail, which swiped in a large circular area, met Noah head-on and was sliced off without effort from either him or the sword. Thrashing around without a head to control it, the separated tail moved erratically behind Noah, while the sphenodon hissed in anger. Rolling on the other side to get back on its four limbs, it glared at Noah. Noah opened his hand and stared at a light orb floating above it. The sword he held a few moments ago crumbled to dust, which didn''t bother Noah in the slightest. "Is it like... this?" With a careful gaze, he pushed the light element into his chest. *FLASH* The entire area vanished into a sea of light the instant the element sank into his chest entirely. Orion, Noah, Tetra, and the Sphenodon became blind for a brief moment. Even the two Remnants watching this scene weren''t able to see inside the water anymore, conflicted by what had happened. After thirty seconds, the light suddenly ceased to exist and returned inside Noah. Still blinded, the ones around the field, affected by the light, needed a moment to recover. The only one entirely unaffected was Noah. "This is incredible." Then, Orion and Tetra recovered their sight before the enemy. "..." In complete silence, the two stared at Noah with no thoughts in their heads. Noah looked unchanged. His clothes remained the same, and his posture, height, and manners were normal too. The only difference was the pure, unfiltered, and gross amount of energy leaving his body. Orion felt the crushing energy fall on him, pressuring him, just like Velridar did the day he was freed of corruption. This was an energy that was against the very nature of a fighter. Noah''s first ''Elemental Mastery'' happened at that very moment, ready to erase any enemy fool enough to stand in his path. Or so it was supposed to be. With Noah''s words, they understood. "Of course." With a faint smile, Noah clenched his hands into fists. "This is damaging my body." The image of Orion breaking his bones and bleeding profusely from using his void elements before it was created flashed in his head. ''That''s to be expected.'' Orion inadvertently let his thoughts out for Tetra to hear. ''The ''Elemental Mastery'' doesn''t exist for Noah.'' Tetra immediately understood. Just like Orion, who had used the void element before it was a part of this world and broke the laws of the world, Noah was doing the same. This was something not written in his destiny, which created a conflict with the world. A trail of blood dripped from Noah''s mouth as he looked into the air. "Henrietta!" He yelled her name, which made the Remnant twitch. Not knowing if she was listening, he continued. "You can modify someone''s fate, isn''t it? Do something about Noah!" Still, even if she were to, she had no idea what to actually write for Noah to stabilize. ''Orion, you have to explain clearly. Henrietta''s power requires a clear explanation for it to work.'' Explaining clearly what she knew about her friend''s power over someone''s fate, Tetra told him. With a reflexive nod, Orion continued. "Noah''s currently trying to merge with his element. We''re calling this effect an ''Elemental Mastery'' in the future." "Instead of working your way around it, make it so Noah''s immune to his elements." Then, while the sphenodon struggled to recover its eyesight, nothing happened. Until the blood dripping from Noah''s nose suddenly stopped. The light element began to heal the injuries it had caused from the overload of energy, and Noah became one with the light element. ''She made it in time...'' Relieved, Tetra sighed inside Orion''s mind. With a focused expression, Orion dropped his gaze and looked at Noah. ''Yes, she did. But...'' Being the cause of this change, Orion had mixed feelings. As a pulse of energy gathered in Noah''s right hand, Orion frowned. ''What have I done?'' ¡ª Before Noah stabilized his energy, two women were panicking. "What is he doing?!" Henrietta slammed her fists on the table and stood up abruptly. "He''s bleeding?! Noah''s... bleeding?!" Tetra was losing it. This was the first time she had seen him injured, as Noah was great at avoiding any damage, scratches, or wounds. "This energy is uncontrollable! How did Orion manage to use this a few minutes ago?!" Pointing at the water, the pink-haired woman''s suspicion reactivated in full force. "Wait a moment.... just wait..." Hurriedly pulling out the ''Book of Destiny'' from her core, she skimmed through the pages and stopped on the pages telling Noah''s story. "He''s dying?!" With complete shock in her voice, she blinked a few times and lost her composure entirely. "What the fuck are you saying, Enri?!" "It''s written there! Noah''s going to die-" As the two were barely processing the event, the voice of a man caught them off guard. "Henrietta!" From within the water, Orion was looking at the spying magic precisely, but with complete luck. "You can modify someone''s fate, isn''t it? Do something about Noah!" An angry expression formed on her face. "What are you saying, you moron?! It''s impossible to modify someone''s fate!" As Orion had left a blank before speaking the rest of his idea, she glared at him through the water. But Tetra suddenly twitched. "But then, how did Noah''s fate change so easily?" Confused, Henrietta looked at her friend. "..." She then turned to the book with mixed feelings. How did this even happen? ''Noah never failed to fight Miasma... So why now?'' In all the timelines she went through, Noah always ended up dying in battle against Miasma. "Noah''s currently trying to merge with his element. We''re calling this effect an ''Elemental Mastery'' in the future." "Instead of working your way around it, make it so Noah''s immune to his elements." Orion''s voice broke through her worries, forcing her to realize the situation. Noah was simply self-destructing because of this sudden merge. "These Heroes! Are they stupid?!" With a smile full of anger, she slid her finger on the page, adding a note to his profile. With a focused gaze, she looked at the last sentence on the page. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the man''s death slowly vanishing from the page, replaced by the current flow of events happening around him. "For fuck''s sake..." Relief filled her entire being as she slumped in her chair. Tetra, with wide-opened eyes, looked at Orion in a brand-new image. The man she tried so hard to frame had actually saved Noah from destroying himself. "Not bad." With a smile, she observed him carefully before her gaze shifted to Noah, who had recovered from the damage. Chapter 425: An overwhelming difference between Heroes. Noah''s gaze turned to Orion with a perplexing expression. ''Orion. Truly, this man is full of surprise.'' Recklessly absorbing an element did put Noah''s life in danger, but both situations were caused by and resolved by Orion himself. The idea of merging with his elements never occurred even once to Noah. This was totally out of his viewpoint, and only thanks to Orion, who underwent that strange peak of energy signature, was he able to understand. There was no doubt in Noah''s head. Orion was clearly knowledgeable about subjects he kept undisclosed. He knew that the idea of bringing knowledge about the future to the past was dangerous. His memories recalled stories of paradoxes and things to avoid to negatively influence history in books he had read. And he felt it. Noah''s body, for the first time since appearing in Triazils, suffered damage. He saw his blood, which he hadn''t seen in years. His muscles clenched, and his bones cracked. For a moment, he regretted his impetuous action and thought of stopping the process, unsuccessfully. Without Orion''s quick reaction to his situation, he would''ve died with certainty. ''An ''Elemental Mastery''.'' The expression of Orion relaxed as he looked at Noah, which helped the latter understand that his state had stabilized. Clenching his fists a few times, he nodded to himself. "Good." "I can feel the flow of magic in me." The problem that caused Noah''s self-destruction was that he wasn''t from this world. It was one thing to bestow elements on him, but it was another to create the entire system to support the elemental mastery. This was the main reason why the elements never settled entirely in his being. The five natural elements always appeared behind his back for this very reason. Noah had no magical circuit in him. The energy he brought out, even though destructive, wasn''t coming from him but from the elements themselves. He was a simple host to the seven elements. Due to the little change from Henrietta''s writing in the ''Book of Fate'', Noah''s body rapidly adapted to the energy intruding in his veins. With the help of the seven elements, who desired nothing more than to be of use to him, they rapidly created a magical circuit inside him capable of withstanding their monstrous power. This was the birth of the first ''Elemental Mastery'', way earlier in the course of history than it was expected. Nevertheless, this caused nothing major to occur apart from avoiding someone''s death. The first person who underwent an ''Elemental Mastery'' exploded from the overload, just like Noah almost went through. This earlier process saved the life of that person in the future. But now, Noah was in full control of the energy swirling in his body. Switching his gaze to the giant sphenodon, whose eyelids finally opened after recovering their sight, Noah lifted his hand. "I suppose I should test this newfound power." He grabbed hold of an invisible item. Noah placed his right foot forward, gently rotated his waist to the side, and aimed his right hand in front of him. Light gathered in his hand, slowly turning into a weapon Orion once saw in a shop. It was way more complicated-looking, with way more parts attached to it. This was Noah''s most trusted weapon when working in the field. A weapon that could save a life and end someone else''s in return. Noah''s handgun. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. His focus became unwavering. The time he had passed training to become an officer returned to him, and the giant creature became his target. With his breathing steady, Noah patiently waited for an opportunity. The sphenodon hissed at Noah''s and fired a beam of concentrated water at him. Unflinching, Noah kept his aim true. The beam grazed past him and crashed a few meters behind, creating a large crater that filled with water instantly. "Fuuu~" Enveloped in a light aura, a long cloud of hot air escaped his mouth. His enemy began to rush toward him, stomping its giant, reinforced claws on the ground. It rushed toward Noah, and when it was close enough, it breathed out a stream of fire that engulfed the Hero. But, the earth element stood strong to defend its master. The rotating element spun wildly to spread the fire on all sides, while Noah kept his gaze on the giant squamate. The light energy kept gathering inside the barrel of the handgun, unbothered by the events happening around it. When the fire subsided, a giant mouth full of teeth was inches from Noah, ready to crunch him. At that instant, the clip of the handgun flashed a bright light, signaling to Noah that it was fully loaded. *BANG* Without hesitation, Noah pressed the trigger. A flash of light incomparable to the one that happened earlier enveloped the continent. For less than 0.5 seconds, the light engulfed everyone before a beam of pure light energy left the handgun''s barrel, evaporating the entire sphenodon''s existence from the surface of the planet. Orion and Tetra looked at this with their heads empty. The sheer amount of magic energy released was on par with what Velridar had once released. The laser of light pierced the sphenodon from mouth to tail, widened, and traversed the entire sky in a straight line, vanishing into the atmosphere. All the while, Noah remained entirely motionless, only his clothes thrashing around from the intense gusts of wind created by his terrifying power. ''Woah!'' Tetra was unable to contain her emotions. "Right." Orion was simply standing, his gaze anchored on the man known as the first Hero. The difference between them was so flagrant that he felt ashamed of bearing the title of Hero. This power was something Orion thought was impossible to obtain, even after training for countless years. Noah was simply that breathtaking of an entity. The wind battered his face, his clothes, and his skin, but Orion was unbothered by it. ... After a few minutes, the energy lessened, and the world returned to its peaceful state. Noah dropped his arm and released the light element from his body, successfully returning to normal. "That brought me back." He looked at the handgun slowly disintegrating in his hand with a faint smile. When the gun entirely disappeared and emptiness filled his hand, he stretched his worn body. At that point, Orion and Tetra were out of their stupor, and Orion began to walk toward him with a frustrated look. "You''re injured?" Thinking that Orion had perhaps damaged himself while fighting the ''Corrupted Lords'', Noah turned to him worriedly. "I''m fine. There''s nothing wrong with me." The answer was enough for Noah to relax. Once Orion came closer, he noticed the look on his face more clearly. ''This is the same face as those recruits.'' The expression of inferiority. ''Compared to their seniors, rookies always dream about becoming like them.'' With a kind smile, Noah approached Orion and tapped on his shoulder. "Do you know where strength comes from?" Confused by the sudden question, Orion blinked a few times. He pondered for a few seconds before giving the answer that felt the most natural to him. "Other than training, I have no real answer to give you." Noah nodded, but looked slightly dissatisfied. "That is true for everyone. We all train hard to become better selves. To break limits and achieve greater deeds." It was Orion''s turn to nod in agreement. "Still, let me tell you something else." Intrigued, he listened to Noah''s words. "From what I could gather, you fight for everyone. You shoulder the responsibilities of all living beings, just like I do." "Yet, there is a fundamental difference between us." Opening his eyes wide, Orion looked at him. "I fight for myself. I fight to return home, even if the reward is death. The center of the world is me, alone." "Of course, it is exaggerated. What I''m trying to say is that I fight for my own goal. At the same time, I help those around me." With a melancholic look, he stared into Orion''s eyes. "I''d do anything to return home..." As Noah released his shoulder, Orion remained on the spot, frozen. ''The look in his eyes...'' Tetra shared the same thought. Orion touched his left cheek, right below his eye. ''I probably have the same look.'' As he turned around to return to the beastman village alongside Noah, he thought deeply about the meaning of his words. Those words would become the start of a new change in Orion. The beginning of his journey toward divinity. ... The moment they entered the beastmen village, the two Heroes felt the terrified gazes of the beastmen. At first, they looked terrified of the two human-looking men, until a child accidentally stepped in front of them. "..." With a confused look, the young boy, who looked no older than five years old, stared at Noah, whose shadow was cast over him. Orion worriedly took a step back, feeling the beastmen suddenly becoming agitated. ''One wrong move, and we''re going to have to flee this place...'' A child was everything for a community, and no one was authorized to harm them. Even against a monster like Noah, they would rebel. But the situation was instantly calmed down by the first Hero. "Hi." Noah crouched down while greeting the child. "Were you separated from your parents?" "Hmm~" The boy nodded shyly, seeing that Noah was at the same eye level as him. Confusion echoed inside the village as gazes turned from feral to neutral. "Are you fine if I pick you up so you can point to your parents?" "Huh?" Orion exclaimed, thinking that this would be a bad idea. ''Let him be. You''ll soon get it.'' Calmly trying to ease Orion''s worries, Tetra caught his attention. Silently, Orion relaxed, but still cautiously, and watched over Noah. The young beastman nodded, which gave Noah the approval needed to pick up the boy. He gently placed his hands under the boy''s armpits and sat him on his left shoulder. "Ooh~" The stars in the child''s eyes caught Orion off guard. ''Stella...'' His daughter''s image flashed in his mind. "Orion." Noah called his name, bringing him back to reality. "There!" The boy pointed toward a woman, frantically looking for something behind the crowd of beastmen. As Noah began to walk toward her, and as the child pointed toward the woman, Orion followed. "Have you ever taken the time to exchange with the people you protect?" "..." Silently, Orion shook his head. Noah, who was glancing over his shoulder, noticed it. "You have to learn what you are truly trying to protect." The hatred for humans was still etched in Orion''s entire being, yet, at this time, they weren''t aggressively trying to kill everyone. His hatred had no reason to exist in this era. "The people under your care, the families that live on this continent, the countless lives snuffled out by the corruption." "Those need to be on your mind when you fight. Not only yourself, or your family." Noah arrived in front of the crowd. "Excuse me. Would you please create a path for me to deliver this child to his mother?" Hearing the man''s words, the beastmen looked at each other before looking over their shoulders. "Oh..." "We''re sorry." All tension disappeared from their faces as they realized that Noah was actually going to help them and not antagonize the beastmen like other humans tend to do around here. They broke apart, giving Noah and Orion a way past them. "This is a great community. I hope you will excuse us for intruding." Holding the child carefully on his shoulder, he continued while smiling at the people. ''That''s how Noah does things.'' Tetra put the last nail in the coffin. ''I understand now.'' With a defeated smile, Orion followed behind Noah as he reunited the two family members. Chapter 426: Two Heroes enter a tavern. After having brought the lost child to his mother, Noah and Orion were seen in a kinder light. The beastmen appeared cautious of them still, but they were openly engaging with them rather than shying away from their sight. All the while introducing themselves, Orion reflected on the words Noah spoke to him earlier that day. With a visible frown that showed no displeasure but instead an intense focus, his thoughts erratically went everywhere, making it difficult for Tetra to comment on them. ''You''re thinking too much...'' Her voice did not register as he continued to think. His mind was a mess, mixing the memories of his journey with what Noah said to him. ''The people...'' ''Protecting those in need...'' Those were the major points he had retained, and everything else attached itself to those ideas, creating links between each other. This was the most important thing Orion had thought about since beginning his journey. It wasn''t to think about training or about his enemies. None of the people significant to him were involved either. The complete and precise introspection of his past actions and the realization that his selfishness might have blocked his progression began to weigh on him. ''If I had given more thoughts to Diramoi and my ancestors.'' The time he released his dark ''Elemental Mastery'', the Abyssal Sovereign form, he could have had an opportunity to get additional information from them. Furthermore, he could''ve pushed further and asked Alyssia, the Priestess of Light, to instruct him on how to merge with his light element successfully. ''What if I had met Olivia earlier? We could''ve defended more places with the help of her maids...'' Her maid squad, comprising 27 of the most powerful human women on the continent, was a force to be feared. Just a few of them would''ve been perfect to defend Albriar during the attack launched by Julian. Many ''What if?'' situations appeared inside his head, taking place around the main ideas. His hatred for humans, which boiled down to nothing as corruption was the most prevalent cause of their heinous acts, began to weigh in the balance. ''Is it worth it to stick to worthless opinions when I act as a hypocrite and choose my allies?'' May, even though she was possessed by an elemental to keep her alive, was human at her core. The twins were once humans too. His friends, Florian, Kamala, Eric, and even Elliott, were humans. Layla was human too, yet she showed no signs of being a bad person once she was revived. Tetra and Henrietta were also humans at their core. Many of his entourages were either humans or had human genes in them. Even Amelia, the pillar supporting his everyday life, was human. Her mother was a Remnant, but she lacked the source to make her one of them. ''This is food for thought... Everything Noah said was correct.'' While his thoughts were a mess, Tetra was able to listen to the deepest, most complex thoughts Orion had. In her own space, unavailable to Orion, she noticed that his entire mind was undergoing a change. ''His mindscape is being reworked from ground zero... This is incredible.'' In front of her eyes, Orion was breaking his prejudices, his opinions on the world as a whole, and how he perceived others. ''This is only the beginning, but this appears to be a good sign.'' With a tone indicating that she was smiling, she spoke. ''This boy. He''s still growing.'' Her heart ached for a split second. ''Maybe one day you will become like Noah.'' ... A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. In the real world, Noah kept glancing at Orion, who followed behind him without saying a word. A faint smile formed on the corner of his mouth, observing that his words did not fall in the ear of a fool. In truth, the words he spoke were the words of an officer of the law. His work was to protect everyone from ruffians, murderers, and thieves. Of course, it was impossible to protect everyone in the entire world. The same could be said in this other world. But he saw the same potential in Orion that he once had. Orion was envying him, and it was easily seen in his eyes. But it wasn''t a dangerous kind of envy. It was the type that, with the right push, could lead someone to change entirely. Like a child jealous of a happy family that they don''t have at home, who one day would set out to create one of their own. Orion was still young in his head. The time spent in the ''Corridors of Time'' eroded some edges of his personality, but not enough to erase what made him Orion, thanks to Tetra. The young man had a lot to think about, especially now. Far from his time, far from his loved ones, and far from home. He wondered if Orion was auto-piloting behind him or if he needed to assist him by speaking to him, but his question was quickly answered. The moment he turned around a corner, Orion did the same. At that point, Noah walked toward a building, which was, in fact, the tavern of the village. Noah went through the double wooden door, instantly drawing the customers'' gazes to him. There were looks of confusion and anger, while most of them were neutral. (If I were you, I''d look away.) One of the neutral beastmen whispered to his friend, who looked at Noah with an intense glare. "Don''t tell me what to do." The beastman placed his tankard on the table without spilling a drop and stood up from his seat. Both Heroes entered the building, one entirely focused on his thoughts and the other smiling while looking around. Suddenly, the beastman who stood up from his seat stepped in front of them, blocking their path to the counter. "Hey." Crossing his arms, the man lifted his chin up, trying to aggravate the mood around the tavern in the hope of rallying others. Sadly for him, no one was dumb enough to stand in the way of two strong-looking men. "May I help you?" Noah stopped walking, and so did Orion. In a good mood, Noah talked to the angry beastman. "Who are you? What are humans doing in this place to begin with?" "Didn''t anyone tell you that you weren''t welcome here?" The man''s friend slid his entire open hand on his face and looked at the ceiling. Unbothered by the man''s aggravated state, Noah walked in front of him and stopped less than a meter away from him. "You are in a mood to get rowdy?" Surprised, the man uncrossed his arms. Noah''s smile was still there, showing his happiness. Utterly confused, the beastman nodded. "S-Sure. As I said, humans aren''t welcomed here." "Can we settle it without getting to the hands and knuckles?" Noah cracked his hands to intimidate the man. From the looks of it, it worked. "A-Arm wrestling! Let''s do some arm wrestling to settle it!" The man pointed at an empty table hurriedly. "That''s fine by me. If you win, we''ll leave without making a fuss. If we won..." Thinking for a moment, Noah smiled deviously. "It would be no fun telling you now." The entire mood changed as the customers, and even the bartender, swallowed hard as cold shivers ran down their spines. Knowing that he had messed up, the beastman looked down in apprehension before committing to the bravado he had shown previously. "Heh~ I''ll win anyway." With a false smirk, the man walked to the table and sat down. A few seconds later, Noah sat in front of him. They both extended their arms over the table, pressing their elbows only on the wooden surface. "Ready?" Orion, although deeply focused on his thoughts, was actually registering the entire situation as well. Tetra was able to see what was happening and sighed in disapproval. ''This happened regularly, too... I know where this is going.'' Their hands clasped together before the short match began. "Let''s do the best of three." Noah added this rule with a smile. "Fine by me." The beastman''s smile wavered as the moment to show his actual strength dawned on him. "One..." Starting with the countdown, all eyes were riveted on them. "Two..." Swallowing the tiny speck of saliva in his mouth, the anxious beastman braced himself. "Three." At that moment, the man opened his eyes wide. ''I can do it!'' He used every bit of strength in his arms and slowly pushed Noah''s arm back. "Hah! No bite, just bark-" *Slam* As he was finishing his sentence, the back of his hand touched the wooden surface. "Did you say something?" With a bone-chilling smile, Noah let go of the man''s hand. ''I didn''t feel a thing...'' With a dreaded expression, he looked at his arm. ''Is it broken?'' He gently pulled his arm, only to notice that his bones were fine. Even the back of his hand was fine, even though the impact was quite hard. "N-No... I said nothing." The audience held their breath, relieved that the man wasn''t broken in half after antagonizing the stranger. "Round two?" With a terrified face, the man extended his hand forward and met Noah''s. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead, understanding that his fate was sealed. ''I''m fucked.'' Giving up on fighting back, the man waited. "One... Two... Three." Again, Noah gave some leeway at the beginning. ''I''ll at least try to hold my ground!'' A small flame fueled by pride ignited in the man''s eyes. This time, instead of howling provocations, he focused on his arm and gave his everything. "That''s better. This is entertaining." Noah controlled his strength and matched the beastman''s power perfectly. People began to gather around them as a back-and-forth took place for a few minutes. A genuine smile appeared on the beastman''s face, while Noah genuinely enjoyed the moment of struggle as a simple man and not a Hero. "Incredible!" "I had no idea this guy was strong!" "Go, stranger!" People were cheering for the side they wanted to see win the most, and, after a few minutes, one side began to let go. "Ack!" The beastman''s arm was sore. Pain was erasing the focus he had held until now, and his forearm slowly dropped backward. "I''ll ease your struggle." Using his human strength, Noah pushed even harder, finally pressing the back of his opponent''s hand on the table. "It''s my loss..." Looking at the ceiling with a defeated look, the beastman smiled. He dropped his gaze, ignoring the people watching him and cheering in the background. "I''m a man of my word. What is it you want to do with me?" With a resolute gaze, the man leaned on the table. Noah crossed his arms and nodded. "I wish to touch your ears and your tail." "..." Suddenly, the entire building went silent. They exchanged a confused stare before one of them began to laugh. "That''s a good one!" "Bwahaha~ Go for it, dude!" "What a day! I''ll have something to tell my wife later!" The audience took his wish with a smile, and as they all returned to their original seats, the mood of the tavern became once again lively. Chapter 427: Relaxing with a drink. After obtaining his reward, Noah walked up to the bartender. He sat at the counter, while Orion sat next to him, still deeply focused. "Sir, thank you for not turning this into a full-on brawl." The bartender beastman, who appeared to be quite aged, as seen by the patches of white hair in his brown hair, smiled. "I''m not one to aggravate a situation." Glancing over his shoulder, Noah looked at the beastman he defeated in arm wrestling, who was returning to his friend, waiting for him at their table with a strained smile. "Some of us have horrible experiences with humans, you see." The older beastman grabbed a glass and wiped it clean before placing it in front of Noah. "That is the way this continent is." With a shrug, he grabbed another glass, repeated the process, and placed it in front of Orion. "Sadly, yes. It is quite a shame humans have it in their hearts to never forgive those who attacked them." Orion nodded instinctively. "You are right." Surprised, Noah glanced at his companion. "Oh, you''re finally out of it." "For now. By the way, you''re quite clever." With a faint smile, Noah looked at him. "How So?" Closing his eyes to rub his tired eyelids, which had been opened for quite some time, Orion continued. "I had heard about your love for fluffy beasts. Never would I have expected that to be how you got your fill." Suddenly, Noah laughed lightly. "Bartender, do you have some whiskey?" The old man nodded, turned around, and grabbed a bottle with a liquid the color of an autumn leaf, a deep orange. He poured a slither of whiskey into the glass before placing the bottle next to the glass. Noah gently picked up the glass and sipped a tiny bit of the liquid. He enjoyed the raw taste of the liqueur and placed the glass back in its spot after smelling its content. "I was not expecting to find such refined drinks in such a place." With a genuine smile, Noah leaned forward, crossing his arms on the counter. With a satisfied smile, the bartender brought out a pitcher of water and poured it into the glass, mixing the whiskey with the water. The dark orange color turned lighter after the water was added, and Noah observed this whole process with a lighthearted mood. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ''That is a shame ice isn''t available to these people.'' With some light regret, Noah watched as the old man pushed the halfway-filled glass of whiskey toward him. "Thank you, master." Surprised, the bartender smiled. "Your etiquette is outstanding. It isn''t often in our profession that respectful customers appear." "I know my way around these establishments." With a nod, Noah picked up his whiskey and began to sip it lightly. Then, the bartender turned to Orion, who was silently looking at the scene with great interest. It was the first time he had seen a professional in this field. No one in Auro was a bartender in his youth. "What can I serve you, dear customer?" Orion pondered the question before answering honestly. "I am not one to enjoy alcohol usually, so I do not know my way around what each drink tastes like. The most I''ve drunk was red wine." He recalled drinking with Motirion after saving Tiohr-nam. That was the only time he touched alcohol in his life. "That isn''t that surprising, looking at you." Hearing Noah, he looked at him with a sharp gaze. "What does that mean?" Chuckling with his light orange glass in hand, Noah continued. "It means that you''re one of those ''Prim and Proper'' types of people. It wasn''t meant to be a jab at you." The bartender nodded while Noah sipped his drink. "There are many people who enjoy a drink from time to time. If you''re not used to drinking, it is never too late to start." Orion relaxed and nodded. "Sure. If you say so." Unsure if alcohol was even his thing, Orion looked at the selection of liqueurs displayed behind the bartender. ''Orion.'' Suddenly, Tetra''s voice captured his attention. ''What is it, Tetra?'' ''Could I make a request? I would like to drink my favorite liqueur through you.'' Even though Tetra was but a soul inside Orion''s core, with some work, it was possible to link Orion''s senses to hers, similarly to how she was capable of seeing through his eyes. ''What is it that you like?'' Noticing the seriousness in Orion''s expression, both the bartender and Noah patiently waited for his answer. From the looks of it, Orion appeared confused for a moment before closing his eyes, resolute. "Could I have a tequila, please?" Both older men looked at him with interest. "Why this choice?" Curious, Noah asked. "I had a friend who liked this drink. I felt like tasting it after recalling her interest in it." He wasn''t lying. Tetra appreciated this drink more than any other type out there. To thank her for her constant support, he agreed to drink her favorite liquor. "One tequila, then. Do you wish to add fruit to it?" Orion pondered, in fact, listening to Tetra inside him. With a nod, he answered the man. "A slice of orange would be perfect." "Understood." That was how Tetra preferred her tequila¡ª with a touch of orange flavor. Both Noah and a woman, watching them from afar, looked perplexed. As the bartender focused on preparing Orion''s order, Noah placed his drink on the table and turned to him. "I''m going to ask, and you probably know what I''m going to say..." "But that''s ''her'' favorite drink. Were you close to her?" Noah purposefully avoided speaking about Tia-Norun or Orion being from the future openly. Knowing that this place wasn''t the place to go into details, Orion kept it vague too. "For what it is, she is part of the family." Orion closed his eyes and leaned backward without falling out of the bar stool. "Present, huh?" Noticing the little detail in Orion''s words, Noah picked up his glass once again. "We hadn''t known each other for long, as it was only a few months. But she knew more about us to make up for it." "Even if she is obnoxious sometimes, she is, and will always be, a part of our family." A low grumble echoed in his head before her voice boomed in his head. ''Hey! I''m not obnoxious!'' He could even hear the other Tetra scream at him for grabbing this low-hanging fruit. "I see." With a satisfied smile, Noah sipped his drink, which was now less than half full. "It is honestly a relief to know she found a place where she could be accepted." ''...'' Tetra calmed herself and looked through Orion''s eyes. "I have no idea how difficult her task is, but she''s holding back many emotions. She appears strong at first, but I can see it in her actions." "She''s afraid of what''s going to happen. The two of them are in a situation that I couldn''t even start to understand, as they are the only two to manage the entire state of this world." The cold drink in his hand shimmered as the light of the sun shone through it. "Can you imagine the pressure on their shoulders? I, personally, can''t. All I have to do is fight, and that''s it." Maybe because of the alcohol or because he was talking to Orion, Noah shared his feelings, something he never did in the past. "I... hadn''t really thought about it." Orion realized that his selfish goals clouded his vision. Of course, he wasn''t oblivious to Tetra and Henrietta''s struggles, and he never pushed them away, but he never tried to truly understand them. Henrietta was Amelia''s mother, and that''s how he registered her. Yet, he never questioned her existence. What was she before becoming a Remnant? What did she go through? Why was he so obstinate about stopping Miasma? The same could be said for Tetra. Even after Noah''s death, she took it upon herself to continue her duty, even if her heart was broken. Tetra never opened her heart to let Orion or anyone besides Henrietta in. Even at this time, he knew barely anything about her. But this was something that needed time. Slowly, Tetra was showing her true self to him. He had seen her usual cheerfulness disappear occasionally and her true feelings about Noah earlier, too. As he nodded internally, he looked at Noah. "This proves that I am still immature. I have barely scratched the surface of what a true Hero needs to be." Noah silently nodded. "There is no need to rush. Nothing should stop you from finding the answer one day." As Noah spoke those words, a tall glass slid gently in front of Orion. "Here is your order. A tequila with a zest of orange." The bartender smiled professionally as he stood on his spot. "Thank you... master." Orion copied Noah and thanked the older man, who appeared delighted. Picking up his glass, Orion brought the cold, crystalline liquid to his mouth. "..." From the look on his face, this wasn''t pleasing to his taste buds. "That was to be expected." Noah returned to his drink with a faint smile that had no mockery in it. The bartender noticed another customer asking him for an order, making him walk away. ''So?'' Orion closed his eyes while drinking the liquor in silence. ''It tastes wonderful. Thank you, Orion.'' With a genuine tone of delight, Tetra enjoyed the taste of her favorite drink. When the two finished their drinks, Noah paid the bartender, and they walked away from the tavern. Chapter 428: The Remnant leads toward the mountains. Orion and Noah exited the tavern while feeling relaxed. Of course, for Orion, it wasn''t the same as opening the door to his home and resting with his companions. Still, it was a wholly unique way to relieve the stress he had accumulated since arriving in this era. Enjoying a drink with another man was something he had never remotely thought would happen. That new experience opened his eyes to many things he had missed so far. While drinking, he even thought of picking up his friends, Florian, Eric, Nylon, and even Elliott, and moving to a bar to enjoy some time talking about random stuff. This life appeared way more interesting all of a sudden, replacing the blank outlook on life he had until now. His entire life was a blank slate of revenge, hard work, and blindness. He wasn''t living for himself and was always keeping others within arm''s reach. As he reflected on it, he looked at Noah as they walked toward the exit of the village. "Noah." "That would be me." While having a neutral smile on his face, he glanced at Orion over his shoulder. "What are we going to do now? Are we waiting for the next wave of beasts attacking a village?" With the same smile on his face, Noah looked forward. "Usually, you would be right." His gaze fell upon the figure of a pink-haired beauty standing next to the leftmost wooden railing close to the entrance of the beastman village. Orion looked forward and noticed that, for once, the love-struck Remnant wasn''t looking at the usual target but at him specifically. "She''s also in a good mood, which is very ¡ª let me say it again ¡ª very rare to see." ''Well, yes. Knowing myself, of course I would be happy. You''ve helped Noah and protected his life when he needed it the most.'' ''There''s no surprise there.'' The future Tetra confirmed the reaction of her past self. In a way, she felt incredibly alien to seeing herself in someone else''s eyes. Without saying anything, Orion followed next to Noah until they both arrived in front of the woman. "Tetra, I suppose you''re not here to tell me what my next stop is, right?" With a faint nod, she turned to him. "You''re right, this is entirely different." Her smile was still present, but it bloomed even more when she looked at Noah. As usual, he ignored her feelings for a perfectly valid reason. While it would''ve been normal for this Tetra to know about Noah''s family, unfortunately for both her and Henrietta, they had missed the entire conversation about him coming from another world. They were too busy making sense of the story Orion told at the time to look into the spying water. All they speculated about Noah was that he came from somewhere outside Triazils. Until the very end, they were persuaded Noah came from another continent. Keeping her emotions in check, she inhaled and turned to Orion. "We, but mainly Henrietta, want to have a discussion with you."The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. "Sure." Knowing full well that this was about what he had ordered Henrietta to do earlier, Orion was prepared to explain in detail whatever they would ask. Seeing that Orion wouldn''t refuse her request, she crossed her arms while a gentle breeze traveled through the woman''s hair. "After thinking about your words, we''ve decided to stop playing hide-and-seek. From your words, Miasma could track us down now that he possesses a part of... my source." Disgust appeared on her face at the thought of Miasma using her power. "Wait." Noah suddenly caught her attention. "You''re not going to hide anymore? Isn''t that dangerous for both of you?" Tetra nodded, while the one inside Orion spoke at the same time. "Of course it is." ''Of course it is.'' Again, the two were actually one. Their thoughts were the very same, even though they were separated by lengths of time. "Then why are you doing this? Isn''t it safer to continue like this? I can always defend you before it is too late." Noah wasn''t panicking. He simply tried to understand why both Remnants had suddenly switched to an entirely different approach to how they acted until now. "We''ll answer that when we get there. For now, let''s move." Turning her heels elegantly, Tetra walked outside the gates of the village, leaving both Orion and Noah confused. ''This is an entirely different outcome. It was to be expected.'' Orion internally nodded to her words, only to add another remark. ''If the ending is the same, this small change amounts to nothing.'' The two Heroes looked at each other before nodding, rapidly following behind the Remnant leading the way. ... "We''re going north..." Orion spoke softly, but loudly enough for others to hear. "Is that a problem?" Tetra glanced over her shoulder, looking at Orion, a few steps to her right. "It''s not that I have a problem with it. That place¡ª isn''t that where Tiohr-nam is?" With a simple nod, Tetra answered his question. "That is precisely where we are going. You probably know it already, but she''s a pain." With a smirk, Orion closed his eyes. He recalled the back and forth he went through with her concerning his safety and the many topics they discussed, which were all very fascinating to him. "She''s a smart and observant Remnant. You probably shouldn''t lie to her." While she was right, there was something Orion wanted to ask this era''s Tiohr-nam. A part of him was apprehensive about seeing another familiar face, while the other was ecstatic to see someone he could recognize, even if she wasn''t aware of him yet. Keeping his inquiry to himself, he followed Tetra as they approached the foot of the Talviera Mountain Range. "Tiohr! Give me some help!" Shouting toward the sky, Tetra called the name of the Tree of Life. A minute or so after she was called, the massive tree, taller than the highest peak on Triazils by at least eight hundred meters, began to shake. Bird flocks broke free from the branches, and giant shadows were cast on the ground as the dragons flew off the tallest branches. Around ten dragons flapped their wings without looking down at the three onlookers. "I have never seen the dragons from this close..." Noah''s interest was firing up, as dragons were the greatest creatures in all tales, often depicted as dangerous beasts. "They are very kind, if you show respect to them." With a neutral smile, Orion shared his experiences around the dragons with Noah. "Is that so?" "Absolutely." As the tree awakened slowly, the foliage began to tremble. At the same time, Orion told the story of the ''Dragon''s Rampage''. ... "Human greed is really pitiful." Noah shook his head, while Tetra winced. "Sometimes, it''s to wonder why we''re even fighting to defend them." But while Orion nodded to her comment, Noah gave a very different opinion. "I believe humans aren''t inherently evil." "Evil?" Religion wasn''t a concept in Triazils. Compared to the world where Noah came from, the words related to both heaven and hell did not exist. Looking at Orion, who looked confused, Noah began to elaborate. "It''s fundamentally no different from something being bad, but its impact is stronger." "You could call it ''malevolent'', too." To a degree, the two understood the meaning. Continuing, after explaining the meaning of the word, Noah crossed his arms. "I believe humans aren''t evil by nature. They are simply perpetually conflicted." "As each one is a unique individual, it is obvious that many will think differently from one another. Some are more inclined to resist the urge to do malicious acts, while others will bathe in the feeling of it." "If everyone was a saint, my work would be meaningless." Orion understood that Noah was talking about his life outside Triazils, while Tetra thought that he was talking about his duty as a Hero. "There is no black and white in humanity. But there is one thing you need to understand." He turned to Orion and stared deeply into his eyes, as if he wanted those words to be forever imprinted in his head. "There is more positive than there is negative in humanity. Do not let the corruption picture the entire image for you." This was the reason Orion had followed Noah. To obtain the knowledge to break his misconceptions. To find a new path for himself and for his friends. ''I will apologize to everyone once I return...'' Feeling intense guilt about how he treated his companions and comrades in the past, Orion felt like slapping himself. He never tried to help Florian in his endeavor to defend Albriar. Helping him during his campaign to seize the cities of Julian and Leonis would have been within his capabilities, yet he didn''t help. Eric was not freed of his ability that erased his memories upon use. This was something he hadn''t even tried to alleviate or remove altogether. This could have even made it easier for him to break the ice with May. Even after hearing Kamala''s past, this meant nothing to Orion at the time. Of course, he never belittled her, but he never took the time to carefully discuss the subject or even support the woman. After all they went through for him and even greatly contributed to Triazils'' safety as a whole during the war, he felt pathetic. ''You weren''t wrong to think like that at the time. We also felt the same way. Elliott was the reason for your hatred of humanity, and corruption pushed it ever further, fueling your need for vengeance.'' Inside him, Tetra was unable to contain herself. His emotions were so intense that she needed to support him. She was the only one capable of doing that in this era where everyone is a stranger. ''But you''ve forgiven Elliott. As Noah said, corruption turned everyone into malicious individuals, ready to wage wars for very little reason.'' ''We need to take this moment out of our current timeline to carefully think about our next steps after returning home.'' Orion closed his eyes. ''Home...'' Imagining his family waiting for him, the fuel to push forward burned brightly in his soul. When he opened his eyes, he nodded to Noah. "I will take it to heart and observe humanity with a cleared mind." Observing the genuine expression on his face, Noah smiled, satisfied. "Believe in yourself more. You have what it takes to be the light of the people." These words stuck to Orion like glue. "The light of the people..." "It doesn''t matter who you consider people. Humans, beastmen¡ª for me, they are all the same. I protect both because I wish for them to attain peace." With a determined look, Noah looked upward at three thick vines slowly dropping toward them. "That''s what a Hero is. Someone who protects others without asking anything in return." With a smile, he grabbed the vine next to him and smiled at Orion. "Except respect, of course." Both Orion and Tetra grabbed their vines before they slowly wrapped around their waists. "Up we move." At Tetra''s words, the vines pulled them toward the peaks of the mountain range, where Ormrdivin stood in the future. Chapter 429: Ascending the Tree of Life. The ascent was pretty slow. Tetra explained that she had asked the Remnant of Life for help before coming here, which was an unusual action from her. As she explained before, it appeared that they truly did stop hiding and shared some information with the oblivious Tiohr-nam. "Tetra..." Orion was the only one calling her by her true name, while Noah kept calling her Tia, as he was used to after four years. Turning her gaze to Orion, who was being lifted by the vine just like the others, she showed that she was listening. "Were you hiding in the Talviera Mountains all this time?" "..." With a bitter expression, she lifted a corner of her mouth up and spoke words he had already heard from someone before. "You are pretty sharp. It''s quite frustrating." ''I know, right?!'' The other Tetra agreed with herself, much to Orion''s disappointment. Without answering the question, he shrugged. "Still, you are right. At this point, we''re not even hiding from Miasma. In fact, it appears that he''s unable to act by himself." "I''ll explain after meeting with Henrietta first." With a nod, Orion turned to the other Tetra. ''Miasma was unable to act?'' ''That''s right. Do you remember what Elliott said when we met him?'' ''Of course.'' Orion recalled, with some difficulty, the time he faced the man and the story he told while he was resting inside the bracelet with his parents. ''After discussing it with Enri, we noticed that, in fact, we never saw Miasma act independently when Noah was walking the continent.'' She began to describe what they had discovered. ''The only time we''ve seen his face was during their battle. Now, as much as I would like to continue, I believe you know what I''m going to say?'' Internally nodding, Orion had already guessed the reason. ''He was still trying to assimilate Elliott at this time...'' ''But do you know why it took so long?'' Tetra gave him a surprisingly difficult question to answer. ''...'' Pondering, Orion ultimately gave up. ''You might be aware of many things, but you''re not all-knowing. Obviously, the idea wouldn''t cross your mind. In fact, only Henrietta came up with the right explanation.'' ''I was too stupid to understand.'' If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. With a cheerful giggle, she continued. ''Elliott was supposed to be a Remnant.'' ''...'' Orion frowned immediately, which made Noah and the other Tetra look at him. ''Miasma... stole his powers? That''s what you''re trying to tell me?'' ''That''s where it becomes complicated.'' The cheerfulness in her voice disappeared, replaced by seriousness. ''He did not steal them as he stole mine. Miasma corrupted the aspects inside Elliott, slowly eroding their power over the world. Then, he assimilated those corrupted aspects.'' The idea of concepts was always difficult for him to understand. Each Remnant always explained the power they possessed differently and even gave roundabout details about them. It was confusing and challenging to reflect on. But, thanks to the source of Silka being inside him and Tetra''s source residing inside of him, he had a general idea of what these aspects actually were. But, only a Remnant could truly understand another one. ''So... what were his aspects?'' ''No idea.'' ''...'' The frown on his face slowly turned neutral. ''Well, that''s fine. Knowing wouldn''t have helped much anyway. What''s important is knowing that he was too preoccupied with Elliott to actually bother acting himself.'' ''We believed the assimilation would take place six years from now. After that, he got rid of Noah, possessed Elliott, and began to act on those heinous plans of his that took a thousand years to begin.'' The trunk of the giant tree began to reveal itself the moment Tetra finished speaking. *FUUUUUSH* A violent gust of wind pushed everyone as a giant creature flew close to them. A giant red dragon with three horns and majestic wings stopped in front of them, its eyes riveted on them. "What strange beings! Are those humans?" A voice Orion thought was similar entered his ears, as only a grunt was heard from Noah and Tetra. Unable to recall when he had heard this voice, he looked into the dragon''s eyes. "Hi." Orion greeted the dragon, who turned his head as if suddenly uninterested. But, the red dragon opened its eyes wide and abruptly looked at Orion. "You speak the dragons'' language?! Who are you?" An intense wave of hostility wafted upon him, which made Noah react. The vine stopped ascending as Tiohr-nam noticed the dragon getting too close to them. There was a possibility that his wings could break the vines. Feeling the familiar gaze of the dragon, Orion felt at ease. These were the same eyes he felt on the day he met Monolavir and Ruminona and entered the Ormrdivin. "It''s difficult to explain. I was blessed by a dragon and obtained the right to speak with your faction." At those words, the hostility disappeared from the dragon. "Either one of us flew somewhere unknown to the rest of us and made a friend, or you''ve met with our father. Either way, I have no reason to be hostile to you if you swear not to bother my kind." Orion nodded. "I have no reason to, and you have my word on it. I simply wanted to greet you." "I respect that demeanor." With one last grunt of approval, the giant dragon flapped its massive wings backward, distancing itself from the group, before flying back to the top of the tree. "I had heard you were friendly with the dragons, but this is still very impressive." Tetra responded while wiping the sweat from her forehead. They had no idea what the dragon said, but they understood that they weren''t prone to attack mindlessly, at the very least. Orion looked at Noah, who was still picturing the grand creature in his head. As their ascension continued, they entered the first patch of branches and leaves. Everything stretched to let them pass before returning to their original location. At one point, the vines stopped. The bark cracked in front of them, to Tetra''s surprise. "Wait, she''s seriously planning on revealing herself?! What happened?" Tiohr-nam was rarely showing her Avatar during this time, which was the reason for her bewilderment. A healthy, green-haired woman attached to the giant tree emerged from the bark and looked at Tetra. "Tia-Norun, my existence is not there to act as your transportation method." The first words that escaped the mouth of the familiar face were quite brutal. "I''m sorry. In normal circumstances, it would never happen." "This is a one-time thing, I believe." Speaking to the other Remnant with her head high, she explained. Right after, Tiohr-nam''s eyes scanned the two guests. "Noah, the first Hero. I never thought the day would come for us to meet." "The same could be said of me, Remnant of Life." They both respectfully greeted each other, leaving the conversation at that. "What truly stuns me is that other person you have brought with you, Tia-Norun." With a melancholic look, Orion couldn''t help but smile helplessly at the oblivious Tiohr-nam. "Hello." "..." The Avatar squinted slightly, focusing on Orion. "Who... are you exactly?" Suspicion arose in her mind before her expression relaxed. "This is probably not the best place to have a discussion. Would you mind meeting me at a later date?" "There is some incongruity I would like to discuss with you." This was precisely what Orion wanted. There was no way he would miss this opportunity. "My name is Orion. I''ll be sure to come and see you, as I have a question I would like to ask, too." The Avatar nodded before turning to Tetra. "Do not push your luck. Stay safe." With a worried frown, she made sure to warn her, but also Henrietta. "The corruption is slowly turning the land. I can feel it through my roots, and I can see it from up there." With a clear nod, Tetra eased up the worried Remnant. "That''s why those two are here. We''re going to aggressively defend our land." This time, Tiohr-nam nodded. "I will keep an eye on the land''s state. Come seek me at the base of the tree if you need me." Finishing the discussion, the Avatar returned inside the large tree, and the bark closed behind her. Slowly, the vines began to move down at a different angle. ... After ten minutes, the vines dropped the three at the base of the tree, inside a deep hole inside the mountain. Orion looked around and recognized the place. ''This was the entrance to the dragons'' nest.'' ''Yes...'' Tetra quickly answered him, knowing what this place actually hid. ''The roots formed the tunnels the dragon''s used as nests. Her first death, even though it was caused by my father, gave them a place to hide.'' ''Still, they could''ve continued to live at the peak of the tree, so I don''t know how to feel about that.'' Feeling the contradicting emotions in his heart, Orion decided to let them go. ''Anyway, let''s focus on what''s important.'' He turned this era''s Tetra, who walked toward a wall to the rightmost side of the tree. "Here we are..." With slight apprehension, she placed her hand on the wall. *Crack* The wall crumbled to dust as an opening appeared for the two Heroes. "Follow me." With a serious expression, Tetra pointed inside. Taken aback, Orion looked at Noah before they followed without a word. Deep inside the Talviera Mountain Range, far below the future nest of the dragons, the hideout of two Remnants finally opened, like a vault sealed for thousands of years. Chapter 430: The way to the hideout. The sound of footsteps echoed through the empty, inclined pathway. Three people walked in the darkness before Noah used his light element to see the path in front of them. Tetra wasn''t affected by the darkness because she knew the right path by heart at this point, but for the other two, it wasn''t the case. They walked for ten minutes until the path began to break down. Silently, the two Heroes followed behind Tetra, who ignored two of the paths and walked through the leftmost opening. Then, they continued to walk down the rocky passageway with no other change in direction. Until they arrived at a wall. "This looks like a dead end." Orion observed the wall intently. "Knowing them, this is most likely a faint." To that, Noah nodded. "I agree with you. This wall is pretty suspicious." His instinct was right. As soon as Tetra approached the wall, it dissipated into a thick mist and flowed further into the path. ''Correct.'' Inside his head, Tetra nodded in agreement. ''There''s still a lot to get through, so get ready to walk for quite some time.'' Giving a warning to Orion, she then stopped talking altogether. Orion could feel the conflicting feelings coming from her, but chose to remain silent about them. It wasn''t difficult to understand her perspective. A place she and Henrietta guarded for thousands of years in complete secrecy was being revealed to outsiders. As the group continued, they arrived at a large cave opening. "Is that water I''m hearing?" As soon as they walked deeper, Noah noticed the clear sound of running water. "I hear it too. It comes from that area." Pointing toward the water, Orion looked into the distance. Noah threw a ball of light toward the ceiling, which illuminated the entire cave. In the distance, a deep, eroded by water, fissure appeared. It was at least twenty meters wide, separating the two sides with crystalline waters. The large cavern had two openings. One behind them, leading back to where they had come from, and one in front of them, which led even deeper into the earth. "This way." Tetra suddenly turned toward the flowing water and, without another word, stopped inches away from falling into the water. "..." Without commenting on her weird behavior, they joined her. *Vuuuum*Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. A quiet sound akin to glass vibrating echoed when Tetra took a step into the air. At first, Orion thought that she was going to jump, but seeing her foot being illuminated by a strange magic and that it was floating into the air, he opened his eyes wide. Continuing unbothered, Tetra crossed the twenty meters effortlessly, as if she were walking on the same rocky path as before. Noah and Orion looked at each other before the former shrugged. "What can happen at this point?" "True." Side by side, the Heroes stepped into empty air and felt a solid texture where nothing was seen. Only the light around their feet and the sound of glass vibrating were confirmations of their safety. As Tetra arrived at the other side and glanced over her shoulder, she nodded at the two following without showing fear. Orion and Noah finally walked on the rocky ground, and Tetra continued forward. Again, she came face-to-face with a solid wall. Her finger drew a circle on the wall, which flashed for a second before turning into the symbol of a snake biting its own tail. ''This symbol...'' Pondering the symbol, he obtained an answer. ''This is Enri''s symbol as a Remnant. She never shows it, since she hates it.'' ''I see.'' Having obtained an answer, he let go of the matter. Again, the wall decayed into mist as the three walked through the arching entrance, reforming behind them. ... The entire place was a labyrinth. At times, Tetra stopped in the middle of a rocky passage, turned to a wall, and walked through it, leading them on another path. The entire cavern system was a defense mechanism for the Remnants inhabiting the underground of the Talviera Mountain Range. Tiohr-nam''s roots weren''t able to reach this place either, and no one in their sane mind would even attempt to search for them here. After a long stretch in the emptiness of the cavern system, they finally arrived at their goal. "A door?" Noah walked next to Tetra and stared at the door embedded into the wall. "We''ve arrived." With an apprehensive look, Tetra walked to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob. It was a simple wooden door in a large cave. There was no other doorway leading out apart from the one that brought them here. After hesitating for a brief instant, Tetra nodded to herself and turned the doorknob. *Creak* The old door squeaked as if it hadn''t been opened for a long time. In fact, that was the case. Even though Tetra remembered the exact path to arrive here, she had taken it only once before. Her memories of the path were perfectly preserved. "Enri..." As she opened the door, her eyes fell on her friend, who slowly turned her head to meet her. "Tetra. Good work bringing them here." Walking inside the dimly lit room, Tetra nodded. A few seconds later, Orion and Noah entered before they closed the door behind them. The first thing Orion did was look at Henrietta. ''She''s looking rather pale.'' ''Hmm~'' Confirming his thoughts, Tetra agreed. After a brief silence, she continued. ''She''s afraid. Her eyes are anchored on you.'' He already knew that. It was one thing to trust him, but another to actually make him come to their hideout. ''I''ll be careful not to aggravate her.'' ''Please do.'' Making sure not to move further than necessary, Orion quietly waited. "So, this is where we meet again." Noah walked between him and Henrietta, catching her attention. The expression on his face was a forceful smile. He tried to alleviate the heaviness in the room by becoming the center of attention. "Noah, I''m sorry, but would you mind sitting over there for a moment?" Henrietta ignored his attempt and pointed at a chair on the other side of the table. "I tried." With a shrug, he walked to the place he was instructed to go. "I suppose it''s between us?" Orion asked with a faint smile. There was no mockery in it, which Henrietta noticed. "This was a very difficult choice to make." She began to talk, her eyes deeply fixated on his body. "Yet, the fact that you knew about my power was the reason for this meeting." "I understand. I came here ready to answer any questions you might have about a range of things that wouldn''t impact this era." Without moving an inch, he watched as Tetra walked next to Henrietta. "We get that you aren''t hostile to us. That''s not why we are carefully examining you. It''s the fact that you clearly know more about us than you should." Henrietta crossed her arms and continued with a severe frown. "Even if it were true that you protected us in the future, there are things I wouldn''t say openly to anyone besides Tetra." "For example... the way my powers as a Remnant work." He could see the suspicion in her eyes. "Orion." His eyes flickered at the sudden call, knowing that what she was about to say was important. "I am unable to see a single piece of information about you." Touching the book lying open on the table, she grabbed it and carefully held it from below to show a page. On it was the name ''Orion Feales'', which was the only information he had given. But, everything on the page was a blank slate. "You have no future, Orion. At least, in this era, your existence is..." His eyes drifted to the white page. "Invalid..." This was difficult to accept. Whatever Orion was about to do in the future, nothing would matter, as his actions would be unable to affect the course of history. ''In a way, that''s a relief.'' Closing his eyes, a faint smile formed at the corner of his mouth, rapidly disappearing as quickly as it came. ''You won''t have to fear affecting the past, but still, be careful.'' ''We have no idea if this could change.'' In his head, Tetra''s voice warned him once again. "I made you come all this way, so please, answer my question." Henrietta leaned forward, making Orion nod in response. "Like I said, I''ll answer anything I am capable of." She nodded and went straight for it. "Where did you learn about my power? I am unable to believe Tetra was foolish enough to provide you that information freely." "Did you steal some of her memories?" Shock appeared on his face. "No, of course not. That wouldn''t even cross my mind." Orion honestly answered without even thinking about it. "I suppose you aren''t lying. You weren''t possibly lying when you stated that she was family to you, so this I can trust." The emotions on his face showed that he truly couldn''t believe this was a possibility. "Then... I have only one guess." Standing up from her chair, she ignored Tetra next to her and approached Orion. The fear in her eyes was as plain as day, but she still came closer. Stopping right in front of him, she asked the most unexpected question that even O rion wasn''t expecting. "You and Tetra... were a thing?" His brain was entirely shut down at the end of those words. ''...'' Inside Orion''s core, the future Tetra blanked out. ''Huh?'' The words finally registered in both of them. "What did you say?" Chapter 431: The Remnant of Loves changes. Orion''s entire body froze, as his brain failed to process the question. With his mouth wide open, he blinked. "Enri?! What are you implying by that?!" Shouting with bewilderment, Tetra walked to her friend and pointed at Orion. "There''s no way you really said that, right?" "..." Henrietta glanced over at her discombobulated friend, repeating her sentence more clearly. "I asked if, in the future, you and Orion were a couple." "Ugh..." Tetra grabbed her head in shame and crouched. "AaaaAaaaAaah!" With indescribable feelings conflicting inside her, she ruffled her long, pink hair. "I see. That makes sense." On the other side of the table, Noah nodded while he placed his right hand on his chin. "No it doesn''t!" Shocked that Noah agreed with Henrietta, Tetra glared at him with her hair utterly disheveled. He smirked at her, only to stay quiet. "This is awful! Why are you doing this to me, Enri?" Looking up at her, Tetra appeared very disappointed. Answering her, Henrietta glanced toward Orion, who was recovering from the sudden question. "You should know, as the Remnant that controls the concept of ''Love'', that it is difficult to hold information to those close to us." "I would never speak of my power to anyone apart from you. It only left one culprit, who knows about me and could carelessly spread the word if asked." Tetra suddenly stood up and glared at Henrietta. "Even if I were to go out with him, there''s no way I would betray you like that, and you know it!" Squinting her eyes, Henrietta asked. "..." "Are you entirely sure it wouldn''t happen?" Glancing toward Noah, the two knew exactly what it entailed. "I... can''t guarantee anything." With a defeated expression, Tetra''s shoulders dropped. "That''s why I asked. Now, I just need confirmation." Looking toward Orion, Henrietta crossed her arms. At that point, Orion was ready to answer her. "No. It wasn''t the case." Inside of him, Tetra sighed. ¡ª A few moments before, while Tetra was having a fit about the whole situation. ''You... and me? Together...'' Orion froze. This never crossed his mind because his relationship with her was barely one of friendship. Before coming to this era, they were in a beneficial relationship, helping each other out. But since finding themselves together in the same body and after going through an endless amount of time together in the ''Corridors of Time'', they never realized that their relationship had changed to something else. ''It wasn''t the case. There''s no reason for me to lie about it.'' Instantly coming back to his senses, he internally nodded without even asking for Tetra''s opinion. ''W-Wait! This might be our chance!''This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Suddenly, before Orion could focus back on reality, Tetra caught his attention. ''What are you saying now? What chance are you talking about?'' This wasn''t a very pleasant discussion for him at the moment. Orion wanted to correct Henrietta as fast as possible to avoid this misunderstanding from going further. ''If you agree with her statement, you can use it to justify your knowledge about her! It won''t make her suspicious about me being alive inside of you!'' She tried, ignoring her own thoughts on the subject, to force Orion to switch his opinion on the matter. ''I get your point.'' Orion appeared to give serious thought to her idea. ''Then-'' ''No.'' He gave her the most painful refusal she had ever heard. ''But... wait!'' As if her throat had been pierced by an object, she couldn''t find the words to stop him from speaking the truth. ''I will not lie about us. This could alter how you see me when we return and even affect your current relationship with Noah.'' ''There''s no use lying to Henrietta now because you know it will return to bite us later.'' He was right. The memories of this era were somehow blocked from flowing back to their future selves, but at one point, they would come to remember what had happened. Henrietta would not appreciate being lied to, and Orion wasn''t about to get on the wrong side of his mother-in-law. ''Orion! Don''t...'' But he ignored her. ''Tetra.'' ''...'' He internally sighed as his choice was made. ''We are not a couple. You can''t simply go with the flow every time.'' She knew he was right, but this was the perfect opportunity for her for two reasons. The first was what she had stated before. It was the perfect excuse to avoid Henrietta questioning his comprehension of her Remnant power. While the second reason was incredibly personal. Tetra wanted to let go of her feelings about Noah. * The Remnant of ''Space'' and ''Time'' were also the Remnant of ''Love''. Her love was the strongest and the heaviest of all. It was so strong that even she found it difficult to control. Tetra was normally easy to be with. There were very few ways to get her angry, but love was one. She could only get furious for one reason: if someone she loved came in danger. Noah was the subject of her love in the past, but as she saw him die with her own eyes, she knew she could never be acknowledged. To worsen the situation, she had learned that Noah had a family. There was no future where these two could be together. So, instead, she turned her eyes to Orion. He wasn''t the same as Noah, but their figures were strangely similar in her eyes. When she looked at Orion, she could sense the start of a growing feeling. Orion was kind, like Noah. Orion was smart, like Noah. Orion was strong, like Noah. Those thoughts slowly replaced and rewrote the entirety of her perception. Slowly, she was trying to turn her love to another man. Even if he never asked for it. * "If you weren''t a couple, then I have no clue how you obtained this information. In my eyes, you are suspicious." Henrietta frowned at Orion''s answer. "I heard you speak about your power once. I believe it was a moment of weakness after we''d met for the first time." The expression on her face hardened, showing her lack of trust. "Me? A moment of weakness?" "Yes." Orion nodded, determined to give her the full explanation. "When we met, you were in a terrible state of mind. You''ve told us that it took you hundreds of thousands of tries to arrive at this timeline, which had eaten at your psyche massively." Her expression softened as she pondered. "I can believe you. I am already feeling the pressure building inside of me..." With a nod, Orion continued. "That''s when you''ve explained the entire notion of your Remnant power." This was partially true, but also a lie. Henrietta never explained anything more than her role as a Remnant and how she went back in history countless times through Tetra''s sacrifice. "Hmm~" Henrietta turned around and sat on her chair, crossed her legs, and heavily pondered. Tetra, on the side, coughed and rearranged her messy hair and clothes before joining Noah. Orion approached Henrietta, who appeared to have relaxed around him. "Before I make the final decision, I need to ask you something else." She asked this softly. "Yes?" Glancing up, her eyes froze on him. "What do you actually plan to do?" Surprised, Orion stayed silent. "I understand you chose to follow Noah to self-improve and have him as a clear example to reproduce." "But apart from that, have you thought about actually doing something in this era?" Her words carried a tone of true inquiry. "..." Orion had been thinking a lot since arriving here. He had a precise goal in mind, which he wanted to successfully implement when the time was right. He bent his body forward and approached his mouth near her right ear. Whispering quietly, he told her what he was planning to do. (----) (----) Henrietta''s expression stiffened. (----) "!" The shock on her face displayed the disbelief she felt. "You can''t be serious?" Seeing the determined expression on his face, she swallowed her words. "No. Of course, you are. That truly is the way of thinking of a Hero." Returning to her senses, she raised a finger to her lower lip. "What you said, is that true?" "It is." After a few seconds, she finally nodded and gave her final answer. "In that case, I will accept you two using this place as a base. Like Tetra explained earlier, we will stop being observers and actually do something about this situation." "Heh?!" Tetra exclaimed suddenly, caught off-guard while she was happily discussing a random topic with Noah. "Interesting. That opens up many windows of opportunity for us." Noah nodded while also reflecting on the new piece of information he received. "From now on, Tetra will send you to the locations under attack and bring you back here afterward." "That would be incredibly useful." He turned to Tetra, stood up, and thanked her. "Thank you in advance, Tia." "N-No problem." Tetra, unable to gather herself, stuttered in front of his enthusiasm. Then, Henrietta turned to Orion. "You will stay here for a while." "Huh?" Confused, Orion blinked. "Why?" Again, Henrietta turned to Tetra. "We need to do something about that swelling power inside of you. You can''t control your unique element anymore, correct?" With a nod, Orion asked a simple question. "Do you believe that a new element exists?" With a smirk, she glanced at him. "I believe what a Hero says because common sense doesn''t apply to any of you." Orion recalled Amelia''s words, which also criticized his lack of common sense, multiple times during their journey. Glad to have recalled a piece of his past, Orion smiled faintly. "Sure. I''ll listen to you, then." With that said, the safe haven of Henrietta and Tetra became the command center of this new force, ready to remove any attacks coming from Miasma. A new goal appeared for Orion, and it was to regain control over his void element, which was being interfered with by Miasma. Chapter 432: Visible to the Trees eyes. A week had passed since the Remnants'' hideout became a command center for the Heroes. The one who walked in and out of the place was Noah. His mission continued, defending the people in need from total destruction. While the enemies were stronger than they should have supposedly been, Noah had also powered up greatly through the ''Elemental Mastery.'' Compared to Orion, who went through the dark ''Elemental Mastery'', Noah was only able to merge with the light element. Still, his control only grew stronger. The fights were rapidly settled with no problem whatsoever, even without Orion. While Noah was away, Orion stayed with Henrietta and Tetra, focusing on releasing his void element from the interfering energy. Outside the women''s room used to monitor Noah throughout his journey, Orion built a resting place for him and Noah, with elements Tetra brought him, such as wood. But before focusing on overcoming the blockage, Orion had something to do. ¡ª "Tetra, could I ask for a favor?" The same day Orion faced Henrietta, he walked to Tetra and asked her something. "A favor..." "Sure. What do you need?" She wasn''t used to Orion, but she tried to be friendly either way. With a nod, Orion explained. "Would it be possible to send me to Tiohr-nam''s base?" After pondering for a second, she made an O-shape with her mouth. "Oh! The matter she wanted to discuss with you. Sure, I can do that." With a neutral expression, she stood up from her seat next to Henrietta and walked next to Orion. "I''ll monitor you to see if anything goes wrong." Her eyes glued to the water stuck in the center of the table, Henrietta told him. A small frown on his face, Orion thought. "Could you avoid doing that?" "..." Slowly, Henrietta glanced at him. The expression on his face was the same. "Sure. From the looks of it, it is a sensitive topic. It''s not like we listen to everything Noah talks about, either." Confirming that she would respect his privacy this time, Orion smiled warmly. "Thank you. It''s something that could be very problematic if other people knew about it. Since it''s related to my time, I especially can''t have you two hear it." This time, it was Tetra''s turn to frown. "That''s suspicious. Don''t you trust us?" But Henrietta was the one to add something. "This is most likely related to you. Don''t be a pain and simply listen to him."This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. "Related to me?" Looking at Orion, she noticed that he had actually never looked her in the eyes after asking for a favor. "This is about my power inside of him, right?" "Most likely. There is information that could actually change the course of history. Some things should be kept hidden unless certain they would not interfere." The two women nodded to each other, which made Tetra relax. ''I had no idea I was so on edge at this time. No wonder Enri kept being on my case 24/7.'' Orion could understand it too. Compared to the Tetra he knew, this past version was strangely acting. Nonetheless, Tetra began to move at the end of the conversation. "Alright, let''s move then. Enri, I''m coming back in a few minutes." "I''ll have made something for you to drink when you return." "Thanks." With that conversation concluded, the space in front of Orion began to warp. ''This feeling... Still as nauseating as ever.'' His face showed no cramps or displeasure, but his stomach was slightly churned around from the feeling. ''But it''s not so bad anymore, right? After being inside the ''Corridors of Time'' for so long, there''s no way you would feel sickened by it.'' ''That''s true.'' As his vision began to stabilize, the scenery changed from the Remnant''s room to the opening inside the Talviera Mountains, where Tiohr-nam''s massive body overlooked the entire continent. "Give me a moment, and I''ll leave." "I know. Take your time." Hearing the exhausted voice of the pink-haired woman next to him, Orion nodded before approaching her. "Noah''s not here, so you don''t have to force yourself to look good." He placed his hand on her back and rubbed it up and down. Tetra always had to pay a price for using her power, and warping around caused her to feel sick for a moment. This was a topic he knew about from a discussion with her in the future. That''s why she was thankful for Orion and his portals, which made her life easier. "Thank you. Still, knowing that you even know about my weaknesses, which only Enri knows, feels strange." Orion kept gently rubbing her back while adding something. "In the future, more people will come to know about you and your powers. They are all kind-hearted people and will accept everything you throw at them." "Really?" She straightened up, having recovered her composure. "Without a shadow of a doubt, it''ll happen. Even you can have the happy life you desire." He avoided saying something, but another voice completed his sentence without any shred of sadness in it. ''Without Noah, though.'' ''...'' Orion silently noticed the acceptance growing inside his time''s Tetra. ''And I need to get revived too! Damn it, I had forgotten that I''m actually dead!'' Her booming voice almost made Orion chuckle, but he managed to keep it sealed. Since Tetra''s soul was ''alive'' inside Orion, she had forgotten about her body being souless at this moment. As the past Tetra pondered his words, he talked to the one in his core. ''Tiohr-nam will be able to put you back in your body. She said she could revive a Remnant if she had their soul.'' ''It''ll go even better since we have your body waiting for you, intact.'' Compared to Silka, whose body had actually perished and would be reborn as a new entity because his last magic container cracked, Tetra was in an entirely different situation. "I believe that you came from the future. That much is obvious." Suddenly, he was brought back to reality when the past Tetra opened her mouth. "But is it alright to give me hope like this? What if it never happens?" "Then I wouldn''t be here talking to you. Remember, we are family. Maybe not now, but in the future, we will be." "..." The words were unable to leave her throat. Without speaking another word, she warped back to Henrietta, leaving Orion alone in the empty, open-sky cavern. "Well..." Taking a look around, Orion walked toward the base of the Tree of Life. "Here I am." He stopped in front of a massive root breaking through the ground and, with a push of his legs, jumped on top of it. As he sat down, the tree''s bark began to crack, revealing the Avatar from inside. Observing this familiar event, Orion patiently waited for her to be ready to talk. "Good. I see that you have held your side of the promise." As her hair settled behind her back and her mossy green eyes opened up, her clear, womanly voice echoed in the surrounding emptiness. With a nod, Orion acknowledged her words. "We have a few topics to discuss." To that, Tiohr-nam nodded. "In that case..." Her green eyes flashed, revealing the leaf sigil inside them. The next moment, Orion felt his subconscious being dragged out. Knowing what this feeling entailed, he closed his eyes. ... "We can talk without having eavesdroppers in here. Right..." As Orion opened his eyes slowly, he noticed someone else in front of him. "Tia-Norun?" "..." Surprised by the sudden call, he looked at the back of her friend, who was looking at her hands in shock. "I look a bit transparent." With a grin that she was unable to contain, she turned to Orion with a beaming smile. "You sure do." The smile on his face was one of relief. "Haha~" Her body was entirely see-through. Her state as a fleeting soul was represented perfectly in front of Orion and Tiohr-nam, who glared with intensity at her. Yet, she waited for the two to end their small talk. "I knew the matter of souls wouldn''t escape the Remnant of Life." Tetra turned to Tiohr-nam with an expression the Avatar had never seen from her before. "You... Are you really Tia-Norun?" With confusion painted across her entire face, the Avatar bent forward. "What? Have you never seen someone happy before? That''s rude, you know?" Crossing her arms, Tetra walked to the tree, alone in the vast space of green grass, swaying peacefully. "So, you really are Tia-Norun. I have felt the incongruity of two similar souls next to each other, but I was not expecting another one to exist at the same time as the other." Orion walked next to Tetra and immediately explained the situation to the tree. ... "I see. Since I will lose a container at some point, I will have my memories altered." "That is why I am the only one you can talk to about this." With a terrible frown on her face, the Avatar gazed at the sky. Telling her this wasn''t troublesome. After thinking deeply about the matter, he gathered that the Remnant of Life, from his knowledge alone, wouldn''t be willing to reveal what he would say to anyone. Even if she were to learn the truth from his mouth, the world would arrange itself and make her forget when Reon would destroy her first magical container. But, he wasn''t expecting to see Tetra again, who was stuck in his core. "Two Tia-Norun, one from our present and one from the future. This is difficult to imagine, but the fact that you are standing there as a soul is irrefutable." "Right?" Tiohr-nam frowned. "Are you not overly familiar with me? I cannot imagine us being on such good terms, even in the future." They weren''t strangers, but they weren''t friends either. They were comrades sharing the same fate, but that was all. "We will share the same home in the future. You''ve also mellowed a lot." "Ugh..." The Avatar laid her back against the rough bark, looking exhausted. "I never thought speaking with someone from the future would be this... painful." She removed one arm from the bark, which was covered in a green moss, and rubbed the part between her eyes. "Alright, let''s get to the other matt er that we have not discussed." Putting the matter of them coming from the future, Tiohr-nam continued. "Orion, would you kindly explain to me why there is a bridge between your soul and mine?" His eyes opened wide. "That''s precisely what I wanted to ask you." Chapter 433: Humanity hates him once more. "You wanted to ask me about this? So you know the reason for this strange situation?" Tiohr-nam leaned forward, her face showing a weird emotion of enthusiasm, uncharacteristic of the Remnant. "I do. I needed to know if you were aware of it in this era. It is strange that it is active at this time, as this was made in the future." Pondering his words, the Avatar brought her free hand to her chin. "From your words, it means that this ''pact'' was made by me voluntarily." Orion nodded. "It was." Relief appeared on the Remnant''s face. "Then I can relax. I was afraid a stranger had managed to create a bridge between us in order to siphon my energy." This time, Orion shook his head. "I had to swallow a..." Recalling the scene, he frowned. "A seed to aid in your recovery at the time. You were close to death, so I had no choice but to agree to help you." "Right." Thinking of the possibility, she thought. "The only reason I would do such a thing is if the person were trustworthy and had a giant pool of magic energy inside their core." "And, from a single glance..." Her eyes shone brightly green. Tiohr-nam glanced at Orion''s information, which was a privilege reserved for the master of life and her offspring. "I have trouble seeing the details concerning you, but one thing I can be certain of is that you bear the title of Hero, which is a confusing occurrence." Most of Orion''s status was hidden by noise. The only clear pieces of information were his name, one of his world titles, and his abilities. "I can trust someone who wields the title of Hero rightfully." With the same haughty tone that she used the first time they met in the fairy realm, Orion faintly smiled. This made him recall many moments that he had forgotten. As Tiohr-nam continued to explain that Orion was trustworthy and that she understood why she created the bridge between them, which existed strangely in the past too, Orion looked at his hands. Tetra glanced at him, feeling the changes in his being. ''He''s growing compassion in his heart?'' Confused, she lifted her right eyebrow. These changes were rapidly formatting Orion into a new person, and she was in the front row to see him evolve. ''This entire journey into the past is only the beginning. I don''t think I will be able to return home anytime soon.''You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. Thinking of his family, he recalled the six years remaining before Noah faced off with Miasma. During those six years, Orion was determined to be someone entirely different. He would become a true Hero, being the Noah of his era. To become the most powerful and forgiving man to support his world. And the first step to achieving this was... To recover his power. ¡ª After having his discussion with Tiohr-nam and having asked her to keep the future Tetra a complete secret from others, they were released by the Tree of Life. Without speaking a word, he made his way back alone to the Remnants'' hideout, trying to bring even an ounce of the void magic out. Tetra tried to help him while using her power of ''Space and Time'' but was unsuccessful, just like him. Miasma had managed to block their power. But while walking on top of the underground river, where his feet walked on empty air, he recalled something. "The curse!" "Why have I not thought of this before?!" His eyes opened wide as the memories of various events played back in his head. ''I thought you got rid of it?'' Confused, she asked him. Placing his hand on his chest, Orion frowned. "During our showdown, I might''ve inhaled a large amount of corruption, which revived his curse." "I am certain of it. That''s why his hold on our power combined is strong, and that''s probably how he managed to know I had returned." ''Which also means...'' With a terrible frown, Orion nodded at her words and answered. "That humanity hates me..." "Unless I get rid of this corruption inside of me, we won''t be able to gather any power at all." The curse placed on Orion by Miasma was the most powerful affliction possible for those resistant to his corruption. Those under this affliction were subjected to the unbridled hatred of those under the effect of corruption. What made him certain of that were the memories of his first time in Hocride as he passed the corrupted forces of Ivan and during the invasion of Julian''s forces during the siege of Albriar. All corrupt humans within a twenty-meter radius were drawn to Orion and showed even more savagery, as if these mindless husks were tasked with eliminating him on sight. Orion understood why it was made to work like that. "His plan was for me to never assist humanity... This was smart because it worked." He clenched his black shirt while clenching his other hand strongly. "I''ve been played, cheated, and manipulated." Anger at himself flowed in his eyes. ''You had no idea. Though, I think you wouldn''t have cared anyway, even if you had known.'' Tetra was more down-to-earth during these moments, knowing full well that Orion''s hatred for humans wasn''t something that would be resolved so easily. Only after making peace with Elliott was he able to alleviate the fury in his core. "You''re right. Why did it take me so long to realize that I had been hurting others all along?" Seeing his reflection in the current under his feet, he reprimanded himself. ''That is not important.'' Suddenly, Tetra began to show frustration. ''Stop being a stick in the mud, and think for a second.'' "..." He closed his mouth and listened. ''Do you think those ladies followed you because of that hatred?'' ''Maybe you think they weren''t attached to you that much?'' Orion blinked furiously, shaking his head vigorously. "No, of course not! This never crossed my mind." ''Then it''s totally irrelevant!'' Slightly peeved, Tetra shouted, which made Orion wince at the high-pitched voice. ''Sure, I get it. Your entire goal was to get revenge on your parents'' fate and to bring peace to those lost angels and demons.'' ''But what about now?'' ''Do you really think that by turning into a wimpy brat, it will make you stronger?'' Orion opened his eyes wide in utter shock. "Me?! A wimpy brat?!" He was lucky he had asked Henrietta not to watch over him because she would have thought that he was crazy, talking to himself. ''That''s what you''ve been doing for a while! I understand that you miss your family, but instead of looking fondly at those memories, use the energy as a catalyst for returning home!'' Letting out a sigh, Orion relaxed. "No one ever called me a wimpy brat. That took the wind out of my sails..." With a frustrated smile, he let go of the feelings Tetra pointed out. "Just so you know, I also feel down occasionally, like everyone else. It doesn''t mean I am like this all the time." ''Oh.'' Embarrassed, Tetra''s tone returned to normal. ''I was sure the loneliness was starting to eat at you.'' Walking toward the other side of the flowing river, he smiled. "How can I feel lonely when I have you with me?" Inadvertently, he spoke the words Tetra wanted to hear the most. This made the woman gasp before turning her all quiet. "Hmm?" Seeing that his friend turned all quiet, he continued on the right path. Then, he talked to himself, knowing she was listening to his words. "I have been thinking a lot recently, and I''m sure you''ve noticed." The sound of his footsteps echoed inside the empty cave. "About what I went through in just a few months." Without considering the months passed in Horizon during the time dilation and the entire moment inside the ''Corridors of Time'', the journey he went through began halfway through spring. The conclusion of his journey ended two months into the autumnal season. "These months were the most egregious part of my life. I''m not talking about meeting any of you, of course." "Living constantly under the pressure of having to get stronger was... very taxing on my mind. If not for everyone, I would''ve succumbed to those emotions a long time ago." He walked forward with a regular cadence, unbothered by the weight his words carried for Tetra. "Me, you, Henrietta... We''re all the same. The amount of pressure on our shoulders is downright outrageous, and it is to wonder how we survived so far." "But, from what I''ve begun to realize recently..." The words leaving his mouth were also confirming his thoughts out loud after racking his brain incessantly. "It is that this is an experience I need to reflect upon. We all do." "You have to also think about what went wrong and bring closure to yourself. Henrietta, who, I hope, is fine, also needs to reflect on what happened to you." Oblivious to the events happening in his time, he recalled his friends. "We all need to focus on the months we lived together and push forward." "Relying on you and Henrietta to create the perfect future shouldn''t have been a thing to begin with." His footsteps stopped as he looked into the dark opening to his left. "The ones who must write the future..." Disappearing into the darkness, his voice echoed. "Are us." Inside his core, the feeble void element trembled, ready to support its master through thick and thin. Chapter 434: Attempting to remove the curse. After the ordeal with Tiohr-nam was finished, the week flashed by as Orion and both Tetra tried to free the power of the void element from the curse Miasma placed on him. His determination to break free was entirely renewed, and his will to change only grew with each passing day. When Noah was here, he focused on observing him and talking to him, and when he was away fighting the hordes of corrupt beasts, Orion was working on freeing the void element. "This fucking corruption!" The past Tetra, with her right hand on Orion''s back, cursed loudly. "You''ve said that at least ten times already." Henrietta, observing Orion in case of a change occurring in him, sat with her arms folded to her chest while her legs crossed comfortably. Sporadically, she glanced into the water inside the table to watch over Noah. Orion, who was making a frustrated expression with his eyes closed, was standing perfectly still. "But Enri! I can''t even feel the source inside his body. There''s this strange wall blocking my magic." After explaining to them the source of the problem, it became easier to find the reason behind his struggle. From this era''s Tetra''s standpoint, she was unable to even feel the magic inside Orion. His magical veins were completely dried up, and a choke point appeared near the core, where the flow of magic originated. An entangled knot of corrupted energy blocked any attempt at revitalizing his magic system. At least, that was what Tetra managed to learn after multiple attempts. "I know. You keep repeating the same things again and again. This is something only you can do, so stop complaining." Henrietta looked at her with a frown, showing that she was done with her constant complaining. While Tetra was trying to find a way to his core, Orion and the future Tetra were focusing on trying to breach through from within. ''This is sickening.'' A nauseating feeling was pulling Orion from within. ''Suck it up. We have to free your canals, or you''ll never be able to use magic again.'' ''I know, I''m just saying it.'' They had tried this more than ten times, with no results whatsoever. Even though they had failed every time, the failures did not pressure them. They knew it wouldn''t be as simple as it was before. Even Noah was unable to help him. ¡ª "I won''t be able to do it." "Why?" Tetra asked for his help at one point. As they talked in front of Henrietta and Orion, everyone heard his response. "Orion, you said that you could purify corruption with light magic before, right?" Answering with a nod, Orion knew where this was going. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "I also know you''ve used your light magic to heal any injuries for you and your friends." Again, he nodded. Then, Noah turned to Tetra. "I can''t do any of that." "We both used the light element very differently. I use it mainly as a weapon. The most I can do is heal myself, it seems, and I can''t control it." With a faint frown, he stared at her. "I had no idea the light element could act as a weakness for the corruption before Orion explained it to me, so I fear I''ll damage his core if I try to control the output while erasing only the corruption." ¡ª So, Orion and Tetra were left dealing with it together. ''I know I''ve depended a lot on those elements, but to see how powerless I''ve become without them is quite disheartening.'' ''You''re right. I never thought about it either before¡ª how grateful I was to have a body.'' They were both missing a part of themselves, which brought them closer to each other. "Aaah~ I''m done!" Tired, the Remnant threw the towel again. "Thank you for the help." Orion opened his eyes and stretched while thanking Tetra, who sat next to Henrietta with a dissatisfied expression. "I don''t understand how it is possible to be alive and sentient with this amount of corruption inside you." "..." Orion sat on the opposite side of the table. "For that, I have some suspicions about the reason." "Is that something related to Nature?" Henrietta turned toward Tetra with a nod of confirmation. "I think it''s a perk of the Hero title." To that, Orion shook his head. "I don''t think it has any clear link to the title." "Oh? Why is that?" Genuinely curious, Henrietta glanced in his direction. "I remember the moment you''ve disclosed a few failures you went through. One of them, and I think it happened multiple times, was me falling for corruption." "My ally... Amelia had to kill me..." The face she made wasn''t pretty, showing a mixture of guilt and anger. "I see. Then there is something else at play." Her expression relaxed as she pondered the reason. ''It''s not that complicated. You have a high immunity to corruption after constantly purifying your body.'' Tetra gave her opinion in his head before the other Tetra shrugged. "Doesn''t he simply have an inhuman resistance to corruption?" Orion turned to the other soul inside him. ''It''s incredible how you two share the same wavelength.'' ''Haha~ Well, we''re the same person.'' Watching Henrietta slowly turn to her friend with a judging expression, Orion kept quiet as she opened her mouth to say something. But, to everyone''s surprise, Henrietta stopped moving, closed her mouth, and simply stared at Tetra. "You know what? I think you might be correct. I was about to say that what you had said was the most stupid thing I had ever heard, but every so often, the most common answer is the correct one." Due to her sudden change, Tetra felt confused. "I''m not that stupid. You always say that, but it''s you who''s too smart." "You very rarely ask for my output on anything." The two looked at each other as if they were strangers. "Tia." Suddenly, they heard a voice coming from the center of the table. "Oh, shoot. I haven''t paid attention to Noah!" Tetra suddenly stood up and warped to his location. "That woman... I swear, she only lives and breathes for him." A melancholic expression appeared on her face as she looked into the water, seeing the image of her friend happily chatting with Noah. "There''s nothing I can do for her..." Her face was evident to Orion. Henrietta went through several retries already, and each time, she saw her friend suffer from Noah sacrificing himself. "We both know what is going to happen, and yet, we''re locked, trying infinitely to create a future where everyone can be happy." She tapped her fingers on the table, gazing at Orion. "Have you been attempting to write history because of Tetra?" Orion had to ask, as it was a question he had never asked her before. Seeing her openly mention the matter, he thought that the time was perfect to ask. Her eyes ventured left and right, aimlessly wandering across the room. "She''s my friend. As dumb as she might sound and act, she''s the only person I have left in this world." ''...'' Oblivious to the future Tetra listening from inside Orion, she revealed things she would never speak out loud to her. ''So she really thinks I''m idiotic...'' Yet, Orion could feel the genuine joy and relief in her voice. "It''s obvious Noah actively avoids her advances, and she''s too blinded by her ''love'' to see it for what it truly is. Even if I tried telling her otherwise, she never listened to me." This implied that she tried multiple times to make Tetra let go of her feelings, and she was unsuccessful each time. "And it seems I am the same." She frowned while speaking. ''What? She''s in love? I never felt it.'' ''Listen quietly.'' Telling Tetra to stay quiet, Orion added what he felt was the real subject of her last sentence. "You''re trapped trying to change ''Fate'', am I right?" She nodded silently, to Tetra''s disappointment. ''Oh... that. Of course.'' Orion sighed quietly, which made Tetra instantly turn silent afterward. "I think all of us Remnants are bound by our power to some extent. We depend on them to resolve our greatest struggles." "We''ll never be free of this constant struggle because that''s what makes us Remnants." But Orion felt otherwise. "I had an inkling about the Remnants'' powers. I assume, like you do, that you are unable to influence much of your power." "To begin with, no one should be able to wield power capable of affecting the world as easily as you do. That''s why you have terrible consequences for each use." Henrietta was the one with the fewest effects happening to her, but in hindsight, she was the one with the worst mental state of all, enduring the countless attempts to rewrite the story of the world. On the other side, Tetra endured constant sickness and internal damage each time she used her power, depending on the range of energy used. "That''s why I believe it would be better for you to depend on others more. You should use me more to achieve your goal." "Use you..." From her expression, he noticed reluctance. "Not in the sense of taking advantage of me. I can act in your place and send the timeline on the right path." "Since you are constantly blocked by the same result, we need to try something different. Isn''t that what I was implying the other day?" She nodded. "I understand what you are saying. It''s simply... difficult to change my way of doing things after all of it alone." He knew how stubborn she was. Amelia was the same, not budging when she wanted to. "Enri." Suddenly, Tetra returned alone. "Tetra, where''s Noah?" Rapidly returning to her natural state, she moved her eyes to the pink-haired Remnant. "You did not listen through the water?" "I was busy discussing something with Orion." "In that case, it''ll be simple. I''m taking Orion with me." Surprised, Orion looked at her and asked the reason. "Why do you need me?" "Noah requested that you come." She walked around the table and grabbed his shoulder. "We''re going to Eogis." As she finis hed her sentence, Tetra warped to where Noah was with Orion. "Right. Parts of the village had been destroyed." Looking into the perfectly still water at the center of the table, she noticed four children behind Noah. "More orphans... What a terrible world." Chapter 435: Bad Curiosity. As Orion''s vision stabilized after being forcefully warped to a different place, he noticed five hazy figures in front of him. "Noah, I brought him along, just like you''ve asked." Tetra''s cheery tone could be easily noticed. "Thank you, Tia." "No problem!" Orion felt a little dizzy still, but after just a second, he felt better. Observing his surroundings, he carefully placed his location on the map, thanks to the mountains and the tree. ''If Tiohr-nam is in the north, then...'' From a glance, he couldn''t see the similarities with the present time. ''Are we in a marsh? Nothing like this exists in our time.'' The area was a humid and damp place, where boots sank in the mud. Large pools of muddy water, submerged trees, and unusual fauna were revealing themselves to Orion. After looking at the Tree of Life a second time to be certain, Orion understood. He was standing on the western side of the continent, where the land was to meet with Eogis thousands of years later. Focusing his eyesight on the western horizon, he could discern the faint line of blue that was the Carmel Sea. ''This area underwent a complete turnover once the lands merged.'' Confirming his inquiry, Tetra sounded like she was nodding. As quickly as he began to look around, he noticed the half-destroyed village of humans, still fuming from the distance. ''So Noah was still unable to protect everyone.'' Hearing Orion''s neutral tone, Tetra gave her opinion on the matter. ''That''s how it was. It appears that, even with my prescience, there is no way to change the actual events.'' ''I noticed that my visions were slightly delayed this time, probably to counter the fact that Noah can appear on the spot instantly.'' It made sense to Orion. Like Henrietta said, ''Fate'' corrected history, as only one straight path existed for it. ''Then... What does that make me, exactly?'' Keeping that thought to himself, he pondered. Orion was the only one to have fought against ''Fate'', and won. His life was on a path no one, not even the world, knew about. His story was being written as he walked through the land. "Noah, those children..." Keeping a neutral expression, Orion turned his face away from the village and looked at the four children by his side. Three boys and a girl. "They are the orphans of this catastrophe." With a stiff frown, Noah looked at them. One of the children was a baby, wrapped in a thick cloth. The oldest of the boys, who appeared to be in his teens, held the baby girl in his arms. They weren''t blood related but had suffered the same fate, which was the loss of their families. This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. The other two boys were sobbing inconsolably. They were gripping their pants in sadness while being utterly silent. ''I don''t like... this scene.'' Orion''s heart ached. This reminded him too vividly of his daughter''s expression after she was rescued by Florian. ''Me neither, but that is how it is for the people of this era.'' Tetra''s voice was betraying her words, as empathetic feelings took over. Seeing the children''s expressions made Orion want to kneel and hug them. But he resisted, knowing that they would be wary of his impulse to approach them. All the time, the teenage boy kept his dark eyes on Orion, observing quietly. "No one in the village has the willpower to support these children, so I''m taking them somewhere safe." "To Eogis." Noah stretched his hands to the side and gently dropped them on the teenage boy''s head and one of the crying young boys. "Before that, I have a question for you." With a neutral expression, Noah asked him a question, something Orion had noticed quite a while ago. Giving a nod as confirmation, he waited for his question. "Do you feel corruption from these children? For what it''s worth, they are humans." Knowing that Orion was holding a curse that made corrupt humans focus on his presence, Noah couldn''t help but ask. "It was never the case." Shaking his head lightly, Orion explained a topic he had discussed with Tetra in the ''Corridors of Time'' while keeping her name out of the conversation. ¡ª ''You''re right. I never realized. I think Enri never realized either.'' Orion and Tetra were discussing one of the weirdest discoveries concerning corruption. ''It might be because they are pure until one point?'' They were talking about children and how corruption relatively spared them from suffering a state worse than death. "This might be a line Miasma can''t cross, or it is maybe a part of the human Blanc stopping this." The manifestation of a corrupted state usually happens to people over the age of fifteen. It happened a few times for those below, but those were extreme cases. "Miasma has full control over the corruption. He is the one making the rules, and we''ve been made painfully aware of it during our last fight." Recalling the various times Miasma used his energy to change states or affect others, Orion couldn''t help but think that Blanc was maybe still existing inside the monstrosity he had turned into. Somewhere deep inside, a desire to avoid hurting children still existed. ''Orion... I don''t want to be the one to say it, but Miasma is a monster. There is very little reason to believe this to be the case.'' "I know." He nodded. "It doesn''t matter. There is no redemption for those who torture and play with the lives of others." But his face crumpled. "This is disingenuous, Tetra." ''Why?'' The soul inside him asked, genuinely confused by his comment. "We''ve forgiven Elliott, even though his hands killed many people." "Layla was the same. I''ve brought her back from the dead, but that doesn''t change the fact that she killed many people under the influence of corruption." She could understand where he was going. "I''m not saying that I will forgive him. He is the source of this chaos plaguing the continent for countless millennia." "But is it because he is a Remnant? Because he is the cause of your torment and many others? Or because he is the reason for the factions being what they are today?" His tone was neutral, but there was still a feeling of anger behind his words. Miasma was an entity he could never forgive. ''I get what you''re saying. The problem is, we don''t know how a Remnant turns out like him, the opposite of what their aspects were supposed to be.'' ''There is no way to know if Blanc is still somewhere within Miasma, or if Miasma is Blanc himself. Everything leads to the latter, though.'' ''Which means that children not being affected by corruption is most likely a coincidence or work from Nature to impair the corruption, like she did for the cores.'' ¡ª "I will believe you. If you think children are free of corruption, then it must be it." Orion nodded. "I''ve never seen, or even heard of, a child turning into a mindless beast." Even the beastmen children, whose mother he had saved at the beginning of his journey, showed no signs of corruption while she was dying. "Hmm~" Next to Orion, Tetra pondered before her eyes looked up at the spying magic. Then, she looked toward the human village. Tetra heard a little voice in her head, one she knew very well, nagging at her for having such a stupid idea. ''Don''t you dare!'' But before she could acknowledge the voice of her friend, who most likely reacted the same all the way inside their hideout, she placed a hand on Orion''s shoulder and warped him inside the village. "Tetra?!" Shocked, Noah exclaimed. "Don''t scream. I''m simply checking if the corruption is inside humans. He is necessary for that." Recovering his composure, he knew Tia-Norun wasn''t one to sacrifice others irrationally. "I''m going with him. Wait for me." "It won''t take long." But, just as she said that, a loud chorus of screams echoed through the marsh. The children looked with shock toward their village as shivers ran down their spines. Even the baby reacted to it, as her cries were unable to leave her mouth. "This was the dumbest thing to do." "..." With her mouth wide open, Tetra observed the village. "How many orphans am I going to bring back with me...?" "None." While he asked that of Tetra, who looked lost, Orion''s voice caught their attention. "If I get far away, they seem to return to normal." He walked behind Tetra and slapped the back of her head as if she were the same Tetra he knew. "That was dangerous. Don''t do that again." Orion looked toward the village with the ''Eagle Eye'' ability, seeing the confusion on the faces of the villagers near the entrance who followed him. "This corruption isn''t as bad as the one in the future. They aren''t completely corrupt, just like Henrietta surmised." With an apologetic expression, Tetra turned around and apologized. "Sorry, Orion. I was going to teleport to you and pick you up. The plan was simply to see if they were going to react to you." With a faint smile, Orion nodded. "And they reacted all right." ¡ª ''What the fuck have I done?!'' Hearing Tetra''s voice in his head, Orion rapidly focused on recovering his eyesight. "Wait..." Suddenly, he looked around and found himself in the middle of a badly damaged village. Humans were all around him. But, as their heads slowly turned to him, utter silence took over each villager. The children were shocked to see their parents not react. Even worse, they weren''t moving at all. "Shit." Orion understood. Tetra had warped him to the human village, which made the future Tetra perplexed. "She did that to test if the curse was true... but she could''ve gone at it differently." ''Don''t hate me for that. Please.'' Ignoring her plea, Orion immediately activated the ''Second Gear''. "I might need to use the ''Third Gear'' to distance myself rapidly." The villagers'' eyes turned a red hue, a color Orion recognized. "Right... At least I know I am cursed." With a defeated smile, he ran out of the village as fast as he could, while terrifying howls broke out from the entire village. Luckily, as Orion left the village without hurting anyone, nothing major happened for those humans. They rapidly recovered their minds and, completely confused, returned to paying respect for the dead they had lost during the attack. ¡ª "Well, let''s not dwell on what happened. Someone else will be on your case for a while anyway." "Oh... no..." Ignoring the little voice of reason in her head had a price, and she wasn''t going to get out of it easily. Chuckling lightly, Noah looked at Tetra. "Let''s get done with it. Tia, get us to Eogis before another outbreak of corrupt humans happens." "Sure..." Disheartened, Tetra placed her hands in front of her and warped her and the six others to the massive island on the western side of Triazils. Chapter 436: The orphans settlement. The sounds of children running around, joyfully talking to each others. Some appeared younger, and some looked older. Numerous orphans were living in a village with well-built housing and clean streets. "This... is shocking. I wasn''t expecting to see orphans close to my age around here." Those were Orion''s first words. He could see a few children in their twenties, which was a surprise. "Noah rescued a few people around the age of sixteen to eighteen at the beginning, so they are in their early twenties currently." Tetra explained it with a satisfied expression. "This is the only thing I can do for the children who lost their families." "I used my knowledge to instruct the oldest on how to create a society. Tetra, do you have the rations?" She nodded as he turned to her. "I have. I can teleport the resources here at any time, so ask me later." "Sure. I''ll do that once I''ve met with everyone." Suddenly, Orion felt eyes fall on him. Not one, but countless. "Noah!" "He has returned!" Heads poked out of the houses'' windows, and rapidly, hundreds of children rushed out to greet the Hero. The oldest remained behind, watching over their younger friends as they surrounded Orion, Noah, Tetra, and the four children. But, as Noah was talking to them, one woman walked toward them. The children all made a path for her as she smiled warmly. Orion''s eyes opened wide as he recognized the person approaching them. ''Alyssia?!'' The Priestess of Light, who revealed herself during Orion''s trial, was alive in front of him. ''Orion, how do you know Alyssia?!'' Shocked to hear the name of the woman before she had introduced herself, Tetra couldn''t stop herself from asking. With concealed bewilderment on his face, Orion explained rapidly. ''I know she''s the first person to become an angel. I''ll explain everything later.'' ''Alright. Be careful around her, though.'' Internally nodding, Orion focused on her. "I have returned with a few other children, Alyssia." She stopped in front of the group with the same smile before lightly bowing. "It is good to see you, sir." "I told you, just call me Noah." She straightened up and smiled dryly. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "As one of the few adults in this settlement, I can''t be careless with my words. Please understand." The person in front of Orion was far younger than the Alyssia he met during the Sovereign trials. ''From a single glance, I can say that she already possesses magic. Maybe her aura purified the corruption around here, which was the reason for the angels and demons being unaffected by the corruption.'' ''You might be on to something. It was only after Noah''s death and after receiving the artifacts that magic began to manifest in them and affect their physique.'' Orion carefully examined Alyssia while she received an explanation from Noah about how to treat the new additions to the village. ''But you''re seeing the same thing as me. How can you explain the aura surrounding her?'' ''I don''t know what to tell you. It isn''t normal.'' The duo was seeing the same aura that Noah and Orion were bathed in while using the light element. This was a confusing development, as light magic was supposedly only available to the Heroes. ''Wait... Orion. Alyssia never used light magic.'' Confusion showed on his face. ''That can''t be, Tetra. I know for a fact that she used light magic.'' ''Orion, light magic is a special case. How can a human manage to become a light user?'' A sense of incongruity welled up inside both of them. ''You''re right... I took it at face value, but it was indeed strange to see two other users of lost elements who were never spoken about in our history.'' ''Two?! You''re telling me that someone else can use a lost magic?!'' This was entirely new to her. But, there was a good explanation for her lack of knowledge on the matter. Both she and Henrietta were too preoccupied after Noah''s death to manage the settlement of orphans. They entirely ignored them for thousands of years, until Reon and Orianne managed to bring peace to the two opposing factions. If they had taken the time to support these children after Noah vanished from their lives, maybe the future where they split off wouldn''t have existed. ''...'' Orion pondered. ''Perhaps the ones close to the artifacts were the ones to obtain the elements. She appears to be capable of holding the light element inside her as of now, so it''s only logical that she...'' His thoughts stopped, making Tetra apprehensive about his next words. ''This is because she obtained the light element that the angels came to be...'' ''And the same happened with Alaric, who became the first demon to use the dark element.'' Tetra sighed inside his head. ''Of course it was Alaric...'' ''We''ve missed something so important. I am ashamed of our mistake, to the point that I don''t know what to say.'' Orion understood her feelings. ''Don''t beat yourself over it. Noah was probably the reason for these changes. Remember, in history, it is said that Noah was the progenitor of the angel and demon factions.'' ''This was literal. His energy was diffused between two of the most compatible people in this village.'' His assumptions weren''t wrong. This was how everything fell into place. But there was one little detail, which, again, only someone like Henrietta or Tetra would be able to notice. ''Nature...'' With this single name, Orion frowned. ''Seems like Nature played a considerable part in doing various tasks in order to stop Miasma...'' ''Even if that choice causes two people to part ways because of it.'' His expression wasn''t pretty. He knew from the two that they were forced to pick sides during the separation of the two factions. Suddenly, he noticed the face of a young maiden inches away from his. "So, you are the one called Orion?" "I would love to chat with you once out of your daydream." Her voice was soothing to his ears. She had the capacity to relieve stress just by talking to someone, thanks to her incredible calmness and brightness. "Orion, this is Alyssia. She is one of the two orphans I saved first after becoming a Hero." "She''s also the oldest and the one who acts as a leader for these children." Alyssia took a step back and bowed lightly with a dignity unseen before. Even a Queen''s dignity was nothing in front of this person. "My name is Alyssia. It is a pleasure to meet you." But, as she was greeting him, her eyes gradually went downward. She couldn''t help but look at his waist. "..." "Alyssia?" Noah called her name, which made her jump slightly as she recovered her composure. ''Was she looking at your crotch? What the fuck?!'' Tetra began to freak out, but to Orion, something was entirely different in her gaze. ''She was staring at the pocket where the bracelet is...'' ''Oh.'' Calming down instantly, Tetra silently breathed a sigh of relief. "My apologies." Alyssia coughed nervously as she took another step back. "My offer still stands. In fact, I would even go so far as to demand it. Something picked up my curiosity, and I would very much like to take the time to discuss it." As her warm smile returned, she turned to Noah. "Sir, Alaric is at the same place as usual. I''m sure he would be glad to meet you." Noah nodded, looking toward a lone tree on top of a hill in the distance. "I''ll go speak with him. He also needs to be made aware of what happened on the continent." "Alright everyone, let''s go see Alaric." With a smirk, Noah talked to the hundreds of children, who nodded. "Yes! Let''s go see Alaric!" "Eh~? Isn''t he going to shout at us?" "Not if we stay silent." "Oh!" The group of children began to whisper to each other as they followed Noah. Alyssia bowed toward him, staying with Orion and the four kids. "Orion... I''m returning for now." "Good luck with Henrietta." With a defeated smile, Tetra warped back to their hideout, ready to get an earful from Henrietta. "Well, with Noah going to meet Alaric, let''s move on to what''s important." Alyssia kneeled in front of the children and hugged them one by one. They showed no resistance at all. "From today onward, we are family. We are just like you. We''ve all lost our families." "We understand your pain more than anyone else. That''s why we will support you with everything we have." *Thump* The moment she finished her sentence, four large crates appeared from nowhere. "That''s the provisions?" "Most likely." Orion looked at the inside before nodding. "There are large quantities of food in those two and clothing in the other two." "I will have Alaric move them later. Since it''s a fine day today, I don''t have to worry about rain." With a smile, Alyssia stood up. "Alright, everyone. Follow me to your new home." She gently pointed forward, marching with the children toward an empty house. "Please wait for me. I will return shortly." Orion nodded. As her figure disappeared inside the large village, his mind wandered. ''So... this is the birthplace of my factions.'' ''Tetra.'' He was about to say something, but Tetra knew exactly what it was. ''No. Don''t even think about it.'' ''We can''t stop what''s about to happen. This would put your entire existence in danger.'' Orion frowned. ''You know it as well as we do. If you interfere now, there is a chance you will not be allowed to survive.'' ''It was because of the separation between the angel and demon factions, because of Orianne and Reon, who fought back to bring peace between the two factions, that you were born.'' Orion shrugged and smiled. ''That''s just like you. Well, I wasn''t going to. It was a fleeting idea.'' As he continued to observe the village, Alyssia returned. "I appreciate your patience." "Now, let''s go." Orion followed her into a large house in the center of the settlement, where he and Alyssia could discuss in private. Chapter 437: The ancestors support. "Please, sit wherever you want." Having left the children with another adult in the village, Alyssia led Orion to her house. "I will, thank you." Orion respectfully nodded and sat at the table before she sat straight in front of him. They looked at each other awkwardly for a few seconds until Alyssia opened her mouth. "What I wanted to discuss-" But before she could finish her sentence, Orion brought the bracelet out of his pocket and placed it on the table. "I know this isn''t the reason, but I have a strong feeling that this is an item you''ve been intrigued about." "Am I correct?" Orion removed his hand from the bracelet midway across the table, which let Alyssia touch the device that stored the entire survivors of the angel and demon factions within it. "..." Her eyes fell on the bracelet, and, instinctively, she slid her fingers on the table toward it. The slender fingers touched the bracelet before they wrapped themselves around it. She pulled it toward her and stared at it intently. "This is..." There was a strange feeling welling inside her, but she had no idea how to explain it or even understand what it was. It was an alien feeling that she had never felt before her encounter with Orion. Then, as she pondered in silence, she finally looked at him. "You look so much like Alaric... It is quite disturbing." Dropping what was bothering her, Alyssia frowned. Surprised, Orion recoiled in his chair. ''Fuck...'' Tetra cursed involuntarily, knowing that Alyssia was as sharp as in her memories. "What do you mean by that?" "..." The frown on her face became even more severe. "That is the wrong question. Though, with just that, I got my answer." ''There we are... She wasn''t the leader of this place for nothing.'' Knowing what was going to happen, Tetra grew silent, pitying Orion''s fate in her mind. Confused, Orion leaned forward. "Why was it the wrong question?" Her expression relaxed as she nodded. "Any normal person would wonder who Alaric is. From the beginning, you''ve never asked ''who'' I was and acted as if you knew us." As her eyes returned to the bracelet, she continued. "This led me to believe that you, in fact, know about us, which is strange since I definitely never met you." "But the fact that you look so much like him..." Her eyes looked a bit lost. "This is the first time I felt such an eerie feeling." Alyssia looked perplexed and even a bit afraid. As silence was forced between them, Orion internally nodded. ''So, nothing happened when she touched the bracelet. I was hoping something would happen, but I suppose it''s not that easy.'' Slightly disappointed, he smiled. "You are correct. I know you and Alaric, though, not as much as you think I do."Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Orion was about to continue, but before that, he wanted to retrieve the bracelet. Leaving it in someone else''s hands made him anxious. He stretched his left hand forward and, with a smile, asked if he could have it returned. "Before I continue, would you please give me the bracelet back?" Alyssia looked at the bracelet one last time before noticing the slightly damaged engraved letters on the bracelet. *ORION* Even though the second O was slightly damaged and difficult to see as a cut appeared across it, she easily realized how important the item was to him. ''Maybe I can repair the chain...'' Within her kind-hearted mind, she couldn''t see him as someone to be wary of. Wearing the same warm smile as she usually did, she handed the bracelet over to him. "Here. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable by keeping it." Orion nodded as she leaned forward. "This is nothing. It''s simply an important heirloom to me-" But, just as his fingers grasped the bracelet, both of them, who were holding a side of it, felt dizzy. "Ugh..." Alyssia felt her vision spin before her head met the table. ''Orion! What is happening?!'' Feeling that Orion''s consciousness was slipping away, Tetra tried to do something, but it was too late. He blacked out and planted his head on the table, similarly to Alyssia. ''Damn it... I... let my guard... down!'' Cursing his situation, Orion and Alyssia fell unconscious, both holding a side of the bracelet. ... "Wake up." Those two words made Orion and Alyssia open their eyes abruptly. They were standing up in darkness, which Orion recognized immediately. In the distance, an aura as bright as the sun approached them. "Where am I?" Calmly, Alyssia glanced at her surroundings. "This place..." Unable to see anything beside the bright light, she turned to Orion. "We''re inside a sealed space inside the bracelet. Don''t worry, you will come out eventually, and time doesn''t flow the same in here." With a nod, she trusted his words. Though, she felt a bit frustrated because of his intense expression. His face was entirely focused on the light. There was expectation in his eyes, as if this was something he wanted to see once more, and that something had returned to grant his wish. Then, the bright aura exploded, turning the darkness into a white expanse that stretched infinitely in every direction. Their eyes fell on the back of a woman who wore an outfit worthy of the Priestess of Light. What was different this time were the ten angelic wings majestically stretching behind her back and the three halos moving in a gyroscopic motion above her head. "Is that... me?" Alyssia noticed that it was herself, and with an utterly shocked face, she took a step forward. The angelic Alyssia turned her face slightly and smiled. At that moment, she turned into a pillar of light and disappeared. "We''re fighting against ''Fate'' here. We will take every step possible to bend it to our will." A beam of light traveled the entire space, aimed at Orion. But, another, darker beam appeared from behind him. "Orion!" Surprised, Alyssia hurriedly stepped in front of Orion, trying to sacrifice herself to save him. "It''s fine." As his words entered her ears, the two beams swallowed them. Alyssia was swallowed by the brightest, purest, and warmest light she had ever felt. Nothing happened to her, but the same couldn''t be said for Orion. "..." With his arms stretched to his sides, the two energies clash inside him. The voice of a male echoed, followed by the other Alyssia. "We will give you back what you''ve been missing." "It is only borrowed power, as your elements... and your family stayed behind." The implications of those words were acknowledged by Orion. "My parents... they aren''t in the bracelet anymore?" But his question remained unanswered. Instead, a sense of incredible tranquility took over him. *FWOOSH* The two energies were absorbed inside him, and, thanks to his ancestors, he borrowed a part of their magic. Orion opened and closed his hands repeatedly, feeling the surge of energy inside him. "Let''s try breaking the curse immediately." He gently placed his hand on his chest. "..." Alyssia, who wasn''t showing any signs of recovering from her shock, stayed motionless in front of him. "I knew it wouldn''t be that easy." With a defeated but determined face, Orion shrugged. The power he had received, albeit powerful, wasn''t on par with his previous ability. To break free from the curse, he needed a stronger light element. Miasma''s curse was even more powerful than the one he had inflicted on him before his birth. Still... *FLASH* Orion recovered his racial traits. His angel wings spread behind him, and his hair turned a white color like his father. Then, he tried to bring out the Abyssal Sovereign form. Instead, his normal demonic trait appeared. Horns, a tail, scales, reptile irises, and two draconic wings formed on him. "I''m whole again." Peace returned to Orion as he touched the horns on top of his head. Feeling the wings move to his will, he nodded, satisfied. At that point, Alyssia turned around. "You''re..." He looked at her, returning to his human form after acknowledging the changes. "Orion... is our descendant." Her eyes were lost, slowly drifting toward the ground. "And... oh." While she was inside the beam of light, the memories of her future self merged with her. She was confused and needed time to process the entire thing. "Give me a moment." "..." Orion looked into the air, feeling his consciousness being pulled away from the device. ... Both he and Alyssia woke up from their unconscious states. They both groaned as they straightened. "My back is killing me." Alyssia rubbed her painful back, while Orion silently brought the bracelet to his pocket. ''Damn it! You''ve scared me. How are you doing?'' Tetra immediately spoke to him, genuinely terrified that something had happened to him. ''How long were we unconscious?'' ''Around five minutes. So, how are you doing?'' She wasn''t going to let it go unless he actually answered her. ''I''m doing fine. Don''t worry. In fact, I feel good.'' *Fush* Two flames suddenly formed in his core, surprising Tetra. ''Those are...!'' The borrowed elements of both Alyssia and Alaric, who stayed deeply anchored in their descendant''s soul. ''It''s not as grand as what we''re used to, but it''s still good news.'' With many years in front of him, Orion had the time to find a way to break the curse during that time. The two elements weren''t acting like the void element inside Orion, which could move freely. They were remnants of their former selves, with no remaining will. They were only there to act as replacements for Orion''s lost elements, who stayed in the present. ''That definitely is good! But what happened?'' As she asked this of Orion, who was about to answer her, Alyssia sighed. Turning their attention to her, Orion and Tetra remained silent. The air in the room grew heavier as a cloud of hot air escaped her mouth. "I''m... not usually one to get angry." Orion shuddered for a split instant, seeing the fury in her eyes. "But... what was all of that?" She slammed her fists on the table. "Infighting for artifacts left by Noah?! Breaking families to pick a side?!" "Untolerable!" For a moment, Orion noticed the three halos above her manifest before blinking out of existence. "We worked so hard to make this place a haven for the orphans, and they destroyed our efforts!" "Did they never think about the consequences of such ridiculous actions?!" She was letting everything out, as if the Alyssia talking was the one who had lost everything. "Orion." Her eyes settled on him. "What is it?" His reaction was purely neutral. He wasn''t scared of her in the slightest, knowing that she was simply enraged about knowing her fate. "I''m sorry, but I''m not letting that happen." ''Fuck...'' Tetra was cursing a lot recently, and this was only the beginning. ''Enri will chew my ear off once she''s made aware of all these changes.'' ''Let''s hope the future won''t be affected that much by this development.'' As Orion nodded and gave his approval, Tetra sighed. This was something Orion wanted, and it happened without him doing anything. The path toward peace was a treacherous one. One wrong move, and everything they had worked for would disappear. "I''ll tell you what I''ve seen. In exchange, I want to know when the major fights between our people happened." She stood up, walked to a drawer, and brought out a notebook and a pen. "Tell me everything you know. I''ll rewrite history just to spite this world in a way that will make it notice nothing." Orion smiled arrogantly. The words he whispered to Henrietta previously escaped his mouth once. "Make the world think everything runs smoothly while altering the events." "Rewrite destiny and keep the same ending." "I''ll deceive the world if I have to." His words echoed inside the room, to which Alyssia reacted with the same smile. "Let''s begin." As she sat back, Alyssia began to tell the story she saw from her future self. In Orion''s core, Tetra fell even more for him, even though she feared the consequences of his choices. ''Let''s hope everything will fall into place, like Enri said...'' Chapter 438: Two factions in constant struggle. Alyssia''s life. It was a relatively normal life. Many tragedies happened, and many moments of happiness made it possible to keep a bright smile from fading away. Before Noah rescued her, she was living in a peaceful village in a temperate climate on the west side of the continent. She and Alaric were acquaintances in this rather large village of five hundred inhabitants. But one day, a stampede of large creatures trampled on their peace. They destroyed everything, killed everyone, and joyfully brought chaos to the humans. Out of the entire village, only two survived. When Noah arrived in the village, it was too late. All he managed to find was Alaric protecting her with a bloodied expression. Alaric was younger than Alyssia by a year, but he was a feisty man. He immediately spat at Noah, thinking that he was someone who had come to capture them. She was eighteen at the time, and Alaric was seventeen. The smile on their faces was no longer present, replaced by the devastating realization that their entire world came crumbling down on them out of nowhere. Alyssia had lost her will to live the instant she saw her parents being ripped apart in front of her. The young Alaric was forcing himself to endure the pain he was feeling physically and mentally to protect the only other survivor. But, the instant the young people looked at Noah, they noticed the expression of intense sadness on his face. If he could, he would have shed tears for them, but he did not. Instead, he swore to protect them. He hugged the two teenagers as they released their pent-up anguish in his arms. After this terrible event, Noah, with the help of a pink-haired woman, brought them to this massive island. He gave them materials, food, and necessities to survive. At first, they were two. Then, Noah began to bring more and more orphans from destroyed villages. The scale of destruction drastically decreased after Noah proactively went around the continent, and fewer orphans were forced to leave their lives behind. Nonetheless, at least one orphan was brought to them each month. During the entire ten years in which Noah walked the land, a hundred and forty-three children were released from a painful and lonely life. But, it was after Noah''s death. A strange energy began to transform the bodies of the orphans. With time, some of them grew wings, tails, horns, and halos. The two factions, the angels and demons, were born. This created even more friction between the orphans. Alaric and Alyssia had become a family a year before Noah''s death. When they began to show changes, their daughter was already born. Maybe because of their closeness to the Hero, they were the first to become different. ... During the following five years, small conflicts began to arise, generated by the adults. It wasn''t all. An invading force was marching on Eogis, coming from another continent. These people were ruthlessly killing every living being on the island, be it animals or faction members. The first to suffer were the kobolds. For better or for worse, this faction was despised by all entities for a reason that was unknown to the orphans.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Yet, something had to be done. One day, a scout of the invading force found out about their little village. People began to panic. Chaos ensued for a while, as they feared for their lives now that Noah wasn''t there to help them. Ultimately, one man stepped forward, becoming the commander of the fighting force. Alaric. The young, powerless man was no more. In the face of the pioneering enemy, his resolve was unshakable. Answering that determination, Alyssia, the only person who knew of his innate bravery, walked alongside him to defend everyone. This was the only time when angels and demons fought on equal ground against a common enemy. Many lost their lives still trying to use their new power, but as more and more enemies began to appear in front of them, they were forced to abandon the fight. Magic was only slightly blooming in their bodies, which made it impossible to fight back efficiently. Only Alaric and Alyssia remained, desperately fighting with their lives on the line. Through the toughest fights, where blood spilled incessantly, something awakened inside of them. The power of darkness exploded from Alaric as his fury swallowed his enemies, and the power of light enveloped Alyssia, while her will to live protected her from the weapons of her foes. In an unforeseen act of rebellion, they pushed the invaders back to the sea and destroyed everything within reach. Boats were broken into fragments, and people were disintegrated or swallowed by the darkness. They were both given titles by the enemy generals. Alaric became the ''Prince of the Abyss'', while Alyssia obtained the nickname ''Radiant Priestess''. Their power was stronger than that of Noah in terms of destruction. That''s why they sealed it after using it. Agreeing to never use this monstrous energy to bring chaos to their factions, they returned home. After many months of fighting incessantly, the end came at last. But, their troubles weren''t over. The angels and demons, who were starting to distance themselves, couldn''t tolerate each other anymore. People began to frown at the idea of having children with each other. Angels and demons were not to be mixed, and their leaders had broken this unfounded taboo by having a mixed-blooded child. Everyone who had relations with the other faction was a traitor in their eyes, and they were treated like outcasts, going so far as to break the family forcefully. Still, Alyssia and Alaric were the heads of the colony. Nothing other than small fights broke out between the two factions. With a great deal of effort, they managed to protect those in a similar situation. ... After many years, enough to let their child grow, the event that sparked the age of conflict happened. At that time, someone brought items that were significant for the orphans. Tia-Norun brought the two artifacts that were part of Noah''s belongings, and things began to escalate rapidly. One of them was given to Alyssia, while the other was given to Alaric. The two agreed to place it inside a shrine in the center of the village, where the two artifacts that Noah had left behind could rest in peace. One of them was named the ''Key'', while the other was named the ''Shackles''. But only a few weeks after obtaining the artifacts, a demon broke through the shrine and stole the ''Shackles'' in front of many witnesses. The war between the angels and demons began this very day. Alyssia and Alaric tried to mediate with the two factions, but nothing came to fruition. In fact, their meddling only sparked even more conflicts when an angel attacked their child. Alaric, in rage, unleashed his dark power and swallowed the angel whole. To avoid making the matter even worse, Alyssia tried to stop his dark magic by unleashing her light. This created a clash on a larger scale, where both factions attacked each other mindlessly. At the end of it all, Alaric received a fatal injury while defending his child, and Alyssia perished while fighting off Alaric''s wrath. It looked like the two were fighting against one another, but even through all that, they managed to protect their daughter from an unjust death. Their child managed to flee somewhere and hide secretly after the two factions split off in two different directions. That was the awful fate of the orphans, the angels, and the demons as a whole. ¡ª "In hindsight, this might have been the corruption that played a major role in separating both of us." Alyssia slumped in her chair and looked at the ceiling. Orion breathed a sigh that showed the conflicted emotions fighting within him. "I knew the events leading to the two factions breaking off were difficult, but I had no idea it was to that extent." He placed his mouth between his hands while his elbows met the table. Knowing the actual history of his people was something he always wanted to learn, but the reality was exactly as he expected it to be. "There are numerous events that I will need to focus on." With the information from Alyssia herself, there were already a few events to be wary of. "First are the adults who decided to act against us, spreading the seeds of discord." The Alyssia in front of Orion wasn''t the same person he had met earlier. Her smile was still radiant, but her mind was focused on the future. Knowing the future was a boon, but also a curse. Both Orion and Alyssia knew about it. The weight of altering history was on their shoulders, and they had to work around it to achieve their ideals. "What are you planning to do with them? You won''t execute them, do you?" Orion knew that the fastest way to avoid a problem was to snuff its flame before it could grow stronger. But Alyssia shook her head. Tetra added something at that moment. ''If you were to do that, she would get on everyone''s wrong side instantly. She would become a tyrant.'' ''I know. That''s why I asked her for her opinion on the matter. This wouldn''t help her cause, since they are still orphans.'' Pondering for an instant, Alyssia made up her mind. "I''ll use Alaric for that. Since we are fated to be together, I have no reason to go against my feelings." She smiled with such happiness that she radiated a warm feeling. This felt like Amelia''s love after he had accepted her advances. ''Knowing that her feelings would be reciprocated... What a lucky woman.'' A tinge of envy escaped Tetra''s non-existent mouth, yet she was genuinely happy for her. ''You''ll be happy one day, too, Tetra.'' Orion spoke those words before keeping quiet. ''...'' Tetra gasped slightly. "Can Alaric stop the conflicts?" Alyssia nodded. "He has a foul mouth and can be relatively rude, but he is kind-hearted. Still, he is quite the bully when he wants to be." "Especially when others show disrespect. This hasn''t changed since before being dropped here." Suddenly, she stopped talking and looked at Orion, dropping her head dramatically. "Orion, which one of your parents is our direct descendant?" Surprised, he looked down, thinking. "Most likely my father." Reon was the one with the blood of his ancestors. Orianne was from an entirely different bloodline. Because the daughter of Alaric and Alyssia was an angel. Of course, he had no way to know for certain. "I see. This wasn''t a vital question, but I was simply curious." "This is nothing. Still, I have a question." "Yes?" Alyssia straightened. "What was it about those invaders? Could you describe the event more precisely?" As Orion leaned forward with a dark gleam in his eyes, Alyssia shook her head. "I can''t." Chapter 439: An exchange of thoughts. "Mmh~" The answer Alyssia gave wasn''t what he was expecting, which made Orion frown in frustration. Yet, after a few seconds, his expression softened, and a neutral gaze replaced the previous mood. "I get it. This is your problem to resolve, and you would like to avoid any interference in it." She nodded. "After understanding the feelings of my future self, I can say without hesitation." "The less you know about the time after Noah''s demise in this current time, the better the chances will be for me to act." Orion looked at her, but his eyes showed that he was lost in his thoughts. ''This is something I can always ask you and Henrietta once we''re back.'' Tetra grumbled slightly. ''You want me to look into the past and tell you exactly what happened?'' With a firm voice, Orion made it clear to her. ''To some extent, yes. But I will be there to heal you constantly. I wouldn''t risk anything happening to you again just to satisfy my curiosity.'' The more she paused on his words, the more she felt her feelings grow. Tetra wasn''t used to this kindness. With Noah''s mind always somewhere else, there was no place for her. But with Orion, it was different. At this very moment, she was the only one to occupy his thoughts. Still, she could feel that he wasn''t in love with her. Yet. ''T-Then, I supposed I wouldn''t mind doing it for you. Enri won''t be thrilled, but I''ll do something about her.'' Inadvertently stuttering, she tried to play it cool. ''Thank you. Nonetheless, there will probably be nothing much to see, as the event itself will change. I can only make a blurry picture of the event in my head from what she explained.'' Having recovered her composure, she agreed. ''It might be better to not ponder too long on this matter. Enri, in our time, will tell you anything about the invaders.'' Frustration echoed in Orion''s head, which made him curious. ''What''s on your mind, Tetra?'' ''...'' She quietly pondered before finally answering him. ''Those invaders... We missed it completely.'' ''I know it is inexcusable, but if we had only turned our way to support the angels and demons, maybe we could''ve stopped their separation.'' Guilt was the only emotion in her soul. ''Our eyes were focused on Miasma to such an extent that we forgot to actually care for the ones we helped in the beginning.'' ''I helped Noah rescue those orphans, and yet, I used them to bring you to life, the second Hero.''If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ''Why are we like this? Always prioritizing ourselves when everything becomes bleak? Normally, you''d help those around you and support each other, right?'' Tetra knew that the longer she stayed in this era, the more information she had previously been unaware of would resurface. Of course, Henrietta and Tetra knew that the orphans had been torn apart by Noah''s death, but anything that happened while they made plans to deal with Miasma, they had no knowledge about. The same could be said for the entire period of time across the continent. They had no idea how the Frigoria Plains came to be or how the human faction managed to create a larger civilization. ''Even if Enri can perceive ''Fate'' and ''Destiny'', it''s not like she can actually understand everything that is happening in the present moment.'' ''Her brain cannot process this range of information, so that''s why the ''Book of Destiny'' exists. With it, she can read the details of somebody or something, a specific state of an object, whatever exists.'' Orion listened carefully as Tetra revealed more details about Henrietta''s power as a Remnant. ''She can''t see the future, since this is my specialty. All that is written in the book are the past events and the actual present. Even then, it is a taxing effort to bring that book out.'' ''I heard Enri has incredibly vivid nightmares when she uses that book for an extended period of time. Her nightmares are on the mentally draining side of the spectrum, too. She never told me what she exactly dreamed about, though.'' What she said was a secret only she knew until now, but she trusted Orion too much to let him in the dark. She was done letting Henrietta endure her troubles alone. ''Thanks for telling me that. I''ll be careful when talking to Henrietta so that she doesn''t bring that book out often.'' ''Hmm.'' He heard a meek acknowledgment from her before his mind focused on something else. ''A Remnant''s power isn''t necessarily a good thing, all things considered. Seeing that limitations like these are placed to avoid any form of abuse, it''s to wonder why even give these powers to begin with.'' Tetra nodded internally. ''Nature is a system. It''s difficult to know for sure what the point behind her actions is. We are living beings, so our thought processes are entirely different.'' ''Even if she developed an ego, she remains a machine, is what you''re saying?'' ''Yes.'' This made it clearer. It was useless to try to find a reason for the Remnants being a part of the ecosystem of Triazils, as Nature herself probably had no answer to it. ''Blanc was the first of the Remnants, so maybe the system reproduced his existence and broke the laws of the world between a few people to avoid losing the entire system in case corruption were to swallow her.'' ''We have no way to be precisely certain, so let''s simply ignore the matter for now.'' Orion''s words confused Tetra, but she felt like his idea was probably the closest to being true. How a system would react to potential destruction would be to preserve what can be protected. In that case, the entire world. ''You might be correct. Honestly speaking, someone like Enri would be better at having this kind of conversation. I''m not that bright...'' His left eyebrow twitched. ''Who said that? It wasn''t me, at least.'' ''Huh?'' Tetra''s self-deprecation was something Orion didn''t like. ''Everyone is different. Maybe you are comparing yourself to Henrietta too much and being a tad too hard on yourself.'' ''I may be smart and can read the mood, but I''m no stranger to making mistakes or ignoring some crucial details.'' ''Karteira isn''t as intelligent as Amelia, but does that make her less likeable? I don''t think so.'' He frowned physically, which Alyssia watched with curiosity. His thoughts were actually quite intriguing to her. Still, he continued to speak to Tetra, ignoring the woman, who was his ancestor, in front of him. ''The same can be said about you. If you don''t think you are smart enough, rely on me, Amelia, or even Henrietta. No one will judge you for being who you are.'' ''I promise you, I''ll better myself. But I want you to do the same. Be a little more positive. I know it might be difficult for someone who can observe the bleak future laying in front of us, but I want you to try nonetheless.'' She was lost for words. This was the type of kindness she always desired. To be treated like a person and not a freak with strange, inhuman powers. In a state of emotional weakness, she blurted out words she had contained until now. ''W-What you said... It''s dangerous. You''ll make me fall for you.'' A profound feeling of overwhelming love grew inside Orion''s chest, but it wasn''t his. At first, he opened his eyes in shock as the choking emotion rampaged inside his core, but as seconds passed, he felt it becoming similar to Amelia. Since the two were connected by the ''Key'' and the ''Shackles'', they were often inadvertently leaking emotions when touching each other. During the nights they slept together, the same emotion was felt in Orion. Love. True, relentless, and eternal love. One that wouldn''t break through words, that even death wouldn''t be able to tamper with. ''Shit...'' Orion smiled dryly, understanding the mistake he had made. ''It makes more sense as to why you were acting weirdly previously.'' Thinking back on the strange outburst Tetra had made after the Henrietta of this era asked if they were a couple in the future, it began to spell something to Orion. Coupled with the intense feeling in his core, there was no way he could ignore her. ''Eh?! Oh, no! W-Wait!'' ''What have I done?!'' Suddenly, Tetra began to panic when she realized what she had said. The embarrassment was unbearable, but most of all, she was afraid. Afraid of his reaction. ''Let''s put your feelings on hold for now.'' ''Orion?'' Surprised by his response that wasn''t a clear rejection, Tetra felt her mind blanking out. ''This is neither the time nor the place to have this kind of conversation. I''m glad to finally be aware of it, but this is something we''ll have to discuss some more somewhere private.'' ''S-Sure...'' Alyssia was slowly inching toward Orion, observing his wide range of emotions that reminded her of Alaric. She was about to ask him about his thoughts when Orion suddenly leaned back on his chair, creating distance between their faces. "In that case, it''s better to stop this conversation. Now, it''s time for me to tell you everything you need to know about the time after your death." With a frown and a nod, Alyssia sat back on her chair while playing with her pen. Everything that was recorded in the history of the angels and demons, which had been revealed to Orion in the recordings his parents had left him, was disclosed to the ''Priestess of Light''. * This era became a confined mess. Multiple people knew about future events, and in normal circumstances, this would never happen. But with Nature stepping out of the picture entirely, the rules that she kept enforcing disappeared, opening up a path for those inadvertently traveling to the past. Orion, the second Hero and breaker of ''Fate''. Tetra, Remnant of ''Space and Time'', survived a fate worse than death. Noah, the first Hero from another world, was predestined to die but still battled with the faint hope of returning home. Henrietta, the Remnant of ''Destiny'' and ''Fate'', was unable to change anything, bitterly fighting against the worst endings. Alyssia, the future ''Radiant Priestess'', bears the memories of a distant future, leading to a tragic end. And... Miasma, the Remnant of Corruption. No one knew what was happening to him after he had obtained the ability to breach through ''Space'' and ''Time''. But, his machinations still continued. Chapter 440: The Priestess blessing. During the discussion, a rapid, constant thumping echoed in Orion. Since it wasn''t his own, this made it difficult to concentrate, but he bared with the feeling. After a while, Tetra finally calmed down, lessening the effect on his body. Once Orion finished telling Alyssia everything she needed to know, he stood up from his chair. "That''s everything I know. All I explained came from the stories written down by the ones after you, from both sides." Alyssia nodded, dropping her pen next to the notebook. "At least they had the decency to avoid destroying precious details about their conflicts." "If not, it would''ve been difficult for us to act accordingly." With a determined gaze, she touched the right page of the book with gentleness. "If not for the event that led to our doom, we would''ve probably lived several more hundred years. For us, who were humans to begin with, I suppose this drastic change caused some people to think differently." With a faint smile, she looked inside Orion''s eyes. "In any case, we would still have died before your birth. I''ll be sure to follow the same path, albeit not in the same way." Orion had no idea what Alyssia had in mind, but he knew that it was her duty to deal with whatever was in store for them. He couldn''t help more than he did, as his influence on the world had already heavily impacted the destiny of those orphans. "We shouldn''t interact anymore than that." Tidily putting the chair back under the table, Orion showed respect to his ancestor by bowing his head. "I never expected to meet my relatives in this circumstance." The genuine smile of happiness showed Alyssia that Orion was a well-mannered person, and she was glad to see that her lineage hadn''t disappeared in the future. "Do you plan on never setting foot in this place ever again?" "That is the idea." Orion straightened with a determined look in his eyes. "There is no way to know who else I will influence if I stay here. This is Noah''s era, not mine. This village was built by Noah, so I can''t interact with it too much." While agreeing with what he said, Alyssia still frowned. "Alaric would have enjoyed talking to you." "I leave the future of the angels and demons in your hands. Whatever happens, I will never hold you responsible for any drastic changes in my time." "You shouldn''t have to worry. I''ll be careful with this information." She tapped on the book lightly with her index finger. "I suppose a ''Priestess of Light'' has to be more than just a kind-hearted person..." Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. With a melancholic stare, she looked down, knowing the future they were going straight into. These words held an intent that Orion picked up on. It meant that Alyssia would punish anyone trying to act against everyone else. "The seeds of discord are incredibly difficult to erase. But with Alaric, I''ll make it so. We''ll have to reenact many events our way, but we''ll carve the path of peace in honor of your efforts to avert this crisis." Alyssia bowed her head, her forehead almost touching the table, while strands of long, silvery hair curled on the wood. "Family." She straightened up when Orion uttered that word, a stunned expression on her face. "In this world, nothing is more important than family. At least, it is to me" These were the last words Alyssia heard from Orion as he walked out of her house. "..." Her gaze froze on the door for a minute, until a warm smile formed on her face. "You are correct. We have to do everything in our power to protect those we care about." Leaning on her chair, she looked at the ceiling. "We''ll have to make difficult choices." Biting her lower lip gently, she hesitated. "Celeste..." The name of her yet-to-be-born daughter escaped her lips. ... Orion walked out of Alyssia''s house and looked around. ''This village. Everything began here.'' He had no idea how they were living or if the events leading to the destruction of the balance between the two factions would actually take place in the future. But, he trusted Alyssia and Alaric. His eyes turned to a lone tree atop a hill. A glow covered his eyes as he activated ''Eagle Eye''. Since the tree was quite far away, he couldn''t see in detail what was happening over there. All he could see was a sea of children around the tree and two figures standing up in the middle of it. ''Alaric is over there...'' Orion felt a need to talk to his ancestor but refrained from doing so. Alyssia learning of the future was a coincidence that he wasn''t sure would happen again. To worsen it, after learning of his outrage at the end of their lives when protecting their child, he felt that Alaric needed to be the last person to know about the truth. He recalled the darkness inside the eyes of his ancestor during the second trial. Alaric wasn''t to be taken lightly. So, Orion turned his heels and walked toward the spot he arrived from. After a few minutes of walking, he arrived at the boxes of supplies and looked up. "Tetra." ''Yes?'' He heard the one in his core answer. ''Not you. The other Tetra.'' ''Oh...'' She felt a bit frustrated that he wasn''t speaking to her, but she refrained from actually saying anything. "Yes?" The one he was actually calling warped in front of him, speaking the same question with the same tone. It was incredibly difficult for Orion to acknowledge the two existing at the same time, yet he was starting to get used to it. "..." Seeing the woman holding the back of her head, Orion smirked. "How was it?" "Do you have to ask?" "No, but I thought some small talk would be appropriate in this situation." "Pff." The pink-haired woman shrugged dramatically, still holding her painful head. "Exactly like you thought it would. I got an earful." Her expression wasn''t one of defeat, but one that showed that she had actually reflected on her action. "Orion, I apologize. It was a misplaced curiosity that led me to put you in danger." "I''ll accept the apology. Let''s forget about it, since I don''t hold a grudge or anything close to it." He smiled warmly. Maybe Alyssia''s constant smile rubbed on him, but it was a kinder, less constricting smile. "I''m grateful for that." As she smiled in return, she looked over Orion''s shoulder. "Orion!" Suddenly, Alyssia came running at him from a distance. She wasn''t used to running that much, so she was breathing heavily. "Alyssia?" ''Why is she here? I thought everything had been said?'' ''I don''t know.'' Tetra asked, but Orion was as lost as her as to why the silver-haired woman was running after him. "There''s... something I have forgotten to do!" She stopped in front of him, grabbing her knees as she caught her breath. ''Hmm~'' Orion pondered for an instant before looking at his right hand. He walked around Alyssia and placed his hand on her back, rubbing it up and down. A small light covered his hand, which appeased the exhaustion in her body. "Light magic?!" Tetra suddenly exclaimed as she took a step forward, observing intently the faint energy coming out of Orion "It feels quite comfortable. Thank you." Alyssia rapidly recovered her breath and straightened. Orion stopped healing her and walked in front of her. "Was there something left from our conversation that I''ve forgotten?" He asked her what he thought was the subject of her frantic state. "No, this is nothing related to that. I just..." She approached him, inching her face closer to him. Instinctively, Orion thought of taking a step back, but Alyssia''s hand grabbed his face, gently cupping his cheeks. "I forgot to bless you." She forced Orion to lower his head before she kissed his forehead. "Woah." Tetra made a weird sound, but her face showed little excitement, as she knew there was no love influencing Alyssia''s choice of action. Orion''s pupils began to vibrate weirdly. When the woman took a step back, she observed him with worry. "This was something I had to do. Forgive me." "What..." Putting his opened hand across his face, he hid most of it, only leaving his left eye visible. A sickening feeling began to churn his core, which even Tetra was able to feel. "What have you...?!" Forced to put one knee on the ground, Orion coughed and groaned. "This feeling..." Magic began to flow inside his body, pushing an invading matter out of him. The blessing Alyssia gave him ravaged the curse from inside, leading to an opening in his magic veins. "Ugh..." Orion opened his mouth, releasing a puddle of dark matter that splashed on the pavement. "Without even giving it a thought, he slammed his right hand inside the puddle and erased it with light magic." "I despise this feeling." While wiping his mouth, Orion stood up. "That''s all I can do for you. I''m sorry, I am unable to erase the entire curse." The nauseating feeling disappeared completely the moment Orion ejected the dark matter from his body. "You shouldn''t be sorry. What you''ve done is more than enough." A white cross, shaped like a star, appeared in his eyes before blinking out of existence. His gray eyes returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. "Ha- Haha~" Orion chuckled lightly before a smile full of nostalgia formed on his face. "This feeling... How much I missed it." A strange distortion appeared around him, which surprised both Tetra and Alyssia. "My magic." With a movement of his left hand, a portal that was the size of a human being opened. Chapter 441: The unbreakable curse and its source. A crack in space opened, which made Tetra open her mouth wide. "That''s... not the same as my Remnant power. You weren''t lying." She acknowledged at last that Orion truly possessed the power to manipulate ''Space'' and ''Time'' to some extent. "Well..." A groan escaped Orion''s mouth as he closed the portal without leaving a trace of it behind. "What is it?" Surprised by his behavior, Tetra placed a hand behind his back. His face was rather pale compared to a few minutes ago. "The curse... It''s still there." Orion could feel his magical vessels close up as he spoke, causing his magic output to dwindle. What Alyssia did was create only a brief moment of recovery. "Fuck..." The corruption was harder to remove this time than it was previously. As it was growing back to block his magic from flowing freely in his body, the Remnant in his core suddenly shouted. "Don''t lose hope!" A number appeared in his left eye, and a strange distortion, similar yet different from before, enveloped Orion. "That number!" Tetra''s eye flashed the same number, reacting to her power being used by someone else. ''Sorry, me! But I''ll use you to make this work!'' While the magical veins were still leaking magic, the two Tetras linked for a split moment. Draining a chunk of the past Tetra''s magic, the future Tetra forced the corruption to stall while a distortion formed in the veins. ''Now!'' When ordering the void element to act, it was immediately understood. The void element created portals inside Orion himself, where the blocked areas were. Since Tetra wasn''t able to use much of her original power alone, all she could do was hold it for three seconds before the corruption blocked the entire system again. ''I can''t hold it any longer!'' The magic she pulled from her physical self was depleted, and the corruption finished plugging up the magic flow. Everything returned to normal as Orion breathed heavily. His body was burning up, and his muscles were aching. But... ''That''s fucking right! I made it!'' A voice full of joy exploded in his head. He could imagine Tetra jumping up and down as her plan succeeded, her fist clenched above her head in a victory pose. ''Like I said... You''re not that dumb.'' Orion smiled faintly before fainting in Tetra''s arms. ... "What happened?" "..." Alyssia asked Tetra, who supported Orion with ease. He was taller than her, but she was not a frail woman unable to carry a man. Hesitantly, she turned to the worried woman.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. "I... really don''t know. All I know is that he drained some of my magical energy when I was touching him and that he did something to himself." With a confused expression, Tetra looked at Orion''s exhausted face. Moving her free hand in front of her face, she closed it and opened it multiple times. ''Nothing''s out of the ordinary. My Remnant power is still right there.'' Making sure that Orion hadn''t done something to her, she finally relaxed. At that moment, she recalled what had just happened. Alyssia appeared to be pondering the same thing. "Something was... inside him." The puddle of dark matter was no more. With no hesitation, Orion erased the corruption before it could take over anyone around him. "That was corruption." With a nod, Tetra answered her. At first, she was wary of the silver-haired woman, but after seeing how neutral she was about Noah and that she showed some form of care for Orion, she decided that Alyssia was trustworthy. "So corruption does have a physical presence in the body. This is knowledge I''m grateful to have obtained." With a faint smile, Alyssia lifted her hand and reached toward Orion. "..." Tetra watched her with a neutral face. Seeing the intense gaze upon her, Alyssia glanced at Tetra. "You don''t have to be so on guard. I''m not doing anything." As her hand fell on Orion''s silky black hair, she gently caressed it. "Thanks to him, we''ll be able to avoid following the same path of destruction we were set on." Her eyes turned to Tetra as a small hint of anger gleamed inside them. She was furious at her for having brought the items that caused the destruction of her colony. Yet, she couldn''t entirely blame her. "What?" Noticing the expression on her face, Tetra frowned and asked her. "I was thinking that we aren''t much better, you and I." "..." Not knowing what to make of what she had said, Tetra kept quiet. She knew Alyssia was somehow angered by her, but she had no idea why. She knew that it wouldn''t be wise to bring this up, especially if that matter was related to Orion. Alyssia closed her eyes, pulled her hand back from Orion''s hair, and took a step back. "In any case, that''s where our paths separate." With a saddened grimace, she looked at Orion. "I''ve done what I could. The rest..." As she turned around, she ignored Tetra. "It is in your hands, our successor." The pink-haired woman''s eyes opened widely. "Successor?" As Alyssia walked in the distance, Tetra glanced at Orion. "..." "I think I know why I''m not liked." With a neutral expression, she warped back to the hideout with Orion, where she and Henrietta placed him on a bed until he awakened. ~ Orion opened his eyes. "The prince finally opened his eyes." "..." A very irritating voice rang in Orion''s ears, forcing him to rapidly stand up. "A damp, uncomfortable floor..." He only knew one place similar to this one. "Darkness everywhere, but surprisingly lit up." "I thought we wouldn''t be seeing each other soon, but I wasn''t expecting actual eons before it happened." A darkened figure walked in front of Orion, revealing himself to him. "You..." His eyes fell on himself, sporting a mischievous grin on his face. "How have you been after losing your battle against Miasma?" "..." Orion glared at the figure. He recalled speaking to it after Tetra had been killed by Miasma, right before their showdown in Eogis. "Don''t glare at me. I told you so, wasn''t it? If only you had accepted my power, we would''ve been doing fine." A grunt escaped Orion''s mouth as the words his other self spoke infuriated him. "And having no mind to even differentiate between those important to you and the enemy." "Miasma, fuck off." Pure hatred shaped the words Orion let out. "So, you knew." The dark shape of Orion morphed into a shadow with red eyes. "Of course I do. I''m not that stupid to not understand your machinations. The first time was in my nightmare." Orion scowled at Miasma with fury in his eyes. "The second time was after you dared go after Tetra." Having learned his lesson, Orion kept Stella''s relationship with him hidden to avoid her being targeted in the future. "And the third is right now, after I''ve managed to bypass your blockage. How pitiful do you have to be to tempt me into becoming a husk?" "Ha~ Pitiful, you say..." The Remnant of ''Corruption'' laughed lightly. "You might be right on this one." Miasma wasn''t actually physically here compared to the time he invaded Orion''s nightmare. Only a shadow with bright red eyes was present, trying to whisper sweet temptations to the Hero. "That curse of yours. I was never freed of it. I learned that recently." "Otherwise, you would never be able to interact with me like this." Waving left and right, the thick cloud of dark energy dispersed everywhere under Miasma. "Really, I''m not concerned about your little curse. You can get rid of it, but either way, it wouldn''t change much for me." "Since you''ve refused to become my power two times, I have very little need to continue bothering with you." Orion frowned. "I bet it was something stupid, like hindering Noah''s movement or creating a situation where you could strike at him before your inevitable defeat." "..." Miasma fell silent, speaking louder than any words he could have used to defend himself. ''You don''t know anything, do you?'' ''Henrietta was right. Miasma is unable to know anything about us, even through me.'' Thinking about the entire time since coming to this era, Orion smirked. "Anyway, how were your attempts to rescue the Valkyrie?" This question was a genuine curiosity. Since Miasma was in front of him, he felt like this was the only chance to ask. Miasma noticed the respectful tone Orion used to cite his wife. He could''ve aggressively asked or disrespectfully called her ''that Valkyrie''. "I''m not telling you shit." Orion could tell Miasma was pleased by the question. He immediately went the other way. "Don''t take me wrong. I''m simply interested in the details. I know you''ve failed." ''Probably as much as Henrietta did, looking at your reaction.'' "Grrr!" A very menacing growl echoed in the empty darkness, and Orion knew exactly where it came from. The way he spoke made Miasma even more frustrated than he already was. "What do you know about that, huh? If you, Heroes, weren''t constantly trying to hinder my plans, I would''ve long been able to get my revenge on that monster." Rage escaped Miasma as if years of accumulated wrath were finally released. Unfazed by his foes anger, Orion shrugged. "It''s sad that you''re unable to understand that you became the same kind of monster you are trying to get revenge on." Miasma blanked. "Anyway, I don''t have the time to talk to you." A bright light enveloped Orion''s entire right arm. "I''ll keep your curse inside me for now, as a reminder of your failed attempts to corrupt me." Keeping hidden the fact that he was unable to completely remove it from his core and that it actually caused trouble for him with humans, Orion glared at the Remnant. As Orion slammed his hand on the ground, light exploded, devouring the surrounding darkness. ... "Orion?" Slowly, he opened his eyes. He was inside the house in the Remnants'' hideout, where he and Noah rested. Seeing that Orion was finally opening his eyes, Noah closed the book he was writing into and posed the pen on the table before rotating his entire body toward Orion. "You''ve been unconscious for two weeks. How are you doing?" "..." Orion sat on the bed''s edge and sighed. "I''m hungry." "Haha~ I bet. Are you feeling good enough to eat?" Looking at himself, Orion nodded. His conversation with Miasma returned to him, but he kept it inside him. ''Thank the world, you''re alright!'' Tetra''s voice finally broke the silence in his mind. With a smile, he stood up. "Let''s go eat." Noah and Orion walked out of the house to get something to eat. With Tetra''s help, they prepared a warm, filling soup that gave back the strength Orion had lost during the two weeks he had missed. Chapter 442: Orion and Tetra, sharing their feelings. For an entire month, Orion was unable to correctly use his void magic. Thanks to Tetra''s quick action in creating a passage nullifying the corruption from blocking his magic circuit, Orion could bring a bit of void magic out. The problem was that the constant need to feed the magic used to create this passage drained most of his magic. It was terribly inefficient to do so, leaving Orion with less than one tenth of his original magic output. Two options were left for him. Either try and push his magical limits further, giving him more leeway to work around his natural limitations, or wait for a way to break the curse, which would stop the need to maintain the bridge. In the end, Orion chose to work toward augmenting his magical limits. But even after an entire month, nothing of real value was found. After a month, Tetra and Orion''s relationship also began to change for the better. After inadvertently letting out her true feelings, Tetra made him aware of the changes inside her. At first, they slowly discussed what this would entail for them in the future. ¡ª ''I feel bad for Amelia and the others.'' After Orion recovered from his two weeks of unconsciousness, the two began to seriously consider the implications of a new relationship. ''Because they can''t say anything about your feelings? If that''s the problem, then you shouldn''t worry about it. I don''t think they would mind it that much.'' Tetra groaned. ''You don''t understand. Women are more possessive than you think. That''s why Amelia explicitly states that she''s the ''first'' and that no one is allowed to get one over her.'' ''If we''re talking about possessiveness... then I think I understand.'' Orion frowned, recalling the few moments he had lost his temper when other men approached his companions. ''You aren''t even close to understanding. Women are dangerous when love is at play. It is because of you that they managed to form an alliance of sorts to avoid harming your feelings.'' ''Amelia might be more open-minded, but she''s still number one. Imagine if you had taken someone else to bed before her. Let''s say, Olivia.'' ''What do you think would have happened?'' Closing his eyes with a defeated smile, he gave up the argument. ''You''re right, it would''ve turned into a very nasty situation.'' Coughing briefly to return to the matter at hand, Tetra continued. ''Now, what am I going to say to her when I get back to my body?'' ''I''ve spent more than a thousand years with you inside your body. Sure, I''m kind enough to close the connection when you have your needs, but I know practically anything about you.''This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. He could feel the sweet scent of love in his nose as she spoke because of the source inside his body. ''How your body is built, how you think, how you''ve changed, how you struggle... Most things no one apart from you should be able to know.'' ''Now, how do I explain to Amelia that I have a long lead over her?'' To that, Orion shrugged. ''But you don''t? Sure, you know about me very well, but Amelia just about knows exactly what I''ve been thinking most of the time. Karteira is also beginning to do the same.'' Without even thinking about it, he placed the last nail in the coffin, angering Tetra slightly in the process. ''And I''ve slept with her already. She has that over you.'' ''Sure, she does have that! And I''m fucking jealous! I''m stuck in your core, so I can''t even touch you! Do you even understand how frustrating it is for me?'' He heard a groan and then a discontented exhalation, as if Tetra were puffing her cheeks. ''I''m sorry. It wasn''t my intention to rub this in your face.'' ''...'' He could feel that she was truly feeling mixed feelings. On one side, she hated being unable to do anything, but on the other, she was glad to be by his side at all times. ''Orion...'' ''Yes?'' She let out a sweet voice, which Orion wasn''t expecting. ''I''m seriously trying to get over Noah. Would you consider... having me?'' Orion silently stared at the ground. ''I can. But you need to understand.'' The words that Tetra was expecting entered her ears. ''As of now, I have no feelings for you. I''m sure you know about it.'' ''Yes.'' Her answer had no frustration, sadness, or defeat in it. ''I understand it better than anyone else. I''m the Remnant of ''Love'' for a reason.'' ''I see.'' Not knowing how to give the correct answer, Orion simply nodded. ''That''s why...'' Then, Tetra explained her plan for the future, which made Orion blink with a blank stare. ''I''ll keep saying that I love you from time to time. Maybe one day you''ll turn to me, and you''ll repeat those words back.'' ''...'' ''Speechless?'' Orion smiled. ''That''s on the level of what Amelia would do. I can go through that without a problem.'' With a worried tone, she asked him. ''Do you dislike me?'' Instantly shaking his head, Orion frowned. ''No. Far from it. I learned many things from you, and I sincerely enjoy our conversations. But to say that I''m in love with you...'' He looked at the wall in front of him with a neutral expression. ''I won''t lie. I don''t.'' But Tetra wasn''t about to give up. She wasted thousands of years thinking about Noah, so she could also do it for him. ''That leaves me room to seduce you, then.'' ''Prepare yourself. I''m unrelenting when I love someone.'' With that conversation done, Orion became the bearer of a soul that tried to make his feelings grow for her. They discussed this many times again after, but the answer always ended up the same. But, Tetra had six years to try to get Orion to love her. If she wasn''t able to, she swore to stop pestering him after returning home. ¡ª Returning to the present day, a month later. Inside Orion''s core, Tetra was unusually tensed. ''...'' She groaned, sighed, and weirdly answered when Orion called out to her. ''What is happening to you?'' She wasn''t acting her usual self, and it was worrying him. ''Won''t you at least answer me?'' He was starting to think that he had done something to make her this way. Sure, he was like usual, prioritizing training over anything else, but he never said anything that would trigger this situation. ''It''s today...'' After hearing Orion''s genuine anxiety, she finally decided to speak. ''Today? What''s today?'' Orion hadn''t been keeping track of the days since coming here. With the urgency to recover his void magic and the need to get used to his ancestors'' help, he was oblivious to whatever was happening outside. ''I can''t believe you''ve forgotten. Here I was, stressing over nothing.'' Releasing a sigh of relief, Tetra relaxed. ''If you haven''t paid attention, I suppose it''s nothing.'' These words attached themselves to Orion''s mind, weighting heavily as he realized that something was missing. ''Forgetting something? Something that would justify your behavior...'' ''Don''t think too much about it! There''s no reason to-'' It didn''t take long for Orion to recall one of the most important days of this era. As the air grew heavier around him, a dark veil covered his eyes. His feet carried his will to exit the room and to enter the room where the Remnants observed Noah. "Orion?!" Henrietta jumped the moment Orion opened the heavy door, not expecting his sudden entrance. Tetra, who was intently looking into the water, didn''t even register him. "Tetra." "Hiee!" Hearing her name being spoken so abruptly, the woman shrieked and almost fell down her chair. "W-What?! What is it? Oh... Orion?" Seeing that the one calling her name was Orion, she sighed in relief. ''Why did we jump like this? We''re not usually this sensible.'' Henrietta looked at Orion, and then she realized why she felt tense. ''His eyes...'' Under the dark veil covering his face, she could see the bright gray-colored pupils staring straight at the other Remnant in the room. She knew it wasn''t directed at her, and she felt no danger emanating from him, so she let it go. "Send me to Noah, please." "Why? I mean, it was said politely, so I have no reason to refuse, but I am curious. You haven''t joined him much recently." Orion approached the table and peered inside the water, where Noah was waiting for the army of corrupt beasts to come. "There''s something I have to witness directly. I have to..." He couldn''t finish his sentence. The heavy tone spoke louder than any words he could utter, which made Tetra understand that it was significant to him. "Come here. I''ll transport you safely." Walking next to her, he waited for her to place her hand on his shoulder. With a moment of gratitude, his heavy aura vanished, and he nodded to her, wearing a normal smile. "Thanks." "Sure." ... Orion''s vision instantly recovered. The usual sickening feeling wasn''t as pronounced as before after recovering some of his void magic. "That''s rare to see you actually participate in defending a village. What happened? Feeling rusty and in need of moving around?" Noah glanced over his shoulder as Orion approached him. "No. Nothing like that." He stood in front of Noah, watching the village. Then, he turned around. "I came to tell you not to defend the village until all of it is destroyed." The first Hero''s face darkened. "I hope you understand who you''re saying that to." "Right, Orion?" The two Heroes stood face-to-face, a heavy air around them. Chapter 443: The day the twins lost everything. Noah and Orion faced each other on top of a hill as a low, rumbling vibration traveled under their feet. Turning their faces toward the source of the shaking, they noticed a stampede of beasts running straight for the human village Noah was about to protect. Slowly turning his head back to Orion, Noah sighed while dropping his shoulders. "If you don''t let this destruction happen, it could affect people in your time." Orion looked over his shoulder at the village behind his back. ''The twins.'' Recalling the people important to Orion, which he learned as a prize for winning their competition, Noah understood. On the other side, Tetra was freaking out inside Orion. ''I thought my power would interfere with destiny?! Why is Noah already here?!'' ''He was supposed to arrive too late!'' She was panicking, and for a good reason. Ignoring the fuss in his head, Orion turned to Noah. "That''s right." The look on his face was as dark as the abyss. "I can see that it doesn''t please you one bit." Smiling frustratingly, Noah walked next to Orion, his eyes glued to the human village. "You wouldn''t be pleased either, knowing that your family was in danger, but you were unable to avoid their fate out of fear of never seeing them again." "I just came here to be the witness to its unfolding." Noah glanced toward him. "Even if it rips your heart apart?" "..." Orion turned around, his face finally freed of the darkness. "Even if it kills me, I''ll make sure only these two survive." Biting his lower lip until blood dripped from it, his eyes were ready to see the carnage unfold. ''Orion...'' Tetra wasn''t sure how to ease his aching heart. The tragedy that was about to happen was the start of Dramia and Drania''s difficult lives. Thousands of years of suffering, haunted by the death of their savior. ''I can... save them.'' He clenched his hands while looking at the stampede approaching the village. ''You can''t!'' Putting his entire will into not moving, Orion stood there, hurt. Noah closed his eyes as the flood of beasts trampled houses and people alike. This was a scenario he tried his hardest to avoid, but since these people were originally fated to lose their lives, he did his utmost to turn a blind eye to it.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. "Where are you...?" Orion focused his eyes on the event, looking everywhere with the ''Eagle Eye'' ability to find his companions. ''Remember, they aren''t fairies yet!'' Giving him the advice he needed, Tetra did her best to support his search. ''I know. Hazelnut hair...'' His disheartened tone emphasized that this entire situation was dragging his heart through the mud. The prickly feeling Tetra could feel, which was actually coming from Orion, made her remember the day she had lost Noah. ''Twin sisters... twin sisters...'' Orion scanned the carnage, looking for the poor teenage girls. ''!'' Suddenly, Tetra gasped. ''There! Orion, there!'' The sisters finally appeared in their vision. They were running away from a beast that looked like a giant prying mantis. Running past the dead bodies around them, Dramia, whom Orion recognized immediately from the frown on her face, was also showing pure terror and horror as she pulled her sister along. Drania was entirely lost, unable to comprehend the carnage happening around her. ''That''s when Noah was supposed to save them! Shit!'' Suddenly, Tetra cursed, giving a piece of information Orion had hoped to have heard before this moment. "Noah!" With a horrified expression full of anxiety, he turned to the first Hero. "No time to think!" As the words entered his ears, Orion disappeared from his spot right in front of him. "We missed the timing..." Pulling a shard of ore from his pocket, Noah formed a sword with it. Leaning forward, his body was instantly covered in light. With a sharp push of his leg, he leaped into the air, crossing the distance in a blink. ... "Sis!" "Shut up!" Pulling her twin sister, the brown-haired twin ran past the bloodied corpses of people she knew. Their parents were no more. They were ambushed by beasts as they were trying to escape. ''I won''t let her die! At least her!'' She was running away with every bit of strength she had in her body. She skillfully dodged other beasts devouring the villagers, but the one chasing them was unrelenting. It was rapidly catching up to them, but she wasn''t ready to give up. She wanted to at least protect her twin sister. This was her duty as the responsible one. But the end came faster than she was expecting. Even though she knew her village perfectly well thanks to her high intellect, the rubble caused by this massive destruction led her into a dead end. "Why!" She screamed as she turned around, putting her sister behind her back. "Why did this happen?!" Hearing the sobs coming from her twin sister, she cursed the entire world. "What did we do to deserve this?!" A gray praying mantis the size of a building crept its disgusting head around the corner of the broken-down building and emerged from it. It slowly approached them with its mandibles vibrating, as if delighted to have caught its prey. ''I at least wanted her to live...'' With terror taking over her, she looked at the beast that leaned backward, ready to slash them into chunks of meat. But never once did she look away or close her eyes. She was prepared to meet her end. But, as the mantis'' arms fell on the poor girls, the space warped in front of them. The air felt heavier with fury as a man emerged from the warping air. "Get your filthy scythes away from them." The man dropped to the ground and immediately jumped toward the chest segment of the praying mantis. Before the twins could be injured, the beast was sent flying backward, exploding into a disgusting mess of green blood on the rubble. He had kicked the beast with such force that the twins were unable to comprehend what had happened. This commotion attracted more beasts, which terrified the sisters even more. As they recoiled in horror, the man dropped to the ground and glanced over his shoulder. "Don''t worry. Close your eyes, and it''ll be done before you know it." His warm smile managed to erase a fraction of their fear, as meek nods were given as an answer. Still, instead of closing their eyes, they kept them open, glued to the back of the man who valiantly stood in front of them. (Many people want to help today. It''s incredible.) The man whispered something that only the responsible twin heard. Confused, she noticed a light aura covering the man. "Celine, please share your power with me." From the man''s back, two mechanical wings stretched. They looked similar to a bird''s wings but were entirely made of metal. Water dripped constantly from the metallic feathers as they moved independently of one another. Suddenly, the first row of wings detached from the wings and, attached by a thread of water, began to fly around the area at an incredible speed. "No one said there would be ''Corrupted Lords'' in here. Some things did truly change for the worst." With a movement of his right hand, the man wiped a thread of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth. Bewildered by this scene that came straight from another world to the normal girls, they couldn''t help but look at him with their mouths agape. The feather relentlessly chased after the beasts, ripped them apart, and blocked the magical attacks aimed at them. Flames exploded in contact with the metallic feathers. Lightning was caught by them and sent back to its sender. Water was absorbed by the wings, and rocks and mud were obliterated, while the sharp wind blades were simply calmed down by the rapid movement of the feathers. Then, from a distance, a large explosion happened. A pillar of light arose from the center of the village, eradicating all beasts under its radiant light. It was too late for the villagers, but the twins, at the very least, were spared a tragic end. After half an hour, the entire village, albeit destroyed, was entirely freed of corrupt beasts. ... The reality came crashing down once tranquility returned to the village. A terrible carnage occurred, where chewed bodies spread throughout the place, people were crushed by their roofs, and dead monsters displaying atrocious deformities littered the streets. With heartbroken expressions, the twins looked at the two men who saved their lives. "..." "..." Orion and Noah looked at each other with mixed feelings. They knew that this entire moment was part of history and that it was unavoidable, but deep down, they hoped it would play differently. Especially for Noah. Seeing the hundreds of villagers laying still across the place wasn''t a pleasant sight. But for Orion, who was starting to grow as a person and separate from his innate hatred of humans, he couldn''t bring himself to look at them. ''They didn''t deserve this...'' This was his honest thought. The twins could see the pain on their faces. A pain they were forcefully made aware of. With feeble steps, the twins walked toward one of them. They grabbed Orion''s legs and, hugging his waist, sobbed with anguish. They had lost their family, their friends, their village... Nothing was left for them to get even a bit of closure. With trembling hands, Orion lifted them and placed them gently on the twins'' heads. His eyes disappeared under a curtain of darkness as he tightly clenched his jaw. Then, a warm smile replaced his previous expression. "It''s alright. Let everything out. You''re safe." This smile took Noah by surprise. It was the smile of a man recovering something precious to him. The smile of a man who would fight legions to protect others. Through this tragic event, Orion and Noah managed to preserve the course of history. Dramia and Drania were safe and sound, and their trauma was still present. The only major difference was... Orion was the one who stepped forward to save them. Would this action change anything in the future? Even Tetra was perplexed about this question. Chapter 444: Human names. As expected by Tetra, the changes began to immediately take effect. After calming down, the twins were holding a side of Orion''s pants each. They looked at him with the same expression of dread as before, but they apparently felt attached to him after he had stood to defend them. Noah kneeled in front of Orion and looked at the two girls. "My name is Noah. I wish to apologize for not coming in time to protect your lives." He glanced to the side, and so did the twins. The area wasn''t devastated. Everything they had known was either destroyed or void of life. "It''s..." The most responsible sister''s feeble voice, full of exhaustion, answered with trembling eyes. "We''re..." She looked at her little sister, who was looking at the ground, unable to think properly. Orion kept his hands on the top of their heads, keeping a gentle pressure on them to reassure the poor girls. They felt safe under his care, just as much as they were in front of Noah. "You don''t have to accept my apology. I know how difficult it is not to blame those in power when such a tragic event happens." Placing his forearm on his knee, Noah nodded while giving them a reassuring smile. "Thank... you." The other twin, who hadn''t talked so far, thanked Noah. "We''re glad we managed to save at least someone." Inwardly cursing the world for making him watch powerlessly as an entire village of humans was devastated, Noah did his best not to betray the words he spoke. They looked upward at Orion, who nodded with the same smile as earlier. "Do you mind telling me your names?" "..." The twins gently nodded. "Mia." "Nia." Orion opened his eyes in shock. ''Huh?'' Confusion suddenly developed in his mind, but Tetra rapidly appeared to calm it. ''You don''t have to wonder too much. This is their human name.'' ''Tiohr-nam was the one who gave them a new name. It wasn''t necessary, but as the new representatives of the fairies, they changed their names.'' Calming down his agitation as this information was new to him, Orion internally sighed.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. ''Neither Dramia nor Drania ever spoke of their human name. Even Tiohr-nam never mentioned this.'' ''Because it isn''t vital to know. It was certainly a secret, but if you had asked, I''m sure they would have told you. They probably thought that it wasn''t related to your mission.'' An even stronger sigh echoed in his head. ''I was too obstinate about Elliott and Miasma to give them a moment.'' ''Now that I had the time to reflect on my action, I realize that I''ve been ignoring almost everyone.'' Six women flashed through his mind. Dramia and Drania, Olivia, Senia, May, and Deveralna. Yes, he spent a night with Deveralna, but he still barely understood her. Compared to Amelia or Karteira, she was one of his companions with whom he barely interacted. At the time, he knew that he loved them, but he had no idea how to treat them correctly at a time when his last battle could arrive at any moment. The same happened for the twins. ''If only I had spent more time with them...'' His grip relaxed, and he was about to release the two girls. Tetra added something as the two girls looked up at him. ''You can reflect on your mistakes later, but I know your love is true and pure. If we return alive, you''ll have all the time in the world to do your thing with them.'' ''And maybe with me too...'' The last part was added as the twins pulled Orion''s sleeves. Ultimately, he stopped discussing this with her and focused on the grief-stricken teenagers. As his eyes sank inside their eyes, he noticed something. ''Those eyes...'' Something that everyone around Orion had and that he liked the most from his companions was missing. They were missing the bright light of life and determination inside their eyes. * Amelia''s pure pearly irises, Karteira''s bright cerulean eyes, and Deveralna''s reptilian and captivating dark orange irises. Olivia''s relaxing blue-sky eyes, which changed to a choking and devious blood-red color when changing into her demon form, were a sight to behold. May''s clear ruby eyes, displaying the will to live more than anyone else, shone brightly under adversity. Senia''s light yellow irises, full of life and determination to better themselves, were mesmerizing to him. And lastly... * ''They''re losing the spark of hope...'' Orion could see the light of life itself slowly dissipating from them. The will to survive was disappearing as he looked at them. He could sense the same feeling while looking inside their eyes, but he didn''t like how horrible it felt to look at them. The healthy green color of life itself that they had was absent, replaced by a natural chocolate brown, perfectly matching their hazelnut-colored hair. But their gazes... "I am Orion. I''m pleased to meet you, Mia and Nia." Expressing the same smile as Noah, the twins nodded, still holding his sleeves. "Tetra." Noah gently stood up, calling the name of the Remnant who had brought them here. From behind Orion, she walked with her arms crossed. "I already obtained permission from Enri. They''re staying with us." With a gentle gaze, she looked at the twins and then at Orion. "We won''t be separating them from their savior, so we won''t drop them off on Eogis with the other orphans." Mia caught this detail and looked at Noah. "Other orphans?" Showing interest in his words, Mia noticed him nodding. "I''ve been moving across the continent to save as many people as possible. I''ve saved more than a hundred children who had lost their parents." "They''ve created a community on an island far away from the horrors that caused their grievances." She understood what he meant by horror: creatures that were far more monstrous than what should exist. These monsters only appeared randomly, rarely showing themselves in the open. Since no one besides merchants and warmongers dared to exit their village, only a few corrupt beasts were ever spotted. With a pondering expression, Mia looked downward. Nia, on the other side, couldn''t look away from Orion''s face. She was looking at the face of her savior with scrutiny. (...ld...) Orion heard a sliver of Nia''s sentence. With curiosity, he kneeled so that she could speak directly to him. "Yes? Nia, right? Is there something you would like from me?" It pained Orion to have to act this way in front of them, but he couldn''t act naturally with the past selves of his companions. The girl, who had looked distressed until now, leaned forward. "How old are you?" He heard the small voice of Nia clearly and, with a smile, answered her. "Would you believe me if I said minus four thousand years?" The smile on his face was perceived as a joke by Nia, who giggled at the sudden joke. She noticed her change of heart and, with a confused look, turned to her sister. Mia had a faint smile on her face at the sight of her younger twin sister''s recovery. The mark of trauma hadn''t entirely etched its mark inside them, which Orion, Noah, and the watching Remnants noticed. "Since it''s not quite possible, I''ll give you my real age. I''m twenty-three." He didn''t lie previously, but he couldn''t explicitly tell the girls he came from the future. "Oh." The shy twin nodded before Orion asked the same question. "What about you two? Are you twins?" Looking at the two sisters alternatively, Orion smiled. "Y-Yes. We''re twins." Nia looked down as Mia slightly inched over next to her. "We''re both fifteen." This small talk helped the girl forget some of her troubles. The light of life finally returned to their eyes, making Orion sigh with relief internally. Even Tetra, who was holding her mouth to not pester him, breathed a sigh of relief. The more responsible sister hugged her sister gently while caressing her hair. "Noah." Orion and Noah exchanged a sharp glare before both nodded at Tetra. "Alright. Let''s move out of this place. It''s bad for everyone." All this time, she did her best not to look around. Now that the chance had arisen, she hurriedly activated her power and warped back to their hideout. The smell of blood was starting to permeate through the air, which was the reason for the two Heroes'' sudden motion to return. With a movement of her left hand, Tetra made everyone warp away, herself included. ~ "Titania..." "What is it?" Three Remnants stood in front of a large building. Its pyramidal shape and color intrigued one of them, while another stared into the unending spiral of magic energy whirling above them. "Are you sure that this will work?" Henrietta, Titania, and Heto walked past the arching entrance of the Elemental Temple. "Of course not. If I were sure of it, I would not have requested for Heto to come along." "I get what you want to do, but I''m not sure if it''s the correct way to go about it." The tall Remnant stopped, his eyes settling on the reason for his presence. "I told you. We are done standing on the sidelines. Henrietta, it is time for us to help." As Titania opened her hands, two souls brightly spun around her index finger. "Reon... Orianne..." "We are bringing you back, even if it is against your wishes." Pointing her finger at the rocks holding Orion''s parents sealed inside, Titania smiled. "For Orion''s sake." Chapter 445: Three Remnants and two crystals. (Part 1) After Orion''s disappearance alongside Miasma, two souls were forcefully dragged out of the bracelet the Hero was treasuring. "Hmm~?" At the same time Orion''s magical signature vanished, Tiohr-nam sensed the two souls breaching through the portal leading to Eogis before everyone else returned. "This aura... Is it possible?" The magical energy of a man she once knew was being pulled by the light element, and the aura of a woman she didn''t know was being pulled by the dark element. "They are going toward the elemental realm? This is not good." Her symbol as a Remnant, the ''Golden Leaf'', flashed over her green irises. Activating her power over ''Life'' and ''Death'', she forcefully captured those souls and protected them. "Souls in this state cannot remain long enough to do anything. The sealed bodies of Orion''s parents are stored in that place, so they instinctively tried to return to it..." Noticing the damage etched on the two souls, she frowned. "All I can do is preserve them. But..." "They''re already lost." ~ After Tiohr-nam recovered her memories and once the entire Remnants group came back together, she finally started moving toward resurrecting the couple. She went to fetch the people who would help her achieve the best result and explained her idea to them. "Henrietta, I think it''s worth it to at least try." "If you don''t succeed, these two will be lost forever. Orion won''t easily forgive you if you mess up. He was supposed to do it himself, don''t you remember?" Titania nodded. "I know. I learned it from him directly how unsuccessful it went." She glanced over her shoulder with her chin pointing downward. "But ''Life'' is my aspect. I am the one who makes the rules." For a moment, both Henrietta and Heto gulped. The person in front of them was different from Tiohr-nam. She was now Titania, the daughter of a Valkyrie. With a faint smile, she released the tension that the two people behind her were feeling and looked at the crystals in front of her. "We will split the way we do things. I will focus on breaking these crystals and placing these souls back inside their bodies." "Heto, I need you to link the souls back and stabilize them. You are the Remnant of ''Consciousness'', so bring them back." Heto nodded. "I''ll do what I must. Even though I''ve never met this ''Orion'', I can see that he truly cared for the factions around here." "I may not be a worthy warrior, but let me help a true one." With a smile, Heto slammed his fist on his chest lightly. The symbol of a sigil of a meteor shined in his eyes, symbolizing the ''Disaster'' under his control. "What should I do? I don''t see exactly what my power over ''Fate'' and ''Destiny'' would be of use in this scenario." Henrietta crossed her arms while looking at the crystals. She walked next to Titania, who was frowning. "These souls have been badly damaged after roaming the world for just a few minutes. I am afraid their egos are... dead." "You''ll need me to change their destiny..." Titania nodded. Her folded, leafy wings shuddered slightly after thinking of the state they would be in once their souls were attached. Without wasting time, Henrietta pulled out the ''Book of Destiny'' from her source. "I apologize for making you use this artifact." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. With an apologetic expression on her face, Titania glanced at Henrietta. "You knew..." "Heto knows. He simply told us earlier." The man scratched the back of his bald head while avoiding her gaze. "Aaaah~ Whatever." Dropping her shoulders, Henrietta gave up before even getting mad. "Without Tetra, I don''t feel like being angry. It''s only a nightmare. I can live through that." Opening the book, she settled on the first name. "Reon Feales. Father of the Hero Orion." Upon setting her eyes on the page, she instantly read through the entirety of his life through the text. His entire life was transcribed into the pages, even his battle against Elliott. At no point was it precisely written that Elliott had been controlled by his father, which surprised her slightly. Everything that happened inside the bracelet was also ignored, which made her notice that anything concerning Orion was somehow blocked. ''Maybe if I were to read Orion''s profile, I would get the missing parts of their destiny?'' With this brief thought, she read the last sentence of his history. "As expected, unless we actually try something, I''ll be unable to actually change the outcome. Nothing that would affect the actual result has happened yet." "Would you mind detailing further?" Heto asked with a confused expression. He wasn''t knowledgeable about her actual power, so Henrietta nodded, explaining it concisely. "It means that the actual window in which I''m able to help is narrow. Presently, I''m powerless. The moment their souls are back in their bodies, I''ll have to focus on changing their state." "From a damaged soul to a patched-up, healthy soul..." None of them had the actual power to do this. The only person capable of actually helping appeared in Henrietta''s mind. "Without Tetra, I''m not sure if it''ll be a success." The power to reverse a state, besides death, was part of Tetra''s power. Even Titania had no power over death itself. She could cause it, but not inverse it. "Mending souls isn''t something easy to do. It''s still a complete mystery as to why Orion actually managed to revive Layla." Titania nodded, but her gaze, full of determination, was unchanged. "Either way, without Orion to lead the others, we need someone to replace the missing firepower." "These women and Lords might be powerful and surprisingly resourceful, but we have no idea when the next breach will happen." "That''s one thing we''re on the lookout for, so I''m with you on that point." Nodding, Heto crossed his arms while agreeing with the green-haired Remnant. "The visions of disasters haven''t appeared yet, so I think we''re safe for another week." Giving his usual report on the state of the continent, Heto scratched his chin. "That is good to know. At least we can concentrate on doing this." Titania walked forward and placed her hand on the first crystal. The figure of a man sleeping inside the cold coffin appeared after she placed her hand on it. "Alright, let me focus." Closing her eyes, Titania focused on feeling the entire crystal composition. Heto and Henrietta stayed where they were, anxious. "Layers after layers of magic seals. Henrietta, what magic did you give them to achieve such a result?" With a genuine, concerned look, she turned to the woman. "It was called the ''Forbidden Magic of Life and Death''." "Let me guess? It came from your mother." With an unapologetic nod, Henrietta confirmed her inquiry. "No wonder they ended up like this. Not everyone is capable of withstanding the energy of a Valkyrie''s abilities. At least, I''ll agree that separating the ability into two was smart." "The burden was shared, which avoided the worst from happening." Henrietta turned her head to the side with a faint, defeated smile. "Trust me, I know what happens if only one uses this ability." "Oh..." Titania turned to the crystal without saying anything else. She had forgotten that Henrietta had seen countless timelines before this one played out the way it did. "It will take time before I can break each layer. I could do it the easy way and use Avalon, but that way, I cannot guarantee their survival." Henrietta shook her head. "Do it the safest way. I''m saying it again, but we need to avoid failing at all costs." The progenitor of the fairies nodded with a natural smile. "I understand that well. For Orion." Thinking of the young adult as her own child, she couldn''t help but feel indebted to him. "I would not dare damage our current relationship." A green glow began to cover her entire body, releasing light green threads that dissipated over her shoulders. Her wings spread wide behind her back, staying as still as a tree''s branches. Slowly, Titania began to work on breaching through the crystal''s seals, which were the cause of Orion''s failure to connect the souls of his parents'' return into their bodies. ... Henrietta was watching her book with an intense focus, while Heto was waiting for the moment to act. An hour and a half had already gone by as Titania slowly destroyed layers after layers. *Crack* Her hand sank deeper into the crystal, and her entire forearm had been swallowed by the large object. In complete silence, the release of Reon proceeded smoothly. "I... am holding it." Suddenly, Titania spoke after an hour of silence. "Holding what?" Heto walked to her side and leaned forward. "The moment the next seal is broken, the crystal will shatter. Are you prepared?" Her fingertips were touching the very last layer. Reon''s frozen, soulless body was within reach. With her free hand, she signaled to Heto when to catch Reon. Dropping her hand, Titania pushed on the last layer. Bending his back forward, Heto spread his arms to the sides. *SHATTER* The entire crystal exploded, with Titania''s hand still inside. As massive chunks of crystal fell down, they instantly broke into a finer powder before vanishing into the air. Reon''s body fell forward, freed from the crystal. His silver hair swayed graciously, even after all this time. His body had been perfectly preserved, even the injuries he had suffered while fighting Elliott. "I got him!" Catching the angel in his arms, Heto held him tightly. "Do not let go!" Titania turned around while holding a bright ball of light in her hand. With a swift movement, she slammed the soul into Reon''s back. "Your turn!" Knowing that they had very little time to make this ordeal a success, Heto went to it without giving an answer. Attaching the soul back to the body wasn''t an easy task. Since Reon''s soul had departed from his body, it was against the laws of the world to attach it back. But if there was anything Henrietta and Titania learned, it was that rules were unimportant for things that truly mattered. If bringing Orion''s parents back would help them save this world, they would do it over and over. Of course, it was a one-time ticket. If they messed it up, everything would be over. As a surefire way to make this a reality, both Heto and Titania worked on stabilizing the soul. "It''s trying to leave!" Heto looked at Titania with a frantic expression. "I know, I''m doing my best!" Henrietta suddenly took a step forward. "I got this!" Her hand was on a page, and she wrote something on it. "Now!" Seeing that Reon''s soul stopped trying to leave his body, Heto began to bind the soul with the power of ''Consciousness''. "Good... Good!" Even through the tension, they remained calm, watching every step carefully. "Wake up." After ordering the consciousness of Reon to awaken, something happened. The lifeless eyes of the angel appeared, which confirmed Titania''s fears. "The damage to their soul was too advanced..." "That''s why I''m here." Henrietta walked next to her, watching carefully a page of the ''Book of Destiny''. "I just need to make it so that the soul isn''t damaged. Rather simple." With her finger, she wrote something that only she knew about. ''Tetra, I''m borrowing your stupidity.'' With a faint smile, she nodded. Suddenly, as the last word was etched on the page that told the life of the angel named Reon, the light of life wavered inside his eyes. The breath of life returned to the man as his chest heaved up and down. *Cough* "What...? Where?" Pushing the arms of Heto who was holding him, Reon fell to his knees. "W-What?" He looked at his hands with disbelief. Immediately, he placed two fingers on the artery in his neck. "I can feel... my heart?" Finally, Reon looked upward. The first person who entered his vision was none other than Henrietta. "Welcome back to the world of the living, Reon." With eyes wide open, Reon stared at her. "This is absurd..." Chapter 446: Three Remnants and two crystals. (Part 2) Reon tried to stand up, but his body was aching all over. Bruises and wounds obtained during his last stand against Elliott, followed by thousands of years of inactivity, caused his body to freeze on the spot. "I can see with one glance that you have numerous questions." "But now, I would like for you to silently sit over there." Henrietta pointed at the altar. A step was perfect for him to rest beneath the monument. Heto carefully held him up, nodding to him with a smile. "Who are you, if it''s alright to ask?" As the man never appeared in the relayed recording of the bracelet, he couldn''t help but ask. "I am Heto, a Remnant." "Thank you. It is only natural that I introduce myself too. My name is Reon." In the corner of his eyes, he noticed a third person. "!" Titania smiled the moment their gazes met. "Tiohr-nam." This was the first time they had met. What was even more shocking was that a human-like figure with two legs stood next to him. He remembered seeing her through the screen, always embedded in the Tree of Life. "This is our first time meet-" "I am truly sorry!" Before she could finish her sentence, Reon interjected. "I have caused tremendous damage to you before. I always wanted to apologize to you for that..." The angel''s eyes dropped as Heto silently dropped Reon on the step. Titania walked in front of him, her arms crossed. "I do remember clearly. A power enough to obliterate the Tree of Life." They both recalled the unnatural catastrophe that befell the world one day. "It was... I am not making excuses for what I''ve done. All the bottled-up magical energy escaped my grasp and caused you to suffer." With a stern look, Titania looked at him. But next, her gaze relaxed. "I accept your apology. From the beginning, I knew that it was an accident. If you were after my life, you would not have replanted the Seed of Life." She leaned forward and tapped his left shoulder two times. "Still. You did kill me. I hope you are ready to help me train. We also need to recover our full might for what is to come." Reon looked up, finally freed of his guilt. His trembling eyes looked at the Remnant before, at last, a smile broke through his apologetic expression. "I can do that. In fact, let me help you." With a nod, Titania acknowledged his words. "Alright, now that this is done, we still have another person to awaken." "!" Hearing Henrietta speak and seeing the other two nodding while looking at her, Reon finally understood the situation.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Orianne!" Reon turned his head to find the second crystal, perfectly still, against the wall to his left. "We''re about to do the same we''ve done for you, so stay there quietly. It''ll take roughly an hour." His breathing calmed down as his mind calmed down. "I''ll leave her in your hands." He bowed his head deeply before straightening it with a resolute look. Then, he closed his mouth and eyes, resting his exhausted body. For him, who had a rather frail build for a fighter, the injuries he sustained stung constantly. ... An hour later. Titania broke the layers of the crystal before releasing Orianne from her prison. Similar to their previous attempt, Heto caught the woman, and Titania forced her soul back into her body. Reon watched calmly, albeit anxiously, as her wife became the subject of intense work that went against the laws of the world. "You have it?" "I do." Compared to their first try, Heto and Titania were more relaxed. They maintained Orianne''s soul perfectly still in her core, while Henrietta used her power to help them. "Alright, it''s attached. Wake up." As Heto used his Remnant power to awaken Orianne''s consciousness, it took more time compared to Reon. "Her soul was slightly more damaged. Still, it does not affect the result, right?" Titania looked at Henrietta, who nodded. "It shouldn''t. There''s only one way to check." Writing the same thing she did on Reon''s profile page into Orianne''s, Henrietta focused. "..." Reon stood up and walked toward his wife. Heto removed his hands from her and took a few steps back. "..." After walking around Orianne, Reon stopped in front of her. The light in her eyes appeared to return as the breath of life caressed her soul again. "H-Huh?" Her vision was blurry. Confused, she blinked before rubbing her eyes. "Reon?" Even in that state, she could recognize her husband. With trembling hands, she tried to touch him. Reon''s feelings became a mess. His eyes began to moisten, and his hands turned into fists. He clenched his teeth and looked up as if to contain the tears from flowing down. Then, he looked at Orianne and grabbed her hand. "Yes, Orianne. It''s me." "Why the trembling voice?" Not answering her question, he gently pulled her in and hugged her. "Warmth..." Something was always missing inside the bracelet: the heartbeat of her husband and her own heartbeat. "Yes." Tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She knew that something was different compared to the time they had spent inside the bracelet. "Am I alive?" Reon hugged her tightly. So tight, Orianne began to feel her aching muscles and burning injuries. "..." She stretched her arms behind his back and sank her head into his chest. For a few minutes, they shared a silent hug under the warm gazes of the three Remnants. ... After a few more minutes, Orianne''s vision finally returned. "O-Oh! Henrietta and Tiohr-nam! And someone I don''t know!" The first thing she did after letting go of Reon was to look around her. Then, she noticed the others. "This is Heto, a Remnant. He helped in bringing us back." Surprised, Orianne looked at Reon before turning to the three Remnants. "Thank you for bringing us back to life, even though I don''t entirely understand what you''ve done." She dropped her head low. Lower than she ever did for anyone. Henrietta looked at Titania and Heto. She turned to Orianne and nodded. "We''re the ones who make the rules. It''s the least I can do for having forced such a fate on you two." An apologetic smile appeared on her face. "Without your effort in preserving yourself inside Orion''s bracelet, your souls would have been extinguished the day you activated that ability." "Even with your bodies preserved in the crystals, it would''ve been impossible to bring you back." "And..." Titania continued after Henrietta had finished speaking. "Without Orion''s attempt at bringing you back, I would never have attempted it. This was a gamble I would have never taken in normal circumstances." Reon looked at the progenitor of the fairies. "Then why did you do it? What do you gain by reviving us?" "If I have to be honest, we need more people to defend the continent. But ultimately, it all boils down to one thing." The Remnant nodded. "We are doing this for Orion." "Why?" Orianne asked while gently pushing a crimson strand of hair behind her ear. "You probably already understand." Both Reon and Orianne nodded. "But since you asked, I will answer trustfully." Titania coughed exaggeratedly. It was slightly embarrassing for her to say it, but she did nonetheless. "Orion has been helping us since the start of his journey. Not only are we indebted to him, but we never returned the favor." "This small action can be considered a way to give back something important he was always missing." "His family." Understanding the point of the Remnant, they nodded. They needed to know if they could trust them after everything that had happened. "Now, we need to tell you something that you probably don''t want to hear." Henrietta took over. To her surprise, Reon nodded and said the words she was about to speak. "Orion''s gone. But he''s not dead, or else you wouldn''t have brought us back." "R-Right. That''s exactly it." "It''s obvious. Orion wouldn''t have missed the moment of our return. In fact, he was the one who wanted to revive us." Orianne smiled warmly, thinking of her dearest son. "We surmised that Orion vanished in the ''Corridors of Time''. I''ve seen him pull the source of Tetra and assimilate it, so I can say undoubtedly that he is still alive." "But the same happened to Miasma. The two went back in time and are lost somewhere in our past." She frowned. "Miasma is still acting even after being sent in the past. As a result of him stealing a part of Tetra''s source as a Remnant, he managed to breach space and time and send armies that never existed before in our era." Reon frowned while placing a finger on his right brow. "You''re telling us that even after everything Orion went through, Miasma managed to survive?" The Remnant of Fate nodded with a frown of her own. "But there''s something you need to know." Henrietta smiled as if she were truly relieved by this information. "Orion shattered his fate." "We are on an entirely different timeline, where his life is still preserved. The Hero is still alive, and his tale is still going strong." "All we have to do is protect our continent while we wait for his return." Reon and Orianne looked at each other. "We''ll need to rest first, but you can count on us." The pragmatic angel nodded, already planning the course of his action before even starting. On the other hand, Orianne was fidgeting. "Hmm..." "I would like to request something." Henrietta looked at her with confusion. "What is it?" "Where are the girls? I would like to meet them if possible." "Oh." Orianne had many daughters-in-law, so Henrietta understood. In fact, she and Henrietta were on the same level, since Amelia was an important companion to Orion. "They''re resting for today, since we intended to bring you back. We usually train them for what''s to come. But..." The couple suddenly squinted. "You won''t be able to see Stella. She disappeared a few weeks ago-" As she was about to explain that Stella vanished after being abducted by the elementals, a beam of light erupted from the center of the vortex above the structure. It crashed on the opposite side of the altar without damaging the area. A blast of energy forced the group to hide their eyes, while Heto stood in front of them to endure the brunt of the blast. "Where am I now?" *Swing* A woman with black hair tied in a long ponytail swung a polearm with a wide blade at its tip, sending dust flying away from her. As the blast subsided, Henrietta and Titania opened their eyes wide. From the back of the individual, they noticed the shadow of a friend they had lost a long time ago. "V-Varellia..." "That''s my mother''s name." Surprised, the black-haired woman turned around frantically. As her long hair followed her movement, the Remnants noticed the spinning galaxy inside the woman''s eyes. "No... Is that you?" "Stella?" Orion''s daughter returned to Horizon. Chapter 447: The daughters return. Stella opened her eyes wide. The weapon in her hand disappeared in a flash of light and returned inside her core. "That weapon... So you''ve become a Remnant, too." Seeing Catharsis, the weapon Varellia had been entrusted with by her mother, in the hands of Stella was a clear enough confirmation. She wore a long, white lab coat like her mother, with the only difference being their height. Stella was taller. "Is this the same little girl that clung to Orion constantly? I cannot believe it..." Titania blinked repeatedly, yet when she went to confirm the woman''s identity, she fell in shock. "Stella Feales... There''s no doubt about it." Henrietta pondered as her friend frowned. "What else did you see?" "Those titles..." Titania was looking at the list of information concerning Stella. "Remnant of Progress. Blessed by --------. Daughter of a Hero." At the second title, even Heto frowned. "I do not like that second title. Who purposefully hides their identity from me?" While the Remnants were discussing this matter tensely, Orianne and Reon approached the young adult, who was completely lost. When Henrietta and Titania noticed them passing by, they tried to stop them, but she retracted that idea as she understood her mistake. ''Why are we afraid of Stella?'' Genuine confusion took over. That emotion transferred to Titania like wildfire, suddenly realizing what they had done. "Stella, right?" "Y-Yes." The girl''s shoulders jumped slightly at the two unfamiliar people''s approach. "Introductions are due. My name is Reon. Reon Feales." "And mine is Orianne Diom." Stella''s eyes looked lost for a moment. "I am Stella Feal- Wait!" Reon smiled lightly at her reaction. She looked very similar to Orion, as under her coat, a similar outfit to Orion was on full display. "I- I know you. Reon and Orianne... I remember Orion talking about those names." Shyly, the girl took a step forward. "You are Orion''s parents? But how? Am I dead?" She heard Orion speak about them. The crystals were also a reminder of their existence, but she couldn''t remember everything from her younger days. Orianne laughed loudly. "That''s what we thought earlier, too." Looking carefully at the crimson-haired woman, Stella noticed deep and red lacerations on her arms, legs, and one on her neck. "Those injuries." Instinctively, Stella gently took her hand. A white light began to cover both Stella''s hand and Orianne''s entire body. "Oh." Letting the girl do her thing, Orianne noticed her wounds close up, and her exhaustion vanished. "This magic... Light magic?" Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. While the Remnants all looked confused beyond belief, Reon observed carefully before giving his opinion. "You''ve inherited our son''s magic." With a small nod, Stella answered him. When she looked at him, she noticed the same injuries on him. The instant she finished with Orianne, she held her hand flat in front of her, waiting for Reon to touch her hand. With a smile, Reon did just that. Feeling the warm light invade his body, a gentle power washed the injuries and aching of his body away. "That confirms it." When the light disappeared and Stella took a step back, the two parents looked at each other. "Yes, that''s our granddaughter." Without giving Stella time to get ready, Orianne jumped at her and pulled her head into her bosom. "Your growth isn''t normal. We remember you being a little cutie, but look at you now. A grown-up, young woman with a charm rivaling Amelia has replaced that timid girl." Reon walked next to his wife with a serious expression, but his voice was still warm enough to not make Stella freak out. "Would you mind telling us what happened?" Her eyes barely able to see outside of Orianne''s breasts, she looked confused. Then, as she pondered Reon''s words, she nodded. Orianne let her go before grabbing her hand. She pulled Stella behind her and made her sit on the step below the altar. While walking behind her wife and granddaughter, Reon gave a sharp look at Henrietta. ''We need to listen.'' The message was received by the Remnant, who nodded in response. Quietly, the three Remnants stayed at their spot while Stella began to talk. "I have a question." Stella looked toward Henrietta. "What is it?" With a neutral expression, Henrietta waited for the question. "How long was I gone?" This was a question she was prepared to face. A question that would have never left her mouth if she had returned as a child. Looking down for a brief moment, Henrietta answered. "Three weeks. Since Orion and Miasma fought on Eogis, it has been three weeks." "Just three weeks?!" Stella opened her eyes wide and looked at the blonde Remnant with shock. Then, she relaxed and nodded. "Now that you say that, I remember hearing about time flowing differently in the elemental realm compared to this place." "I''ve been stuck in there for seven years." With a faint smile, she looked at her hands. Next, she explained everything that she went through. Meeting the ghost of Varellia, her mother. She learned about the Remnant of Progress'' duties, the Valkyries and their weapons, and the gigantic elemental she awakened. ... "That''s..." Henrietta looked at Titania and Heto with a face of pure shock. "I understand why that second title doesn''t please you one bit." Titania frowned and looked inside the vortex above the monument. "He has been awakened. Is it a good thing... or a bad thing?" Behind them, Heto pondered before looking at them with an answer satisfying enough for them. "I don''t know exactly what or who you are talking about, but if it gave its blessing to this fine lady, why are we questioning which side it is on?" "That is a valid question." A relaxed nod was given by Titania. "..." On the other side of her, Henrietta still kept a frown. She looked over her shoulder and answered Heto. "We''re talking about the Remnant of Magic." Suddenly, Heto opened his mouth in an ''O'' shape and appeared to have understood the matter. "The progenitor of elementals, if we want to be more precise." Reon and Orianne, who listened next to Stella, appeared focused on the discussion. "So, that gigantic being was the creator of elementals?" A long sigh escaped Henrietta''s mouth. "That thing is even larger than Velridar was... if it were to return to this world..." Titania crossed her arms. "You can expect chaos to ensue. This thing isn''t human. It doesn''t understand any of the concepts that make up our world." "It''s not a Primordial for nothing." Heto, who had stayed away from the entire world''s matters since becoming a Remnant, learned that many other troubles weighted over Triazils. "What makes me curious is the fact that Varellia made contact with the elementals without any of us noticing." "You''re right. She wouldn''t have been able to leave a recorded message for her daughter if she hadn''t done that before dying." Titania and Henrietta were discussing something concerning Varellia, a woman they greatly appreciated. "Did she... No..." Then, an absurd idea crossed Titania''s mind. It took a second for Henrietta to think the same. "That is most likely the case." Turning her gaze to Stella, Henrietta smiled. "Stella." "Yes?" Finally feeling at ease, the young adult looked at Henrietta with the same smile. "Welcome back. The others were heartbroken after your disappearance." At that, Stella''s face crumbled. "What about..." "Tetra and Amelia?" Orianne frowned, while Reon closed his eyes with a mourning grimace. "..." The smile on Henrietta''s face vanished. "Tetra''s soul is gone. Her body is still preserved for a reason I do not understand. She''s breathing slowly but will not respond otherwise." Her anguished face became less pronounced as she turned to Heto. "For Amelia... She''s still unconscious. Heto, could I ask you to look at her current state?" The tall man nodded with a fair smile. "Of course." Stella looked down at her hands. "If I had been a Remnant at that time, maybe Orion would have been..." Orianne and Reon each grabbed her hands. "He is not gone forever. This place wouldn''t stand otherwise." "!" Hearing Reon''s words, Henrietta jumped. Reon smiled while noticing her expression of pure shock. "Your face tells me you weren''t expecting me to understand my son''s power." "Well..." Reon stood up. "This realm. It is a close replica of what I''ve done to the bracelet. Both of them were maintained by Orion''s magic output." "Just like you, who siphoned his magic overload through a soul link, the bracelet absorbed his magic to maintain its storing functions." He looked toward Titania before crossing his arms. "Orion is our son. He possesses the knowledge we passed on, even though he doesn''t realize it. He is smart, but still immature." "If not for us meddling with his future, he would''ve been a very fine person. We forced the idea of vengeance for a reason I finally understand." This time, Henrietta became the subject of his intense gaze. She couldn''t help but look away, as she was the cause of this topic. On the side, Orianne was hugging Stella while caressing the top of her head without caring for the conversation. Throwing accusations left and right, Reon finally went to the matter at hand. "Henrietta. When Orion returns..." She gulped. "What do you think will happen?" Reon''s eyes shone a bright white light as lightning coursed through his magical veins. Eight wings of pure plasma stretched behind him, crackling wildly. "E-Eight wings?!" Henrietta exclaimed as the memories of six wings returned. There were two additional wings attached to Reon''s back. "The battle against Elliott was quite effective, but Stella''s healing was a great help in stabilizing my overloaded magic. This is undoubtedly the highest stage that I and Orianne will be able to attain." "Do you think Orion will return without having dealt with Miasma? Once Orion returns, I can guarantee that our son will be someone else." The lightning magic vanished in a low flickering as he turned to Orianne. "The manipulation of fate doesn''t affect him anymore. He will walk his own path, learn what is truly important, and miss his family more than anyone." "Orion''s truest, most pure form as a person will return to Triazils." "When the time comes, I hope you are ready for what''s to come." Orianne nodded before adding something. "The ones who killed the Valkyries will be nothing in front of him." Simply imagining someone as grand and powerful as the person described made the three Remnants shudder. Not in terror, but exhilaration. *Cough* Finally, Titania coughed to recover from the state she was in. "That is some high regard you hold for Orion." With a smile so warm it could relax anyone, Orianne hugged Stella tightly. "He is our son. Of course, we do." Reon suddenly walked in front of Orianne and Stella before stretching his hands toward them. "I think we''ve talked enough. I believe it''s time we see the others." Knowing that his wife couldn''t hold herself anymore, he turned to the Remnants. "Alright. This way." Henrietta nodded, feeling her nerves relax. Still, inside, she was unable to stop herself from imagining a different, even more powerful Orion. ''If only it were true... Where did you end up going?'' Leading everyone to the Agathion faction''s home, the sun began to settle down in Horizon. Henrietta, Titania, and Heto managed to revive Reon and Orianne, while Stella returned to their realm thoroughly changed. An entirely different battle was awaiting them, as Amelia was lost in her deepest mind palace, unable to wake up. Chapter 448: Reon and the knowledge of souls. *Bling* A glass of water fell and splashed its contents all over the table. "Oooh~!" A crimson-haired woman walked inside the house and looked left and right through the two rooms near the entrance. Inside the living room, Karteira, Senia, and May were resting. The first was lying on the couch, while the other two were discussing with a book in front of them. In the dining room, Olivia, Deveralna, and the twins, Dramia and Drania, were looking toward the entrance of the room at the sudden voice. The one who spilled her drink was Olivia, who stood up from her chair abruptly. Behind Orianne, who walked inside the living room and caught everyone off guard, Stella peaked timidly past the door frame. "S-Stella?!" Immediately, the one who failed to bring the little girl a few weeks ago was the first to recognize her. "H-Hello." Dramia and Drania noticed Reon walk past her, joining his wife in the living room. ''That man...'' The cold fairy frowned before standing up from her chair. But the more pressing matter was Stella. The four watched as the now-young adult Stella came inside the room with an anxious frown. "WHAT?!" They heard a commotion on the other side of the house, but they ignored it. "Stella!" Olivia rushed away from the table and hugged Stella. "What happened to you?" The young, black-haired lady looked down at the tinier Olivia with mixed feelings. Ultimately, Stella hugged her back. "O-Olivia. I''m sorry for disappearing." "That''s unimportant!" Drania appeared next to her with her hands in fists in front of her chest. The emotionally unstable fairy stared inside Stella''s eyes, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. Her sister followed slightly behind, walking on the opposite side. "I was going to say that who you are now is unrecognizable, but it''s not true at all. You''re still the same, aren''t you?" Seeing the tears form at the corner of Stella''s eyes, they recognized the kind-hearted little girl deep inside her. Deveralna was the last to approach her, since it took her longer than the others to acknowledge the reality of Stella''s return. "You''ve grown..." With a faint smile, the lamia, who was taller than others when she wanted to, touched the top of her head. "You''re taller than we are."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. With a smile full of amusement, Drania tried to reach Stella''s height with her hands. "Stop that." As usual, Dramia tried to calm her sister, but she was unable to remove the relief from visually appearing on her face. The four women took turns hugging Stella before someone came from the other room. "Hey! What are you doing? Come-" Karteira, who entered the room hastily, stopped rushing and froze on the spot. Her eyes fell on a tall woman, whom she instantly recognized. "Senia! May! Come here!" She turned around and called out to the others in the living room. "What do you want?! I thought you were going to gather everyo-" May also froze on the spot, while Senia followed behind her, floating in the air thanks to her magic. "Yes? What is it?" Oblivious to the reason for May''s reaction, she went around her and stopped next to Karteira. "..." Senia looked forward, and finally, the last member of the family noticed the missing daughter of their large family. "Stella!" Like a comet, Senia jumped at Stella and hugged her. "Wah- You''re wet!" With a giggling tone, Stella noticed the wetness of the siren, who needed to be covered in water to survive outside the sea. Perplexed, May walked next to Karteira. "This is Stella, right? The same little girl that couldn''t leave Orion''s side?" With a firm nod, Karteira confirmed her inquiry. "What happened? She''s been missing for three weeks. It''s impossible for someone to grow older in such a short time." "Like always, nothing''s for certain. Isn''t that what we''ve been told repeatedly recently?" Snorting with a smile, May shrugged. "You''re right. This world is quite strange." "Don''t bring that up. You''re part of it." "I can''t retort." The two women joined the others in celebrating the return of the missing member of the family. "Do you mind if I join?" Orianne appeared at the entrance of the dining room with a bright smile. "Who?" Deveralna grimaced at the sudden appearance of a woman she wasn''t familiar with. Karteira nodded before introducing the character. "This will sound weird, but..." "She''s Orion''s mother. Orianne." "..." ... "WHAT?!" The same outcry echoed through the house. "This sure is a lively day." "It''s a good thing, once in a while." Henrietta nodded at Reon''s comment. After Karteira called out to the others, Henrietta, Titania, Heto, and Reon walked upstairs. "Are you fine with me accompanying you?" "Yes. In fact, I would also like to hear your opinion." Stopping in front of the door leading to Amelia''s room, Henrietta steeled herself. "Amelia. I''m coming in." Respecting her daughter''s privacy, even in her current state, she knocked before entering. "Please, excuse us." Titania and Heto followed behind Henrietta, while Reon gently closed the door behind him. "..." The air in the room was pure, and a gentle breeze wafted around the place before going through the opened window. In the back of the room, Amelia was lying in her bed, motionless. "She''s exactly like Tetra. Her breathing is shallow, but she won''t respond." "The only difference is that she appeared to have nightmares occasionally." Reon walked next to her, and both exchanged a nod. He continued forward and began to carefully watch Amelia. He gently took the unconscious woman''s hand and placed two fingers on her wrist. "Her cardiac rhythm is stable." Carefully and meticulously, Reon activated a sliver of his magic. He sent a spark of electricity inside her body that traveled all over her body. "..." He nodded after receiving a clear answer. "Amelia''s body is in a pristine condition. Her organs, heart, and brain are perfectly fine." "As you thought, this is a matter concerning the mind." Reon frowned and looked at his daughter-in-law''s cramped face. "Losing Orion was such a trauma to you that you chose to seal your mind away..." There was no other explanation for him. Now that he was here, breathing and thinking, alive, he couldn''t keep thinking like a mere observer. "Heto." Looking over his shoulder, Reon looked toward the Remnant. Answering with a nod, the broad man walked past the other two and stood next to the angel. "This will be a job for two. Would you like to cooperate?" Stretching his hand in front of him, Heto grabbed it without a moment of hesitation. "I have no reason to refuse. Henrietta alleviated the damage my presence will cause to the world, so the least I can do is alleviate her burden." Reon nodded. "It is a pleasure to work alongside a Remnant." "The pleasure''s all mine." The two men looked at each other with manly smiles before parting ways. Walking around the bed, Reon leaned on the opposite side of the bed. "I''ll explain to you what we''re about to do. Even if you trust me, it is fair that you understand what this will be about." Looking at Henrietta, he said to her so that she wouldn''t be taken by fear. Then, he turned to Titania. "Tiohr-nam... no, Titania." "Call me whatever feels easier for you." He nodded. "Titania. How much do you believe I understand about ''souls''?" The green-haired Remnant pondered before giving her answer. "I have honestly no ideas." "Let me ask you this, then." His face darkened. "How much do you think I should know, as someone who sealed his own soul and more away?" "!" Her face darkened too. The implication was that Reon''s knowledge of souls was slightly inferior or equal to hers. "How many did you seal to learn that much?" Depending on his answer, she would react differently. "None. The bracelet was, and still is, the only prototype I was able to create. I am not one to play with the lives of others." Titania relaxed and closed her eyes, accepting his answer. Henrietta, who was listening quietly, began to understand where this was going. "The magical lab..." Nodding, Reon straightened his back. "Orianne and I destroyed that wretched place. Still, we''ve preserved their research to avoid anyone else recreating those horrifying experiments." He looked away with a frown, showing that he wasn''t proud of what he was about to say. "I have used their research to create the bracelet and experiment on souls." "Now, a quick question." Walking toward the window, he placed his hands in his pockets. "Do you know where the soul is, precisely?" Titania and Henrietta placed their hands on their chests, not knowing exactly how to answer. "Here." Reon placed his index finger on his temple. "After many tries at releasing those poor souls from their minds'' prison, I''ve finally understood what was missing in my research." "The source of our personalities, which continues to persevere even after our flesh has perished, is in there." He turned around with a smile similar to that of his son when he talked about training. "The countless amounts of electrical information in our brain, and the engraving of that innumerable information." "Preserving the data is what I came to learn. The soul..." "It is a sea of information." The Remnants opened their mouths in awe, but for Titania, who was the one to control that aspect, something awakened in her. "I see." A light appeared in her eyes as the sigil of light flashed in her eyes. Chapter 449: Entering Amelias source to save her. "This is very technical, and I understand." Reon frowned at his own remark. "This might even be pure speculation, but the ideas came with the research. And in fact, I might have proven the concept itself." Titania nodded, her head full of contradictions and validations about her power. "Now, there''s the question that worries me." He looked at Henrietta. "Am I the same person I was before placing my soul inside the device?" "What do you mean?" Confused, Henrietta tilted her head slightly to the side. "What I''ve placed inside the device is the electrical signature of our brains, or, in other words, what makes us who we are." "You can even call it the soul if you feel inclined to." "But now that my soul has returned to its body, which should''ve been impossible, what does that make me?" His eyes darted left and right, looking around the room. "I feel like I am me. I have my memories, and all the achievements I gathered are still engraved in me." "But I can''t shake the feeling that the real Reon died that day." "I''m sure the soul is more than an electrical response in the brain, so-" Speaking his worries away from his wife''s ears, Reon was about to continue when Titania took a step forward. "Whatever you think, you should not trust those thoughts. The souls I have recovered were those of Reon and Orianne. There is no mistake about this fact." "The body is compatible with only one soul. Sure, hijacking it like Miasma does is a possibility, but it is nothing more than that: hijacking." "If the souls we have placed inside the receptacles were not yours, they would have been rejected before we could even try to make it work." The Remnant smiled with a relaxed expression before nodding. Henrietta immediately took this chance to add something she had noticed, too. "There is another proof to suggest that you are the real person." She walked to Amelia''s desk and gently picked up the notebook her daughter used to write her culinary discoveries in. "The book in my possession, which I obtained as a proof of my belonging to the Remnant, writes by itself the fate and destinies of the entire world." "When the page writing your entire story was turned to its last, your story continued from where it had left off." "You are the real Reon. Whatever you might think you are, do not let yourself get lost. I understand your confusion, though, since you are the very first people to have been revived in such a way." For a moment, Reon seriously pondered their words. It was true that, overall, he felt like his old self. ''Maybe the fears have spoken for me.'' He looked at his palms before closing his hands. As his eyes closed, a mocking smile drew on his face, directed at himself. ''I''m glad Orianne isn''t here. She would''ve laughed in my face for even mentioning this.'' ''Still...'' When he opened his eyes, he looked at the two women.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. "Thank you for answering my worries. I feel relieved." Titania shrugged. "This was expected. There are many unknowns concerning your circumstances. I will be sure to monitor your condition closely in case something comes to pass." Reon nodded, relaxed. His gaze locked onto Henrietta''s before turning his entire body to Amelia. "I''m getting back on the topic. This tangent wasn''t far from the matter at hand." "Your daughter is unconscious, and that is a fact. You don''t need me to make this observation." "What I can tell you, on the other hand, is that she has blocked all paths to our physical world." He walked toward the desk Henrietta was standing in front of and carefully took the chair before going back next to Amelia. All the while, he continued to explain. "Deep inside the soul lies a place I call the ''Inner Sanctum'' of a living being, unknown to the concerned party. It is usually impossible to access it." Henrietta stopped for a moment before observing a peculiar point. She immediately asked Reon. "Could it be the ''Source'' we refer to?" "Hmm~" Placing his thumb and index finger on his chin, he thought. "Most likely. I heard it a couple of times while watching over Orion, so I can picture it easily. Let''s say that those are the same." Titania, Henrietta, and Heto nodded. "The source is where the soul lies. It is similar to a shield that protects the soul from external factors. These observations were made thanks to the countless children''s souls we had to release." Every time Reon mentioned something about the Magic Institution, where the magical lab was found containing hundreds of capsules with living test subjects, his expression darkened. "Amelia is currently deep inside her source. I heard she was like Orion, capable of accessing her inner sanctum effortlessly." Giving a simple nod as an answer, Henrietta confirmed his suspicion. "That place can only be considered the deepest layer of the subconscious." Reon looked toward Heto, who looked completely unsurprised. "Your thoughts on that?" Since standing next to Amelia, Heto barely looked away. He kept observing the girl lying in her bed, but not her external appearance. He was looking at her astral body. "Your suspicions are correct." Heto nodded with a neutral face. "Her situation is bad in and of itself, so listen calmly, Henrietta." With a sigh that only represented the sadness of a mother, she listened. "This girl... Your daughter, she''s grief-stricken to the point where she relieves the same nightmare over and over. She''s damaging her mind by doing so." "Not only that, but her physical body won''t be able to hold for long either..." "She''s not a Remnant... yet. Right?" Henrietta looked at Amelia. She placed the notebook on the desk before approaching the foot of the bed. "..." She placed both hands on the wooden frame and sighed again. "She''s as human as can be. I tried to make her drink juice and milk, but she wouldn''t even swallow. Just looking at her face tells you she''s malnourished." "It''s been three weeks. That''s why I had to ask you for help." Her nails sank into the wood as she glared down. "I... am powerless." Reon looked at her with a compassionate look. "In the end, we''re all parents who treasure our children. You used your power and tried to bring her back yourself, isn''t it?" "I sure did." With a shrug, she separated from the bad feelings weighting over her mind. "You and Orianne would hit it off pretty quickly in that case. She''s been wanting to talk to Amelia since the day Orion introduced her to us." His face turned serious at this moment. "But right now, forget about all of that. My duty as a man and as a father is to bring Amelia back to us." "I have to keep my son''s expectations of me as high as possible." Thinking of his son''s admiration and respect, he couldn''t fail. "Heto. I will channel my mind through her source with my magic. Would you please open her subconscious for me to enter?" Titania suddenly took a step forward. "That is far too dangerous! I cannot let you proceed!" "I understand your concerns, but trust me. This is not my first time." This was frustrating for both Henrietta and Titania, but there was nothing they would be helpful with this time. "I can do that. As a matter of fact, I can hold it open indefinitely." Reon pondered before giving more detail. "Do not let it wide open. Amelia possesses five elements within her. If you let it open too long, they might counter-attack and damage her instead. It had already happened to her before." Heto nodded. "Alright. I''ll keep it barely open. But in that case, you will need to hurry and appease the poor girl." "That''s why I''m going on my own accord." Henrietta turned to him with a disapproving face. "I should''ve been the one to bring her back..." "But it''s impossible for you, isn''t it?" Reon stood up from his chair and walked next to her. "You were alongside her on that battlefield. You don''t have the right words to ease her aching soul because you know how it ended for her." "Amelia lost her most precious counterpart. Instead of driving the world to its destruction, she decided, maybe instinctively, to fall into a comatose state." He placed his hand on her shoulder. "If it were me, I would have destroyed everything anyway. This world isn''t worth a single instant without Orianne." Returning next to Amelia, he sat down. His words appeared to have eased Henrietta''s worries, as she nodded gently. "I''ll... leave my daughter in your capable hands." "You can count on me." The angel''s eyes shone similarly to those of a Hero she knew very well. Eight wings stretched freely behind the man''s back as he placed two fingers on Amelia''s forehead. Reon looked at Heto before the two nodded at each other in confirmation. An electric current traveled from his nape, went down his left arm, and entered the unconscious Amelia. Immediately after, Reon blacked out on the spot, frozen in place. ... In the living room, the women were all gathering. "Is that Sirius?! Ooooh~" Orianne crouched down before hugging the large dog. She rubbed her face all over his white fur, enjoying his warmth and fluffiness. "You know, you scared me when you''ve entered the Abyssal Trials. It could''ve ended very badly for you." She honestly felt relieved to see the dog actually being fine. "Woof!" Sirius sat on the spot, enjoying the caresses. Soon after learning of his master''s survival, he recovered from his depressed state and even began to eat well again. "The Abyssal Trials? What''s this?" Olivia, who was right in front of her, asked carefully. The person in front of her was a demon of the purest blood, the demon that others feared. The stories passed down about Orianne from her family weren''t exactly the pleasant kind. Her instinct screamed to look down, but she refused to. "It''s... Well, I have no reason to hide it at this point. I can''t go into details, but it''s what Orion went through previously." "The Abyssal Sovereign form?" Orianne nodded. She released Sirius immediately and stood up. On the other couch, Stella waved at Sirius, who walked toward her without an ounce of hesitation. "You said you couldn''t go into many details, so there''s no point pondering about it. Is there a story you can tell us? I heard Henrietta say that she was going to help Amelia awaken." "It''s going to take some time. Is it possible?" The Lord of Noctelagia asked with a genuine interest in her ancestral stories. "Hmm~" Orianne looked at the girls around the room, one by one. "I can see the stars in your eyes." "Why not? Since Reon isn''t here, he won''t be pestering me not to tell you some things." The devious smile on her face told the girls what kind of relationship she had with her husband. Nonetheless, she always had this loving expression when thinking of Reon. "Alright, then..." There was a spot next to Deveralna and May, so she walked toward them and sat down carefully. "I''ll tell you one story. It is a horrible one, so get ready." The group frowned, understanding that what they had asked for wasn''t going to have a happy ending. "It was somewhere around a month after Reon and I became the respective leaders of our factions." "We had learned about a group of humans having settled in the northern part of the island." "This place was called..." "The Magic Institute, which researched the Elemental Overload and its aftermath." Chapter 450: Raiding the Institute. (Part 1) Two people were flying at high speed through the air, unbothered by the pressure the air itself exerted on them. "Where are we going again?" "Didn''t you follow because you knew?" Reon glanced at Orianne, who was flapping her draconic wings next to him. "No. I have zero idea about our destination, and I didn''t even listen." "What were you even thinking about? Seriously..." "I was thinking about you. Is it that bad?" His eyes focused straightforwardly, as a small hint of embarrassment colored his cheeks. "I suppose it''s fine." He coughed dramatically, calming his nerves. "We''re going to that place. The Magic Institute. I''m sure you''ve received multiple reports from your scouts and spies." Reon frowned before continuing. "I undeniably did, and what I''ve heard did not please my ears." Orianne brought a hand to her mouth and pondered. She wasn''t particularly adept at dealing with paperwork, but everything still had to go through her. Still, she had a great memory when she actually tried to recall past meetings and events. "..." Her eyes darkened. "I think I remember." With a resolute nod, Reon explained the situation one last time to make sure they were on the same wavelength. "The place is a research center where many humans are apparently treated for a disease. What kind, we have no idea." "Many researchers have been going in and out of it, bringing new people around twice a month." "But there is something very troublesome coming from the reports." Reon''s lightning wings released a constant trail of lightning magic behind him, rapidly dissipating into the atmosphere. "No one appears to come out after entering the facility apart from those researchers." "We know that only humans manage the center and that only human subjects are brought in. What we don''t know is what research they are conducting within these enclosed walls." What Reon explained returned to Orianne, who had heard something similar multiple times during the various reports she received this past year. "So, we''re going there to actually investigate?" Orianne noticed the sharp glance he gave her. "No. We''re disbanding this facility." "Why? For what reason do we need to attack that place?" She was genuinely confused as to why Reon himself would move to deal with such a worthless place.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. "Orianne. You need to think a bit more about the circumstances. It would help you rule the demons with a firm hand." He smiled at her, thinking that this side of her was a part he loved. "Well, sure. Still, I''m not like you. I don''t see the overlaying details like you do." "And I''m sure your intel is far more accurate than what demons can actually gather." He nodded. "This institute isn''t registered anywhere. I''ve been entering human cities for the past few months, trying to get information about their research." "Not only is its name nowhere to be seen, but the research itself doesn''t exist. Now, think about the place they''ve decided to build it." "Eogis?" Tilting her head, Orianne pondered. "Correct. Who would take the blame if something were to happen?" "Us..." "Those pieces of shit!" Orianne slammed her fist into her open hand. "They are secretly conducting experiments out of everyone''s eyes. This only means one thing." "It isn''t something remotely good for anyone." "And since no one ever came out of it... I believe a lot of those people are disposable." Reon''s face darkened, thinking of the possibility of some gruesome experiments on their island. Just thinking of what shameless humans were doing in secret made his blood boil. As someone who enjoyed research and building apparatuses, he couldn''t tolerate those who were toying with the lives of others. After a flight of barely ten minutes, the mentioned building appeared in the distance as a tiny white dot. "There it is." Pointing toward the only building, alone across the entirety of the empty land, the demon woman focused. "Get ready because we''re crashing this place. Who knows what''s hidden within? If this truly benefits mankind, we''ll apologize and let it slide. But if not..." Orianne and Reon lowered their altitude and grazed the land, closing in on the institute. ... *CRASH* The entire building shook. "Intruders! We have intruders!" "Who are they?! Have you seen them?!" "No! We don''t know where they are!" Men and women in white coats ran around the labs, picking up important files as they fled toward a shelter within the building. "Hurry! We can''t let anyone find-" A woman suddenly bumped into someone''s chest and recoiled from the impact. At the same time, she dropped a folder full of unattached documents. "Hey! I said to hurry, but not to run in the opposite direction!" The woman recovered her balance and lashed at the man she bumped into. "Oh? What''s this?" A silver-haired man who looked like any other human bent forward and picked up the folder. "That''s... Who are you?!" Suddenly, the woman realized that the man wasn''t from this facility. "Intru-" "Quiet." A net of lightning magic wrapped the woman''s body, tightly constricting her movement and breathing. The net also covered her mouth as fear appeared in her eyes. "Let''s see." Reon read the first page. His eyes squinted as he read. As he turned the page to read the one behind it, his composure became unstable. "Orianne." "Yes?" A crimson-haired woman with dragon horns and a thick tail walked from behind the man. Her hands had turned into sharp claws, and her pupils had become more reptile than human. "Kill all of these researchers you encounter." "Do not let any single one escape." Reon clenched the folder in his hand without looking at Orianne. He gave his order and snapped his fingers. "Mmhmhhm!" *Splat* The electrical net tightened around the woman right after she began to writhe in pain before sinking into her flesh until she exploded. "Reon?!" Seeing the unusual ruthlessness of her husband, Orianne shuddered. "What made you so angry?" "Angry?" He turned around slowly. "Angry? Me? No." "I am furious." He tapped on a device attached to his hip. When the device reacted, he placed the documents in front of it, one by one. The trinket copied the documents before he gave them to Orianne. "Burn these. I''m going to find every single piece of documentation I can. I''ll meet you later." The heavy footsteps of Reon, a man usually so calm that others would mistake him for a sage, echoed inside the empty corridors. "Oh, and don''t destroy the documents you find. Keep them safe for me, please." He stopped and glanced at Orianne with a neutral smile that hid his emotions. "If it is asked this nicely." Ignoring the change in Reon, Orianne agreed to protect the documents. With a nod, he continued deep inside the facility. "Guess it''s bloodbath time. If Reon gave the order, it means these guys are good for nothing." An aura as oppressing as a dragon flowed in front of Orianne, making anybody who felt it freeze on the spot. "Let''s move." She cracked her neck with a devious smile on her face. ... For an hour straight, screams and cries echoed throughout the facility, until not even a sob was heard. All that was left were the pods standing tall in the basement of the institute, where a lone man waited, his mind lost in thought. Hurried footsteps suddenly caught his attention, which came from his other half. "I searched for you all over, Reon! I finally found you." "Sorry, Orianne. I was lamenting my lack of commitment." He glanced over his shoulder with a mentally exhausted expression. Seeing the drop of blood on Orianne''s cheek, he turned around and cleaned it for her. "..." She looked over his shoulder and stared at what he was looking at. Behind Reon were a large desk and large pods with liquids in them. On the chair at the desk, a woman with a deep hole in her chest rested with blood trickling down her mouth, looking very fresh. "Did you..." Reon asked. "I killed everyone like you''ve asked. I also recovered all of these." Orianne handed over the pile of documents she managed to recover¡ª without a single drop of blood on them. "Thank you. I can always count on you." Turning around, he dropped the entire pile onto the table and, one by one, scanned the documents with his device. "Reon..." "I know what you''re going to ask, and I don''t think it is a good idea for you to know." "But-" "I should be the only one having to bear this knowledge... This... forbidden knowledge." His eyes weren''t pretty, and she didn''t like that at all. "You have to tell me! We came here together! I followed your directives to a T! I have the right to know!" "..." But then she shook her head. Her eyes relaxed, and she hugged his back. "No. It''s not right. I want to share the burden you''re shouldering. Isn''t that why we''re together?" A small smile appeared on Reon''s face. "Are you sure? This is heavy. To the point where you''ll wish you never knew. You''ll want to kill those researchers again after that." Orianne nodded firmly. "There''s no going back once I start. If you''re determined to know, then..." With a document in hand, Reon turned around as Orianne took a step back. "This place tortured children and forced a magical overload on each of them." Chapter 451: Raiding the Institute. (Part 2) The air around Orianne suddenly grew hotter. "What did you say?" Reon continued to scan the files as Orianne''s eyes returned to their reptilian form, full of furry. This was the reaction he was expecting from her. "This entire research station is a plant to harvest energy from human children who possess two or more elements." "Albeit..." He picked up a list from the table and read it calmly. "Most of them are already dead." "Reon!" With a slow turn of his head, he looked at her. Staying silent, he observed the pure wrath exuding from her. Hands clenched into fists, sharp teeth grinding against each other, trembling wings, and her tail slapping the ground repeatedly. Orianne was furious beyond comprehension. "How... Why? Why do people feel the need to..." She couldn''t finish her sentence. The pain she was feeling for children she had never even met stopped her from speaking further. "Why do they need to hurt each other?" Nodding slightly, Orianne looked up at Reon. "All I can think of is that it is in the nature of all creation. All members of a civilization trample on each other for no reason besides their own gain. This also happened to us." "We simply were different and chose to walk to let go of our hatred for each other." Reon scanned the last piece of documentation. He picked up the pile and looked at Orianne. "Burn these." With a confused look, she watched Reon turn around and throw the pile at the corpse of the woman on the chair. It took her a moment to realize what he wanted her to do. Orianne aimed the palm of her right hand toward the woman before releasing a flame that devoured everything in front of her. *Crack* The table broke in half as it burned down, until nothing was left. "Who was she?" Feeling slightly better after releasing her anger through her magic, she looked at Reon, who was looking where the woman was previously, reduced to ashes. "..." For a moment, he appeared to be lost in thought. Until his eyes closed. "She was the one responsible for those atrocities. I couldn''t endure the insanity with which she was speaking out, as if it were a normal thing to do." When Reon opened his eyes, he looked up. Orianne followed his gaze before her pupils trembled. "Those...!" The two walked around the ashes and continued walking between the pods. "The last children. They''re already dead." Inside small, thin pods filled with a blue liquid, children of all ages floated, attached with cables and tubes. "How could someone work in this kind of environment?!" Orianne was furious, but most of all, she was in disbelief. Their empty eyes showed that the souls that inhabited them had left a long time ago. They were but empty shells, floating in a liquid that only served to preserve their bodies. "To worsen it..." Reon tapped on the device attached to his hip. Orianne noticed it and understood that his words had something to do with the documents he had scanned previously.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. He walked toward a part of the wall on his left side. "..." His eyes scanned the wall until an odd part appeared. A small piece of the wall was slightly discolored. Pressing the odd part, Reon''s finger sank as he pushed the disguised button. *Clack* Next to his hand, a panel opened. "What is this?" Orianne walked next to him and forcefully ripped the panel off the wall, throwing it behind her. "Souls." Inside the small storage space, many tiny capsules rested. They were dark, as if the abyss itself resided within. When Reon reached for one, his magic activated by itself. "Hm?" His eyes squinted as a thread of constant lightning traveled from the tip of his finger to the capsule. As a reaction, a small light appeared inside the capsule before returning to its dark environment. "Reon, what the fuck is this?!" "I told you. Those are the souls of the children they experimented on. All I know was written on the documents I''ve recovered." "How is that even remotely possible?! Since when humans were able to remove souls from their hosts?!" The crimson-haired demon was starting to lose her mind. "I told you that this was something you shouldn''t have learned about." Seeing Reon hold a capsule in his hand, she noticed the concealed anger in his eyes. Her mind blanked out as she looked at the thousands of tiny, bead-like capsules that were stored behind the hidden panel. "All of these are... souls?" The anger she felt previously vanished and was replaced by a sense of disappointment. "All of this... for what?" "This was a place that researched the link between the soul and the elements bestowed upon them at birth. It is also an institute that looks at how to use people with multiple elements to provide energy and fuel to cities." Reon approached the bead in front of his eye and looked inside its darkness. "This one had the water and earth elements." As his element kept inducing a reaction in the bead, his brain began to reflect on the documents he quickly analyzed. "Hah~" With a mocking sigh, Reon placed the bead back in its socket. "What?" "Who would have thought that just a little bit of thinking would answer their years of research?" He brought one hand behind his back and took a small bag from his pocket, neatly folded. "Are you planning to take these with you?" Seeing Reon slowly pick up the bead-like soul capsules, Orianne stared with confusion. "I want to reverse this state. What I can do is free these souls, which have been forcefully removed from their bodies." "..." Orianne said nothing, but inside, she felt exactly like him. Seeing the concealed wrath of her husband made her calm her anger, which she usually didn''t bother to contain. With the last bead in the bag, Reon tightly closed it and gripped it tightly. Suddenly, Reon turned around and pointed his hand at the pods. "Reon?" "I''m destroying all of these. Close your eyes." "..." Blinking wildly, Orianne looked toward Reon. He was biting his lower lips while waiting for her to look away. "I''m here." She hugged his waist while hiding her face with his clothes. "I know." *BZZT* A loud, buzzing sound broke the silence around Reon before hundreds of lightning arcs traveled from the palm of his hand toward the pods. *CRASH* *THUMP* Orianne tightly hugged Reon as she heard the sound of glass shattering and bodies falling to the ground. For a long minute, what she heard was filling her mind. It wasn''t difficult for her to imagine what was happening. But she knew that her pain wasn''t as strong as Reon. Even though this act was mercy for those empty children and wasn''t considered murder, it was the same for him. He had to destroy these pods and bodies to prevent their bodies from being desecrated further. It was possible that another research team would pick them up and do it all over again. This was also the reason he gathered the documents related to the research this facility was doing and destroyed them after keeping a record of them. Reon would never give humanity another chance to work on this horror again. "It''s done." The sound of electricity calmed down as the smell of ozone filled the room. Nothing other than broken shards of glass and tainted water remained. All the children''s bodies were disintegrated by Reon without a trace, apart from ashes mixed with the blue liquid. Orianne slowly removed her head from his side when she heard his words. She looked around and confirmed that nothing had been left. "Alright. It''s fine now, right? Can we leave?" Without giving Reon a chance to answer, she grabbed his hand and pulled him along. She walked toward the stairs and left the basement of the facility. But as she was walking, she suddenly stopped. "What''s wrong?" Reon, who silently followed behind her while holding her hand, stopped next to her. *Sniff* Lifting her head slightly, Orianne smelled a smell she recognized. "I smell blood." "Seeing our surroundings, I believe it is normal." Looking to his right, Reon noticed a wide spray of blood on the wall: Orianne''s work. The body of a male researcher without a head was right under. It would be strange not to smell the pungent odor of iron in the air. It was so potent that a normal human would have fainted already. "No. It''s not the smell of fresh blood. It''s... old. Probably a day or two kinds of old." Reon frowned. "I have a bad feeling about this. Orianne, ignore it." "No." She looked into his eyes with her bright, crimson eyes. With no enemies around, she had returned to her human form. "..." For a minute, they stared at each other. "You will regret it, Orianne. Don''t do it." But Reon wasn''t going to let her see more of this nightmare. "I... feel like I have to." A long, desperate smile escaped Reon''s mouth. "You smelled the result of a child having lost control of its elements... I suggest you follow me outside." But Orianne shook her head. "Reon." His gaze, which was usually so gentle, was looking at Orianne with apprehension. However, instead of forcing her to listen to him, he nodded. "If you want to see it that badly..." Orianne nodded before pulling him along. "..." She could feel the trembling through Reon''s hand. This place was a cursed realm where life had no value. For Reon, who fought to protect his and Orianne''s faction, this place was disgusting. It was the opposite of what he strived to be. After walking for a few minutes, Orianne stopped in front of a door. She kicked it open and entered with Reon. "!" As she scanned the room, she noticed something behind a wide piece of glass. "That''s why I told you not to come here." Reon closed his eyes and turned his face away. Orianne let go of his hand and approached the glass window. "Are humans... sane?" "Some aren''t." The room they were in had a single desk and nothing else. It was an observation room used to monitor what was happening on the other side of the glass. It was what was on the other side that disgusted Orianne. ~ "What was in there?" Senia asked while holding May''s hand. "The entire interior of the room had its walls painted a dark red. I couldn''t believe my eyes." "Each child who was brought to this room had been forced to use their elements until they reached their limits." "It was a gruesome room." Orianne''s eyes looked down as she recalled the horror she observed that day. She kept the part where she saw organs and skin attached to the walls and ceiling from the women. Inside the living room, silence took over as the story Orianne was telling them came to its conclusion. The group was silent, processing what they had heard. Some were deeply affected by the story, like Senia and Deveralna, but they were all angry. "What happened after that?" Orianne was about to answer May, but someone else interjected. "I forcefully dragged her out of the building, and we''ve leveled the entire place right after. That''s how the institute ended." Reon entered the room with a smile on his face. "R-Reon." Hearing his voice, Orianne jumped. "Don''t worry. It is not a glorious story, but it is still part of what we''ve done to preserve our integrity." He stayed still near the entrance of the living room. "After that, I''ve researched a way to free those souls and succeeded after a few months of trials and errors." "I learned many things that helped me understand how souls and elements were related, and how our soul resides in our brain as a condensed and giant piece of electrical networking." Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall. "And because of that knowledge..." Henrietta walked inside the room while holding someone''s arm. "Ah..." May and Karteira stood up frantically from their seats. Olivia gasped in shock, and the others blinked furiously. "AMELIA!" Karteira rushed to her friend and stopped in front of her. Henrietta gently let go of her daughter, with apparent marks of tears under her eyes. Karteira caught the weak Amelia in her arms and hugged her tightly, but just enough not to hurt her. "K-Karteira. I''m sorry." Having difficulty opening her eyes, Amelia tried to return the hug, but she was too weak. She was barely standing up. "Don''t be! You don''t have to be sorry for anything." Through Karteira''s eyepatch, tears flowed through it. The second pillar of the family had awakened at last, freed from her trauma. Amelia was back, at last. Chapter 452: The end of despair. Deveralna, Olivia, Dramia, and Drania stood up from their seats, leaving the couch available for Karteira and Amelia. Without wasting a single second, Karteira picked up her friend in her arms and walked to the couch. She gently dropped Amelia on the soft cushions and sat next to her. She placed her head on her thighs without even thinking about it. "She''s not looking that good..." Olivia frowned as she looked at her face. "She was unable to eat for the past three weeks. Amelia can barely keep her consciousness working at this point." With a frown, Henrietta walked behind the couch to keep an eye on her daughter. "..." Someone else wasn''t especially happy to see Amelia in this state. She stood up from her seat and walked toward her. Her dark hair wrapped around itself before straightening weirdly, as if it had a will of its own. Stella kneeled in front of Amelia and touched her hand. "!" The shock on her face came from the small reaction Amelia gave. Her skin was rough and white as snow. She was beyond malnourished... She was close to dying. But it seemed that no one else noticed it, or maybe they tried to avoid speaking about it. They probably thought that now that Amelia was conscious, she could eat and recover. The truth was that Amelia was too weak to sustain herself at this point. Her eyes could see it. "Amelia." Slowly, very slowly, her eyes opened. Her thinned face dropped as she looked at the one who called her name. "..." Her eyes appeared to tremble slightly at the sight of the person next to her, but no words actually escaped her mouth. Instead, she lifted her hand. "It''s me, Amelia. Stella." Stella caught the hand of her first mother figure and pressed her cheek against it. "C-Can I..." Hesitantly, she lifted her eyes to Henrietta. She had no idea how to call her. Was Henrietta a stranger, or was she her grandmother? As she pondered, the words came out by themselves. Their eyes met, and Stella frowned. "Grandma. I want to heal Amelia. Can I?" "..." The room fell silent at this request. "Grandma... Grandma." Then, Henrietta smiled while repeating those words. It was the first time she acknowledged having a granddaughter, even if she wasn''t her actual blood. "Hm. If you can help Amelia, please do." Henrietta nodded gently at Stella with a relaxed expression. "Thank you. For trusting me." The young lady closed her eyes while still holding Amelia''s hand. *SHINE* A bright sphere of light erupted from her hands, covering Amelia in the blink of an eye. "Light magic." Karteira smiled. She was also able to use it, but she could only heal her own injuries and not those of her friends. The healing light helped Amelia recover slowly from her exhaustion. It wasn''t as powerful as Orion''s original healing light, but it was sufficient to bring color to the suffering woman''s skin. Her heart began to pump blood rapidly, bringing heat to Amelia, who had felt cold until now. Amelia''s breathing became more relaxed. Her entire body felt lighter, but she was still in a weakened state afterward. As the healing light returned to Stella, Amelia fell asleep on Karteira''s thighs.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "She... looks better." Deveralna, who was watching from the side, nodded. The face of their friend appeared to be less lethargic. Her breathing was less shallow and more stable. Without the malnourished state, Amelia looked more like her usual self than before. "All she needs is to rest and eat. She''ll probably be out for a few weeks." Senia looked at Henrietta before shyly lifting her arm. "I can lower that time to a few days." May and the twins glanced at her before pondering. "We can all help with that. The most we can do with our current schedule is less than a week." Dramia brought her hand to her chin and gave her opinion. "If we take care of her while alternating, she won''t feel alone!" With an overwhelming smile of joy, Drania agreed with everyone, especially her older twin sister. "Amelia was the one who accepted us. She''s our friend and a part of our family." Deveralna crossed her arms with a satisfied smile. "What else should we do? Cook her something healthy?" Olivia entered the conversation with a thinking frown. "What about a-" The entire family began to quietly discuss ways to help Amelia get better. The ones excluded were Karteira, Stella, Henrietta, and Orion''s parents. "Aren''t you going to support them?" Reon walked toward his wife and sat next to her. "This is a matter they have to deal with. I''m not pretentious enough to bother them." Orianne leaned on Reon''s shoulder and looked down. "Our son isn''t here... Can you blame me for not feeling a hundred percent myself?" "That''s true. Still..." Poking her cheek, Reon pointed toward the entrance of the room. When Orianne looked in that direction, she noticed the others staring at her. "I think they want to know you better. They''re your daughters-in-law. Have you not been waiting for a chance to talk to them?" "..." Orianne quietly watched them for a second before smiling. "You''re right. I shouldn''t worry about Orion. He''ll be back soon." She stood up from the couch and joined with the others, but not before kissing Reon on the cheek. With a satisfied smile, Reon saw strands of crimson-colored hair flutter in front of his eyes. Then, Orianne disappeared with everyone in the next room, happily chatting about recipes and food Amelia would like. "Sir." "Call me Reon. You''re also one of my daughters." Karteira, who was respectful in any circumstances, began talking to Reon for the first time. "In that case..." As he gave his approval, Karteira nodded. "Father, can I ask how Amelia''s state was?" "Hm." He was surprised by her calling him ''father'', but not that much. He accepted it and immediately answered her question. "If I have to be honest, it is a miracle her mind was still intact when I''d entered her core." "..." A deep frown formed on Karteira''s face as she dropped her face to look at her best friend. "Orion''s disappearance was... the second most painful moment of my life. For the others, I can''t speak, but for me, it was." Reon leaned forward to listen to her words. At the same time, Henrietta sat next to Reon without an ounce of distrust toward him. "It brought up an unsavory topic, which almost caused our entire family to disband." "Really?!" Stella looked at Karteira with shock, still kneeling on the ground in front of her. "Things kept piling on us one after the other." "Tetra''s death, Orion''s last stand, Amelia''s trauma, your disappearance, and uncertainty about the future." "We somehow managed to go through our fears after realizing that Orion was still alive, somewhere." Her smile was one of intense relief. None of the women in this house would be able to live without Orion around, but even being aware of his potential survival brought peace to their hearts. "Stella." Lifting her head, Karteira asked the girl a question. "The magic you used earlier, is it from Orion''s elements?" "..." The two stared at each other for a few seconds, until Stella nodded. "That''s what I''ve been made aware of by the elementals. They also told me that Orion was alive." "..." Karteira smiled dryly. "You won''t call him ''papa'' again, right?" "It''s... embarrassing." Letting out a sigh conveying her conflicted feelings, Karteira nodded. "Stella, you certainly grew up fine. Is it because of your time in the elemental realm?" She nodded. "I''ve learned quite a lot. About my lineage, the power I was entrusted with, and what I wished to do in the future." "I would rather not ask..." With a worried face, Karteira looked down. "But would you assist us in defending this place until Orion comes back?" "In all honesty, I would rather you keep being the sweet little girl who ran around unbothered by the outside world. All of us wished for you to grow out of danger, especially Orion." Stella nodded with a warm smile. "I want to be of use to you. It''s weird for me to say that, but it''s been many years since I''ve left this home." "The memories I have of all of you were always warm and welcoming. I worked hard to perfect myself, so I would repay the kindness you''ve given me." Karteira and Stella looked into each other''s eyes. "I can recall the painful days before meeting Orion, but his fatherly love helped me replace every bad feeling." "Amelia''s warm food brought back the smile I thought was lost forever." "I remember the hugs each one of you gave me when I had nightmares. I remember when each of you held my hands when we went out." "These memories are so precious, I wouldn''t want to forget them even if I could." "If you require my help to protect this house and everything around it, then I will support you." She stood up with a determined look on her face. "You''ve grown splendidly. I wonder what Orion will think after seeing you." "..." "Why the long face?" Stella frowned. "I remember... Orion''s dark face from that day." She turned to Henrietta, who shuddered as she recalled Orion''s ferocious expression the day Tetra died. "I still don''t know what happened." "Sit down." Karteira pointed her chin toward the third couch in the room. "You want to know how Orion fought his last battle? In that case..." Henrietta and Karteira both took turns explaining the events of that day to both Stella and Reon. In the other room, Orianne also listened secretly, even through the discussion she had with her daughters. ... "I see." From the beginning to the end, Reon kept his fingers on his chin. Stella looked heartbroken but swallowed the pain of hearing her father''s last stand against Miasma. "This entire situation is strange." Henrietta turned to Reon. "Why? Has something caught your attention?" He nodded. "This battle wasn''t normal by any standards. I think everyone knows it. What strikes me the most is the splitting of Tetra''s source as a Remnant." "Not only was it unexpected, but it was also quite impossible to begin with." "Hearing about the moments Orianne and I weren''t able to see through the device, I have a better idea and even a guess as to why it happened." Abruptly, Henrietta stood up, her eyes shaking. "R-Really?" "Your reaction confirms it. The entirety of the event wasn''t written in your book, wasn''t it?" Slowly, she nodded. "I don''t understand." Karteira tilted her head, confused. "It''s quite simple, really." Reon leaned forward, his hands clasped against one another in front of his mouth. "Even before Orion began his fight against Miasma..." "The anomaly began." Stella was the one to ponder next. "The anomaly? Are you saying that Orion battled Miasma out of ''Fate''s'' expectations?" He nodded. "There is one- No." Shaking his head from left to right, he explained further. "Two variables in this current timeline happened. Those two broke the flow of both ''Fate'' and ''Destiny''. I''ve learned enough about your power to make large guesses." He smiled at Henrietta, but the tension was still unmistakably apparent even through that gesture. "For the first variable, you''ve spoken about it yourself." Henrietta nodded. "Void magic. This was entirely new." He agreed. "There is no way around it. This is the most important factor that caused other elements to change according to its existence." "But most of those changes were minor, not even worth considering. Until something absurd happened." Reon''s eyes closed. His next words shook Henrietta to her core. "The death of a Remnant. A person who complemented the power of the void magic died." In complete shock, Henrietta took a step back, but turned around and sat on the couch next to Reon. "Wa- Wait a minute!" "How?! How could I have missed this information?!" Calmly, Reon tapped her back a few times. "Despair and anxiety. These emotions tend to blind the mind and lessen our focus." Karteira was completely lost, but Stella appeared to somehow get the idea, as the frown on her face was serious. "The greatest anomaly was the reaction between Tetra''s soul and Orion''s desire to recover her." With a faint smile, Reon looked at Karteira and explained clearly so that she would understand. "Then her power broke into shards. One was absorbed by Miasma, while the other was recovered by Orion." "Now, the question is:" He looked at Henrietta. "What did Orion recover if Tetra''s power broke into two?" The Remnant hid her face in her hands. "Tetra''s soul." "That''s what brought about this entire anomaly. The ''Fate'' that was supposed to happen never came to be because something impossible happened." Reon''s words were powerful, even if they were merely suggestions. "Tetra... she protected Orion." Karteira looked at the ceiling with a crooked smile. She might have had a difficult time dealing with the woman, but she never hated her. "Knowing Orion..." Henrietta nodded and finished her sentence. "Haha~ Tetra is probably pestering him constantly." The brightest smile ever seen from Henrietta illuminated her face. She knew that it wasn''t a certainty, but her heart accepted it as a fact. With her daughter out of danger and the idea that her friend was still alive within Orion, all of her remaining anguish vanished. Warm tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she laughed. At the same time, Amelia slightly opened her eyes and saw her mother. She went back to rest with a lighter chest right after and a smile on her face. Chapter 453: Discussion about transcendence. "Now..." Reon leaned backward and comfortably sat on the couch. "The real question is: are our guesses true, or are they purely just a way to cope?" Henrietta wiped her tears away gracefully with her thumb and nodded. "I''d rather consider your ideas to be the actual truth. You''ve proven to be a rather smart individual out of the many people I''ve met." "Orion most likely inherited that from you, though he appears to be denser than gas at times." Slightly taken by surprise, Reon raised an eyebrow before laughing out loud. "Hahaha~" Karteira nodded while stroking Amelia''s hair gently. "I can''t say that''s wrong. Orion was decisive but always struggled with us. Even with Stella." She recalled the first time the two had met and how he stayed by her bedside the entire time. Orion had a seriously difficult time accepting his feelings at the time, but he accepted the young girl as his daughter in the end. "That''s most likely coming from his mother. She can be... difficult every so often. She has tunnel vision when it concerns me or Orion." "But I can''t blame her for that. Her family is everything, and I feel the same way." A small electric discharge escaped the tip of his index finger and disappeared inside his thumb. Noticing the ionized air around him, Henrietta looked at him with a worried expression. There was a question she wanted to ask him since being revived. "Are you perhaps angry at us? We Remnants haven''t been openly acting during the largest events in history." Reon nodded. "Slightly." "I see." Henrietta closed her eyes as Reon turned to her. "I say that, but I won''t blame you. I am not petty enough to spit on the efforts you''ve made." "I understand well enough the necessity to stay hidden with a power like yours or Tetra''s. This was definitely the best outcome possible." She raised an eyebrow. "You think so?" "I do. Instead of sacrificing yourself or the other Remnants, I believe the current path we are on is the correct one." He nodded. "Even without Orion, everything continues to work in a way that helps him. I''d say that this is a sign of providence, but all I can think of is a meddling of ''Nature'' at this point." "If it obtained a will of its own, which seems to be the case, it''s highly likely that it supports Orion''s endeavor." "And the end goal would be..." His words echoed loudly in Henrietta''s head. She knew exactly what Reon was thinking about. "The invaders that we hide from..." She exhaled those words with a heavy breath. Her tone slightly trembled at the memories of the Valkyrie killers, Devourer of Purity. There was no information on them in the ''Book of Fate'', as if their entire existences were an out-of-this-world fable. Yet, their existence caused the greatest shift in history. They caused Miasma to be born, the Remnant ''faction'' to exist, and the story of two Heroes who worked toward peace.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Yet, absolutely nothing was written about them. What they were, where they came from, their goals¡ª nothing. The only element written was their title, the Devourers of Purity. "I cannot think of any other reason for an almighty system like ''Nature'' that supposedly controls all aspects of the world to act like this." "Creating Remnants, giving them their powers, and voluntarily hindering the progress of corruption. As if..." Henrietta nodded and continued his sentence. "As if ''Nature'' was biding her time." Reon tilted his head. "Her? Is it not a system?" But the Remnant''s eyes stared into nothing. "From all the interactions I had with ''Nature'', you should consider it a woman. There is a reason we call ''Mother Nature'' such." Seemingly intrigued by the concept, Reon pondered. But rapidly, his head dropped, and he gave a nod to Henrietta. "Alright. I''ll consider ''Nature'' to be a woman. It doesn''t influence the matter of whether I agree to it or not." His pragmatism was shining through his words and movements. This was the essence of a researcher who studied every aspect of life. "Let''s consider that Orion were to fight against those creatures." Reon couldn''t imagine the pressure these monsters exerted on the world or their power. But Henrietta could, as she saw it with her own eyes. "First, Orion would need to be stronger than Miasma. This is already the first blockade. His previous fight appeared to be neither a victory nor a defeat." "If we have to classify it, it was a good attempt, but he was lacking the power to do so. He also did not prepare enough for the defense around his house, which would have avoided what happened to Tetra." Karteira and Stella both listened and nodded, while Henrietta silently stared at him. She wasn''t expecting such harsh words from Orion''s father himself. The bluntness of his observation made it somehow relatable, as they were all familiar with Orion''s struggles. "To be completely frank, since obtaining that power, the ''Abyssal Sovereign'' demonic form, Orion has long since passed our level." Karteira opened her visible eye wide. "Really?!" "This will sound harsh, but Orion lacks control more than power. This came from a lack of time, mostly." He nodded. "With the return of Elliott and Miasma''s plans to invade Horizon, he had barely any time to correctly prepare in an environment where he could relax and ponder." Reon''s eyes flickered with a white light as he pointed his finger in front of his face. *ZZZT* Two lightning bolts shot in front of his eyes and wrapped around each other for a moment. "That''s control." Then, the two bolts merged and transformed into a sphere of plasma that levitated above his finger. "Again, control." In the end, Reon extended his hand and caught the small sphere in his palm, crushing it and absorbing the magic back into his body. "There was no waste of magic the entire time." Henrietta looked at the magic in awe. "Exactly. That''s why we were able to hold Elliott for a few hours. Orion couldn''t even get through ten minutes without being knocked down by him." "Orianne and I had more than a hundred years to perfect our usage of magic. That and... luck, I suppose." His face shifted a little as a few memories resurfaced from a corner of his mind. But he frowned right after. "Time Orion didn''t have. It was, if I have to be completely honest, a miracle beyond anything possible." "The entire world was against him, yet why was Orion able to create a new element? What went differently this time that never happened before?" He closed his eyes and lifted his finger. "The books." Henrietta tilted her head, while Karteira pondered. Stella stayed neutral, as she had no idea what those books were. "Henrietta, Orion read a lot. He is practically a walking library." "His knowledge is on par with mine, but on different topics. If I understand the intrinsic details of machinery and the soul, Orion understands the entire system that makes the ''World''." "That''s where his knowledge became the turning point of this timeline. Still, what about those books? Who made them?" Reon sincerely hoped Henrietta had the answer, but she could only shake her head. "I do not know. I have never held one myself, so I cannot give you a definite answer." "Hmm~ Even the Remnant of Fate and Destiny do not know... This is a mystery quite interesting." Still, Reon shrugged. "Nonetheless, if Orion were to learn how to control his power correctly and perfect the void magic into an actual ability in battle, the situation would be entirely different." Henrietta closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. "Actually, Orion has zero chances against those beings. None of us have, and this is a fact I dread to acknowledge, even now." "You, Orianne, the Remnants, and even Elliott... None of us would even survive a single minute against one of them. These beings are a cataclysmic threat to us." "Even the sun would be more merciful to us than them." Her words were heavy with the weight of reality. She remembered her mother inflicting an injury on the enemy, only to disappear a few seconds later, as if nothing had happened. Henrietta''s mother was a Valkyrie. The actual power of a Valkyrie was far superior compared to even Titania, the most formidable Remnant at this moment. And she lost. All Valkyries were lost to those beings. Only a greater being would ever be able to have a fighting chance against them. Reon sighed. "Orion will have to transcend himself to become strong enough. Hopefully, he will realize what is important before it is too late." "Transcend?!" Stella stood up from her kneeling position. Her eyes showed the beautiful spiraling galaxy sigil as she pondered. "Will he be alright?" Not knowing what to say, he looked at her with an uncertain expression. "That is for him to learn. But this might also be something he has to go through. His void element is only a fledgling element. Who knows how powerful it truly is?" "Even his light element was only evolving toward its true power. The radiance of his wings was a good indication." Stella''s eyes shone brightly, like stars. "I wish I had seen that!" In the past, she only saw Orion''s ''Abyssal Sovereign'' form. His ink-black wings, dark coat, and cold gaze were all she could remember. It was a stark contrast to his angelic form, which showed warmth and purity on an incredible scale. "Stella." Karteira caught the young lady''s attention. "Yes?" Rapidly, she turned to the Cerulean fairy. "You have his elements in you. Don''t you want to be like him?" For a second, Stella appeared to be in shock. She seriously pondered the question before smiling. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "That''s impossible." "I am a Remnant." The sigil in her eyes appeared stronger than before, answering her will. "My body is one of a human. I will never share the same blood as him. I cannot be like him." Her tone was heartbreaking, but she smiled through it. "That''s why I will be myself. The only thing I can do is copy his clothing, but I cannot be Orion. But, I will fight the same fight. This power is my way to give back the happiness he gave me..." "And the happiness I will receive in the future." Her words echoed in Karteira''s head. "You became stronger. It pains me to say it, but you almost sound like him, too." A small giggle escaped Karteira''s mouth as she saw Orion''s back behind Stella. "Really, you had to turn out like him, huh?" A bright smile formed on Stella''s face. "He is my dad!" ... Thereafter, the discussion shifted entirely. Reon and Henrietta continued to discuss the potential abilities Orion would need to fight the overworldly beings, while the others returned. "Amelia." Olivia and Dramia kneeled in front of Karteira and Amelia with a bowl of watery soup full of nutrients. Karteira lightly tapped on her friend''s cheek until she slowly opened her eyes. "It''s us." With a smile, Olivia caught her attention. "You need to drink this soup, or you won''t get better. You understand?" "Hey! Can''t you be gentler with your tone?" "Shush, Drania." Amelia watched as Dramia leaned forward with the small bowl in her hands. Karteira gently lifted Amelia''s back so she could sit and drink the soup. *Sssss* Carefully, Dramia placed the edge of the bowl on her lips and made Amelia ingest the food. "Good." As she swallowed calmly, Dramia gave her a gentle smile. "That''s good." Her smile took everyone by surprise. It was at this moment that they all became aware. They had missed Amelia dearly, and her presence brought them the energy to work harder. Chapter 454: The Remnants training. Three days later. Around 4 PM, Titania, Heto, Keleanos, Chelsea and Kelsea, and Layla came out of the portals leading to various parts of the continent. Alongside them were the pupils they took and taught. "How are you feeling?" Titania was the first to come out. The moment Karteira and Kamala walked through the portal, they sighed in perfect sync. "Well..." Karteira looked at her with a perplexed expression. "I can feel something different from usual after working on the light element, but I can''t seem to pinpoint what I''m missing." Next to her, Kamala closed her eyes in pain while hugging her chest. "Why am I still unable to use the Elemental Mastery? I can bring the power out easily, but I lose myself soon after..." Seeing that the teaching she was giving was actually working, she felt like giving them a push. "Karteira, you need to let go of your ways. You have been focused on staying true to your fairy traits. There will be no improvement if you cannot think outside the box." Surprised, Karteira looked up at her mother. "..." She pondered until an idea came up in her head. "Maybe I should go to Orion''s room and read some of his books." "If I''m unable to get around my weaknesses alone, I''ll find a way, just like him." Titania gave a quick nod, letting her do whatever she could to improve. Then, she turned to Kamala. "You have the potential to become a mighty individual, but the difficulty of attaining that title comes from the double mastery you are using at the same time." "What you need to do is work on maintaining that strong will and slowly mold yourself into what you wish to be." Kamala closed her eyes and nodded while relaxing her shoulders. "I will heed those words and work further on strengthening my mind. I won''t be able to help if I can''t stay focused for more than a few minutes using the Elemental Masteries." The smile on Titania''s face was kind. She knew that these two were truly working hard and that everything she said was absorbed, like a sponge. At the same time, another group walked inside Horizon. "Damn..." May walked out of the portal, holding her right shoulder. "I think I''ve dislocated my shoulder." Then, Heto walked behind her, holding Eric like a sack of potatoes under his arm, unconscious. "I can help with that." Carefully, Heto kneeled and dropped Eric against the wall before standing straight. He bent slightly toward May and grabbed her right arm. Placing his hand on her shoulder blade, he pulled abruptly. "KHH!" She groaned as a loud cracking sound echoed in the building. The sound alone was enough to make someone sick. "Hah... Thank you. You really have perfect control over your strength." Rolling her shoulder to make sure her arm was moving perfectly, she turned to Heto with a frown. "I understand your frustration, but my strength came from intense lessons taught by my mother over many years. You are certainly improving fast and have the potential to grow even stronger, but don''t rush it."This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Else, you will get hurt like you did today against me." May clenched her fists. "I... know." Releasing the tension in her mind, she dropped her shoulders. "Now I definitely understand why Orion was feeling. Having a time limit makes you push yourself past your limits out of desperation." Heto nodded. "Just understanding that is a good step toward improvement. Keep thinking about this, and the answer will reveal itself before long." He picked up Eric and walked away with him. As he left, he waved to her while saying one last thing. "At least, that''s what my mother always said, and she never spoke meaningless words." After a minute, Layla walked out of a portal with a siren floating next to her. "H-How was I today? Did I do good? You haven''t said anything since ending today''s training..." Senia asked Layla, who was looking incredibly deep in thought. "..." "L-Layla?" "!" The newly made Remnant trembled at the sudden call and turned her head. "Oh... Sorry. I was just..." She smiled warmly as a way to ease the shy siren. "I simply want to see Elliott." Senia looked down with a saddened frown. "Orion..." The loneliness of not being able to see her companion was heavily weighing on her conscience. Hearing Layla, she was reminded that he wasn''t here today either. "Ah! I''m sorry! That was inconsiderate of me!" "No. It''s fine. I''m not the only one feeling like this." Layla looked at Senia and felt a sudden urge to pat her head. "It''ll be fine. You''ve been working very hard, and I''ve witnessed it. I''m sure he is fine and thinks of you just as much as you think about him." "You''re a very strong-willed woman, even if a bit shy. If you struggle with loneliness, you can always talk to me." Senia nodded shyly while receiving Layla''s gentle caress. Three weeks were enough to bring everyone quite a bit closer. "Alright. Let''s go home for today. I know you''re not showing it, but you are tired." "Yes." Layla and Senia walked out of the portal hub together, smiling. The next people to come out of the portal were Chelsea and Kelsea, alongside the twins. "I''m drained..." Dramia walked out of the portal and leaned against the wall. "I''m pooped, too." Her younger twin sister, Drania slid against the wall and sat on the ground while groaning. "Magic is a critical part of battle. After using most of it, it is perfectly normal that you feel like this." "After continuously expending your magic for three weeks straight, it is perfectly normal to be exhausted." Chelsea and Kelsea walked out of the portal with ripped clothes and a few scratches on their arms and legs. "We get it... but it''s still incredibly frustrating that even though we''ve gone all out against you two, who aren''t even fighters, we only managed to scratch you." Looking at the other twins being fine, even though they looked more battered than them, Dramia sighed. "It''s not fair! How can you dodge everything so effortlessly? I don''t get it!" Flailing her arms and legs, Drania began to pout. "We are still the daughters of a Valkyrie. / We are still the daughters of a Valkyrie." In unison, the Remnants spoke while shrugging. "Twins being so different annoys me to no end." Dramia pushed herself off the wall and walked to her twin sister before lifting her off the ground. "You have something unique, too." "Use it to perfect your combination." "More doors will open for you two. / More doors will open for you two." The four walked toward the exit while discussing more about their link as twins. The very last ones to come out of the portals were Keleanos and his two pupils, Olivia and Florian. "I can''t believe time went by so fast." "I know." The two pupils looked at each other with perplexed expressions. "You two have been drinking knowledge regularly. Not only are you absurdly smart compared to others, but I have to give credit where it''s due." "The sheer focus you show is no lesser than mine." "This will give you more chances to find answers about internal conflicts you might have." They nodded. "Thank you. What you''ve been teaching us has been truly enlightening." Florian recalled the teaching he went through and seriously pondered the meaning and intent behind each lesson, even after returning to the guest house. "It is a bit complicated for me, but I''ve been learning a lot. I can use what I learn to be a better ruler." As the two said their goodbyes for the day to Keleanos, he turned back and returned inside the portal. ... "So, you''re back." Henrietta called out to Titania, who only came out of the portal hub after everyone else. As an answer, Titania nodded. "How is she?" "She''s still resting, but she''s better. At least she can walk now." Titania asked about Amelia, and by her reaction, she was truly getting better. All the emotional instability Henrietta showed before was nowhere to be seen. ''She smiles more. I guess losing the people she loved the most but learning they could be saved did make her realize her true feelings.'' Nodding, she let go of the matter. But suddenly, the ground shook violently, and the air rippled across the entire plane. "What the-!" *BOOM* Their eyes turned immediately toward the source of the problem. "Oh. These three again?" Henrietta relaxed. "It is the same every day, but this is still stressful." "I agree." As they made their way toward the training field, the intense battle of the three strongest individuals of the Agathion faction came into view. *CRASH* Lightning bolts crashed upon the ground, chasing after Elliott. Out of nowhere, a shadow covered the entire area and began to drag Elliott into its dark innards. "Good try." Stabbing Vanitas into the ground, he forced his feet out of the darkness and jumped away while pulling the sword alongside him with the invisible whip, Calamitas. "What about this?!" Deveralna suddenly appeared behind him, wrapping her tail around his waist. "!" A powerful electric current traversed his entire body at that instant. "I got you!" Nylon surged out of the darkness with black ink claws, ready to slice at him. "Still not good." Vanitas appeared in front of Nylon before he could reach Elliott. Without caring for the energy the lamia was releasing to stun him, he grabbed her tail with both hands after releasing the whip and kicked her away. "Kh!" Deveralna was pushed a few meters back, but returned even faster. Nylon clashed with the sword before being pushed back too as Elliott grabbed Vanitas. *Cling* Elliott destroyed Nylon''s dark claws and began to rush toward him to finish him. "Not yet!" Covered in lightning, Deveralna stood in front of Nylon and released a powerful wave of plasma in front of her. Then, she slammed her tail down on him. Elliott protected himself against the plasma wave by cutting it down and then fending off her tail to the side. Nylon, who was previously behind Deveralna, suddenly appeared behind Elliott from his shadow. "!" But before he could strike him, Elliott ran away. A succession of attacks happened as Nylon jumped out of the shadows like a shark to attack him, and Deveralna continued to chase after him with lightning magic. But then Elliott caught sight of the two Remnants watching from afar. "Let''s stop here." He suddenly stopped and leaned backward, avoiding Nylon''s dark claws. Then, he took a quick step to the left and dodged Deveralna who was coming at high speed behind him. "Heh?!" The two stopped immediately and looked at Elliott. "Why? Is it that time already?" He nodded while sheathing Vanitas into its scabbard. "You''ve been improving a lot. I can easily say that you are the biggest hope for protecting the continent." "Well..." The two looked at each other, perplexed. "Coming from you, I don''t know how to take that. But thanks, anyway." Deveralna shrugged and slithered away toward her home before instantly vanishing after using her Remnant power. "Thanks for today, Elliott. I still have a long way before getting to your level." Elliott smiled and turned around. "See you tomorrow, Nylon." "Sure." Nylon sank into the shadows and disappeared, returning home. ... This was a usual day for the Remnants and their pupils. Progress was definitely made, but the threats were also returning. After three weeks, a single rift opened further north of Albriar, closer to Lahro. As the news came to them, something the continent had never seen before came to be. A thousand corrupt dragons against the Remnant of Strength and the support of Triazils'' entire dragon and lamia factions. The combination of the two factions created by Monolavir finally happened, led by none other than Deveralna herself. Chapter 455: Elliotts test. The first one to open the door to the house was Deveralna. "Agh!" Frustratingly, she closed the door behind her and entered the living room. "Damn it! There''s no way we''ll ever get one hit on him. He''s not even using his armor while fighting us..." A crisp, striking noise echoed in the room as the tip of her tail slammed on the ground. "Unless we force him to, I won''t consider this training successful." As she moved inside the room with her fist clenched below her hips, she suddenly stopped. "Hey." Her frustration vanished instantly the instant she noticed a friend lying on the couch with a device in her hands. "Amelia. How are you feeling today?" Her legs wrapped in a thick blanket, Amelia greeted Deveralna with a smile before the usual question was asked. "Far better than before. You''ve all been very supportive." Still in a weakened condition, all she could do was wait until her body recovered the energy she had lost during her comatose state. Stella did heal her entire body, but the nutrients she had missed couldn''t be replicated other than through eating and resting. "That''s all we can do. It was not the same without you around, so we''re doing everything possible to have you back on your feet." "Haha~" Amelia caressed the back of her head while laughing. She felt incredibly bad for leaving her friends to deal with the past three weeks. "..." As Deveralna sat on the couch facing Amelia''s, she squinted. "What?" Feeling the suspicious gaze on her, Amelia frowned. "You''re hiding it well, but it''s still visible. You''re missing him, do you?" "That''s a pointless question, isn''t it?" Turning her head back to the tablet, she tapped on it repeatedly while answering the lamia. "Of course, I miss him. We''re past the point where I can lie about it. But we''re all on the same boat." "I could say that I miss him more than all of you together because of the many years I have been with him, but I would be a petty bitch if I said that." A chuckle escaped Deveralna''s mouth as Amelia shrugged. "At least you have recovered your attitude. That''s a relief." "You''ve grown more determined and less wishy-washy, too." She nodded. "I''ve decided to be a ruler for my people. I am a Remnant now. I can''t simply remain ignorant forever." "This power I have been given was the first start of this realization." The sigil of power flashed in her eyes for a brief instant before her eyes returned to a deep, dark orange. Then, she touched the snake wrapped around her forearm. *Bite* "That creature..." Glancing toward it, Amelia asked her. "I know nothing about it except the fact that it is an ally. It helps regulate my energy." "Is there a problem with it?" Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Genuinely concerned about it, she looked at Amelia with a worried frown. "No. Why would there be? I have no business telling you what to do. It was just curiosity talking." "I thought that Orion would love to see this snake closer in the future." Deveralna smiled as she removed her finger from the plasma snake''s mouth. "This was also my thought." *Clack* Suddenly, the door opened, and the ruckus from multiple people broke the laid-back atmosphere. "Yahoo!" From the entrance, a green-haired fairy jumped in with her arms widely open above her, past the doorway. "Drania, you''re too excited right after saying you were ''pooped''." "Where do you even get that energy?" Dramia and Karteira followed right behind and moved to the kitchen area to refresh themselves. "Maybe she simply draws it from her sister." "That could be a possibility. Who knows?" "Isn''t she just a whimsical person? She always overflows with energy." Senia, Olivia, and May entered last and entered the living room. "Close the door behind you, Drania." From the other room, Dramia ordered her younger twin sister. "Eeeeeeh?" Reluctantly, she did as asked before joining her sister while pouting. "Deveralna, you could''ve joined us, you know?" Sitting next to her, Karteira relaxed her body completely, even showing her scorpion tail. "I wanted to return home rapidly today." "Something happened?" May asked while sitting on the third couch. Senia floated toward Amelia and looked at the tablet. The two stared into each other''s eyes before smiling at each other. Senia, like everyone else, was truly relieved that she was doing better. "Well, if I start, I''m going to complain." "Go for it, since there''s nothing to do apart from waiting for diner right now." Karteira crossed her arms while looking toward the other room. Deveralna glanced toward May, who nodded calmly. "Alright. If you are fine with this, hear this-" ... After a while, everyone began to gather in the living room and discuss their struggles during training. Meanwhile, near the training field, Elliott and the other Remnants gathered. "Everyone''s here. What did you want?" Henrietta wanted to go home for the day, like everyone else, but Elliott called them nonetheless. "It''s an unavoidable matter, actually." He turned to a young girl with black hair tied in a wavy ponytail. "Me?" Stella, who was a Remnant, also needed to participate in their meetings. She was standing a bit further from everyone, with Sirius next to her. Pointing at herself, she blinked in astonishment. "I''ve been made aware of your circumstances. You are the child Orion adopted, right?" She nodded with a severe expression. "Don''t glare at me like that. I have no plan of antagonizing you." Elliott shrugged while shaking his head. "Do I seriously look like a bad guy?" He turned to Layla with a genuinely concerned frown. "Well... I can''t say you behave differently than a hooligan sometimes." "Certainly, you jest." Turning to the other Remnants, Elliott smiled frustratingly as they said nothing to contradict his question. "I... should be careful. Anyway." After coughing in an obvious effort to switch subjects, his serious expression returned. "Let me tell you straight why I call everyone." "Stella, would you fight me with everything you have?" "!" The Remnants instantly understood the reason for their presence. "W-Why?" Standing her ground, Stella glared at Elliott. "With the others as witnesses, I want to make sure you can stand on the battlefield." His eyes darkened. "I will not have a repetition of what happened with Orion happen again. If you are weak, I request that you stay behind. If you can fight on equal ground as me, we will leave you to act however you want." "But understand, I only act like this as an act of friendship toward Orion. I can''t let anything happen to his family when he is away." The surrounding air mellowed, and Elliott smiled. "What kind of friend would I be? Sure, I might be the only one considering our relationship as friends, but I don''t want to regret my choice. I hope you understand." Staring at the ground for a moment, Stella pondered. The same thought kept popping into her mind, as if everyone were on the same wavelength. ''For Orion, right?'' As the false sun in Horizon began to set, Stella brought a hand to her chest. ''You can do it, Stella.'' Deep inside, she could hear the voice of her mother encouraging her. "Catharsis." Henrietta''s eyes opened wide at that name. (You really gave her everything, Varellia?) Whispering those words, Henrietta began to witness the power of the new Remnant of Progress. The other Remnants were shocked to see such a young person wield the weapon of a Valkyrie. Elliott immediately brought his hand to his sword and slowly removed Vanitas from its scabbard as Stella removed Catharsis from her core. "I have a feeling this is not going to go my way." Compared to Deveralna, who had to fight with many limitations so as not to destroy the entire realm, Stella was in complete control of her weapon. But what took him by surprise were the two elements spinning around Catharsis'' blade. His mind was prepared, but to handle Stella, he had to go all out. "Show me your power." Vanitas gleamed brightly as Elliott pointed its tip at her. An armor made of energy covered his entire body as he leaned forward. Stella spun the weapon called a Naginata next to her before aiming it at Elliott. *Cling* Suddenly, the two blades met in the center, releasing sparks in a flurry of attacks. "..." Elliott jumped backward and immediately dodged to the side to avoid the long blade ready to cleave into him. He stabbed Vanitas into the ground, releasing a wide wave of energy that pushed Stella back a few meters. "I see." This time, Elliott alone leaped forward, instantly crossing the distance between them with his ability. Calmly and swiftly, Stella avoided his blade and slammed the tail end of her weapon into his waist. "Tsk." "Don''t click your tongue." With a sneaky smile, Elliott defended himself against the hit with the armor. "In that case..." Stella jumped away and spun gracefully with her weapon to prepare for her strongest attack. The two elements of light and dark merged into the blade, giving it a strange gray aura. "Mayhem." She leaned forward, her body incredibly low to the ground, the naginata extending next to her, its blade glowing wildly. Elliott barely had time to react as Stella appeared in front of him below his waist, with Catharsis coming straight for his neck. Swiftly, he called upon Gula as he blocked the impact with Vanitas. The two blades clashed as intense blasts of energy ripped the grass from the dirt. Gula devoured the energy around the blade for a minute before the two stopped attacking. "That''s your win, young lady." Vanitas dropped to the ground as blood dripped next to it. A small cut opened on the back of Elliott''s hand, which pointed out that Stella was on another level compared to the others. "Time surely is the mistress of improvement. That''s the only difference between you and the others." Rubbing his injury with a smile, he closed his eyes. "I swear... You all have so much potential, it''s ridiculous." Elliott turned to the others with a neutral expression. They all nodded as their students showed great potential, just like he said. Stella straightened up, not knowing what to do all of a sudden. "Well, what do you think?" Turning to the one acting as a leader, Elliott grabbed Vanitas'' hilt and placed it into its scabbard. Henrietta frowned and crossed her arms. "This was unmistakably a show of power. Stella is strong enough to fight, and I acknowledge that. All of us have." "But she''s lacking something." She turned to Titania, who immediately nodded. "Stella, you lack the experience obtained in battle. That''s what Elliott has over you." "Yes." The young lady nodded. It was a fact that she had never participated in a single battle. "In any case, I won''t hold on to your time more than I did. Thank you." Elliott thanked the Remnants. "..." Suddenly feeling a deep gaze on him, Elliott turned around. "Yes?" Seeing that Stella was looking at his injured hand, he also looked at it. "Oh. I should have known, like father, like daughter." He extended his hand toward her with a smile as Stella nodded. Immediately, she healed his injury. "Thanks." After just a moment, the cut vanished, much to Layla''s relief. "Well, now that this is out of the way, can I return home? I need to take care of my daughter-" Her eyes squinted. Titania turned around, and the other Remnants shuddered. "Stella..." Henrietta looked at Stella. The intense gaze she gave her made her understand the severity of the situation, as she herself felt something wrong in the air. "Go gather everyone near the portal hub, please." "A rift just opened." Chapter 456: Deveralna and her request to the dragons. The entire family arrived at the portal hub after being called out by Stella. Though, they were already on their way after Deveralna felt something strange coming from one of the portals. Even Amelia, who was supposed to be resting at home, followed them. She received a warning from Henrietta not to participate in the battle. To not make the matter considerably worse for herself, she agreed. "After checking each portal, we''ve confirmed that only one rift has appeared." Glancing at the other Remnants behind her, Henrietta confirmed this. "It opened a distance away from Lahro, directly south of the city." The sound of grinding teeth echoed from the middle of the group. "It had to be Lahro, out of all the cities on the continent. We''re still not entirely back on our feet after the destruction that was caused during the war." Deveralna clenched her fists in anger. "The rift has not entirely opened yet. There is time to evacuate the lamias before it is too late." Titania took a step forward while looking directly into Deveralna''s eyes. "Evacuate..." The air grew still as her gaze dropped. A long silence took over as Deveralna pondered what to do. ''I am a Queen. My duty is to protect my people from harm''s way.'' As she was about to take a decision, Amelia suddenly stepped forward too. "I have a question, since I wasn''t conscious when everything happened." Henrietta nodded as a way to let her daughter speak. "I''ve been made aware of the giants invading the continent. What I want to know is why Deveralna herself cannot defend against them." This time, it was Elliott who answered. "She can do that perfectly fine if you consider the entire area deserted. Her power is devastatingly powerful without the limitations I''ve asked her to work with." "Even I wouldn''t survive long against the pure power of ''Strength.'' Does that answer your question?" Amelia nodded. "What about the lamias?" May asked from behind Deveralna. "Can''t they fight? Haven''t they obtained a way to use magic through Deveralna?" Keleanos shook his head. "Do not ask a baby to ride a horse. They haven''t been taught how to use it properly." With a frown, May nodded. She understood that very well, as someone who trained soldiers in the past. Then, Olivia walked in front of everyone and stood to the side. "I have an idea, but it might not be the greatest." Deep in thought, Henrietta turned to her. "Say it. There''s nothing lost in proposing something. Worst-case scenario, we will join you in combat." Olivia nodded with a serious expression. She was aware that Henrietta would do anything to defend the continent at this point. "Deveralna..." She turned to the lamia. "How good do you think you are at commanding an army?" The white-haired lamia closed her eyes and sighed. "I have the knowledge, but not the experience." "Good enough. Then..." The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Turning her head toward a portal, the others followed. All eyes opened wide at the realization. "You can''t be serious?!" "You''re the progenitor of both dragons and lamias, aren''t you? What''s the problem?" The place their eyes fell on was the portal to Ormrdivin. Olivia thought about requesting the dragons'' help. "This is pure madness. Do you understand what the power of a single dragon possesses?" Dramia crossed her arms with a scowl on her face. "I do. I''ve witnessed it with my own eyes. So what? They helped us during the war, so we can always ask again." Olivia''s face became stricter. "This continent isn''t only ours. It is theirs, too. We''re past being fearful of each other thanks to a certain someone." Orion came to mind for the others. "Can''t we trust the dragons at this point? Humans have already begun to warm up to them after being saved by Monolavir and Ruminona. Let''s add the defense of our continent to the list of good things they''ve done." "We need them more than ever. And you can only make that happen, Deveralna." Pointing at her friend, Olivia looked at her with determination. The lamia required a slight push forward to take a decision that important, and she chose to be the one to help the others. "I..." Clenching her hands tightly, Deveralna mulled the matter over. ''Do I have what it takes?'' ''Can I stand on the same battlefield as the dragons?'' ¡ª The memories of Orion holding her while freeing Velridar of his corruption came to her. She was in the middle of a magic storm, with Monolavir and Ruminona flying next to her. It was terrifying, but Orion''s determination made it possible to succeed. And she was there, alongside the two greatest dragons of her era. ¡ª "Fu~ Foo~" Deveralna inhaled before exhaling everything. "Sure, let''s do this." Olivia and Deveralna looked into each other''s eyes, which were devoid of fear and hesitation. "Henrietta." "Your idea isn''t that bad. I''m sure dragons will be a great help." Shaking her head, Olivia walked next to Deveralna. "I''m going too." "Eh?!" The lamia couldn''t help but exclaim her surprise with a loud gasp. "Olivia? Why?" "Because we''re a family, and because I can." Deveralna felt like crying, but she contained herself. "Thank you." With a smile, Olivia nodded. Then, she turned to the others behind her, who looked eager to help their friends. "Can you all stay behind?" No one questioned her why. Even Senia, who usually barely understood the meanings behind her friends'' words, didn''t question it. "We''ll watch out for other rifts, just in case." "Count on us!" Dramia and Drania were the first to acknowledge it, as the others nodded alongside them. "Alright. Now that everything is said, I have some preparation to do. Deveralna, you probably should take Amelia with you if you plan to talk to the dragons. They were worried about her." Olivia passed everyone with a smile and walked toward the portal leading to Noctelagia. "I''ll return in half an hour." She disappeared inside the crack in space. ... Two people walked out of a portal. "Ooh." A grave guttural noise echoed in the cave as a massive dragon opened his eyes. Monolavir lifted his neck from the ground and looked at the visitors. "Amelia and... our new progenitor." His eyes squinted at the sight of Deveralna. It wasn''t that he hated her, but he didn''t like her either. "How are you doing, you two? I haven''t seen you since fighting together." Monolavir turned to Amelia and dropped his head to her level. "We''ve been resting since then. It did cost us a lot of energy, but we''re fine otherwise." Ruminona opened her eyes from her nest, where her eggs were incubating. "Amelia. How are you?" The woman nodded while shrugging. "I''m exhausted and feeble. When Orion vanished, I couldn''t bear it anymore." "I''ve been unconscious for a while." She forced a laugh and took a pose, showing her arm muscle, which had lost some of its width from lack of nutrition and training. "So that light. It was really Orion." Monolavir looked away for a brief instant before focusing on the matter at hand. "Let''s get to why you came here. It is great to see you well and healthy, but this isn''t the reason for your presence, am I wrong?" Amelia nodded. "I came as an addition. I still wanted to thank you for your help since losing consciousness." "But the real reason why we''re here... I''ll let Deveralna speak. The situation is quite grim currently." Both Monolavir and Ruminona turned their gazes to the lamia. Feeling the wild pressure placed on her by the dragons, she gulped instinctively. Dragons were still the most powerful faction to this date. "Speak, Remnant of Strength. Have you come to order us?" Deveralna''s eyes opened wide, and she opened her mouth without thinking. "Eh? No..." The dragons'' stare blanked out. "Then why?" Ruminona lifted her head from her nest and leaned toward Deveralna. "W-Were you expecting me to order you? I didn''t come for that." "Aren''t you the new progenitor of the dragons? We have to listen to your orders. What else would your presence mean to us?" She shook her arms in front of her frantically. "No! You''ve got it all wrong!" Deveralna sighed. "Dragons are really a piece of work." Amelia laughed next to her, commenting on the situation. "I get that." Glancing at Amelia with a faint smile, Deveralna took a deep breath. "I came to ask for your help. It is a request, not an order. To make this clear, I will not order the dragons unless they are willing to listen to me." "It never came to my mind to force you into doing my bidding. I''d rather remain on friendly terms with you than not." She remained calm throughout the exchange and even avoided bringing out Orion. Deveralna wanted to talk to them as herself, not as a companion with the same goals. Bringing Orion''s name was the best excuse to get help from the dragons, which she wanted to avoid at all costs. Monolavir and Ruminona stared at each other for a moment, until the Azure Dragon released a massive cloud from his nostrils. "We''ll listen to your request and then ascertain the situation. From the looks of it and from Amelia''s words, the situation is more dire than expected." "Even after the war has ended, there is still trouble brewing on the continent, isn''t it?" Both girls nodded. ... "Orion didn''t fail. In fact, this is entirely new territory for us. This entire ''rift'' thing is what we have to deal with now." Amelia and Deveralna explained what had happened during the invasions. While they were speaking, the dragons'' eyes grew more intense. "To think the corruption would still continue to threaten our lives is quite jarring." Deveralna nodded. "Lahro will be attacked soon. We''ve discussed what to do, and one idea was to evacuate everyone out of the city." "But I would rather avoid that from happening. We, lamias, haven''t been prepared to move out of our homes. To reproduce, we need humans. If we were to move into Horizon, this would cause problems for the realm." She lowered her head. "This is why, following Olivia''s idea, I came to ask for your help." "Please, help me defend our home." Deveralna, who usually stood above everyone else thanks to her tail, lowered it to Amelia''s level. She wasn''t asking for help as the Queen of the lamias, or as the Remnant of Strength. She was speaking as Deveralna, a simple lamia. Monolavir dropped his gaze and looked at the lamia bowing in front of him. His pride was speaking to him. The pride of a dragon was shouting inside his mind. Noticing his slight movements, Ruminona turned to Amelia. "Plug your ears." Amelia instantly nodded while looking at Deveralna. The lamia lifted her head at Ruminona''s advice and looked at Amelia before also plugging her ears. The Azure Dragon stood on the ground and stretched his neck backward. Then, as his neck lowered and stretched forward, Monolavir opened his gigantic mouth, letting out a bone-chilling roar. *ROOOOOOAR* The roar traveled through the entire mountain, entering the ears of every dragon inside it. His powerful roar shook the ground and stunned the two women, who were plugging their ears. If they hadn''t, the intense noise would have made them unconscious. "Wait for us over there." "We, the dragons, will participate in defending the continent. You can count on us." As the ground stopped shaking and both removed their hands from their ears, Monolavir gave his words. "That''s... Thank you." With help coming to save Lahro and Triazils as a whole, Deveralna smiled brightly at the dragons. As she made her way back to Horizon to prepare for the battle, Ruminona looked at her partner. "That''s unusual coming from you. I thought you weren''t going to accept her as our new leader." "Not changing is the mark of the fool. Her honest feelings managed to move my heart." Realizing that Amelia was still there, they both stopped talking. They noticed the smirk on her face, and as she turned around, she parted with the dragons. "Now you see why Orion chose her." After Amelia returned to Horizon, the dragons began to move. Monolavir explained the situation to the other dragons after regrouping them near the en trance. A flock of dragons quickly descended from the mountain, which, in normal circumstances, would spell complete doom for all factions. But this time, they came to help. With Monolavir and Ruminona saving humans from corruption during the war, the opinion on dragons became less one of fear and terror but one of hope and acknowledgment. Chapter 457: The demons resolve. Olivia stood in front of her desk, where she worked as an Apostle, leading the coastal city of Noctelagia. She walked to the side while her finger scraped the surface of a violin. *Zing* As her finger touched one of the strings, she looked toward the entrance of her office. "My maid squad." "My dearest friends." Her eyes fell on the twenty-seven women she saved. One by one, they stepped forward. Sonia, Marina, Laure, Angie, Isa, Chloe, Martha, and Claire. The squad used to deal with order and stability in the city. Zara, Grace, Marisa, Alisa, Rene, Helen, and Helena. The group focused on the castle and cleaning the property. Lilian, Celeste, Niya, Haileen, and Ollie. These women were always dealing with citizens'' requests and relaying them to their master. Kate, Alma, Serena, Noelle. This group focused on defending against Olivia''s enemies, usually acting covertly unless asked to reveal themselves. Alice, and Eden. Olivia''s caretakers. They took care of her when she needed to relax, and they always stayed by her side in any circumstance. And lastly, Marie. The greatest maid of the group gave orders to each of them when Olivia''s orders weren''t prioritized. They stood proudly in front of Olivia, waiting for their next order. But the order they wanted never came, and instead, something they never thought of entered their ears. "I''m going to ask you a question. Of course, I already know the answer, but this is something that should be asked, even if only once." As she turned around and looked through the window, her eyes fell on the floating leviathan in the city''s waters. After making up her mind, she turned around. "I want to relieve you of your function, if possible." For a second, the maid squad looked at each other. Eden looked at Olivia with a frown. "Are we being fired?" Olivia giggled. "No, of course not." Her expression stiffened. "I wanted to ask if any of you hoped to live peacefully away from the horrors that are about to happen." Heaving a long sigh, Olivia leaned on the desk with both hands flat on its wooden surface. "There is no certainty you will be able to see the light of tomorrow if you follow me. That''s the path I have chosen, and you know it well enough." "But you are humans. I am not." A dark bubble covered her entire body, nullifying the illusion she created of herself. The demon bloodline she was unable to control appeared in full view. Dark horns, a thin tail, and reptilian scleras.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Two mature wings, large enough to support her own weight, were extended to her sides. "I will not say inconsiderate words. In no way am I chasing my friends away because I want to protect them. Words need to be spoken to be understood." Revealing her true form to her friends, Olivia smiled. "None of you are afraid of me..." Without saying a word, her subordinates nodded. She steeled her resolve, and after taking a quick breath, she frowned seriously. "I''m planning to help Deveralna fight off the incoming invading force. We don''t know what''s going to emerge from the rift, but it doesn''t matter." "These battles are... if I have to be honest, not a place for humans to enter. Nonetheless, I want you to participate in protecting the lamias under her care." "That''s why, before making our way there, I have to ask you. Is one of you afraid of dying?" Surprised, the maids once again looked at each other in silence. "Of course, we are afraid of dying." Marie took a step forward, her right hand on her chest. "I''m certain I can speak for everyone in this room." Glancing over her shoulders, she confirmed this with the other maids'' nods. "..." Instead of interjecting, Olivia chose to wait for her to explain her mind. Bowing slightly forward, Marie continued. "We are afraid of losing this life that you have saved countless times." They all bent forward, showing the respect they had nurtured for her over the past decade. "I know. You''ve been irreplaceable friends I could confide in. We''ve been through thick and thin together." Olivia couldn''t help but smile at them. After a few seconds, as if in complete synchronicity, the maids all straightened and looked at her. "We will continue to do so until your dream is achieved. Then, and only then, will our duties be over." "Then, and only then, will we find our own peace." They all nodded. "Even covered in blood, or our guts spilling on the pavement, we will stand next to you, Olivia." "We live to give back what we''ve been given. We should have died a long time ago. These bodies are yours." This time, Marie alone bowed, taking full responsibility for her words. "Well..." Scratching the wood on the desk with her finger, Olivia grimaced. "We all should''ve died a long time ago. We''re just an undying bunch." "Haha~ That''s right." The mood lightened instantly. "Alright. At least, I''ve asked. No one wants to leave?" The twenty-seven women shook their heads and pridefully straightened. "Then, get ready and follow me." As Olivia looked at her violin for a split second, her mind shifted entirely. ''Mom, dad.'' Closing her eyes, she pictured her parents for a split second. ''I''m going.'' This was the point where Olivia left behind her regrets and sadness. Her hand caressed the desk as she walked around it and in front of Marie. The maids separated in two, making a path for their master. "Let''s go to a battlefield like no other." "You better stay alive." Leaving her immaturity behind her, Olivia walked her head high out of her office, followed by twenty-seven women she called her friends. ... ''That''s... the rift.'' From the highest point of the palace, on its roof, a lamia glared toward the south. A tiny speck of white entered her line of sight as she focused on one spot that felt alien to her. ''It looks different from Orion''s void magic. Is it Tetra''s magical manifestation, or is it Miasma''s modified magic that created such a singular magic signature?'' For an instant, she pondered. ''No changes yet. This leaves enough time to prepare against it.'' As she looked down at the ground outside the walls that were being rebuilt, she watched her people build solid and stable towers made of earthen magic. With more towers being finished, the lamias climbed them and stayed on their posts. At the same time, she felt a presence right under her. "Olivia." A smile replaced the anxious expression she was wearing on her face. Immediately, she leaned forward and let her body obey the rules of gravity. She avoided the other towers in her way and fell toward the wide stairs leading to her palace. With a flap of her draconic wings, the velocity at which he fell down gradually diminished, and before long, she slowly approached the pavement. When her tail touched the ground, she breathed a sigh of relief. "This is harder to do than it looks." She felt an intense feeling of awe toward birds and other flying individuals. "It''ll come naturally with more experience. You don''t have to worry." Olivia walked in front of her with Marie, Alice, and Eden beside her. They politely greeted Deveralna with a bow, as she was still a ruler, like their master. Deveralna smiled at them before looking at Olivia. "You came. I know not to doubt our family''s words, but still..." "We''re perfectly aware of what''s to come. Tell me that you''ve succeeded on your side." Going straight to the point, Olivia gave a serious frown. This was no time to waste time. "Hmm~" Feeling the link between her and the dragons, Deveralna estimated their arrival. "Oh." At the same time, shadows began to fall over the entire city. Olivia smiled as hundreds of dragons began to fly above Lahro. *ROOOAR* A loud roar echoed through the air, paralyzing the lamias and even Olivia''s maids. "A... dragon." Marie gasped as she looked upward. Red, green, yellow, blue, and brown dragons were flying around the top of the palace while some dropped toward the frontline. "How... How many are there?" Eden couldn''t control the instinctive fear in her body as she asked. Olivia turned around and looked her in the eyes. "Calm down." Her eyes darkened, and a powerful command shook Eden, Alice, and Marie together. The tension in their bodies suddenly vanished, and they realized that their master had put a spell on them that separated them from their fears. "Thank you." "It''s nothing much. It was an oversight on my part. I''ll have to help the others, as they''re probably just as shocked." Deveralna looked at Eden and answered her previous question. "The entire nest, excluding the younger dragons and a few females, is here. So around a thousand individuals at best." Even Olivia opened her mouth in shock. "A THOUSAND?!" "I was hoping for at least ten dragons to show up!" Olivia looked above her before letting out a long, heavy sigh. "My expectations are shattered. Completely, utterly, crushed. There''s nothing left." A big smile formed on her face. "If we don''t win this, we''ll be the biggest, most pitiful losers on this planet." "I''ll be ashamed of being Orion''s companion." A dark aura began to cover her entire body. "This is more exciting than I thought." Her demonic traits became even more pronounced as dark lines appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Are you going all out?" Curious, Deveralna asked, unbothered by the look of her friend. No one around Olivia seemed to be worried about her. "No." The dark aura subsided, but she remained the same. "I''ll play support until I feel like joining the battle. I favor illusions, and I intend to use them well." "What about you? Going on the frontlines, as expected?" Deveralna nodded. "I am the Remnant of Strength, whether I like it or not. I cannot stay on the sidelines." Olivia looked at her hand and at the sharp, pointy nail that grew after letting her demon blood rampage in her veins. "We''ll protect your people with our lives on the line." The three maids nodded as they turned around. After a few seconds of staring into each other''s eyes, Olivia turned around and walked past her maids. The four of them walked down the paved slope that led to the entrance of the city and left Deveralna alone. She looked above her and stared at a majestic Azure Dragon slowly gliding above the other dragons. Alongside it, Ruminona observed and controlled the other dragons. ''This will be a gigantic mess.'' A smile appeared on her face. ''We love those kinds of mess, don''t we...'' ''Orion?'' ... This was an hour before the rift showed signs of activity. With preparations done, all that was left was the actual battle to protect Lahro and the countless lamias living in its heart. Two dragons, a Remnant, and a demon observed a giant breach in space-time that ripped the air in half a few kilometers away. And out of the white space inside the breach, dragons began to fly out of it. Chapter 458: Dragons and lamias on the same battlefield. (Part 1) As Deveralna instructed both lamias and dragons, Olivia gave her orders to her maids. While the dragons'' arrival shocked the entire faction, it took only a few minutes for the lamias to warm up to the giant creatures. With the dragons being calmer than expected, everything went smoothly until the entire defense line was built. As the two Agathions were dealing with the last instructions, the air became heavier. A low pulse traveled across the region as the white spot grew and ripped open the fabric of space and time. "It''s opening." Olivia walked next to Deveralna with a frown. The lamia Queen slowly nodded, her eyes fixed on the forest blocking the view to the rift. "Deveralna, are you ready?" The air around Olivia was different from usual. Maybe it was caused by her demonic appearance, but her words and gaze were sharper. "I am." A static field formed around Deveralna as a response to her intense will to defend her city and citizens. "We''ve got our plan. You and the dragons will attack the largest and most dangerous beasts coming out of the portal, while my maids and your people will defend against the slower force." "I heard from Florian that a lot of basic corrupt beasts, and even a few Lords, appeared during the attack on Albriar, so we''ll be careful." Giving a nod to her friends as she glanced toward her, Deveralna was about to say something. But Olivia was faster. "Don''t worry about us. Believe in your people." "Believe in me." Slamming her hand on her chest, Olivia smiled. The dangerous aura vanished for a second while she waited for a reaction from Deveralna. "Let''s do this, Olivia." Stretching her right hand toward her, she made a fist. Olivia replicated the same movement and fist bumped her. ''I''m not alone.'' Compared to the battle she went through during the war, this time she had Olivia with her. Her mood was beyond its limit, giving her a strength she had no idea existed. "We''ll put our training into action. Show me what fighting against Elliott did to you." With a faint smile, Deveralna leaned forward, stretching her wings widely. With a sharp nod, she flew off the ground at incredible speed and overtook the dragons waiting near the front of the defense line. Olivia''s smile vanished, replaced by a heavy gaze. ''My city, your city. Both are the same. We have the same responsibilities, and that''s why I decided to support you.'' ''Because we''re all in the same boat. We''ll help each other and make it through these difficult times.'' Her demonic black ink wings flapped behind her back as she left the area, joining with her maids. ... *CRACK* In the distance, the low pulse turned into a violent glass-shattering noise. The small white spot rapidly opened into a gigantic white rift, letting thousands of creatures rush out of its core.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. They trampled everything on their path, burned the vegetation, drowned the land, and ravaged the earth. As if the natural beauty of the world meant nothing to them, only desolation and destruction were left behind. Most of the forces that left the rift were basic beasts: boars, bears, wolves, etc... Yet, a new element was brought forth. This time around, moles appeared to be part of the corrupt army. Giant diggers that tunneled the beasts directly into the enemies'' lines of defense. But, the most dangerous enemies of the invading force only came after the lower-grade corrupt came out. Dragons. Corrupted dragons. But not any kind of dragons, like those residing in Triazils. Monolavir''s eyes squinted abruptly when the first dragon flew out of the rift. "I don''t recognize this dragon." He growled wildly. In his head, he had registered every single dragon in his faction. Each of them was known to Monolavir, as he led the entire nest. Not recognizing the dragon that appeared before him stunned him and angered him. "It''s not a normal dragon, Mono." Ruminona also glared at the enemy as more of the same dragon came out of the rift. Thin, smaller, and more violent dragons flew in circles above the rift as more of them joined the circle. Deveralna flew between the two dragons and stopped. She observed the incoming stampede of beasts under her and then at the flying beasts. "Shadow dragons?" She was instinctively reminded of Nylon''s art of merging with shadows. These creatures looked more inorganic than any other creature, with only red eyes and sharp appendages to actually show their physical form. "Those aren''t dragons." Releasing a powerful growl, Monolavir sounded furious. "Not only did that monster transform my brother into a corrupt dragon, but he also played with our genes! How much disrespect are we going to suffer before Miasma is satisfied?" Icy crystals formed behind his four wings, which reflected the light of the sun before melting. "Mono, don''t let your rage consume you once again." Hearing Ruminona''s worried tone, Monolavir glanced toward her. He leaned his long neck toward her and looked at his companion. A flashing image of Ruminona caring for their eggs appeared in his mind. "I''ll be careful." His head turned to Deveralna. Again, he was reminded why he was here. ''Becoming a threat to the other faction will not help us in the long term. I have to put my wrath to the side and manage it calmly.'' Clearing his head of his anger, Monolavir closed his eyes while talking to Deveralna. "Those aren''t dragons. I have no idea what to call these abominations, but do not mix us." With a nod, Deveralna glanced at him over her shoulder. "There''s no way I would mistake a dragon for these frail things. I know how broad and powerful a dragon''s physique is." Satisfied by her answer, Monolavir glared forward, waiting for her order to attack. Deveralna looked down. The invading stampede was about to enter the area designated by Olivia to fire at them. She took a deep breath and shouted at the top of her lungs. "My people! Do not fear!" Lamias and humans looked up at the echoing voice. "The time you had to perfect your newly obtained power may have been short, but do not act foolishly!" "Defend this city with everything you have, but do not sacrifice yourself. This place needs you!" "Luckily, you have allies to depend on! Act according to your abilities! My trust in each of you is unwavering!" The lamias looked at their Queen with various emotions. She was a Queen like no other before. Deveralna responded to their shouts and cheers with a smile, though they were unable to see her as she was incredibly high in the sky. "Monolavir." The dragon opened his eyes and looked at the Remnant, his progenitor. "We''ll differentiate these beasts. You are powerful dragons, and these are lesser dragons." "Call these drakes." In her eyes, as she obtained the power to create her own faction and modify the existing one if she so desired, she could see the close relationship between the dragons and the drakes. ''They are lesser dragons. There is no mistake about it. This is neither a new branch of evolution nor a new faction.'' ''They are a product of transforming a powerful base into an agile type. They appear less powerful than our dragons, but they compensate with their swiftness.'' The sigil in her pupils flashed as she analyzed her enemies. ''I don''t like this. This is similar to creating a new faction. At least, that''s what the knowledge in my head tells me.'' With a frown, she leaned forward. "ATTACK!" She heard Olivia scream the order to attack, followed by the sounds of explosions below. Only a second later, she gave her own order. "Dragons! Destroys those copies!" Electricity wrapped around her wings, and Deveralna left her spot, leaving a shockwave behind. *ROAR* The dragons heard Monolavir and Ruminona''s roars and gave one of their own as they separated into two groups. Monolavir''s group followed Deveralna. Those were dragons familiar with battles. The other group, led by Ruminona, descended on the stampede to help the lamias. This group was composed of only ten dragons, which were those who had entered adulthood recently. Complete destruction happened below, as even those young dragons were strong enough to destroy a city if they wanted to. ... On the ground, Olivia''s battlefield. "Maid squad! Defend the lamia from any beast!" Standing in a line in front of the long walls of defense where the lamia aimed their magic, the twenty-seven maids relaxed their shoulders. Threads of metal dropped from the rings around their fingers, ready to slice at the beasts coming at them. "Your job is to eliminate the beasts that were not killed by the lamias'' magic! Don''t advance into the enemy line!" Extending her hand forward, she shouted her orders clearly. "Lamias! As your Queen spoke, do not exhaust yourself! We''re here to support you!" The lamias looked at the women standing below them and felt complex emotions. Until Marie leaped forward and sliced a mole that jumped out of the ground into thousands of disgusting pieces of meat. At that instant, the women of the lamia faction understood what they had to do. One by one, they began to use their newly acquired magic. Boulders and flames mixed into meteors that destroyed the enemies. Tornadoes picked up broken-down trees and pierced the hearts and brains of the beasts, and lightning and water fused to electrocute everything. Anything that wasn''t wiped out by these combinations was killed by the maids, who stayed focused the entire time. The main problem rapidly became the moles. Their massive tunnels created a path for the other beasts, which caused quite a few headaches for the maids. *WUSH* A violent wind suddenly fell down on the battlefield as massive shadows were cast upon the enemies. Each time a mole appeared, a dragon dropped with its entire weight on the tunnel, creating a cave in inside. These dragons were unable to use their magic yet, but they were nonetheless a power to be reckoned with. As smaller beasts tried to bite their scales, they opened their mouths and ripped the corrupt beasts to shreds, crushing them with their claws and swiping them with their tail. The lamias were forced to adapt and avoid attacking their allies, but even if they did, the dragons were naturally resistant to magic. *BOOM* Olivia''s gaze turned to the back of the battlefield. ''Here they come.'' As expected, an army of ''Corrupted Lords'' appeared. Their sheer presence terrified the lamias, who stopped firing their magic. Some lamias had exhausted their magic and were forced to retreat to safety, while the others stared in disbelief as monsters with elemental features walked toward them. At that moment, Olivia lifted her hand forward. "Fire! Do not hesitate!" A dark veil covered the entire battlefield, ignoring allies and affecting enemies. ''This sea of darkness. Can you escape it?'' Her eyes darkened as the Lords began to rip each other''s throats violently. Alarmed but focused, the lamias shook away their doubts and continued to attack the enemies. ''How are you doing, Deveralna?'' Chapter 459: Dragons and lamias on the same battlefield. (Part 2) "Rip them to shreds!" Monolavir was the first dragon to join Deveralna in the aerial battle. The other dragons were closely behind him, ready to follow his orders. "!" Pointing her hand forward, Deveralna released a powerful beam of plasma that closed in on the thousands of drakes flying above the rift. As she expected, these beasts were agile. They noticed the attack and avoided it swiftly before separating. The battle began at that moment. "There are more drakes than dragons! Be careful not to get overwhelmed!" Shouting a warning to the dragons, Deveralna continued to pressure the enemy with her magic. "!" Out of the corner of her eyes, she noticed a drake closing in on her. ''Slow.'' Used to fighting a fast opponent through Elliott, she flew over the drake, who appeared to move slowly in front of her. Her blood boiled as she aimed her palm downward. A wide sphere of plasma appeared from her hand, and it swallowed the drake entirely, reducing it to nothingness. ''Black ink scales... I really don''t like these creatures.'' She couldn''t find the drakes'' appearance anything other than repulsive. They were coming straight out of a nightmare. Their wide wings, akin to those of a gargoyle, paired with a frail frame, made these genetically modified beasts a horror to anyone who dared look at them. Sharp teeth similar to sharks, claws ready to shred the prey, and piercing eyes that intimidated whoever they looked at. Deveralna couldn''t tolerate their existence. Her entire body screamed to exterminate this unnatural creation. And she did exactly that. As she killed the very first drakes, she looked around her. "..." Each dragon was fighting two or three drakes at the same time. They appeared to struggle against the swiftness of their opponents and were constantly attacked by them, suffering extremely minor scratches on their scales. "They can''t use magic." This quick revelation turned the entire situation around. She turned to Monolavir and noticed a horde of drakes revolving around him as if he were the center of a gyroscope. The four wings supporting the heavy, colossal dragon magnificently released a fine powder that rapidly thawed. When one of the drakes decided to attack Monolavir, the Azure Dragon grabbed the beast with his mighty front claw and brought it to his massive head. Compared to Monolavir, other dragons were relatively smaller. The drakes were even smaller, half the size of Monolavir.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "Begone." *CRACK* Clenching his claw, Monolavir broke the drake''s bones and released his grip. This display was unable to stop the drakes from attacking him again. One by one, they fell to his mighty physical power. To him, the use of magic was for mightier opponents. Not the rabble in front of his eyes. "They''re not that smart, either." Seeing the situation on the battlefield with an open mind, she noticed something. ''Isn''t there a leader controlling these creatures? Are they unsupervised?'' ''This doesn''t make sense.'' Avoiding another drake that dived toward her, she killed it effortlessly with her magic. ''This looks rather coordinated for a brainless bunch of flying lizards. There is a mastermind somewhere.'' As the dragons began to understand the pattern of their enemy, they began to use magic. One by one, the drakes were killed mercilessly. Not a single dragon suffered more than a few scratches. "..." Deveralna rapidly understood that something wasn''t right. These beasts were similar to the normal stampede below. These creatures weren''t a threat to anyone other than powerless civilians. Even an armed force like Turric''s army would be able to deal with these beasts at some point. Her eyes searched everywhere, but she was unable to notice a single detail that could reveal a leader on the side of the enemy. "..." Then, her eyes drifted to the sun. A massive, bright ball of fire suspended in space. Orion loved talking about it. As she squinted her eyes instinctively, she opened her mouth after a few seconds. "You...!" Hidden higher than the clouds themselves, a larger drake with purple lines drawn on its body overlooked the battlefield. To avoid being easily found out, it was hiding in the perfect center of the sun, where those like Deveralna couldn''t notice unless they focused on it. Her body instantly cracked as if a lightning bolt were about to strike the earth before vanishing. "That''s it for you!" She appeared next to the drake, already slamming her long serpent tail on its back. Like an electrified whip, her tail wrapped around its body, and after a few spins, she released her grip and threw it straight toward the ground. *BOOM* The large drake landed with an impact similar to that of a meteorite crashing down on the planet. Large columns of dirt rose from the crash as the drake''s bones shattered on impact. But as the leader of the drakes died, an even stronger feeling of dread crept inside her mind. "This can''t be it. This can''t be..." ¡ª "If your enemy appears weak and actually is weak in nature, it means that something even more dangerous is behind it." "In that case, never let your guard down." "Even the strongest can be killed in a moment of carelessness." ¡ª Elliott''s teachings rippled through her mind. She frantically observed the battlefield from above and searched for an even stronger enemy. ''It''s not on the ground. It''s not in the air. It''s not above me...'' The only place left was... "!" "Shit!" Her body immediately turned into plasma as she dove at an incredible speed. Thunder crashed down in front of the dragon as Deveralna appeared with an anxious frown. Monolavir was ending the last drake on his side, while the other dragons were finally dealing with their share. Without giving a single glance at the dragons behind her, she shouted with everything she had. "All dragons! DIVE!" Monolavir opened his eyes wide at the sudden order. Instinctively, most dragons listened to her, but some were unable to move quickly due to the drakes. A ripple effect appeared on the surface of the rift. From the very center of the ripple, a black beam of energy with an immeasurable power escaped and devoured everything on its path. Be it Deveralna, Monolavir, or the dragons that couldn''t flee in time, all were devoured by the energy. ''This energy...!'' Struggling with a shield of plasma in front of her, Deveralna recalled a similar power. ''Velridar''s... energy!'' It was weaker than the true Dragon of Power, but very similar in nature. ''GH! AAAH!'' Pushing her magic past the limitations she placed on herself, she pushed back against the energy. After a few seconds, everything returned to normal. Or, at least, for those who survived the attack. "Monolavir!" Deveralna turned around and noticed a cocoon of ice floating behind her. With a violent movement of his wings, the Azure Dragon broke free of his defense and cracked open the cocoon. "I''m fine!" The dragon roared wildly as he looked around him. "!" Thirteen dragons, who couldn''t flee in time, were falling from the sky, scorched beyond saving. Three water dragons, five earth dragons, two wind dragons, one fire dragon, and three lightning dragons perished from this one attack. "Dragons... died." Deveralna couldn''t believe her eyes. She spaced out for just an instant before turning her head toward the rift. *GROWL* Out of it, a massive head began to emerge, releasing a large amount of steam out of its mouth. A dark, gray lizard on its hind legs walked out of the portal while growling. The dark veins coursing through its body were an indication of its immense power, which, until now, was in the hands of two individuals. As the gigantic beast, even bigger than Monolavir, trampled the soil of Triazils, Deveralna instinctively looked behind her. She looked at the ground, at her people, and at Olivia. ''They''re fine...'' She stood in front of the beam to lessen the impact on those under. A genuine sense of relief took over her as she noticed that the battle below was approaching its climax. But, rage began to replace that relief. The fuming corpses of the dragons that couldn''t escape the beam entered her vision. "..." Monolavir was also enraged, but the promise he made to Ruminona was stronger than his desire to avenge his brethren. This event shocked all dragons. Some of them were reminded, at last, that they weren''t untouchable. Their pride was shattered, and they had no idea how to mourn their deceased apart from rushing the enemy. "Do not!" The Azure Dragon shouted with anger as he noticed the others ready to attack. "This isn''t our battle anymore..." Suddenly, all eyes turned to one lamia. Through the link that existed between them and their progenitor, they felt the sadness in her heart. They felt the anguish in her heart. They felt the rage in her heart. "Ophion. Wake up." The Remnant of Power gritted her teeth and poked the plasma snake wrapped around her arm. "Ssssss-" Slowly, the snake opened its eyes. It appeared to be sleepy, but it listened to her nonetheless. *CRACKLING* Her entire body sizzled the air itself, as the smell of ozone spelled disaster for anyone close to her. Unwrapping its body from Deveralna''s arm, Ophion, the plasma snake, glared at the giant lizard. "Your life ends here." The sigil of strength gleamed inside her eyes, powering the magic in her core. As she lifted her left hand above her head, she swore. "I''ll deal with you myself." A small lamia against a 150-meter-tall lizard that uses dark magic. An intense, but short, battle was about to take place. Chapter 460: Clash of Monsters. While Monolavir and the other dragons flew back to the ground to recover their lost members, Deveralna and the gigantic invader stared at each other, not even daring to blink. They stared at each other with rage and hostility in their eyes. "Ssssss-" Ophion slithered on her forearm before floating next to Deveralna. The aura around the snake changed when it began to absorb an absurd amount of her magic. The plasma composing his body absorbed the magic, enlarging its body rapidly. Before long, the small snake turned into a behemoth, three times the size of the Remnant. Without a single warning, the giant lizard opened its mouth and released a beam of lesser magnitude toward her. It engulfed Deveralna and Ophion as if they were nothing but ants in its path. When the attack stopped, the enemy looked to see where Deveralna was. Sure of her demise, its eyes showed satisfaction. But to its surprise, Ophion had wrapped its body around Deveralna, protecting her from any damage. Even more surprising was that the snake''s scales were unaffected by the energy. The sound of crackling electricity echoed around Ophion as its head turned toward the giant. From its body, spheres of plasma began to float in the air, akin to bubbles. The constant, raging electricity inside them was enough to pressure any living creature into submission. From an opening in the snake''s wrapped body, white eyes shone ferociously at the lizard. Instinctively, the enemy realized that if it didn''t go all out, it would lose its life right there without being able to do much. Darkness covered its body, and giant spikes made of dark magic began to protrude on its back and arms. A crescent blade of dark magic appeared above the giant, quick to counter the plasma orbs. Ophion unwrapped its body while pointing its head toward the giant lizard, while Deveralna aimed her left palm toward the same direction. When Ophion opened its mouth, it revealed a pair of sharp fangs, dangerously arching in. Static electricity that moved like worms rapidly gathered between its fangs. At the same time, a lethal amount of electricity gathered in front of Deveralna. With the two gathering magic at an incredible pace, some arcs actually crashed down to the ground, lighting the trampled vegetation on fire each time they made contact. ¡ª "You don''t know how to control the output. This is something that comes with feelings." Deveralna listened carefully. "You have to feel the energy inside of you before making a move. It''s similar to how you fill a cup with water." Elliott demonstrated by drawing his sword. "You normally fill the cup and then close the faucet. It''s the same with magic. Of course, the more you experience battles, the more it''ll become second nature, but now, we don''t have the luxury to wait for that." Focusing on the blade, Elliott smiled. Near the tip of Vanitas, a small sphere of neutral magic formed. This magic was called ''energy'', as it had no particular influence from the elements.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. The sphere slowly broke into a thin layer of energy that covered the blade. "That''s how you control perfectly your magic. There is a certain level of proficiency that you have to get used to, but it shouldn''t be too hard." ¡ª ''I hate that man... but without him...'' Deveralna and Ophion fired a truly devastating blast of plasma alongside the plasma orbs. On the other side, the lizard''s top recoiled and released a beam of dark magic that was of the same power as the very first one, which killed a few dragons. As the crescent dark blade met the plasma orbs and destroyed each other, the two beams met. Since the lizard fired a moment after Deveralna and Ophion, the beam was closer to it than them. Complete and utter destruction happened under the clashing powers, sending massive piles of dirt, rocks, and broken trees everywhere. Even above, the blast instantly vaporized the clouds. On the ground, the maids were protecting everyone from the debris, cutting them into thousands of pieces before they could damage the lamias or the dragons. The wind blasts from the two magics were enough to even stop Monolavir from leaving the ground. He was ready and prepared to freeze the enemy and its attack if Deveralna showed even a slither of struggle against it. His body had changed to its most powerful form, the same he took against his corrupted brother. Olivia, who was staring at the scene while holding her hair, smiled. ''No one has the power to fight back against her. Even if she''s doing her best to not affect us too much, she''s stronger than you.'' Slowly, gradually picking up speed, Deveralna and Ophion pushed back the dark beam. Until the entire upper body of the gray lizard was disintegrated. The beam continued into the rift, and something incredible happened. *CRACK* It shattered into pieces, forcing the world to return to its original state. Before it shattered, they all heard the sound of an explosion inside, but it was so brief that no one paid attention to it. ''At least, we won''t have to worry about another one of these.'' Deveralna''s relieved expression appeared for an instant before it turned into a frown. She sighed and shrugged. "Of course. It wouldn''t be a corrupt beast otherwise." The entire upper half of the lizard began to bubble like boiling water. Its entire body instantly returned to its previous state, causing Deveralna to feel a slight headache creep into her head. "How do we deal with that?" She turned to Ophion with a genuine concern. The snake turned its head slowly and looked at her without showing any emotion, its tongue feeling the vibrations in the air. Or at least, no one besides Deveralna could tell, as she was the only person to perceive its emotions. Then, she glanced behind her. Her eyes fell on Olivia, who was waiting with her arms crossed. "..." Their gazes met, and Deveralna smiled. ''No one can escape turning into Orion. Aren''t we just blessed?'' With the giant lizard having recovered entirely, Deveralna focused on it. She leaned forward, and alongside Ophion, she rushed the enemy. The lizard did the same before letting out a powerful roar. At that instant, it noticed a dark hue over the sky, but it ignored it. They met where the ground was destroyed by their previous attacks. Ophion left Deveralna''s side and wrapped around the right arm of the enemy, immobilizing it. Deveralna gathered as much power as she could before punching the creature straight in the stomach. *BOOM* A shockwave rippled through its body, and a powerful blast of energy raptured through its back, opening its body. Blood, bones, and guts exploded out of the lizard, but it didn''t care much for its state. Its left arm fell down on Deveralna, ready to slap her toward the ground. "Back off!" With a swiftness similar to a fish in water, she slapped the giant''s claws with her tail and broke its bones. The shock was so intense that its hand exploded, and a strong electric current ravaged through its body. "I might be smaller than you, but I''m no weakling!" *CRACK* Ophion crushed the lizard''s right arm and ripped it off with its jaws. At this range, the giant lizard was unable to attack with its beams, so it was left with close-range attacks only. "!" Both Deveralna and Ophion were forced to move away from the enemy as dangerously fast crescent blades of dark magic rained on them. "Tsk!" Just as Deveralna thought about sending an even more powerful punch into the giant''s jaw, she had to get back. It continued to make blades of dark magic, but also leaned closer to the ground at the same time. The enemy opened its mouth and prepared another beam of dark magic now that Deveralna was farther away. "Oh no, you won''t!" Her body turned into plasma as she rushed forward. She disappeared from her spot and appeared under its head. *BAM* A violent punch threw its body upward, but it wasn''t strong enough to lift the giant off the ground. Its consciousness fought against the powerful punch to avoid blacking out, but just as it leaned backward from the impact, another strong attack slammed against the back of its head. Ophion, which went behind the giant, returned the lizard toward its master. With the lizard now falling back toward Deveralna, it was about to taste an even stronger punch. This one was about to be even more powerful when combined with gravity. But at the last moment, it moved its tail unnaturally. Darkness covered its back, traveled to its tail, and, like a whip, moved over its body. Out of nowhere, it retaliated. Ophion disappeared and reappeared at lightning speed in front of Deveralna, who was unable to stop herself in time. The tail pierced Ophion''s body and Deveralna''s chest. As the whip-like tail pulled back, the two fell to the ground. A devious smile seemed to form on the lizard''s face as it straightened. "You dumbass." Hearing a voice it wasn''t prepared to hear, it looked at the falling bodies, which began to fade out of existence. "I''m not alone, you see." Suddenly, the giant looked in the air and finally understood that everything that had happened since the beginning of the close combat was only an illusion. All the way to Lahro, Olivia smiled smugly. With her tail wrapped around Ophion, which had straightened its body entirely, Deveralna held a spear of the most ferocious, purest plasma ever created. Even Reon''s plasma was nowhere close to the brilliance in her hand. Out of surprise, the giant lizard opened its mouth and released the entirety of its magic energy in a terrifying and devastating beam. Its last resort traveled toward Deveralna and was closing in on her. "EAT THAT! AND DON''T COME BACK!" She threw the spear in her hands with her entire power. It exuded so much strength that even though Ophion had stabilized itself as much as possible, it was still unable to stay stable. As Deveralna and Ophion were sent backward violently from the throw, the spear shot straight into the beam. *SHHH* Without resistance, the spear tore through the beam and crashed into the beast. A towering pillar of plasma devoured the giant lizard as a roar of screaming pain echoed in the region. Its scales were disintegrated, followed by its skin, organs, and lastly, its bones. In a few seconds, nothing was left of the giant invader apart from the fuming and scorched crater where it stood. "PFF!" Olivia laughed happily as Deveralna fist-bumped the air to show her victory over the enemy. "Hahaha~ Orion would be proud!" Unable to contain her relief, Olivia continued to laugh until Deveralna returned. Chapter 461: Amelia, Orianne, and void magic. The end of the invasion came with a loud cheering from the lamias and bone-chilling roars from the dragons. Avenging their dead brothers and sisters, the dragons felt at peace, their anger relieved. No casualties happened from the lamias'' side, thanks to the maids Olivia brought to help. Most were exhausted beyond their limits and suffered a form of sickness induced by the depletion of their magic. Even though they appeared tired, they still screamed at the top of their lungs. As Deveralna returned to the ground with Ophion attached to her arm, she felt the exhaustion settle. ''And we even had some grass grow again after I burned down everything...'' With a defeated smile, she turned around and looked at the deep crater in the southern area of her city. ''Such a pain.'' Even though she felt that, she internally felt relieved to have managed to contain the damage to just this crater. This time, she managed to contain her power. She did not put her people in danger. She felt proud at the sight of her growth, feeling that all of her effort had come to fruition. While returning to Lahro, she scratched Ophion''s head gently. "Thanks. You''ve been a huge help." Ophion bit her finger, draining the magic that was accumulating in her body after this battle. Without her realizing it, Deveralna''s white eyes returned to their dark orange color, showing the stabilized state of her tremendous Remnant power. After a while, she met with Olivia, who was supervising her maids to provide assistance to the sick lamias. "Hey." She waved at her friend with a laid-back smile. Olivia turned to her and nodded. "Glad it went well." "All thanks to you. Even with all that power, it''s impossible to support every corner of the battlefield." Olivia smiled. She was back to looking like a human, and the illusion was set up once again. "..." Strangely, something felt off about Olivia. Deveralna squinted at her for a moment, causing her to feel relatively flustered. "W-What? Is there something you want to say?" Then, Deveralna realized. "You''re taller than before..." It wasn''t much, but Olivia was certainly taller now than she was an hour ago. It was roughly under ten centimeters, but for Deveralna, who was attentive to details, this was impossible to mistake. "M-Maybe?" "Stop that. What happened? Are you creating an illusion of your dream height or what?" "No!" Shaking her head and hands frantically, Olivia looked adorable and very different from her true form, which was more devil-like. "I just let my traits... take over for too long." Lifting an eyebrow, Deveralna asked while being genuinely concerned. "You''ve aged?" "Again, no!" Olivia couldn''t continue this conversation. The embarrassment was too much for her. "If I could revert to my previous height, all would be well... but I can''t. My demon blood ended up boosting my growth suddenly." "Can you let it go, now?"This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. Giggling slightly, Deveralna enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere while teasing Olivia for a bit. ... When the maids returned to Olivia, they went to meet with the dragons, waiting on the ground not far away from the entrance. The only group that had suffered casualties during this battle was surrounding their fallen comrade with grave looks on their faces. "Monolavir, Ruminona." Deveralna and Olivia walked in front of the resting dragons, catching their attention. "W-Wow!" The entire maid squad looked at the dragons with wide-open eyes. They had already seen Monolavir and Ruminona in the past, but they stayed inside the castle in Noctelagia. They were terrified of them previously, but their feelings changed to admiration at one point. Monolavir stretched his neck upward and looked down on the group. "Have you come to check on us?" Deveralna nodded. Her gaze turned to the dragons behind him, and a grave stare replaced her neutral one. "How bad is it? Did no one survive?" Closing his eyes, the Azure Dragon inhaled heavily, as if preparing a sigh. "Not a single one. At the very least, they did not suffer." "I see." The dragons turned to their progenitor, feeling the torrent of guilt in her through their link. "You do not have to feel sorry for us. When another dragon dies, we show respect to their valiant soul. Avenging them was the greatest accomplishment you could have brought to help their soul cross over." Ruminona approached her massive head in front of her. "I asked you to come and help. It wasn''t my intention to sacrifice you." Deveralna couldn''t help but feel grief. "It was my idea to begin with. If there is someone to blame, it is me." Olivia placed a hand on her chest, her gaze determined to receive the blame. "Both of you are mistaken." The great Azure Dragon growled, a rare display of discontent. His eyes fell to the sky. "It was our choice to defend our allies. That is your first mistake." "The second one is..." Dropping his head, he stared at Deveralna. "Have you not notified us before the worst happened? All of us present are currently indebted to you for quickly understanding the situation that we so blindly went into." "Even I wouldn''t have come out of this unscathed if not for your quick judgment." Deveralna felt like adding something, but she let it go. Her clenched hands opened, and her shoulders dropped. "I understand. It would be insulting to you if I continued to feel depressed, isn''t it?" The dragons growled behind Monolavir, but not in an angry tone. They felt relieved that their new progenitor understood them. "That is how we dragons are. We are eternally proud, but we will never forget those who have helped us." Satisfied, Monolavir turned around. "Now that the battle is over, we will return to our nest." "What about the deceased dragons?" Ruminona answered. "We will take them with us. Two dragons can carry one with their claws." Just as she finished speaking, the dragons began to lift off the ground, pushing dust everywhere. Then, the last two followed. "If another battlefield calls for us, I will be the only one to come." "The next one will be when Amelia calls for me. I cannot have Ruminona stay too long away from the nest." His growling tone scared the maids slightly, but they remained still at all times, their sweat trickling from their cheeks. "We''ll tell that to Amelia. We should be fine for quite some time, thanks to Deveralna''s powerful attack earlier." Olivia crossed her arms and nodded. "Hmm." Giving one last glance down, Monolavir acknowledged her words. "Olivia and Deveralna." "We''ll keep those names engraved in our minds. As Amelia spoke so highly of you, I had my hopes up." "You did not betray them. Orion did find trustworthy and powerful allies. We should be proud to be part of that group." With those parting words, the dragons, alongside Monolavir and Ruminona, left Lahro and flew toward Ormrdivin. "Oh..." Both women were looking at the sky, unable to look away. "Being acknowledged by dragons..." "Feels good, doesn''t it?" They stared at each other before a genuine smile appeared on their faces. "Let''s clean everything else and return home." "Fine by me." The two went toward Lahro feeling happy. "W-Wait! Tell us what the dragons said!" Eden ran after her master, frustrated by not being able to understand the language of the dragons. "I want to know, too!" Alice rapidly followed. Then, the whole squad ran after their master, except Marie. "I swear..." Shrugging lightly, Marie, who was more concerned about Olivia''s current state, smiled while following everyone. ~ Inside Horizon. Amelia was lying on the couch, the tablet in front of her face. Tapping frantically on it, she diverted her attention to what had to be done to restore the plane from the damage caused by Miasma and his armies. Out of the corner of her eyes, she failed to notice the crimson-haired woman sitting on the opposite couch. "How are you feeling? Trying to think of something else?" "Hmm?" Hearing a familiar voice call out to her, she straightened and looked to the side. "Orianne?" "That''s definitely me. So?" With a warm smile, she waited for an answer. "Am I that obvious?" "I am a woman, too. If I couldn''t understand your feelings, I would have never married Reon." She looked at her fourth finger, where her ring sat again after she ''accidentally'' rummaged through Orion''s room. "It''s painful not to be able to see him. I had no idea it would hurt so much, but I''m hoping it''s the same for him, even though it makes me think like a petty person." "The only thing I can do to lessen the solitude is to occupy my mind. Since I can''t train yet, all I can do is repair his home." Orianne leaned back and sighed. "That reminds me of the times I had to leave Reon''s side before we became the leaders of our respective factions." "Being separated from your loved one is a pain I can relate to." Amelia smiled. She wasn''t so full of herself as to disagree with her mother-in-law over something so small. In fact, she was happy that someone understood her. "All I can say is that you should use this opportunity to grow even stronger. Use the time you''ve been separated as a catalyst to fuel your ambitions. That''s how I grew more powerful." "Because you don''t know when you will meet again and if he will be different." Tilting her head, Amelia placed the tablet on the coffee table between them. "What do you mean?" Orianne crossed her legs and frowned. "Men are like that. They want to improve and impress us, even if they have to surpass us and leave us behind. Reon and Orion are the same." "They only think about protecting everyone else themselves and struggle to depend on others. That''s why we have to work hard, too, and catch up to them." "Otherwise, we''ll never be able to support them. I''m certain that Orion is working himself to the bone wherever he is." She rubbed between her eyes, exhausted by the thought itself. "It wouldn''t be fair if he returned entirely changed while you were still stuck without being able to use your power, right?" Amelia instinctively nodded, her eyes turning to the ground. "I don''t want that either. That''s why..." Orianne stood up from the couch and walked in front of Amelia. She bent over and whispered in her ear. (I know a lot about Orion''s training regiment on void magic.) Only shared training and matches showed how he trained. Apart from those, he trained alone most of the time. His parents were the few ones privy to this information. "!" A cold shiver ran through her entire body. She looked into her eyes. ''Are you asking me to train behind my mother''s back?'' Pondering, Amelia seriously considered her options. "I have just one condition." With a frown that left no room for refusal, she looked at Orianne, who was still smiling. "If you''re talking about Henrietta, I already obtained her consent. It''s not like Orion''s void magic training was heavy on action anyway." "She left me in charge of this part. All she asked me was that you obtain your last mastery when possible." Shocked, Amelia leaned on her pillow. "Oh. Everything is proceeding without me." "Leave adult stuff to adults. You''re still too young to throw your weight around, so wait at least ten years before that." Giggling, Orianne returned to her seat. "So, what''s your base knowledge of this magic? I''ll tell you what Reon analyzed right after." "Then, when you''ll have a clear picture of everything, we''ll proceed to train." Amelia nodded and immediately explained what she had gathered by herself. How she could feel the flow of unfamiliar magic in her core and how she could only manage to open portals. This day, she followed the same path as the man she loved, opening her horizons to new possibilities. If Orion became the master of breaching the distances between spaces, Amelia would turn into a master of shifting. But, that wasn''t for today. Chapter 462: The eighth Magic Lock. A light in the darkness. The wide, flashy light, akin to a will-o-wisp, followed the trajectory across an entire system shaped like an infinity symbol. ''...'' After three years, Orion was beginning to understand the nature of his magic. The void magic was still impossible to bring out in its entirety, but its overall growth turned out to be ten times stronger than any magic he used in the past. It became a ticking bomb that would inevitably explode out of him the day the curse was cleansed from his system. With the void element following his every command, the frail, tiny speck of magic became a powerhouse that enveloped his entire core, lighting a fire so bright that no one would ever extinguish it. ''This is frustrating. I can feel it growing. This power isn''t the same anymore, but I have no way to actually judge whether it will be contained by my will or not.'' Another voice echoed, answering his worries. ''Nothing is impossible for you, isn''t it? Meditating was the greatest choice you''ve ever made so far.'' As Tetra sweetly whispered those encouraging words, Orion''s third eye observed the void element turn into a bright star, illuminating his core. The residue of light magic from Alyssia and the dark magic residue from Alaric both spun around it, acting in symbiosis with the powerful energy. ''I wouldn''t have had this opportunity if not for you. I''m grateful.'' The two grew closer during these three years, pushing each other when they felt overwhelmed by their current situation. ''...'' Orion closed his eyes and crossed his arms. ''She''s at it again... When will he stop?'' ''Probably never. I had no idea it would turn out like this.'' ''Yet, you don''t look really bothered by her actions.'' Slightly nodding, he opened his eyes. He could hear the discontent in her voice, but there was nothing she could do, as she was unable to even touch Orion. ''Why would I? I''m really close to them, so I have reason to act differently now.'' ''Do whatever!'' Tetra acted more possessively by the day, which made Orion smile. He began to really appreciate her presence and emotions toward him. ''Alright, time to wake up.'' Orion''s third eye closed, and his breathing returned to normal. "..." "Fuuu~" "Nia, stop that already. Don''t bother him." The twins, now eighteen, were clinging to Orion as he meditated. "Why? He never says anything. It''s not like I''m doing anything bad to him. Fuuu~" Again, Nia blew air into Orion''s right ear while crawling on his lap. Mia was leaning on his shoulders from the back, trying to push her sister away from Orion''s face. They were as petite as Orion remembered, having the same height they would have in the future. A low sigh escaped Orion''s mouth as his anthracite eyes opened slowly. "You two again." This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. "I did nothing wrong! Why am I included?" Mia suddenly jumped at his awakening and glared at her sister, who was still sitting on Orion''s lap. Since Orion was in a crossed-legged position, it was the perfect seat for her. "Haha~" "Don''t laugh! It''s all your fault!" "Please defend me, Orion!" The twins began to fight lightly, pushing each other and Orion, bickering about who was to blame. "..." A faint smile formed on his face as a peaceful feeling developed in his core. Orion leaned to the side, grabbed Mia''s arm, and pulled her next to her younger sister. "!" Before she could understand anything, she was sitting on his right thigh, while Nia was sitting on the opposite one. "What are you..." Perplexed, she slowly looked at his face. She could see his warm smile and the giggling face of her sister, which irritated her even more. "Relax a little. You don''t have to be on edge at all times. You can be selfish sometimes, too." "Look at your sister." Both looked at Nia, who had her hair lightly caressed by Orion. "Hue?" ''What was that cute sound?!'' Tetra suddenly exclaimed, feeling a fraternal feeling take over her at the sight of this adorable creature. "Hmm~" Mia began to mumble as she pondered. On one hand, she was jealous of her sister, but on the other, she was stubbornly trying to avoid showing affection toward him. Even though it was already too late for that, it wouldn''t have been Mia otherwise. Orion slowly reached for her head when she crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks. "I''ll allow it this time." Chuckling at her haughty tone, Orion nodded. "Yes, my Queen. I will oblige." He placed his hand on her brown hair and gently caressed it. "It''s good that you understand." A faint but sweet smile replaced her pouting face, which made Nia immediately tease her in return. "You should''ve been more honest from the star-" But the glare she received in return forced her to look away and shut her mouth. ''We''ve seriously messed up in the past. These two were so sweet, and yet, we''ve practically forced on them a tragic life.'' ''I''ve ignored these two when I could have taken them in. I''m sure life would''ve been more interesting like it is currently, instead of making them witness the cruel state of the world.'' As the two melted under Orion''s pampering, Tetra continued. ''Henrietta birthed Amelia just to be sent to death, even though it tortured her for years. We really are terrible adults.'' Orion continued in silence, believing that Tetra knew exactly what he would say in this situation. ''Your silence is louder than any words. You know how to deal with me now, don''t you?'' He heard a light chuckle in his head, lifting the heavy mood she was falling into. ''It''s been quite some time, so of course I do. Let me tell you this instead:'' ''What''s important isn''t the beginning, but the end.'' An acknowledging grunt entered his ears, making him turn his attention to the twins again. "How long have I stayed in a trance? From how hungry I feel, I''d estimate twelve hours." Nia ignored his question and continued to enjoy his caress like a cat, while Mia looked at him with semi-raptured eyes. The fog in her head lifted as she heard his voice, and she rapidly recovered her composure. "Y-Yes. That''s correct. We entered this room around two hours ago, I think. You were still unresponsive, but we kept quiet." "That stupid sister of mine only began to bother you when you appeared to be in discomfort." Nia smiled and opened her mouth without thinking. "The sparkling stars were pretty." "Hmm?" Orion tilted his head. "What about sparkling stars?" Mia sighed and rubbed her eyebrows. "I thought I told you not to speak about that." "Bu~ut" She wanted to slap her younger sister''s head to wake her up from her daydreaming state, but as she would rather not break away from her share of caresses, she contained herself. Instead, she answered him with her relatively low knowledge about magic. "How do I explain this?" "Take your time." While nodding, she pondered. "When you were in a trance, sometimes your body emitted some kinds of particles above you." "After a while, they began to accumulate and turn into stars. They rapidly vanished, but they were... pretty." Surprised, Orion asked her another question. "Black and white stars?" "Yes, but also weird stars that moved differently than others." "How so?" "They looked rather... everywhere? I don''t know how to explain that correctly. One moment they were in one spot, another moment they were somewhere else." Mia looked perplexed, as if afraid that Orion would not believe her. "So they were warping around. Do you recall their color?" She did. In no way did they ever forget the beautiful stars they saw today. "It was like looking at the night sky inside those stars, but they also had a strange glow to them." Leaving her with her memories of the event, Orion turned to Tetra. ''What could that mean? Is void magic escaping my body alongside the other two elements?'' Tetra pondered alongside him. She had an inkling, but no proof to push her point. ''Maybe it isn''t your elements escaping, but only a manifestation of your innate power?'' ''You''ve been nurturing the void element for three years straight now. This is time you didn''t have in the past to focus on your elements.'' Orion instinctively nodded. ''You''re right. But if it''s a manifestation of my abilities, isn''t that dangerous for others around me?'' ''This appears to be a type of ''Magic Diffusion''. If so, it is incredibly hazardous to stay around me when I meditate.'' The more magicules were in the air, the more others were susceptible to falling sick. Depending on the amount, it could even kill them. ''I don''t think it is even close to a ''Magic Diffusion''. If I had to call it...'' Pondering for a few seconds, Tetra gave Orion a new ability. ''I''ll give it the name of ''Blooming Aura''. Doesn''t that sound romantic?'' Knowing Tetra, he knew he could let her give names to his abilities without fretting too much over it. She was the one who gave him many abilities until now. ''That''s the eighth shackle ability, by the way.'' ''Huh?'' Orion felt confused. This was a topic he had completely forgotten. ''Out of the shackles binding your soul, you''ve unlocked eight of them. I know all of them, but I am unable to speak to you about them. I don''t know your future, but I know everything about ''you''.'' ''The first level was the ''Dragon Tongue'' that Monolavir unlocked for you. Next were the ''Light Magic Enhancements'' obtained during the fairy matter.'' ''Third was ''Magic diffusion'', which was discovered after leaving the fairy realm.'' ''When you arrived at Hocride, you''ve created the fourth one, ''Void Magic''. Later on, after your battle against Elliott, came the fifth unlock through your faction traits, ''Angel and Demon Lineage''.'' ''Fighting against the giant eel in Noctelagia came the sixth one, ''Multi-Weapon'', which we''ve used in tandem once in the past.'' ''In seventh place, we obviously have the ''Abyssal Sovereign'' power. This was also something I knew, but I had no idea what it actually was.'' ''Now, we''re at the eighth unlock, the ''Blooming Aura''. It''s unclear to me how it''s going to influence your life, but it should in a good way.'' Listening to her, Orion nodded. ''I trust you. You''ve never led me astray.'' ''That''s incredible praise you''ve spoken to me. Are you alright?'' ''When did you start being rude like that?'' ''Haha~'' Tetra laughed heartily, but inside, she kept something hidden from him. Information she had no idea how to process. She could feel an eleventh lock through her Remnant power. One ultimate lock that shouldn''t exist. Not knowing what to make of it, she quietly and silently placed this piece of information in the corner of her mind. As both were arriving at the end of their conversation, Orion stopped caressing the twins. "Alright. I have to talk to Noah. Sorry about that, girls. I''ll entertain you later." "Heee~h" Disappointed, Nia unwillingly stood up. Mia followed without saying a word, but the disappointment was clearly visible on her face. "I guess it can''t be helped..." Feeling a tug in his heart, Orion wanted to keep them close to him, but he still had a duty. It was his duty to correct the course of history. To lie to the entire world and protect his future with everyone. He walked to the door and looked at them. "See you later." Chapter 463: The Frigoria Plains problem. "There have been fewer attacks as of late, but we can''t very much be complacent, aren''t we?" Orion opened the door to the Remnant''s meeting room. "I agree with you, but you cannot continue non-stop without even taking a break." "Depend on us more. When we need you, we''ll call for you. Can''t you relax for just a day?" Tetra and Noah were having a light argument. When Orion arrived in the room, Henrietta acknowledged his presence with a quick glance. Noah also noticed him, but he couldn''t ignore the person he was speaking to. "If I take a moment to relax, will you stop asking?" Done with the conversation, he gave up. "One day per week, unless you are required somewhere. If you were to fight Miasma with a tired mind when I could''ve prevented it, do you think I''d be able to leave with the guilt?" Noah sighed, slowly shaking his head left and right. "I get it. I''ll rest for the day." "Good. Every so often, you don''t have to act as if the entire fate of the world rests on your shoulders. You''re also your own unique self. Treasure yourself as much as we treasure you." Tetra finally noticed Orion, but she frowned immediately at his presence. "The same goes for you. I know you''re the same as Noah. If we don''t keep an eye on you, you''ll suffer alone somewhere out of our sight." Orion snorted while lifting his hands in a defeated way. "Guilty of charge." He sat next to Henrietta and crossed his arms. Tetra relaxed and smiled, which made the mood less prickly. "I know you two are grown men. In the end, pulling your ears is all I can do." When Noah sat at the table, she sat next to him, lightly pushing a strand of her pink hair behind her right ear. ''I''m of the same opinion, since I''m the one who said it. Maybe you two are thinking that I''m the pestering type of woman and that I''m forceful, but that''s really all I can do.'' ''It''s impossible for me to stand on the same battlefield as you. That''s why I¡ª no, we all¡ª want you to be careful. Being a coward isn''t shameful in any way.'' ''This is much better than being dead.'' Orion internally nodded. After throwing himself into all kinds of matters in the past, only now could he understand the weight behind her concern. But even after understanding her, he did not regret any of his past choices. It was because of them that he survived his intended fate. "So. Now that I have nothing else to do today, do you want to go somewhere, Orion?" Tetra dropped her head and clenched her fists. Lifting her head, she glared at him while biting her lower lips frustratingly. "..." "That''s a rather cute expression you''re making."This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Orion couldn''t help himself and openly gave a small compliment, but no one knew that he was, in fact, talking to the Tetra inside his core. "There''s no point if it''s you complimenting me! Damn it!" Like a child throwing a tantrum, Tetra slammed her fists on the table lightly. "You''re not even hiding it anymore." Henrietta smirked as her best friend breathed in and out to compose herself. "Anyway, where do you want to go?" After a few seconds, she calmed down and asked with genuine curiosity. ''I''m a really lunatic person. This is eye-opening.'' ''Am I like this to you?'' Orion pondered for a moment, searching for the best way to answer. In the end, he chose sincerity. ''You can be heavy in certain situations.'' ''Oh...'' She sounded very disheartened, but he wasn''t done answering. ''But I like that. It gives you a certain charm that others don''t have.'' ''Oh!'' Her mood shot straight through the roof and made her hum in euphoria as she received praise. Orion was more open to her advance than Noah ever was, and she found that refreshing. With Orion, she could go overboard, and he wouldn''t judge her for it. As Noah pondered her question, Henrietta observed Orion silently. Each time he was in the room, she wondered how far Orion was planning to go to succeed in his plan. Since she was the only one in this room who knew that he was planning to simulate Noah''s death and actually make the world believe it, her mind couldn''t wrap around the many ideas she developed toward this goal. She wanted to ask him more about his plans, but even after three years, she was unable to bring herself to take the first step. Occasionally, Orion appeared to be deeply in thought. He was a mysterious man, impossible to understand, even after scouring the ''Book of Fate'' numerous times. "I feel like going south. I want to check the border on that infinite frozen landscape." "You''re mad... You haven''t listened to a single word I''ve spoken." Tetra sighed, knowing that the place Noah wanted to go was a haven for corrupt beasts. "But fine. If that''s what you want, I won''t hold you back." After making up her mind, she stood up. "Let''s go, Orion. I want to discuss something with you while there." Nodding, Orion stood up alongside Noah, and both walked next to the pink-haired Remnant. "Be careful. I haven''t been made aware of an attack, but knowing you two are prone to trouble, don''t let your guard down." "Don''t worry, Enri. If I ever get a vision, I''ll notice them immediately." Seeing her friend nod, Tetra placed her hands on their shoulders and warped away. ... "It''s so fucking cold!" Holding her shaking body, Tetra glared at the snow. She was surrounded by snow-white matter piling on in every direction, while the frozen wind stung her skin with each caress. "I hate..." *Chii~* She sneezed cutely and sniffled as her nose instantly turned red. "I don''t get any of you! I''m going back!" Without waiting for an answer, she warped back to Henrietta. ''I really hate cold places. I am glad Horizon isn''t a frozen wasteland like this place.'' ''And I''m relieved your core is so warm...'' The sweetness in her voice made Orion smile without noticing it. Both Noah and Orion looked in front of them, unbothered by the cold air. "Is it something you don''t mind the two of them listening in?" Orion immediately went to the matter at hand. In fact, he had an inkling as to what Noah wanted to discuss in this kind of place. "This isn''t a secret topic, so it''s fine." ''Well, I''m here, so it''s not a secret between you two anyway.'' Tetra giggled slightly, knowing she wouldn''t receive an answer from Orion just for having a bit of fun. "Is it about Miasma, as I thought?" Noah nodded. Instantly, Tetra stopped joking and grew serious. "We both know where that monster is. The only problem is how far into that land he is hiding. I could always rush and kill whatever attacks me, but I can feel countless eyes looking toward us presently." "And not the small kind of gaze. There are at least hundreds of large corrupt creations lurking in that perpetual storm." Their eyes stared into the land Elliott had freed in the far future. "I have no clear idea where that place is. I''ve been there once, but with no actual landmark to confirm its position." "It was so brief that I haven''t even walked out of the building." Orion gave his honest answer. After Elliott crushed the warp crystal, and Orion followed him inside the laboratory Miasma worked in to research the corruption, he only set his eyes on the inside of the dilapidated building. Once the portal closed, the only way to return to the Frigoria Plains was by foot. The warp crystals were always designed to be a one-way bridge. "It''s fine. I wasn''t planning to step foot in that place. I am not suicidal." "I am not lying when I say that hundreds of powerful enemies are waiting for us to enter their territory." Both knew how dangerous that entire piece of land was. Even together, they wouldn''t hold on long enough to clear it entirely. The ''Giant Corrupt'' beasts, the ''Corrupted Lords'', and the unlimited amount of basic corrupt beasts walking the land. Elliott described the place to Orion. Even in the future, it was a nightmarish place, but in the past, it was a hundred times more perilous. Everything was alive and well. It wasn''t the same as when Elliott and Nylon entered the plains. "It''s not worth it. We''ll have our opportunity to strike the day Miasma attacks us." Orion crossed his arms and glared into the storm. He was waiting for that day with impatience. The day when he could return to his family. "I understand. It was just a hope of mine. Maybe by striking him down early, we would avoid that dreadful day." "My thoughts were the same as yours. But I believe nothing would have changed. Fate isn''t easily broken, and I can vouch for it with every fiber of my being." Noah nodded. Through the many stories Orion told him from his era, he understood the importance of following one''s fate. But he also knew that he had the power to defy his end, just like Orion did. He rebuilt the motivation to return alive to his family, which he had abandoned at the beginning. All of this happened thanks to one man, Orion. As they both silently listened to the raging storm in the distance, a loud howl full of agony echoed in the white vastness. "!" "Where did that come from?" Orion turned his head toward the approximate direction of the sound. He activated ''Eagle Eye'' and observed the area. ''I don''t see anything.'' Tetra also shared his vision, looking alongside him like she often did. ''Since I haven''t appeared to tell you of a dangerous event, I either haven''t received a vision or no one is in danger.'' Giving a quick warning to him, she pondered. "That was a wolf." Orion knew very well about this type of howling. Sirius, in his Abyssal form, also shared the similarities of a wolf. "There." Orion pointed at the area that appeared to be the focus of their conversation, and Noah frowned gravely. "That is not a normal amount of corrupt beasts rushing to that place. Why?" Hundreds of corrupt beasts answered the cry of the wolf and rushed inside a frozen meadow. "There''s only one way to know." Orion looked into the air. "Henrietta, Tetra, we''re going to check. If it''s dangerous, come pick us up immediately." "..." Nothing happened. "In that case, we''ll have to check." Instantly, the two Heroes leaned forward and rushed toward the horde of corrupt beasts, ready to get the answers to their questions. Chapter 464: Orion and the first kobold. "Is it the area that changes the beasts into their most feral state, or are they simply different? I can''t put my hands on it." Noah squinted while asking. They passed hundreds of beasts that tried to attack them, and each were more ferocious and vicious than he was used to. Orion was also fairly shaken by the powerful feeling in his chest, as if the corruption stifled his movements to stop him. "They''re as dangerous as they were in my time. This is the reason for humans building the high walls that separated the two regions." "If not contained, these corrupt beasts would have ravaged the continent one way or another, even without Miasma to control them." *Whoosh* The two continued in a straight line and entered the meadow. Instantly, they felt the disgusting smell of corruption wafting in the air. The atmosphere was dark and damp, with even the snow acting unusual. Not melting but not solid, the snow formed a dangerous bog where each enemy traversed with ease toward their prey. More and more red eyes appeared all around them, staring further into the bog, where the origin of their sudden departure was. "I don''t like this." "Me neither." Before their feet could be entangled in the unstable ground, they continued at a tremendous pace, avoiding whatever was on their path, be it obstacles of nature or corrupt beasts. But then, their destination suddenly appeared in front of them. Inside the black expanse of foul air and resentful feeling, a spot of light that appeared to fight the darkness brought by the corruption still lit their way. ''We''re not too late?'' ''Seems like it.'' Tetra asked, truly surprised by their timing. From one look, she knew that the protective shell wouldn''t hold any longer. ''We don''t know what''s inside. Be careful.'' ''I will.'' Both men jumped out of the bog made of muddy snow and entered through the small patch of trees. "Are we going to force our way inside that dome of light?" "I see no other way. Either we will go through without resistance, or we''ll make a way in." The instant they entered the thicket at the center of the meadow, a sense of relief appeased their worries as they bypassed the protective shell. *HOWL* Feeling intruders entering its domain, the wolf that they came to look for called for them. "This way!" They finally arrived at the location. "GRRR!" *SPLIT* A revolting sight of dismembered beasts and ripped apart ''Corrupted Lords'' laid in front of the two Heroes, who watched in disbelief. "What?!" Noah''s mind blanked for a moment. In the center of it all, a bipedal wolf grabbed a massive gray bear and split it in half effortlessly, throwing its chunks to the side. Its white fur, which should have been pure originally, had black red spots everywhere. Blood dripped from every wound onto the ground, but it relentlessly stood its ground.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. This beautiful, yet suffering creature had a white mane flowing backward onto its back, similar to human hair. But it was a wolf. A member of a faction Orion had never seen in his life. ''Bipedal wolves... Is this being what I think it is?!'' Orion ignored his feeling of pressure and dread emanating from the area and rushed forward. Noah turned around and pulled a rock from his breast pocket. "I''ll hold this entire area. Can you deal with defending that kobold?" With one word, Noah confirmed what Orion was thinking. ''I found one! I finally found one!'' Grinning from ear to ear, Orion punched a boar in the head, shattering its tusks and skull in one move. Slowly, he made his way to the kobold. Two spiders, which were pretty rare to see as an enemy, jumped at him from above. They went for his throat, but Orion stretched his arms to the side and grabbed their fangs as they fell upon him. The small corrupt creatures were unable to do much as Orion slammed one on the ground and launched the other with the ''Overdrive'' state into a bigger enemy. Chunks of flesh and bits of organs flew in every direction. While Noah cut through waves of incoming enemies breaching into the dome of light, Orion destroyed everything in his path with overwhelming strength. ''Aren''t you becoming a barbarian by the day?'' Tetra managed to keep his focus straight by joking. ''I don''t have a weapon right now, if you weren''t aware.'' ''With Alcyone and Taygeta, it would''ve been a piece of cake, but we do with what we have.'' As he avoided a charging deer that tried to impale him with its dangerous antlers, Orion kicked a large gray wolf that hid behind it. When the deer returned, Orion stood his ground and prepared to counter the incoming enemy, while also carefully keeping an eye on everything around him. *BAM* He took a step to the side and grabbed the left antler. With one swift and powerful drop of his hand, he shattered the sharp bone''s base, picked up the antler before it fell with his other hand, and stabbed it into the deer''s head from below. As the beast reared from the sudden pain, Orion grabbed the fur on its stomach and used it as a shield. Sharp wind blades dissected the squirming beast until its body was cut to pieces. But Orion had already left. ''Not yet?'' ''I have someone''s help.'' ''At last!'' Screaming from relief, Tetra focused on helping Orion keep his cool. ''What in the-'' ''Orion?'' His feet sank into the ground, as if gravity had increased tenfold. "Gh!" He clenched his teeth and glared forward. Two giant-sized rats jumped at him to rip off his legs and arms, but were impaled by large spikes of rocks. "Lilith, you could have warned me!" Cursing the name of the demon that decided to help him, Orion punched through the rock formation in front of him. Instead of breaking the hard surface, his hands sank into them effortlessly. Out of the rocks, Orion pulled a curved blade out of the rock. The image of a browned-skinned woman with exotic features flashed in his head, grinning from ear to ear while giving him a thumbs up. ''That weapon? What is it?'' Seeing the blade in Orion''s hand, Tetra felt intrigued. ''I heard it''s called a Khopesh. I can already understand everything I need to master it. As usual, I will gladly depend on them.'' Orion''s gaze sharpened. "We are one. We are legions." The rocks shattered into thousands of pieces and began to revolve around Orion. Suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, a two-legged tiger, similar to a bear in size, appeared behind him. "..." With one glance, a large shield of rocks blocked the attack before shattering back into particles. Orion used the tiger''s attack against it, and as it recoiled from the impact, felt its lower body split from the rest of its body. The sharp blade sliced through its entire body like a knife in butter. As it fell forward, Orion stabbed the curved part of the blade into the chest of the tiger and dragged it in front of him. Throwing the beast forward, Orion crushed a few beasts trying to attack the kobold from behind. ''I''m right there.'' His eyes stared at the kobold, and the kobold stared at him. ''Aren''t you in luck? It''s a female.'' The joke made Orion snort as he stabbed the sword at the ground, piercing a cockroach the size of a horse. ''Stop that. It''s like hearing Amelia speaking.'' ''I''m your emotional support, aren''t I?'' Between dodging another wind blade attack and slicing cleanly in half another bear, Orion began to carefully look for the ''Corrupted Lord'' firing magic at him and the kobold. Tetra giggled lightly after joking for an instant, but she still searched alongside Orion all the while. ''Found you.'' Hidden in the shadow of a tree and perched on a branch, an owl with red eyes pulsing provokingly stretched its wing to attack. ''You wish. Orion isn''t going to let you breathe another breath.'' Orion smiled briefly before aiming the Khopesh at the large owl. The shards of rocks covered his entire body, as if he stood in the center of a sandstorm. Like a mirage, tens of similar Khopesh formed around Orion. *HOWL* The kobold leaned forward while aggressively roaring toward him. With an incredible swiftness for a wounded creature, it killed everything in its path and closed in on Orion with its claws aimed at him. Wind blades came crashing on the two, but the kobold was about to get hit first. Releasing the weapons floating around him, he ignored the kobold and destroyed the magic that was about to kill the being he came to protect. Its claws were aimed for his head, but they only scratched him as the kobold ripped apart a large pheasant that was about to pierce Orion with its beak. Then, after killing the enemy, it settled behind Orion, protecting his back. "I like smart people. My back is in your hands." With a smile that showed a great interest in the being, he glanced behind him. ''There''s a large amount of magic inside this kobold.'' Analyzing the creature with one glance, Orion turned forward, still in the process of defending against the wind blade. ''This is just a speculation on my part...'' Immediately, Orion frowned. The same conclusion came to mind. He let Tetra finish her sentence to see if she thought like him. ''But I believe this is a Remnant. The progenitor of the kobold''s faction.'' Orion smiled once again. ''I like it when we are on the same wavelength. You''ll have to ask Henrietta to apologize for calling you dumb, don''t you think?'' Tetra trembled at the sudden compliment and quietly whimpered in delight. "Alright. Let''s end this battle." Grabbing the sword with two hands, Orion lifted it above his left shoulder in a striking pose. ''I haven''t used void magic since rescuing Mia and Nia, but I shouldn''t suffer any internal injuries this time around.'' In the instant the kobold Remnant attacked an enemy, Orion vanished. *Slice* One starry line appeared on the owl''s body, cutting in half. Then, another appeared. In less time than a breath could be exhaled, thousands of cuts ravaged the ''Corrupted Lord''. *BURST* Not even a second later, every single corrupt beast in the surrounding thicket was cut into pieces, exploding in blobs of blood that exploded upward before raining down. Orion reappeared in the same spot, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. ''Revolting corruption...'' The weapon in his hand, for the first time since holding one of the weapons shared by the angels and demons inside the bracelet, shattered and vanished. Actually, he could hear the woman called Lilith scream from the shock of what he did. ''...'' Even Tetra was left speechless. ''Heal your body! Quick!'' Feeling his knees give in under his body, Orion immediately pulled some magic from Alyssia''s light magic. ''What would happen to you if I wasn''t here? Seriously...'' There were still plenty of corrupt beasts coming their way from the meadow, but for a minute, they were able to breathe. Even the kobold, who appeared shocked at first, dropped to the ground when no enemies were felt in the vicinity. "Noah! We''re pulling back!" "Good! I was done on my side anyway!" Rapidly joining Orion and the Remnant, they waited. "Bring us back, Tetra!" "Already doing that." The pink-haired woman warped behind Noah and grabbed their shoulders. Without a single wasted thought, Orion extended his hand to the kobold, who stared for a brief second. She grabbed it instinctively after staring inside his eyes. The moment she did, the four of them disappeared from the meadow, leaving the beasts unable to feast on the flesh of a Remnant. Chapter 465: Dangerous actions brings dangerous consequences. "This is a dangerous divergence of history!" "I know. I have no excuse for saving this Remnant." Orion was being scolded by Henrietta. "Your presence in this world is already a paradox, but you''ve just saved a being that was supposed to die!" She was sweating profusely while searching inside the ''Book of Fate''. "No name, no story, no future... What in the fuck are you doing to this world?!" A nervous laughter escaped her mouth as the kobold''s entire existence couldn''t be found inside of it. Closing the book, she sighed heavily. "Noah, what do you think?" The first Hero had his back to the wall, arms crossed, and eyes closed. "Even if you ask me, I cannot give you a satisfying answer. To avoid any further divergence, I propose to keep the Remnant in this place." "Hiding it is the only way to avoid any repercussions at this point." Henrietta had the same opinion. "What about me? Aren''t you going to ask about my opinion?" Tetra pointed at herself with a frustrated expression, feeling as if she weren''t needed in this conversation. "I''m not in the mood to listen to your stupid remarks..." Noticing how cold she sounded and how shocked Tetra looked at her, she relaxed slightly. "But I''ll entertain you. Do you have an idea?" As usual for Orion, he heard the past and the future speak together in synchronicity. ''We just need to take it with us in the future.'' "Why not send it with Orion in the future?" For a moment, instead of rejecting her voice outright, Henrietta seriously considered it. "The idea itself isn''t bad, but what''s your opinion on doing that?" The two Tetras grumbled. ''There is no way it''ll go through...'' "It won''t work. This was a stupid idea. You were right." Once she became aware that she spoke without thinking again, she looked down with a defeated expression. Her long hair covered her eyes, and everyone felt bad for her. "Henrietta." Orion called out to her. He couldn''t accept this situation where Tetra always ended up hurting, even if it were her past self. "What? Is the source of my headache going to find a way to correct everything?" She frowned and dangerously glared at him. "You understand that the only way to correct our timeline is to kill this being right here and now?" "Even if it is a Remnant, we cannot go against such a large variation without suffering some form of adverse effects."This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. He sighed. "There is no magic solution to this problem other than the option you''ve proposed." "But you understand it is impossible for me to agree to it." Orion pondered whether he should pressure her or not but chose to avoid it. This would only cause her to be defiant against him and make him return to his old ways. Instead, he decided to trust her judgment. "If you think keeping her alive will affect our battle against Miasma, do it." "But personally, I believe there will be no influence. We aren''t stupid enough to take advantage of each other to begin with." Shared his thoughts on the matter, which he had carefully thought about, he took a step closer to her and stopped. "If we were in the idea of sending her to fight Miasma or fight alongside us, we wouldn''t even have this conversation right now." "I might have saved an important individual in the grand scheme of history, but she never did grand things. We''re talking about an animal that turned Remnant." Noah smirked slightly while Henrietta brought her fingers to her chin. She seemed to consider his perspective. "And... I might have an idea. All I have to do is confirm it with Tiohr-nam." "I haven''t saved this being just to kill it myself. I thought we were clear about avoiding tragedies." She glared at him, but then sighed deeply. "Alright, I get it." "You''re a real pain in the ass to deal with, and I hope you know that." Orion smiled. "If I have to bother you to attain the perfect ending, I''ll do it as many times as I need to." "Please... don''t do that." Rubbing her brows together, she glanced at Tetra, who was silently looking at the floor while playing with her fingers. "Also, I''m definitely taking this kobold with me in the future." "Huh?" All eyes turned to him, unable to believe what they had heard. "What? Can''t believe me? That''s why I said I''d need Tiohr-nam to help me." "Oh, and I will need your help too, Noah. You''re the only one who possesses an unrivaled earth magic." Tetra lifted her head and looked at Orion with moist eyes. The bitterness of being taken lightly slowly dissipated, and, out of nowhere, her mood recovered. On the side, Noah and Henrietta pondered. "Tiohr-nam... earth magic..." "!" The first to understand was Henrietta. "You''re impossible! I take back everything I''ve said. Keep her alive and well." "Henrietta?" Noah lifted an eyebrow and rapidly came to the same conclusion. "Interesting..." Looking toward him, Henrietta nodded. "Isn''t it? That is something I would love to see. If that man is capable of actually writing history, I want to see it." Turning to Orion, Henrietta began to piece the truth. "I was still having afterthoughts about everything, but it appeared that something in you compels you to fight back against fate." With a smile, she closed her eyes. ''I know only one being that can modify history and can endure the consequences. When have you chosen him as your champion?'' ... With the conversation closing at this point, Orion returned to his room, where he treated the kobold Remnant. "Orion. Welcome back." Mia greeted him as soon as he returned. The twins were always loitering inside his room outside sleeping hours. He thought that they felt more comfortable near him than Noah and stayed with him instead because they were bored. Their life was different from what they were supposed to go through, at least from Orion''s perception of history. "Nia, let go of her already." Walking toward the bed, Orion noticed Nia hugging the kobold, who was sleeping soundly on his bed. "What about her injuries?" At that question, Nia sat in bed and lifted her hand in the air. "I''ve checked! Not a single one has reopened." Putting a hand to her face, Mia shook her head. "The pretense to hugging her was for you to actually do something useful. Are you really my twin sister, Nia?" "When have you become so rude, sis?" Confused, the youngest of the twins tilted her head. Orion watched this scene with a warm smile. He truly enjoyed spending time with them, as they reminded him of a time he had lost. Even if they weren''t his companions at this time, he appreciated their presence greatly. ''It''s a good thing staying in this place did not change their development. They won''t be any different when we''ll return to the future.'' Tetra spoke with a sweet tone. When she was with Orion during moments like these, she did her best to stay pleasant and affectionate. All she wanted was for him to be happy. ''It''s a relief, if I have to be honest.'' Orion sat down on the ground and began to rest. ''Without those I trust, I wouldn''t have had the will to live through this.'' ''Especially without you. You''ve been supporting me through this entire journey, and you''ve never complained.'' ''Yet I know better than anyone how much you yearn for your physical body.'' She agreed with a faint murmur. ''Yes.'' ''Henrietta, Tiohr-nam, and Mia and Nia. With them by my side, I can focus on what I have to do.'' His gaze turned to the sisters having a light argument. ''It surely took a long time to accept that others were the reason for my life being this extraordinary.'' The memories of his time he had lost during his voyage inside the ''Corridors of Time'' had all returned to him. Whenever he wanted to recall someone, he could easily do it. ''I want to... hug them.'' Occasionally, the loneliness was crushing his feelings. That''s when Tetra usually closed the distance between them. In normal circumstances, what Tetra did could be considered exploiting his emotions to benefit her. She could use his weakness to take a spot in his heart. But this never became an actual thought. She genuinely couldn''t bear hearing him behind sad. ''It''s fine to be lonely. By remembering everyone, you only accumulate love.'' ''The day you''ll return home, it''ll explode into something greater than love. I yearn for the day ''Passion'' will take over you.'' She giggled, causing Orion to let go of his fleeting anxieties. Suddenly, as he was about to continue talking to Tetra, the Remnant moved on the bed. "GRRR!" It recoiled in the corner of the bed while glaring at everyone in the room. Orion stood up and lightly walked to the bed, inconspicuously standing between the twins and the Remnant. "Do you understand me?" For a split second, the sigil of Silka flashed in his eyes but disappeared before it could cause conflict with the power of this period. His words entered the Remnant''s ears, which twitched slightly. It was a one-way type of communication. Only she could understand Orion, and not the other way around. Confused, the bipedal wolf waited, her eyes glued on him. "Do you remember me?" Slowly, the Remnant approached Orion. And... She stretched a hand toward him. The memory of Orion and the Remnant grabbing each other''s hand before being warped into the Remnant''s hideout flashed in their minds. Orion slowly reached for her hand, and they grabbed each other''s wrist. "..." He couldn''t help but smile. Without the sigil given by Silka, he wouldn''t have been able to communicate with her. "Can I hug her?!" Nia popped her head from behind Orion and jumped between them. "Can I?!" Before anyone could tell her anything, she threw her face at the Remnant''s side. Her head sank into fluffy territory, while the wolf looked confused. ''Kobold were always a smart faction. They weren''t made to be aggressive.'' Tetra shared her thoughts on what she knew about their faction, but she knew just as much as Orion did. ''We''ll have to slowly bridge our differences. I need her help.'' Watching Nia hugging the wolf and the wolf acting bashful, Orion frowned. The only one who noticed his expression was Mia. "..." Chapter 466: Mias concerns. "Noah. Are you here?" In the man''s room, a lone girl entered. "Mia? This is a rarity to see you without your sister." Greeting the girl with a smile, Noah closed the book he was writing into and dropped his pen. With a stiff expression, Mia approached the table. "I have something to ask you. My sister is too mentally fragile currently, and I would rather she rests instead of torturing her mind like I do." His smile vanished instantly as he pointed to the chair in front of him. "What is it that you want to discuss this time?" Mia and Noah often found themselves together when the former wanted to discuss something she couldn''t understand. Even though the twins appeared to always be near Orion, Mia depended on Noah for serious matters. "I have rarely questioned Orion for the past three years." She dropped her gaze, feeling a sharp tinge of guilt as her question left her mouth. "But... Who is he?" Lifting her head, she looked into Noah''s eyes. "He doesn''t talk about himself at all. Nia might not act concerned, but I know she is eager to learn about him." "Are we just invisible to him? Or is it something we shouldn''t know for our own sake?" Her mind was clear, and her questions were straightforward. Noah wasn''t sure how to answer her, as he also had a secret he kept hidden from others. "Are you aware that Orion and I are referred to as Heroes?" Giving a small nod as an answer, Mia placed both hands on the table. "I heard Tetra blurt out something like that a few times while talking to Henrietta." He crossed his arms over the table and leaned forward. "This isn''t just a title. It is a symbol that represents our lives. We live to fulfill the duty bestowed by this calling." "Of course, it doesn''t mean we are different from everyone else, but the weight of our duty can lead to us distancing ourselves or keeping others within arms'' reach." In his eyes, Mia was young enough to be considered his daughter. As he already had a son, he knew how to deal with her question. There were some topics he couldn''t bring himself to talk about, just like a father would to their children. "Usually, our fate isn''t all roses and happy endings. This is the main problem, and we are aware of it. Can you imagine what usually goes in the head of someone who grasps this reality?" Her eyes opened wide, and her shoulders trembled. As her head lowered and her eyes stared at her hands, she nodded. "We are more powerful than anyone else, but our future is as fleeting as a flower. To be frank, we are fated to have a horrible death." Not holding anything back, he spoke frankly. If she had a desire to learn more about Orion, she needed to acquire the corresponding initial concern for the two Heroes. "Does that mean that, to avoid leaving loved ones behind, you chose to remain alone?" If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. This was what Noah hinted at. He simply closed his eyes and remained stoic. "That''s insane! Are men stupid?!" Slamming her fists on the table, Mia angrily shouted. Noah was slightly surprised by her reaction, but still remained composed enough to answer her. "This isn''t the first time we''ve been told that. The tendency to take the easiest paths is one of our greatest sins." "Sin? What''s that?" He shook his head. "Don''t mind it. It''s a word that signifies a wrongdoing toward ourselves and others." "Instead of walking the difficult path and fighting back our fate, we accept it and live with pain. At least, that was what we were supposed to do." "What Orion hides, I also do. We might have different sets of circumstances, but we are the same." A sneaky smile formed on his face as he closed his eyes. "Now, more than ever." Thinking that Orion''s will to fight back rubbed off on him, he couldn''t help but feel his expectations about the future grow. ''I''ll go back to them. I swore to him that we''d both make it and return home.'' This conversation helped him confirm his stance on the matter. There were no hesitations left in his mind. "I don''t get everything you''ve said..." Opening his eyes, Noah smiled warmly. "You don''t have to. All in all, I cannot tell you what Orion''s life was before meeting you. If you want to know that badly, you will have to ask him yourself." Frustrated but thankful for the answers, Mia stood up from her seat. "Also, I suggest bringing your sister along. This is something both of you need to learn, not just you. Do not shelter your twin sister too much, or it''ll come back and bite you later." "You might have different resistances to struggles, but it doesn''t mean she is not allowed to know." "And you never know. Maybe it''ll help both of you grow closer and push you two to greater things later." Surprised by his sudden advice, she stood in place with a bewildered expression. "Do you have a twin too?" His words brought her thoughts toward this short question. She recalled immediately that she also knew nothing about the man before her. Noah shook his head slowly. "I only had a younger brother." "Had?" His gaze appeared to drift toward an empty spot in his room. "It''s nothing important." But Mia wasn''t deceived by his dismissal. She remained in her spot until Noah turned to her and noticed the serious glare in her eyes. In return, he sighed. "Really, it''s nothing." "My brother died of sickness. I couldn''t do a thing for him before he passed, not even tell him I loved him." His grief-stricken grimace broke her heart. Even Noah was unable to understand why he spoke about his personal life to her out of nowhere. As he prepared to stand up from his seat, Mia suddenly leaped forward and hugged his face in her arms. "Mia?" He lightly tapped her arm to make her let go, but she wouldn''t budge. "You''re not alone, alright? We cannot replace your family, and I honestly don''t think it''ll be possible." "But please¡ªdepend on us more. You said it yourself, didn''t you?" She pulled away from him. "There is no reason to keep us within arms'' reach. Nia and I can be your support. You and Orion are going to break down one day, and we don''t want that." As an adult over his thirties, Noah felt strange being comforted by someone as young as Mia. "I''ll keep that in mind." But instead of stubbornly keeping his neutrality and rejecting her words, he nodded and smiled. "What are you going to do?" "I''ll ask him, together with Nia. I want to know everything." She clenched her fists as Noah stood up. "I noticed frustration and sadness a few times on his face. How are we supposed to support and comfort him if we don''t understand the source of these feelings?" Stretching his hand forward, Noah placed his hand on her brown hair. "Then, good luck. I have a feeling it won''t be difficult to make him reveal everything." Knowing about those two girls being part of the companions he treasured in the future, it wasn''t difficult for him to see her succeed. "Even if he refuses, I won''t give up. And then, it''ll be your turn." Pointing at him, she smirked. Then she turned heels and walked out of his room. "Man, she''s like a storm. That boldness is quite troublesome." He sat down and continued writing in the book as if nothing happened. ... "I''m coming in." Right after finishing her talk with Noah, Mia returned to Orion''s room, where Nia, her twin sister, was. Orion was also there meditating. Next to him was the kobold Remnant, watching silently on the side. When she wasn''t on her hind legs, she looked like a normal wolf, albeit bigger compared to a normal wolf. The air exuding around her was one of a true primal creature. Since she was an animal with greater power, she couldn''t understand the rules created by those around her. Instead, it appeared that she chose to only observe Orion and rest now that her life wasn''t in danger anymore. As a smart beast, she knew straightaway that the people in the room weren''t here to hurt her. Since Orion was deeply working on his powers, Nia had fallen asleep in his bed, mumbling in her slumber. "Fluffy~ Warm~" Mia sat on the bed and shook her sister to wake her up. After a moment, Nia opened her eyes. "What? I was having a good dream..." Rubbing her right eye with her hand, she straightened. "I need to talk to you." ... After telling her sister about what she discussed with Noah, Mia walked to Orion. "All we can do is wait for him to be conscious again." "No need." He suddenly opened his eyes and stood up from the ground. Thanks to Tetra, who always kept an eye on the outside through his senses and relayed some information to him, he knew that she wanted to talk to him. Surprised, Mia jumped and fell backward on top of the bed. "..." Seeing the twins'' expressions, Orion turned to the Remnant, who kept her eyes on him at all times. Then he walked to a chair, picked it up, and placed it in front of the bed before sitting on it. "I can already guess that you have something important to ask me. What is it?" Now that she had her attention, Mia was shocked by her inability to open her mouth. She stared at him with frustration as the words were unable to form in her mind. "T-That''s..." As she began to panic, Nia grabbed her hand. Her gaze turned to her twin sister, and courage rose thanks to her. As Nia nodded to Mia, Orion clasped his hands together on his thighs, entwining his fingers together. ''Whatever they''re going to ask, be careful not to reveal everything.'' Tetra gave him a quick warning. All she needed now was for Orion to bring even more pressure over him. ''I have nothing to hide. If there was one thing I have to absolutely conceal, it''s the relationship we have in the future.'' Just from one look, he knew that this conversation would be a heavy one. As these young ladies were part of his family, he wanted to at least be honest with them now. With Mia making up her mind, she turned to him and met his gaze. Swallowing slowly, she nodded to throw away her doubts. When her gaze turned serious, she asked him. "W-Who are you?" The question shocked Orion, but he rapidly grasped its meaning. ''So, the day finally arrived for me to reveal my background.'' ''...'' Silently hoping for the best, Tetra listened alongside the twins as Orion explained how he came to this era. All he explained was that he fought Miasma in the future and lost his way in the past. But it was enough. That''s all he needed to tell them. Now, no one was blind to his situation. Even the Remnant next to him listened carefully, forming thoughts she wasn''t used to thinking at all. Chapter 467: Rejecting his old self. Mia and Nia sat on the bed, speechless. Since three years ago, when they had lost everything, their worldview shattered multiple times. The first time was when two powerful men appeared to save them. Their absurd strength brought the poor girls to rely on them heavily. The second time was when they became aware of Remnants, mighty beings that ruled over concepts that constructed their entire world. This time, Orion''s story became the third shock. "..." Nia''s gaze dropped, and she tilted her head, trying to process everything. "The future..." "Is that even possible? I mean..." Staring at Orion with a face full of distrust toward his words, Mia scoffed at the idea. "This is too illogical to be true. Are you lying to us?" Orion shrugged without being disappointed. "You asked who I was. I answered truthfully." "If you cannot believe those words, then you should ignore them." His answer, removed from any culpability, made her doubt her judgment. "I..." Next to her, her sister clasped her hands together while trembling slightly. "I believe you." "Sis, we can''t dismiss it as a crazy story. We''ve seen... the reality of this place." Her gaze was deep and terrified, recalling the tragedies of that day. If not for the two Heroes, they would have definitely joined the others in death. At that moment, anger surged in both sisters. They glared at Orion, and Mia opened her mouth. "If you came from the future... then you knew? You knew that our village would be destroyed?" Even Nia, who was kind at heart, couldn''t help but feel the same as her sister. Pain raptured through Orion''s entire being as he silently nodded. "Kh!" Mia turned her head away in disgust and rage. "Why?! Why didn''t you do something?! With that power, you could have-" As the younger sister was losing her cool, Orion immediately cut her off. "Blame me as much as you desire, but it doesn''t matter." "What?!" They were unable to contain their fury, but Orion entirely ignored them. They wouldn''t be able to do anything to him, even if they tried. "It is obvious that you wouldn''t understand the overall situation. You are missing numerous crucial details." "To begin with, you two were originally the only survivors of this tragedy. There was no reason for me to go against the path dictated by history." "But-!" Orion shook his head. "You don''t understand. My presence here is already a major problem. Just because I know what is going to happen doesn''t mean I can freely change the outcome of events that will happen."If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Even now, I''ve changed plenty of matters, which jeopardize my own existence in my era." "This Remnant over there is one of those major changes. She was supposed to die, but I saved her." "Preserving your village would have been easy. Letting you die would have been even easier." Clenching his chest, Orion continued with a bitter grimace. "I watched everything happen. Witnessing the death of humans was never on the list of things I desired. Especially if it led to two young girls suffering for the rest of their lives." "But there are some bigger things at play. Your survival was a priority, even if I had to watch the entire world burn." "That''s how important you two are. Without that event..." His head dropped. "I could have lost you." Confused, the anger in their heads dissipated. They looked at each other, processing the hidden meaning behind his words. "Why are you talking as if we were of any significance in your time? We''re humans... we won''t live more than fifty years." "Sis... are we going to live forever?" Orion hid his face inside his hands. He spoke too much and realized his mistake just a little too late. ''I massively fucked up.'' Feeling regretful, he sighed. ''The solitude was too much for you to endure... I''m sorry, Orion.'' Tetra''s voice appeased his aching heart ever so slightly, but at the same time, he felt two hands touch his hair. Without lifting his head, he felt the twins gently caress his hair. "There''s just one question we have to ask." Nia contained her emotions better than her sister, but still trembled slightly. Both of them had difficulty accepting the reality of his words. If he could save their village, why didn''t he do it. Of course, they understood why. It was because it was the way of the world. One man, even from the future, had no right to modify their fate. But something didn''t add up. Why them? Why was Orion so fixated on saving them? That''s why Mia asked the next question with apprehension. "Are we... important to you?" "..." A short silence took over the room as they slowly continued to ruffle his hair. Orion knew that the next answer would either create a massive rift between them or bring them even closer than they were. This was a moment that tested his new vision of the world. Would he play it off like he always did, or would he listen to his heart and be truthful? ¡ª "What is it that you believe in?" "Do you believe in yourself, or do you believe in us?" "Are we insignificant, or are we so important that you cannot leave without us?" "..." "We love you, but do you love us in return?" "Can you truly say that you treasure us? Is it all a lie to satisfy your delusions?" "What do you think, Orion?" ¡ª At that moment, Amelia appeared in his mind. He swore he could hear his childhood friend and lover unmistakably. His mouth opened, and the words flowed naturally. "I would give my life to keep you alive. Your existence has so much value to me, it cannot be placed on the balance of choice at all." "Even your presence here is a relief to me. It is the proof that when I return, I will not lose what is dear to me." He grabbed their hands and straightened. A gaze brimming with sincerity shocked the twins, making them slightly blush. Gently holding their hands, he smiled wryly. "If I could have saved your village and moved you toward the same fate, I would have done it without batting an eyelash. But I couldn''t risk it. I was unable to..." "As I watched the carnage, I endured the urge to protect them. I realized that this power I have wasn''t here just to protect me, but others too." "But... I want to keep my own happiness from withering away. I already pushed it away countless times and harmed countless people by doing so." Looking at Mia and Nia alternatively, he frowned. "I''m not asking you to believe everything I''m saying. It probably doesn''t make sense to you." "What I''m asking is that you trust me. You two being hurt is just as painful to you as it is for me." He let go of their hands and sat there, his gaze lost toward the roof. ''Changing one''s self is a challenge I never thought I''d undertake.'' ''Do you regret being more honest toward yourself and others?'' Turning to Tetra, Orion closed his eyes. The little relief she brought with her made him forget about how the twins could react. ''I... actually don''t. There''s a bit of satisfaction from rejecting my old self.'' ''That''s good. Be proud of yourself.'' ''...'' Orion pondered. Without Tetra, he wouldn''t have realized the importance of being truthful. This woman, who always wore her heart on her sleeves, was just as important to his changes as he was. ''Thanks.'' ''Huh?'' Receiving unexpected thanks, she felt something was off. ''I did nothing worth your thanks, though? Why say that so suddenly?'' Since he was in a mood to let everything out, Orion continued without paying her any mind. ''You''ve told me countless times that you fell in love with me. Do you have a thing for Heroes?'' ''Hmm~'' Tetra considered the option, but she rejected it. ''The title itself has no meaning. What I liked about you is your determination to go through everything.'' ''I love the smile you have when you do something you enjoy. Your body isn''t half-bad either... in fact, I''d love to touch it and feel those muscles.'' ''The way you fought to retrieve me from Miasma was also very enticing. No one showed such eagerness toward me apart from you.'' ''Maybe it wasn''t love, but as a woman, you can''t blame me for thinking otherwise. I was incredibly jealous of everyone, enjoying the warmth of love when I couldn''t.'' ''Even after all this time, even if you won''t love me, I will never give up. One day, I''ll have you-'' Orion cut her off. ''You won''t have to give up. I''d rather have you than reject you.'' ''H-Huh...? What... did you say?'' She couldn''t believe her ears. ''I''ve appreciated your support all this time, and you grew on me. That sweet voice you''ve been murmuring was quite difficult to ignore, and the support you''ve given me saved my heart.'' ''You want to be loved? I''ll give you plenty of it. That possessiveness you''ve shown only managed to remind me of my feelings for everyone.'' His voice became sharper. ''I want everything.'' ''I need to hug everyone. I intend to make them happy, and I promise to make you a part of it.'' ''Protecting the world, finishing off Miasma, and disposing of the monsters that killed the Valkyries. All of that, I will succeed in doing.'' ''I am greedy. Do you hate that?'' Tetra''s mind blanked out and instinctively answered. ''I don''t...'' ''Can you love me knowing that I will never let you go?'' ''I can...'' Orion smiled. ''In that case, you''re mine. Like everyone else, I''ll fight for you.'' The spark of true love appeared in his core. A feeling Tetra felt, for the first time, directly aimed at her. ''...'' The shock took her out instantly. Her feelings exploded, but she remained calm and in control. To her surprise, she felt at peace. ''Ah~ Is this what it feels like to be loved? I can tell that this is only a small flame, but... it''s my job to turn this ember into a brazier.'' While Orion finally threw away the last of his hesitations, the twins came to their own conclusion. "Then... nothing''s changed?" "We still don''t understand anything because you won''t tell us the entire story, but if you say we''re important, we cannot blame you for what happened to us." Mia and Nia came to the same opinion. It would have been weird for twins to have divergent opinions anyway. "It''s not like Orion sent those monsters after our village." "You''re right." Surprised, Orion lowered his head and stared at them. "I''m grateful that you would trust me. In return, I will never let you down." The twins smiled. "One day, you will have to tell us everything you know, understood?" "You''ll have to be truthful about how you see us. We''re humans, so we won''t live long enough to follow the same path as a Hero like you." With a light heart, Orion acknowledged their request and swore to tell them one day. Many things were planned after his return home. Orion would be busy for quite some time after dealing with Miasma. That was... Unless he and Noah failed to do so. Chapter 468: Tetras knowledge on the Remnants. For a while, Orion continued to meditate. In a world where his magic was mostly sealed, very few actions could be done. Instead of pushing his body even harder, he focused on what he couldn''t do under the pressure of Elliott''s return, and Miasma plans to destroy the continent and kill every living being on it. Six years in total where he could focus his mind on the void element. During the past three years, while assisting Noah occasionally to keep his body and mind in shape, Orion tried to understand the power inside of him. While the void element was new, it was powerful. Even more powerful than Orion gave it credit. It was overpowering any form of magic he had used in the past and was a condensed energy of light and dark magic. If he could find a way to separate one element out of the combination, he could use either of the three at any given time. Alyssia and Alaric''s respective elements, while being incredibly useful at this time, were but a stopgap to avoid his demise. There would be a time when those borrowed elements would vanish after exhausting their limited energy. But these long sessions of meditation only came to be thanks to someone. Someone who quietly watched over his mental state. Thanks to Tetra''s quick judgment, she managed to render the curse blocking his magic ineffective. While the curse itself was still present, forcing Orion to avoid contact with humans at large, the blockage in his magical veins disappeared. With constant work on the element, understanding its overall capabilities, and treating it kindly, Orion learned how to use it. Yet, the only few times he tried to force it out, his body suffered heavy injuries. Even the bridge created by Tetra''s couldn''t help resolve this problem. The flow of magic in his veins was still hindered, limiting the amount of power he could bring out. Forcing the powerful void element out always caused a surge of magic that damaged his entire body, similar to a magical overload state. The first time he decided to use his magic was when Mia and Nia were about to lose their precious lives, and the second time was when he saved the kobold Remnant. As his meditation came to an end, Orion opened his eyes. ''It''s bothersome that this Remnant doesn''t have a name. I would like to call it something besides ''kobold''.'' Tetra also agreed with his thinking, but something bothered her. ''Enri was unable to find any information about this Remnant in her book. This is an anomaly as far as I''m concerned.'' ''The Remnants created by Nature are fundamentally different from us, who were chosen because we were the descendants of Valkyries.'' ''The word ''Remnant'' came from this derivation.'' Orion listened while turning his head toward the kobold, who had fallen asleep while watching him. ''Then, these are Remnants too? Or are they something entirely different?'' The idea that this being was different was slightly bothersome, but it wasn''t too difficult to get around. This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. A few Remnants were actually beasts that obtained some form of sentience, separating them from the rest of the animal kingdom. But in this category, another entity could be placed, unrelated to animals. ''Enri and I only met one of them...'' ''Honestly, I would rather not recall this meeting, but for you, I''ll try.'' Grateful, he nodded. He heard Tetra breathe in and out before telling him a story from around a few hundred years after they had become Remnants. ''Did Enri battle against Miasma?'' ''She did.'' Even though surprised, Tetra only exhaled briefly. She then continued. ''So, you''ve seen the various elementals she carries around.'' ''We''ve also been made aware of the one encrusted in her hand.'' This time, she wasn''t surprised. ''If she became serious to this point, then she won''t hold it against me if I tell you.'' ''The Remnant we''ve met, as you might have guessed already, was the progenitor of the elementals.'' ''A true colossus among the many beings of this world. Even Velridar was tiny in comparison.'' Orion shuddered at the idea. ''Why have I never heard of any sightings of this being? Just hearing it from you, everyone would have seen it, and with such a size, it would be impossible to hide.'' She agreed with him by explaining the entire situation. ''It''s sealed away in a dimension unreachable through normal means. Only the elementals possess the door to attain his domain.'' Confused, Orion recalled the elemental realm. All he saw were the gems embedded in the walls, the crystal statues, and the massive white jewel. ''Before the elementals disappeared from this realm, we went to them. After obtaining permission to enter its domain, we met it.'' ''It...'' As it was an elemental, he couldn''t picture its appearance in his head. ''This thing... it had no voice. Only a primal state that roared occasionally.'' It made him wonder if reasoning could enter the being''s mind. ''What was surprising was that it sealed itself because it feared the destruction of the world by its hands.'' ''Enri was able to converse with it through the ''Book of Fate'' and understand what it wanted.'' ''It wanted to be put to rest. In exchange for Enri changing his state to eternal slumber, she was granted the right to look after its children.'' ''That''s how she forged a pact with multiple elementals. She even went as far as to fuse her body with them.'' Orion''s gaze appeared deep in thought. ''Because she was powerless...'' Tetra grunted in response, approving his guess. ''Exactly. I can''t say I wasn''t thinking the same, though.'' ''Never once have I judged her for this. In fact, thanks to that, she did her best to protect everyone against Miasma.'' She sighed, getting to the point he wanted to avoid. ''Now that this little story is out of the way, let''s get to the main point.'' ''That being was absurdly terrifying. Just like a human would fear your power, I couldn''t hold my head high in front of it.'' He could feel the fear still etched in her soul. ''This primordial fear comes from beings that were fundamentally built to rule the world but chose not to. It is instinctively etched in our soul.'' ''No names, no voice, no history... It was the same at that time. They are anomalies.'' Her tone changed to disapproval of her own words. ''I''m not saying they shouldn''t exist. What I''m sure of, on the other hand, is that they shouldn''t be left unsupervised.'' ''They do not mean harm to the world, but their appearance or disappearance could lead to disasters unforeseen.'' ''I''m sure this being''s death caused countless problems. If it exists, it has concepts that we probably cannot understand and are crucial to making the animal world work.'' ''If I had to guess, there most likely exists a Remnant of the flora somewhere. These creations by Nature herself serve to protect the balance of all living things.'' ''That''s all the information Enri was able to pick up. To begin with, there''s very little information she can gather on them.'' Orion nodded internally. ''Then, the Remnant that created the griffins, the Remnant of the kelpies, and the others I haven''t found? Are all of these Remnants unreachable?'' His question met the answer he expected. ''Yes. I have no idea where the descendants of the Valkyries are, but these people are reachable. Enri probably won''t use her book to find them, but out of all of them, we know where most are located.'' An idea came to Orion. ''What if we gathered all the descendants of the Valkyries?'' Tetra dismissed the idea. ''The only one who could do it is Enri. The Enri from this era won''t agree to that. Maybe if we were to return home, you would have a chance of making her agree. She will never give in currently.'' ''...'' Orion frowned. In fact, the idea instantly crumbled in his mind. ''That would change our path entirely. Needless to say, she''ll never agree to it.'' Following a brief smile, he nodded. ''Do you know where they are?'' ''Are you going to look for them?'' Shaking his head, he laughed. ''I won''t. Not only would I need to request your help¡ªat least the Tetra from this era¡ªbut I would also need to somehow appear inconspicuous to Henrietta.'' ''With the way she always keeps an eye on us, that''s impossible.'' ''There''s no reason to betray her expectations of me and damage our relationship. This could affect the future too.'' Feeling the genuine carefulness in his voice, she sighed. ''If you do the opposite of what you''ve said, I''m in deep trouble.'' ''But I''ll trust you. There''s no way I wouldn''t.'' With a serious tone, she continued. ''Two of them are in Hocride and one is in Albriar. One of them will fall into slumber because of its wounds after battling Elliott, and another has completely vanished from the continent.'' ''You have me, Henrietta, and Tiohr-nam in the same area, and that''s just about it. Oh, I have forgotten about Silka. He''s in the same place you''ve been, in the southwest area.'' With this information, Orion pondered. ''There are quite a few people we''ll have to gather after returning home.'' ''You should worry about yourself first.'' Out of nowhere, Tetra changed the conversation. ''What are you going to say to everyone once you''ll return, entirely changed? The instant you''ll break that curse... You will lose control.'' ''That is an undeniable fact. This is passed the power even a Remnant can muster. You''ve entered the realm of Velridar, where you can erase half of the continent on a whim.'' ''Do you really think it''s time to worry about the other Remnant?'' She was genuinely worried about him. Now that Orion accepted her, she couldn''t let him waste his life. There had to be a solution, and she had to find one alongside him. ''I believe we should postpone this discussion. We still have three years ahead of us and no solution to bring out.'' ''Not only do I have to think about a way to save this Remnant, but I also have to find a way to save Noah.'' ''That is a problem for when I''ll remove the corruption from my body, and now it isn''t a major focus.'' As Orion gave his opinion on the matter, the Remnant awakened. ''Alright. I''ll at least keep that in mind. You have to promise me you''ll think about it at the very least.'' ''I will.'' With more problems stacking over his shoulders, Orion continued to live in the Remnants'' hideout, now protecting a Remnant that lived completely differently from other Remnants. A few days later, Orion found a name for the kobold. One that would go down in history, but not the history of the past. Chapter 469: Procyon. ''Your naming sense is quite... something.'' Tetra was at a loss for words toward the name Orion gave the Remnant. ''She''s a Remnant, isn''t she? I can''t give her a normal name. Even you had a false name.'' ''Right? Tia-Norun?'' Smirking, Orion teased her. ''Don''t call me that! It makes it sound like we''re strangers.'' ''It was just a way to separate ourselves from the rest of the world. We are humans anymore.'' As Orion turned to the kobold, he smiled. "What do you think? You need a name to be differentiated from other kobolds. If you don''t want it, it''s fine." The blessing brought by Silka''s sigil constantly translated Orion''s speech into the sounds a kobold used to converse with each other, while also letting him speak normally. Rules tended to bend weirdly around him, but no one seemed to really care. As if someone, or something, gave him the key to do whatever he pleases, within the limits of what could be possible. "Procyon." The progenitor of the kobold, which was a faction composed of bipedal mammals, tilted its head. Just like Orion gave a name to Sirius, he gave a name to this being without caring for others'' opinions. Henrietta was afraid Orion was going to get attached to her, leading to various problems down the line. Tetra appeared to care very little for the kobold, and Noah chose to leave her in his hands. The only ones who showed interest in her were the twins. They truly loved her fluffy fur and how docile she was. At first, Orion thought that, maybe, the Remnant believed itself captive. But as time went on, she began to relax her body. Sleeping in every corner of the room, she made it her nest. It was a thousand times better than sleeping in the cold snow of the south. There was no need to hunt, either, as Orion brought food daily. Between those moments, she also tried to walk around the place unsupervised. Needless to say, she was found out rather quickly by Henrietta. No one really cared unless she began to act like a feral beast. As no such case happened, she slowly began to learn more about the underground. But she always returned to Orion''s room after a few hours. Intentionally, the Remnant began to stay with him as much as it could. She observed him, genuinely intrigued by this person. She knew about humans. There was no way she wouldn''t. Her children were constantly chased by them and even killed for no reason. The only reason would be the instinct to steal from them, but even so, death wasn''t the answer. The intolerant humans were her enemies. She could tell, with just a look, that the two girls were humans. At first, she was shocked by their friendliness. Their hugs that brought warm feelings to her chest and the caresses that made her opinion of them shift in a good way appeased her internal turmoil.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. Now, the twins were authorized to touch her and even sleep with her. She felt at peace with them, which was enough for the Remnant who always lived alone and had to constantly stay on guard to survive. But she couldn''t understand the man who saved her. He wasn''t like the girls. The essence composing his body was entirely different. Two energies were constantly clashing against one another. This being possessed since its birth something it didn''t and couldn''t understand. She could observe the ''essence'' of every being. Be it animals, plants, or other factions. This power made it easy to identify who was an ally or who was an enemy. But Orion? He was special. Never had she seen such a powerful essence in a being. Noah was the same. His essence was bright and powerful, but he was human at his core. This wasn''t enough to catch her attention completely. On the other hand, Orion was shockingly interesting. He could speak her language but could also speak his own simultaneously. The essence in his body showed a new being that intrigued her to the point of constantly observing him. Since the angels and demons were on the path to being a part of this world and that she was supposed to die, she had no idea what those two factions'' essences were. She couldn''t know that the essence of an angel and a demon constantly struggled to stabilize. Then, as the day passed, the man gave her a name. ''Procyon.'' She felt a warmth from it, as if it had been bestowed by the voice she heard once in her life. Even though his essence was chaos itself, they were warm, inviting, and peaceful. Wholeheartedly, she accepted the name and became Procyon, the Remnant of Essence. The primordial Remnant of what rendered an entity what it was at its core. With its death, no one would ever understand their true nature and aimlessly wander the road of self-recognition. ... Once this matter ended, Orion turned to his next problem. As he wandered the corridors of stone leading back to the surface, he discussed with Tetra the many options they could find to help resolve their dilemma. After obtaining barely any leads as to how to resolve it, the only thing left was to meet with Tiohr-nam. "..." Orion stood in front of the massive trunk of the tree and stared at its high crown. "As healthy as ever. That''s good." His eyelids felt heavy the moment his hand touched the wood. It was a long time since he felt this sensation, but let it take over his being. "Finally!" Before he could open his eyes, he felt a force strangle him. When he opened his eyes, he noticed a strand of pink hair rubbing against his cheek. "Tetra, release me." "No!" With a dejected expression, Orion stared toward the massive tree growing in the center of a large forest. This place was the sanctuary where Tiohr-nam resided, where her overall condition could be accurately measured. While he was glad that Tetra could move freely and hug him, he wasn''t here for that. He pushed her away gently but stretched his arm in her direction immediately after. Tetra happily wrapped her arms around his, and they walked toward the tree, where Tiohr-nam was waiting. "It''s been a while, Tiohr-nam." "Only today have I learned that you were still alive. Still stuck in the past, I see." Orion nodded. "How have you been?" The Avatar asked with genuine interest. As it had been three years since their last discussion, she wanted to know about the recent events. "It''s been full of challenging stuff." Without wasting a moment, even if time flowed differently in this space, Orion explained everything that had happened to him. ... "Hmm~" The Avatar appeared to be deep in thought. What Orion shared with her was so important that she stopped all pretense of calmness and seriously considered everything. "Another primordial Remnant. I have not been made aware of their presence in the slightest." "Have you ever met one?" "Only Velridar." "Of course." Orion nodded, understanding that even Tiohr-nam, who had a hand over life and death, couldn''t gather the location of those primordial beings. "From what you have told me, corruption might have dealt heavy damages to those Remnants. Some might have died already, making their concepts impossible to retrieve." Tetra pondered while being glued to Orion. "Wouldn''t the world be in an even worse state if that were the case? I think everything started with this kobold." "This might have been the moment Miasma understood how to attack the continent aggressively and bring chaos to it." Tiohr-nam''s Avatar pondered before nodding. "You might be on to something. But there is no way for us to know where they are." Orion frowned, recalling some significant information from his time. "The progenitor of the griffins is still alive, I believe. During the ''Purging War'' led by the humans, they fled to another continent." Staring at him, Tetra added her own opinion. "I think this could be actually the reason for its disappearance. If it fled the continent with its children, then that primordial Remnant will stay alive. Hopefully." The two listening nodded. "The primordial Remnant of the elementals will always stay out of our world. We shouldn''t be worrying about this one." "Is that so?" Tetra nodded. "Yes. You can have my word on that piece of information." "Your words aren''t very trustworthy, but I will take it into account anyway." "Hey!" Pouting, Tetra looked at Orion as if she expected him to defend her. With a faint smile, he also sighed. "Tiohr-nam, don''t tease her too much. She proved to be smarter than she was originally." "Oh? You are defending her now? That is quite interesting. Since when did your situation change?" "Recently." The Avatar nodded. "If you vouch for her, I suppose I will have to stop teasing her." With a nod, Orion looked at Tetra, who was rubbing her chin against his shoulder like a cat. Then he continued. "I have no idea where the progenitor of the kelpies is. All I know is that even in the future, it is well and alive." "The sea might be the hardest place to reach, even for Miasma." Tiohr-nam agreed. "It is a vast expanse that stretches downward infinitely. With the countless underwater caverns and hiding spots, it will be tricky to find its location." "The only way to contact it would be through the kelpies themselves." They nodded at Tetra''s proposition. "Orion, what about Velridar?" "..." His eyes avoided hers. "I see... Either you cannot tell me because it would impact my future, or you fear my reaction. Please ignore this question." But they all knew the answer, even Tiohr-nam herself. Velridar lost his life in the future after Orion ''healed'' the rotting links that had been damaged by the corruption between him and his children, the lamias. Instead of keeping the silence growing, Tiohr-nam asked another question. "So, why have you come to seek my help? Is it related to the kobold Remnant?" Orion nodded. He let go of the emotions he felt while thinking of Velridar and focused on what he came for. "I would like your opinion on something." Chapter 470: A loophole through Fate. "You want to know of a way to seal that Remnant?" Orion stared at her without moving. "This is a very contentious topic you have brought to me. You understand that asking this in front of the Remnant of Life is an insult?" "I know. But this is the only way to avoid breaking the future. She was supposed to die, and I saved her." A strained smile appeared on his face. "I''ve already been scolded by Henrietta about this. Receiving an earful from you won''t make me change my mind." The Avatar chuckled. This both surprised Orion and Tetra alike. "You can smile?!" Tetra squinted her eyes dubiously, concluding that the Remnant in front of her was an illusion. "That is quite rude! I might be serious the vast majority of the time, but I still know how to smile." "Really, after being asked to not tease you, this is how you play?" The Avatar leaned forward while pointing her chin to the side in consternation. Orion could see sparks flying between the two, so he coughed dramatically. "Tetra, quiet." "Aye, sir!" She immediately grinned and hugged his arm again. Tiohr-nam thought that Orion had all powers over the woman named Tetra. Whatever he said, she would obey without questioning. But she was mistaken in her reasoning. Even if he could, Orion would never order her. What she missed was that they were playing around. In other words, they were acting all sweet and affectionate in front of her, oblivious to it. "Alright. Let''s get serious. Do you have an idea?" Tiohr-nam''s face stiffened as the only solution she knew formed in her mind. "There is one." "Don''t!" Tetra suddenly remembered something. "Why the sudden shout?" Confused, Tiohr-nam stared at her. But Tetra shook her head, repeating her words. "Don''t bring that up. We can''t use it now." "Why? Is it necessary-" Her face instantly cramped. "I cannot believe you... Did you-" "Enri did." Orion wasn''t following the conversation. He tried to understand what they were talking about, but without any clue, it was near impossible to read between the lines. "Without it, his entire existence would vanish. Forget about saving this Remnant; we wouldn''t even save ourselves." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. At that moment, Orion gathered the necessary information. Tetra suddenly turned around and realized that what she said would be enough for Orion to piece together. As he grabbed his chin, Orion muttered. "The Remnant of Life and Death... Someone''s existence... leading to nothing..." "In other words, that person is me." Placing her hand on her forehead, Tetra sighed. She listened to him come to the conclusion by himself. "Life and Death..." His eyes turned to Tetra. "The magic my parents used during their battle against Elliott?" "That exact one..." With a defeated tone, Tetra sat back next to him. "I can understand why it isn''t a good idea." Tiohr-nam listened to his opinion silently. "Not only does it seal the target, but it also seals the user. I believe there is also a price to pay if I want to use it." "My life, for example." The Avatar nodded. "You are exactly right. This power should not be used, if even at all. The cost was too great to be useful." Her eyes turned to Tetra. "How did you manage to know I was in possession of such a-" "The ''Book of Fate''..." She practically spat that name with disdain. "You were dead and regrowing somewhere else by that point. We had no choice but to search for a fix." "Enri tried many alternatives, but this was the only working one, I believe." Tetra wasn''t exactly sure either, and Tiohr-nam picked it up rather easily from her expression. "How can you be unsure? Is she not your friend?" "She never talked about her failures. All I know is that if we are on this path, then ''Fate'' was brought forth by her power." "This means that there were no other solutions to the problem, which forced her to depend on this one." "The cost was Orianne and Reon''s lives, who were Orion''s parents''." Tiohr-nam frowned. "This is sickening. To think our world cannot be saved by other means..." She wasn''t disappointed in Tetra and Henrietta. On the contrary, she saw them as impossibly tenacious people who would do anything to protect the world. The only disappointment she felt was from the actual state of the future. "When will suffering end? Is there even an end to it?" With no answer to that question, she looked upward at the clear sky. "This is our job to stop it." Her eyes dropped to Orion, who stared at her with a stern face. "That''s why I need your help. Alone, I cannot break the cycle. I require your help, and together, we''ll stop the suffering plaguing our continent." This sounded like something a foolish child would say, but his words carried an intensity that made Tiohr-nam nod instinctively. "Even if I were to think about a solution, there is nothing I can do." "Removing the soul from the body is a taboo that leads to death only, and using that magic will be detrimental to your life in both ways." "Once used, this magic cannot be used a second time. This is how I designed it." It wasn''t difficult to know why it was created like this. Not out of fear of someone misusing it, but to avoid everyone being able to use it. This would only cause destruction to mankind and beastkind, while also damaging the other factions if the knowledge was to spread. "I get it. This wasn''t a choice to begin with." Orion rejected it fervently, to Tetra''s relief. Even if she believed in him with her entire being, she couldn''t bring herself to talk about life-threatening topics like this one openly. "Now, I have a suggestion." One of the ideas he had that he didn''t mention to Tetra entered his mind. He wanted Tiohr-nam opinion on the matter, even if she had no idea about the actual matter. "What is it?" After nodding, Orion immediately explained his idea. ... "You are a madman..." Her eyes seemed lost in thought. "But this could actually work." "I do not understand the underlying concept behind what you have told me, but Tia-Norun appears to consider this quite seriously." The pink-haired Remnant nodded. "This is beyond dangerous for Procyon, but this is something only you can do." "But maybe..." Orion looked at her, confused by her aggravated state. "Perhaps if I was able to use my power in conjecture with yours, it would improve the odds of success." Suddenly, the idea he shared became a serious option. Out of everything they had discussed together, this was the only one Tetra seriously supported. "Would it not enter a conflictual state with the Tia-Norun of this era?" "Probably not... No, I''m sure it wouldn''t. I wouldn''t be the one focusing on the Remnant energy, but Orion." "What a convenient loophole." Tetra smirked. "We use whatever is at our disposal, right?" The Avatar sighed. A gentle breeze pushed her air to the side, rustling the branches and leaves of nearby trees. This calm and peaceful place was also one of Orion''s favorite places, even though he rarely entered it. "Since you will not be using magic that endangers your life, I have nothing against it. If it succeeds, you could literally create a loophole through ''Fate''." "If you fail... It will be on you, and you alone. I cannot help you in this endeavor." Her thought process began to ponder something impossible. "This cannot be..." Orion caught on to her confusion, but Tiohr-nam shook her head. "It is nothing to worry about. I have many matters to deal with, too." "I see. In that case, we won''t bother you more than we already did." He smiled and bent his head. "Thank you for your input on that matter. I understand how strange it might be for you to discuss matters like these." She nodded. "This is not worth thanking me for. It is honestly interesting to learn more about the future from your perspective." As she finished her sentence, Orion began to fade from the space alongside Tetra. When they completely vanished from her sanctuary, she blinked. "Why has this thought taken a hold of my mind?" Confused, she forced her right arm out of the trunk and grabbed her head. "What if this entire timeline is actually the right ''Fate''? It cannot be..." Then she recalled the fact that Noah actually acted differently compared to his original past. "Hmm... I have a bad feeling about this. The past should not have meddled with the future." "..." Looking at the sky, she stared at it with a blank stare. Her mind stopped bothering with that thought, and then she groaned. "I have a headache..." ... On the way back to the hideout, Orion discussed more about his plan with Tetra. They created another goal for themselves, which became as important as saving Noah from his fate. ''I''ll be meditating with you from now on.'' ''If I cannot find a path through your body, all this discussion will be for naught. I cannot bring shame to you by making you fail.'' ''I won''t accept being a liability!'' Pumping herself up, she became eager to succeed. On the other hand, Orion was left with one last task to focus on. Finding a way to shatter fate itself. How would he succeed in sending Noah home while making it look like he died? Then came the problem of everyone knowing about him. The only person who wasn''t affected by his presence was Alyssia, who had her own plans and future to deal with. As she had no impact on his future besides surviving and birthing her daughter, he could ignore her. But somehow, he had to make everyone forget about him. Otherwise, the world would recalibrate and make the past acknowledge his importance in changing history. If no one remembered him, then his plan would succeed flawlessly. Noah wasn''t a concern, but Henrietta, Tetra, Mia, Nia, and Tiohr-nam. Even the dragon that stared at him. They all needed to forget. As Orion planned ahead, the days continued to flow rapidly. Chapter 471: A shattered ambition. Time. A notion that was always independent of the rest of the world. Encompassing the past, the present, and the future, a single woman maintained this concept alive. But her power, teared in half, also fell in the hands of another being. ... A long sigh, full of desperation, echoed inside a room full of documents and flasks. The dark, undulating shadow of a Remnant placed its hand over its eye and growled. "Another failure." "Was attacking the lamias a mistake?" Through the second vision that appeared from the stolen power, Miasma observed the damages caused by a large explosion. "Out of the entire force I had cloned, only around five percent survived. That blast killed everything..." Ten thousand colossal beasts, three hundred thousand ''Corrupted Lords'', and three billion normal beasts. Out of all of it, less than five hundred colossal beasts survived, and around thirteen thousand ''Corrupted Lords'' were uninjured. The normal beasts, which were the largest force under his control, were left close to one hundred and fifty million totals. Deveralna''s beam, which entered the rift, ravaged his armies without her knowing it. Miasma wasn''t angry. He was past this feeling. "Everything I''m doing is leading to nothing but failure." "These creations, these clones... Everything ends up losing. Even myself." He looked at his revolting hands. Claws that resembled sharp spikes and fleeting flesh that continuously rotted from corruption. "When have I started to question my goals? Was it..." The vivid image of a destroyed city appeared in his head. As he turned his head, his purple eyes settled on the resting body of his son. Corruption was slowly seeping into his body to accommodate its possession later on. "Or was it when I lost against Orion?" Feeling the hands of the Agathion on his core even to this day, Miasma shuddered. Fear, which he had never felt before, shattered his ambitions. But it was too late to turn back. Everything continued as if nothing had happened. Time continued to flow, unbothered by his wavering. "I have to rebuild this army. After coming this far, I cannot give up." While this army wasn''t going to help in his current situation, all he could do was send them to the future. This closed space, away from all laws of time, could only be sent forward. As it was ''closer'' to the future than the past, the beasts were unable to affect the past. The actual moment it froze upon was right after losing to Orion, which meant that only after their disappearance could these beings be summoned. "Again..." As he closed the other space and the Remnant power of ''Space and Time'' stopped working, his hands began to move by themselves. This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. All that Miasma could do was watch his limbs move independently of his will. Recreating the same events that led to his demise against Noah, Miasma sighed. "I haven''t been able to work on other projects. I could only work on one so far..." Recalling the only moment he could move as he pleased, he sighed again. "Those squamats were a very intriguing discovery. I also thought that the sphenodon was great. If I could work on similar animals, I could do so much more." The knowledge of the animals came from a book he read in the future. One that told about species that never existed on Triazils. "My ideas to corrupt the fauna also never came to fruition. I wish I could continue my research." His mind was free to continue, but as his body was his, but actually the one from the past Miasma, all he could do was watch as he repeated the same actions written in history. Only during the few moments of inactivity could he briefly move around and influence the future. But time was running low. It had been seven years already, and rebuilding his army would cost him every resource on hand. "Either I focus on this era and send everything to deal with those two Heroes, or I send everything to the future, but lose." "..." He chuckled lightly. "Whatever I choose, I am losing." "Losing in this era means my end. Orion won''t let me go easily this time around. And since I am forced to act the same as, my power will be affected." "I won''t win a battle against two Heroes. Even I am not so full of myself as to think that. Noah already managed to get me at the last moment." He recalled the catastrophic explosion that almost destroyed his core. "My movements are bound by my destiny. Even if I destroy the future successfully..." "I won''t be there to witness it." "And if I were to win against those Heroes..." His expression darkened. "I''ll never be able to save her." The situation he was currently in was a clear depiction of Henrietta''s warning. Nothing he would do would change the events of the past. Only Orion, who wasn''t born yet, could move freely, unbound by destiny. Frey, the Valkyrie Miasma tried so hard to save, was unreachable. No amount of meddling with ''Time'' would ever change this conclusion. Even destroying the world sounded stupid in his head. "As if the creatures that seek ''Purity'' will ever appear in a tainted world." His snarling voice echoed through the room. During those past years, Miasma realized that ''Hope'' never was a notion pushing him forward. It was ''Spite''. The malicious idea that he could recover everything, and continue his perfectly stable life like nothing had happened. Then, as he grabbed a small bead in between his claws, Miasma smiled. "Wasn''t this one a giant jellyfish?" With a smile full of nostalgia showing the two rows of sharp teeth, Miasma continued to follow the written path he was on, unable to influence it. As time passed, he prepared himself for the last moment, when all of his pat actions would return in full force. Orion was haunting his thoughts. He knew. He knew that the young man would never let him rest easy until his very death. ... Outside the hideout, Orion and Procyon were walking, following one of the Tree of Life''s massive roots. Inside the tunnels, one natural cave caught his attention, both entering it without looking further. "Hmm." Looking around, Orion lifted his index finger in the air. "We would fare better with a light source. Alyssia, I will borrow your energy once again." At the tip of his finger, a bright sphere of light, albeit translucent like a light bulb, floated upward. When the light touched the ceiling, it began to light the entire room brightly. "This is a huge room. Perfect." Orion turned to Procyon, who was sniffing the air. He stretched his arms and legs before bending backward. All his bones cracked one by one. "Agh! I haven''t been moving much these recent years. I''m rusty beyond belief." He felt the pain course through his entire body but smiled as heat replaced the stinging sensation. "Even if I help Noah, I''m not training every day like I used to. I''m around forty percent of my capacity." "Just forget about the ''Fourth Gear''. I''m almost certain I won''t even be able to use the ''Second Gear'' properly." As Orion took an offensive stance, Procyon suddenly looked at him and leaned on all four of her legs. "Grrr!" Hearing her growl, Orion smiled. "I hope you''re ready." Leaning forward, he rushed her. As he approached, he went for a low kick. She lifted her front legs off the ground, easily avoiding it. As Orion was fighting with only his brute strength and no superfluous abilities, he could enjoy this refreshing battle and slowly recover his reflexes. "Oop-" Procyon''s claws went straight for his head, but Orion simply moved his head out of the way. Her right claw scratched his cheek, and a trail of blood followed behind. Kicking her away, Orion rubbed his thumb on the scratch, healing it with a quick action. Then they exchanged a flurry of attacks. The swift strikes of Orion met the bestial tenacity of Procyon. She had a very high defense while rapidly dealing blows that could immobilize any normal beastman or human. ''Come on. I know you want to... Just do it.'' As Orion pushed her back toward the wall, he waited for something. When Procyon''s back touched the rocky wall, she growled more dangerously. ''A cornered beast is the most dangerous.'' Pivoting on his right leg, Orion sent a swiping kick toward the Remnant''s head. Sensing that this hit would render her unconscious, what Orion was waiting for appeared. He suddenly stopped his kick and immediately retracted it inward. A thin barrier covered Procyon and began to expand outward, pushing Orion this time. ''This is solid. Be careful not to get crushed.'' Tetra gave him quick advice. ''...'' But while she was afraid for his wellbeing, Orion was actually having fun. Slowly, he began to be pushed back, waiting for the right moment to strike. The barrier continued to expand but stopped at the ceiling and inner walls of the cave. The only space left to move around was near Orion. *Bump* The back of his right foot touched the wall. "That''s..." With a smile, he looked behind him, then toward Procyon. "Unfortunately for you, I don''t experience losses that often." A powerful strength began to wrap around his arm. With a single punch, Orion''s fist met the barrier. *CRACK* Procyon''s expression suddenly crumbled at the blast. The feral look in her face vanished, and she sat down. Walking inside the crumbling barrier, Orion smiled while rubbing his fist. "That barrier is solid. Not as tough as Karteira''s shield, but very much so." His arm was tingling from the resistance he met, but the smile on his face never faltered. "Aaah~ That felt good. Thanks." Orion sat next to the Remnant and stretched his body once again, this time without a single bone cracking. "I''m no match for Noah, so it''s great to have a sparring partner at my level." "Well... At the level of my current state, at least." He knew that if he went full force against Procyon, she wouldn''t stand there very long. One single kick from the ''Fourth Gear'' would break someone in half effortlessly, at the price of his leg. "Want to go again? I can stay on the defensive this time, so you just have to attack." The Remnant''s gaze appeared full of confidence and anticipation. She stood on her hind leg and growled at Orion to take his position. ''Will you never stop training?'' Orion smiled. ''Never.'' With these trainings added to their daily lives, they helped each other to grow even stronger. As they grew closer together, a friendship between the progenitor of the Kobold and the leader of the Agathions began. Chapter 472: The twins challenging future. "No. That''s a definite no. You asked knowing that, haven''t you?" Henrietta answered Orion while watching Noah through the tracking magic. "I knew. Well, at least I''ve tried." Orion shrugged while smiling. She glanced toward him. "I don''t understand why you would risk everything you''ve accomplished to tell them their future." With no hesitation, Orion sat in front of her. After sighing faintly, he explained. "It''s weighting over me. Still, I get it. I''m not lying to them by keeping it to myself." "But I cannot ignore them as much as I wanted to. They are... still the same twins I''ve bonded with." Tetra, who sat next to Henrietta, could feel the intense feelings coming out of his soul. "..." "Yes? Is something on my face?" Her staring caused him to glance at her. Just from a look, she could feel something else. ''Love'' toward her, yet not at all pointed at her. This felt alien to her, who could always tell who loved who. "It''s nothing. I simply cannot comprehend some feelings that I sense." "What I can tell is that the feelings you have for those two are genuine, yet distant." "Is that what tortures you so much?" Placing her face between her hands, she smiled mischievously. "What is it that you want to tell them?" Orion felt a sudden chill, which was something he rarely felt. It didn''t come from Tetra''s mischievous expression, but from something entirely. But, as he tried to look around, she called out to him once more. "Are you trying to dodge the question?" At her question, he ignored that bad feeling and answered her truthfully. "Are you aware of their fate, Henrietta? Is your ability capable of seeing the future of everyone?" She shook her head, genuinely oblivious to their future. "I don''t often speak about the Remnant power I possess, but I suppose I can make an exception this time." All the while, Orion''s unpleasant sensation continued to trigger a warning flag in his head. "I see the past activities and the current events happening to someone." "The future is only a figment of what Tetra can actually do. I cannot influence that area."Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. Orion nodded. "This was close to my observations. Thank you for confirming them." Kindly smiling, he continued. "Let me tell you what happens near the end of this era." ... (Wait, is he talking about us?) (Shush, Nia. I would rather not get caught because of you.) The twins sneakily listened through the opened crack of the door leading to the meeting room Orion, Tetra, and Henrietta were discussing in. "Henrietta, you haven''t gone further after witnessing Noah''s death a few times. Can you confirm that?" With a bitter nod, she acknowledged his suspicion. "Originally..." Having said that word, Orion frowned. "I don''t even understand what was originally happening and what is currently happening. There is already a conflicting realization in my mind, and it''s not a good thing." "Anyway. After being rescued by Noah, they were supposed to roam the continent alongside him." "A reality that is far from what we are currently living through." The twins opened their eyes wide. (N-No way...) Nia began to doubt her ears, but her mind understood perfectly well. Not only did Orion speak about Noah''s death, but also about a future they would have experienced otherwise. Her eyes gleamed instantly, feeling the emotions welling up inside her. (...) On the other hand, Mia was far too shocked to have time to listen to her other emotions. Hearing Orion sigh, they continued to listen in silence. "The lives they were supposed to have, I robbed them of it. My presence already changed things I don''t know how to resolve." "And now that I''ve been sharing time with them, it''s getting more and more obvious." "I want to be honest with them while I can. They have a very challenging future ahead. One layered with regret and despair." He leaned on his seat, eyes turned to the ceiling. "Would it be too far just to encourage them? Are my words strong enough to stop our reunion?" "It''s confusing. I pride myself on the knowledge I have, but this place where ''Time'', ''Space'', and ''Fate'' all interlink is beyond me." "I have to be mindful of every interaction I have. Every word I speak needs to be processed carefully so as not to influence anyone." With a nod, Orion looked at Henrietta. "For now, I have confirmation that none of the actions I''ve taken messed with my existence. I wouldn''t be here asking you this otherwise." Both Henrietta and Tetra nodded. "But what about the rest? Mia and Nia will lose their lives during Noah and Miasma''s showdown. I can''t avoid that future." "!" The two Remnants straightened at this information. (!) The same happened to the twins. "Are you serious?" Tetra''s mischievous smile instantly disappeared. Even though she wasn''t close with the twins, she didn''t dislike them. Henrietta was the same. They were living in this place for so long that their presence was normal at this point. Suddenly hearing that they would die made them angry, but most of all, saddened by it. Noticing their expressions, Orion nodded. "Even though they will die, Tiohr-nam will recover them." "If I recall correctly, Tetra will have a vision about this a few months before Noah went against Miasma." "She''ll ask the Tree of Life to save the two, and in the process of that, they will become the first hybrid of human and fairy." The two Remnants appeared even more perplexed after this. "..." Regretting her question, Tetra clenched her dress with both hands. "This is unavoidable. It is selfish of me to keep their fate going straight for a nightmare, but without it..." "I won''t be able to see them again." An expression of longing appeared on his face. At the angle the twins were looking inside the room, they could see his face. (Why does he look so sad?) (I don''t know. Is he sad for us or for himself?) Nia couldn''t answer her sister. It was when Orion finished talking after that that everything became clearer. "I''ve only told Noah about this so far." Henrietta and Tetra focused back on the conversation, putting their feelings to the side. "In my era, I have eight people pushing me forward. One of them, Henrietta, is Amelia, your daughter." With a resolute nod, she kept her stare on him. She already knew from the beginning that her current idea of creating a child to alter fate somehow happened in the future, thanks to Orion. "Out of the eight, Mia and Nia are two of my companions. The Twin Queens of the fairies are irreplaceable friends and women I love dearly." "It''s impossible for me to retract that fact. I can''t have them dying a human death, or they would never meet me again in the future." His eyes looked determined to make the past proceed exactly like it did. "What I can do is avoid the injuries they suffered. But even that cannot be done." "Why is that? Is it because they would become the first hybrid creations?" Pinpointing the problem at its source, Henrietta asked. In return, Orion nodded. "I am a natural result of two factions mixing into a single individual. In my blood is both the blood of angels and demons. These factions do not exist yet, but that will happen." "Mia and Nia are another way to do it." They listened as Orion continued explaining, with serious frowns on their faces. "From Tiohr-nam herself, I know what happened. For a few thousand years, they will remain unconscious due to their injuries. During that time, she will inject the essence inside her core to protect them." "But they are humans. Humans cannot live past a hundred years. The only way she could succeed in doing that would be to expand their lifespan." "And the only way to do that was to infuse them with fairy DNA. They became half-human, half-fairy. " "I don''t know how Tiohr-nam managed to protect the twins from dying alongside her during one incident, but if I had to guess, I would say Tetra was the one to help her." The pink-haired woman stared inside his eyes. "Why would you think that? What benefits would I gain from doing that?" She genuinely couldn''t find a reason to act independently of Henrietta. "It was you who saved them the first time, not Henrietta. You respect and love Noah too much to let them die meaninglessly." "You most likely desire his legacy to continue even if he were to die. Am I wrong?" Thinking for an instant, she ended up nodding faintly. "I guess so. You''re saying that since these two were rescued by Noah, I''ll feel like keeping them alive as a way to acknowledge his efforts. That''s something I will do. I have no doubt about it." Tetra crossed her arms while glaring at the table, where Noah was fighting off hordes of corrupt beasts through the spying magic. "You most likely warped them somewhere safer and then brought them to her after she regrew. That''s the only explanation I have." Orion wanted to ask her to also watch over the angels and demons, the factions brought alive by Noah, but he knew that this could affect the future. He already decided to trust Alyssia with it, and he planned to stick with his choice. (Nia, let''s go...) (...) Pulling on her little sister''s arm, the twins walked away from the door, returning to their room. They had a lot to process, and their emotions were too unstable to do that at the moment. Avoiding being found out, they returned to their room, trembling and shaking, tears threatening to travel down their stiff faces. Chapter 473: An emotional dispute. After his discussion with Henrietta and Tetra, he walked out of the room with a heavy expression. ''Tetra, do you know what this feeling was earlier?'' ''I''m not sure. I haven''t felt this coming from you since we''ve been linked together like this.'' The feeling of pure disturbance in his soul, as if something had completely derailed from its original purpose. ''This feeling isn''t a normal one. Something isn''t going right.'' Pondering, Tetra was also at a loss for words. As Orion stood still in front of the door, he could still hear Henrietta and Tetra talking about what they had talked about. "..." He turned his head to the side slightly, his eyes focusing on the barely opened door and the wall next to it. ''It cannot be...'' Trepidation grew in his mind as he noticed barely visible handprints on the wall. ''Orion?'' ''I have to go.'' Without answering her, Orion walked toward the twins'' room. *Knock* "I''m coming in." After knocking once, Orion turned the doorknob and barged into the room. "!" The anxiety he felt and the alertness he didn''t comprehend¡ªeverything became clear the instant his eyes fell on Mia and Nia. ''Oh... no.'' Tetra felt Orion''s mental state weakened. Even she couldn''t help but feel horrible for them. "You''ve... listened on us, haven''t you?" They were hugging each other under the cover of their bed, Nia in her older sister''s arms. Even Mia, who was often tougher than Nia, was unable to completely stop her tears from falling down. Orion closed the door behind him and sat down to block it. "..." He was at a loss for words. This was a very difficult situation to resolve. From just one look, he could already tell that they had listened to the entirety of the conversation. They wouldn''t be in such a heartbroken state if they hadn''t. ''Do you want me to help you with this matter?'' Tetra gently asked Orion. She knew that he was a very responsible man who typically resolved his problems alone, so she thought her question would fall into deaf ears. But instead of that, the complete opposite happened. Orion looked down and slowly nodded. ''Please.'' ''When it concerns your women, you are surprisingly cautious with your words.'' He smiled dryly. This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ''I am guilty of the charge. That is my nature.'' She chuckled lightly, but not to mock him. Feeling happy that Orion decided to depend on her, she felt great. ''First, you want them to start opening to you.'' ''Whatever you will say, they won''t listen until their problems are laid bare in front of you.'' ''If it''s pointless, simply wait.'' Orion decided to follow Tetra''s advice. As a woman, she could give an approximate guess as to how other women could react. Of course, it was also a matter of personality, but Tetra was confident everyone would act like this anyway. The first obstacle was to bring the cautiousness they had toward him. Then, he would need to explain himself and inevitably apologize for keeping it a secret. ... After five minutes of Mia staring daggers at him, she sighed. Her sharp and cold words reminded Orion of their first meeting. "What are we going to do? Do we need to suffer so that your future is perfectly safe?" "..." Orion was unable to answer immediately, and Mia understood why. If he were to mindlessly speak and try to defend himself, she would stubbornly respond in kind. She wasn''t in a normal state of mind, and only precise answers would reduce her aggressiveness. ''She doesn''t want a white lie. You can see it on her face.'' ''Mia wants the truth. Even if it pains you, you cannot escape it.'' The glaring eyes barely covered by the blanket pierced straight into his soul, kicking off hesitation in Orion. "It''s..." Orion swallowed his saliva and stared back. "Yes. I need you to follow the same path. The loneliness, regrets, despair¡ªall those emotions you will have to endure, you have to go through with it." "Why?" Nia peaked through her sister''s arms and glared at him. This vision created a gap in Orion''s memories, as she never showed such anger toward anyone before. He continued, ignoring the countless warnings in his head to pull back. "Because this is the only way I can have you by my side in the future." She pushed her sister''s arms away and sat next to her, making the bedsheet drop behind them. "What even are we to you?!" Swiping her arm to the side, she practically growled at him. "You saved us! But now you want us... You want my sister to suffer after losing our family?! Again?!" This was a surprise to him. The gentle and carefree Nia, aggressively shouting and requesting answers to her questions. But Orion shook his head. "No." "''No'' what?! Explain!" Clenching her fists tightly, she was ready to jump out of bed and punch him in the face. Her twin sister, who was her everything at this point, was the only thing she could care about. If Orion wanted her to suffer, she would fight him, regardless of the consequences. Still, her reaction was also shocking to Mia. Never did she speak over her or take on the mantle of the oldest in their relationship. Nia looked even colder than Mia. Her words were spiteful and venomous, as if she hated every fiber of the man in front of her for hurting her family. ''This is bad. In this situation, there is very little you can do to reason her.'' ''There is one.'' Tetra was trying to think of something, but Orion was faster. He stood up and approached the twins. Immediately, Nia slipped out of bed and stood in front of her sister, glaring daggers at Orion. He stood in front of her, looking down at Nia. Then he dropped one knee to the ground. "If punching me is enough to make you listen calmly, I will take it upon myself to endure." As they were half his size, when he kneeled, his face arrived exactly in front of her own. Orion clenched his jaw and closed his eyes, waiting for the beating. "I-" But Nia suddenly began to hesitate. She lifted her arm and tried to punch Orion, but couldn''t. Behind her, Mia was ready to stop her at any moment. "I... I can''t." Lowering her fist, she sat on the bed while crying. "I''m sorry." "I know. I really do. You''re not someone who wants to hurt us." Wiping her tears chaotically with her wrists, she sobbed quietly while apologizing. Orion opened his eyes slowly. Instead of looking up, he simply smiled. "Why is this happening? Why does Noah have to die? Why do we need to suffer?" "We don''t know anything, and it is terrifying." Mia slid her butt on the bed and sat next to Nia, caressing her chocolate hair lightly. Asking those questions to Orion, she also calmed down. ''What you did before was risky, but following your guts led to a better result. I mean, you know how they act better than I do.'' ''Nia is kind. Too kind to act as a bad person.'' She agreed with him. ''Now, you either invent something on the fly or you remain truthful. But knowing you...'' With a smile, Orion lifted his head. Mia and Orion''s eyes met, and he answered truthfully. "The reason for what happened to your village and the entirety of Triazils as a whole was created by an entity named Miasma. This being seeks to destroy the world to arrive at his goal." "If you leave me out of the picture, Noah is the Hero of this era, while I am the next one, thousands of years later." Mia stopped breathing, while Nia stopped sobbing. They both listened quietly, now that their anger had subsided. "As you''ve heard, Noah''s fate, or every Hero for that matter, is destined to die. Despite how many times we try to change that fact, it remains sealed in stone." "Even if you were to fight alongside him or have the greatest fighters of every faction fight, Noah will die. That is how we, Heroes, are bound to leave our mark on this world." They clenched their fists tightly. "That''s not being a Hero at all! Isn''t that just sacrificing a pawn?" Orion slowly nodded at Nia. "You can see it like this. To be fair, I had accepted that fate by the end of it." Mia glared at him, but not with anger toward him. "You knew when you were going to die?" "I did. Like Noah, I was to die fighting Miasma." "Past tense?" He stood up and decided to sit next to Nia. They both ignored it and focused on his words instead. "I''m here, aren''t I? In an era that isn''t my own." Nodding, the gears of free thinking began to turn again, held back by their raging emotions. "Then, did you break free from your fated death?" "That I did. If I were to return home, I would be seeing you two again, but wholly different from how you are currently." Mia and Nia looked at each other before turning to Orion. "What about the fairy thing?" "Is it why we are still alive in your time?" Orion replied calmly. "It was the only way to save you. Are you aware that Tetra loves Noah?" They nodded again. "It''s plain as day. How is it related to our situation?" His eyes turned to the door, unfocused. "She was unable to accept Noah''s death completely. Instead of brooding and despairing, she chose to protect what he saved." "Since you two were the closest to Noah at all times, she couldn''t allow you to perish. It was her last struggle against fate." "In reality, she was just full of spite against the world and began planting the seeds for a future where Miasma would be brought down." With a smile, he looked at them. "You two are the allies, companions, and lovers who will push me to greater heights. Without you, many things would have been impossible." Mainly, the first attempt to create the void element. Without these two, this moment would either have destroyed the fairy and Orion or left him unable to operate for many months after damaging his magical system. "You are an indispensable part of my success in fighting back against my fated death." The smile he wore for them was one he had only shown to everyone else in the future. A smile that was hidden behind countless worries since coming here. "..." They felt something lift inside their hearts. The anxiety about the future, the fear of suffering, and the loneliness they would be subjected to feeling. Only Orion''s warm smile was left. They felt as if a light appeared in the dark. But Orion wasn''t done talking. "Also..." "I don''t intend to let Noah die. There''s nothing I can do to avoid your fate, but I can at least help my friend." With shocked expressions, the twins listened to Orion''s ideas on how to trick the world. Chapter 474: The major concerns to resolve. Orion silently brushed the sleeping twins'' hair with his fingers. "..." The two had fallen asleep next to him, tired by their fluctuating emotions. ''You did well.'' Tetra praised him with a sweet voice. ''Thanks to you.'' ''I barely did anything. Your quick thinking and knowledge of their behavior were the reason for your success.'' Shaking his head lightly, Orion''s bangs covered his eyes. (All I can do is promise them a future they have no certainty to see.) ¡ª "Would you trust me, and follow the same path?" With a neutral expression, which hid the fact that his next sentence went against his own wishes, he continued. "Or would you rather end your lives when the time arrives?" From their previous conversation, the twins understood that this option would deeply hurt him if they were to choose him. But, they also considered it. They looked at each other, and made up their minds. "The future you''ve promised us..." Nia entwined her fingers together, with a tint of red on her ears. "Can we really trust you to make it happen?" With a moment of hesitation, Orion nodded. "Sis." She turned to her twin sister, who had her arms crossed, and her eyes closed, seemingly deep in thought. "..." "Sis?" When she called a second time, Mia finally opened her eyes. "If I have to be honest..." Placing her hands on her thighs, Mia gazed into Orion''s anthracite eyes. She could see herself inside them, which helped her formulate the words correctly. All the tension disappeared, and she opened her mouth. "I don''t want to die yet. We''ve seen nothing of the world. We haven''t left a single mark of our presence in the world, either." Her hands trembled slightly at the simple thought of dying. It was a terrifying notion to both sisters. "If what you told us is true, then I''ll trust you. We''ll follow you, even if all of it was a lie."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Orion was about to reject her words, but he silently smiled instead. They had made up their minds, and that was all that mattered. ¡ª ''I wonder if Noah is... No, I think he is aware of their fear.'' ''They were always special girls. Not anyone managed to breach through his thick armor.'' Agreeing to her statement, he nodded. Somehow, he could feel Tetra''s presence wrapping her arms around his shoulders. In fact, her soul was gently soothing his, which gave him this impression. ''Even with you around, they still appear to have the same dynamic. Like a big brother and his little sisters.'' ''That was always the image I got from them. Always wary of me...'' Orion could discern the faint smile that accompanied her tone. She felt nostalgic for this era. ''Anyway, don''t you have something to do?'' Shaking off her transient feelings of longing, she helped Orion remember what needed to be done. He stood up, turned around, and picked up the twins carefully. Laying them next to each other, he picked up the cover and enveloped the twins with it. At the last moment, as he retracted his hand, Mia grabbed his sleeve. "Thank you..." They shared a brief gaze, before she returned to her sleep, releasing him. "Sleep well." With a smile, Orion left their room. The moment the door closed, Orion turned toward the main room, where Henrietta and Tetra were. ''I guess it''s time to talk to them about the plan.'' ... With Noah back from his mission, all that was left was to get through the toughest part. Three years later, Orion had to make the world believe in Noah''s death, and send him back home. The major problems of this plan were rather complicated to solve. First, where exactly was this world called ''Earth'', Noah''s home world, located? Then, it was the way Orion would create a bridge within the two worlds. To worsen the entire situation, he had to find a way to do that before Miasma killed Noah, or in that case, before Noah self-destructed trying to create the void element. He had an overall idea of what to do. Now that his void element was past the threshold of ''normal'', all he could do was depend on a certain someone to create a second miracle. One of the other major concerns was that everyone needed to forget about Orion''s existence. Since his presence could put the entire future at risk, Henrietta, Tetra, Tiohr-nam, and the twins needed to forget him. The few beastmen and humans that saw him were not an issue, since their minds purged his existence automatically after he left their sights. Those who knew his name wouldn''t forget him, but those who didn''t, did forget. Another trouble was Procyon. Her existence was a giant thorn in the plan, as her survival could cause plenty of problems in the future, where she wasn''t supposed to be. Orion had already a good idea of what to do about Procyon thanks to his talk with Tiohr-nam. The very last major concern was how Orion would actually return home. From Tetra''s input, which correlated with her past self, Orion had to take the ''Corridor of Time'' in reverse to arrive in his timeline. What was particularly troublesome and dangerous was the impossibility to choose the actual year of his return. Breaching through the ''Corridor of Time''s'' walls haphazardly could cause him to return before his birth, or at a point where his existence would conflict with his own. The only window he had was the time when he went away. This short, precise, and incredibly secluded spot in time was his only chance to return home alive. None of the people around the table knew exactly how long Orion could have been gone. Since time doesn''t exactly work the same once its Remnant is gone, it could have been a few days, weeks, or years at best. The fear of returning in a time when no one had survived because of his disappearance seriously weighted on Orion''s mind. This had to be a precise control of ''Space'' and ''Time'', which even Tetra was unable to do without dying from the overload of information needed to be treated. Three years actually went by quickly while the group proceeded to complete each of the tasks needed to change Noah''s fate. After carefully planning everything, they obtained answers for everything except the last problem. Orion would have to find a way home by himself. Even if everyone wished to help him, what was impossible would remain so. The twins were left alone, appreciating their time with the two Heroes before their destined separation. While Orion continued to help Noah and push his body further through training against Procyon, he also meditated even more seriously. There was no idea how Miasma would act now that they knew of each other''s presence in this era. On the other side, Miasma continued to throw his forces into the future. Each time, he lost more and more of his armies of cloned beasts. Even his greatest attack, launched near the showdown against Noah, was pushed back by the others in the future. Out of the hundreds of invasions he conducted, not even one succeeded. Even worse, not a single one of his beasts returned. At the end of it, Miasma was left with two gigantic creatures, and a handful of Lords. While this looked infuriating, Miasma felt nothing of it. Actually, it only strengthened his conviction that the world actually worked against him in every way. It wasn''t a secret to him that Nature turned the entire set of rules to hinder his progress. Even after constantly finding shortcuts through those rules, it was a matter of time until his plans came to a stop. With an empty mind, Miasma walked out of his laboratory, and dissipated into the ground. His giants were killed off by Noah, his attempts to destroy the world were fought off, and his fate was sealed to repeat... Endlessly. As fate dictated, the final standoff between the Hero and Miasma called. But this time, two Heroes stood shoulder to shoulder, holding the fate of two worlds in their hands. The two fought to return home. To reunite with their families. As they stepped into a piece of land behind the Talviera Mountain Range for the very first time, three women stared at their backs. Mia and Nia, who were tasked with suffering a single attack, and Tetra, who wished for Noah''s survival. With no choice but to open up, Noah elaborated on his original world to both Remnants, who couldn''t believe their ears. They still did their best to support his endeavor, even Tetra. If he could survive, this was enough for her. The day had perfectly fine weather. A few clouds hindered the sun''s rays, but the wind felt comfortable. The temperature was slightly higher in this land, but not so much as to be uncomfortable. And, as the two men approached the center part of the land, fifteen kilometers away from the twins, a dark mass suddenly exploded. As Mia and Nia grabbed each other''s hands in instinctive fear, Tetra began to act accordingly to what was planned. Henrietta opened her the ''Book of Fate'', and patiently observed the battle. Two hours. This was the countdown before the end. With so much at stake, there was no margin for errors. As Orion glared at the monster that almost killed him and forced him to be away from his family for an eternity, he lifted his hand. "Yo, Miasma. You''re making an incredible expression." "Aren''t you happy to see me?" Chapter 475: Putting everything on the line. Noah crossed his arms while lifting his chin. "So we finally meet. The reason for my presence here." "Indeed." Miasma''s deformed figure nodded. Usually, he would smile deviously and show arrogance, but to Orion''s surprise, Miasma was rather dispirited. From the beginning, he noticed the grave look on the Remnant''s face. "This battle is already settled. I will kill you, and you will defeat me. Nothing will be able to change that fact." That''s when Orion noticed the difference between the Miasma in front of him and the one from the past. "You... You''ve given up." His expression changed to a darker one. Orion glared at Miasma in disbelief. "When you realize that fate catches up anyway, you''ll also understand. Whatever plans I had were all put down, and none amounted to anything." The dark purple figure snapped his fingers, and two massive rifts opened as black blood poured from his right eye. "Kh!" Holding his head in pain, Miasma clenched his teeth. "It''s normally impossible to bring these beasts from their secluded space, but by paying a heavy price, it becomes possible." The remaining force that Miasma wasn''t sent to the future marched through the white rifts, making the earth shake from their footsteps. A hybrid elephant, and a hybrid tiger, walked out of the rift alongside hundreds of ''Corrupted Lords''. The first giant was as tall as ten houses on top of each other. It had the head of an elephant, but the body of an ox. With each step, the ground cracked under its weight. The other one, half the size of the elephant, was a tiger with the body of a polar bear. Its powerful arms grabbed a tree and ripped it off the ground effortlessly. ''My power... The price for using it isn''t a small one. It''s a miracle his soul didn''t shatter, and his body hadn''t withered away.'' Tetra spoke with disdain at Miasma for using the power that was given to her by Nature. ''But his mind might have been eroded by its constant use. That''s what you get for trying to kill me.'' The venom in her voice completely rejected Miasma''s existence. She wished him dead, and she wanted to see it with her own eyes. Orion chose to focus on Miasma instead of answering, in case the Remnant were to act rashly. The two incoming giants were also a problem he had to be wary of. "The least I can do is create a little distraction for you while I finish the first Hero. Then, you''ll perish alongside him." Without any enthusiasm in his voice, Miasma shrugged. His disturbing voice was still the same irritating tone, but the energy behind it was gone. His erratic and berating cackling wasn''t heard anymore. Confused if this was a plan to distract him from another devious plan, Orion frowned. "What are you planning to do?" He decided to ask his enemy a straight question. While lifting his hand, Miasma glared back.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. "Finishing this fight. Isn''t that why I''m here in the first place?" Miasma dropped his hand, signaling the start of the battle. The two giants roared with a might that could paralyze any animal in the vicinity. Birds fell to the ground, instantly dying from a heart attack, while the other animals stood frozen in place, trembling in terror. Shaking violently, the ground became unstable. The two giants, followed by the Lords, ran straight toward the two Heroes. "I''ll take care of this." Orion glanced toward Noah with a neutral expression. "Alright. Let me do my part, and I''ll be sure to hold this until your return." Bumping their fists together, they nodded at each other. Before leaving, Orion threw a light jab at him. "Don''t go ''boom'' on me yet." Noah chuckled. "Don''t worry about me. Now go." Without a moment''s notice, Orion was already gone, leaving behind a cloud of dust. Miasma opened his eyes wide in surprise. ''He could have killed me instantly. Why hasn''t he done it?'' Looking at the Remnant''s expression, Noah grabbed his hips. "I''m your opponent. Focus on me." Forced out of his head, Miasma growled. "I know saying this to you won''t amount to anything, but you truly were a thorn in my plans, you piece of shit." Noah smiled, unbothered by the insult. "I had heard about your crude speech. Provocation won''t really do much for you." "Let me release my bitterness. Since everything I''ve done amounted to nothing, I''ll at least repeat the same mistake properly." Dark clouds of smoke began to lift off the ground around Miasma, slowly choking the surrounding air. ''I''ve been made aware of this. Orion, you have my thanks.'' White light, imperceptible to Miasma, began to cover Noah''s entire body, sealing his body in an airtight pocket of purified air. ¡ª "Miasma will slowly corrupt the surrounding air, sealing your magic and rendering you powerless." "That information came directly from Henrietta and Tetra, so it''s a trusted piece of information." "As light magic is Miasma''s weakness, use it to protect yourself during the fight. We''ll think of the result together when the time is needed." ¡ª What caused his loss previously would not happen this time. Seven elements began to form behind Noah''s back, something different from Miasma''s memories. The five natural elements appeared behind his back as they previously did, but the light and dark elements also appeared in the center of the other elements, revolving in the opposite direction. "I see you''re trying to fight back your fate." Miasma''s entire body darkened, and his body grew as tall as a three-meter-tall giant. Spikes broke through his spine, and his arms became the size of large logs. "Wow." Noah whistled lightly, slowly reaching for his breast pocket. Pulling out a piece of ore from it, a crude sword formed in his hand, aimed at Miasma. "Should we start?" ... "Hmph!" *BOOM* The head of a ''Corrupted Lord'', a massive beetle, was crushed under Orion''s foot, leaving a large crater and a puddle of dark blood that seeped through its cracks. ''How are you feeling?'' Tetra asked, even though she could feel every fiber of his being listening to his every order. ''Pretty good. Honestly, I am genuinely surprised.'' A massive brawl of magic and melee attacks ravaged the entire territory, leaving scorched marks and craters everywhere. All creatures were aiming at a single individual: Orion. *ROOOOAR* A sudden electric current caught his attention. As his eyes followed the path of a lightning bolt, Orion carefully jumped two steps backward from his previous location. "That''s highly dangerous, you know?" He turned his head toward the source of the magic. The giant tiger with the body of a polar bear rapidly rushed toward him while destroying its allies'' ranks. "Being popular is quite a curse. Literally." With a cunning smile, Orion lifted his arm in front of his chest. With the curse in his soul attracting the beasts, he prepared himself. "If you want to kill me, you should be prepared to die." The air around Orion turned heavy. His presence began to grow in front of the beast, intimidating each of them. His darkened, empty eyes forced even the giant to stop in its tracks. "Let''s work this out quickly. We don''t have much time left." Inside his heart, a single sentence kept repeating. Tetra answered alongside his own wish. ''I want to go home.'' ''Me too.'' Orion''s body disappeared in a pillar of flame. In his left hand, a powerful spear made of the purest flames appeared, while in the other, a large shield protected his front. On his lower back, metallic wings covered in water spread widely, clicking and ticking as they adjusted perfectly. "Hecate, Cael, Celine. I will borrow your strength." The hundred demons and angels ready to help Orion shared their power with him one after the other. Through these six years, Orion learned each of their names, and obtained the power to fight back the endless enemies in his path. Though borrowed, the powers in his hands were greatly appreciated. Even if the knowledge was temporary, Orion could fight because of them. The mutual respect between him and the protectors of the past created the beast who ravaged the corrupt ranks. "This is nothing to me. This is also..." "A duty I have to accept!" Throwing the spear in front of him with a light movement of his arm, he made use of the ''Overdrive'' force with complete ease. The artifact in his core, the ''Shackles'', was one of his main focuses during his meditation, alongside understanding his void element. Training his body with Procyon to heights even greater than before, the iron muscles he built before coming to this era became tougher. Now, his muscles were as tough as titanium. Not even throwing the Hecate''s spear with his full strength would injure his arm. As the spear traveled toward the giant tiger-bear at a supersonic speed, the giant still managed to dodge it. "Too bad." With the full potential of the ''Fourth Gear'', Orion appeared next to the spear, grabbed it, and pierced the giant''s flank, spraying blood everywhere. Celine''s wings were stretched like a bird, helping him to achieve a speed breaking the law of common sense. "Burn everything." The tip of the spear, lodged inside the beast, began to sear its internal organs. As an effort to free itself, it thrashed around and opened its mouth. Aimed at Orion, a breathtaking roar used to paralyze him echoed through the land. "Shut that mouth." Letting go of the spear, he smashed the shield into the tiger''s lower jaw. *CRACK* Its bones shattered, making the beast suffer tremendously in the process. But at the same time, the ground shook with more strength. Glancing over his shoulder, Orion noticed the giant elephant-ox rushing him and the other giant. "Nothing''s as easy as we think, isn''t it?" ''That just means we have our work cut out for us.'' Orion smiled while recovering the spear. He jumped off the tiger, and flew into the air thanks to Celine''s wings. "That couldn''t be more correct." Chapter 476: The first Heros frustration. On the other side of the battlefield, Noah and Miasma were in close quarters, dishing out devastating blows to each other. Miasma''s arms flew into the air and crashed behind him after Noah swiped his sword. "Such power..." The difference between the current Hero and the one from his memories was like night and day. His arms regrew just as fast as he lost them. At the same time, four other arms composed of pure malicious energy grew behind his back. Noah''s sword crumbled in his hands, and just as fast as Miasma, grabbed another piece of ore. But his enemy was faster. Before Noah could defend, Miasma grabbed his shoulders and headbutted him, sending him fumbling backward for a brief instant. "..." They glared at each other while Noah swiped a speck of blood on his forehead down on the grass. His wound healed instantly, and as if nothing had happened, they returned to their dogfight. Still, the one having the upper hand in this fight was Noah, just like it happened in the past. What was strange to him was that he could move however he wanted, but only concerning the fight itself. His legs refused to move away from the battle, which locked him in this deadly encounter that sent him straight toward a definite loss. But he didn''t care. The faster this was done, the better it would be. Miasma was already waiting for the next part of his plan. The many quiet years incoming, where he would manipulate his son into doing his heinous deeds, would be perfect to send more invasions into the future. "Thinking in the middle of battle?" Noah''s blade pierced his chest, exploding a large part of his body away in a blast of light. "So you have a death wish? How lame." The blade, covered in light, vanished from inside the gaping hole in Miasma''s chest. "Keep barking. You''ll ultimately die." Healing completely in just a second, the hole absorbed the corruption in the air. Miasma threw a punch toward him, which he instantly deflected with another sword. Then, after a brief exchange, he took a blow to the head. Occasionally, for reasons that escaped Noah, his body refused to move. At those moments, he was unable to defend properly and took powerful blows to the face. Luckily, this time, he had light magic to heal the damage. Pushed back by the attack, Noah felt slightly frustrated. ''The power of ''Fate'' is quite troubling. Now, I get it.'' With the hands of ''Fate'' manipulating the strings of him and Miasma into the written ending, all he could do was hold until the end drew near. His heart thumped loudly in his chest. The relief of his duty was near. All of it was in the hands of Orion. With one mistake, he would lose his life, and never be granted his wish to see his family again. But as he and Miasma glared at each other through each attack, the trust in Orion never faltered. The amount of thinking he gave to help Noah return to his home world wasn''t normal, which confirmed that he seriously wanted to help him.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. "Why aren''t you fighting your fate?" Another sword of brittle ore crumbled in his hand, and a glaring contest began as Noah asked a question. "Are you expecting an answer from me?" Miasma''s six arms lowered slightly. "Since you believe so strongly in my death, you could at least entertain my inquiry." Shrugging lightly, Noah smirked. "You Heroes are all the same, always so full of yourselves. Two dipshits that try so hard to get information out of my mouth at each encounter." He growled with anger. "Is insulting others the only thing that you can do? Really, that''s pathetic. If it was enough to affect us, we would have died a long time ago." "O~h please! Shut up. The ones who''re standing in my way are you and Orion. Without you two existing, I would have completed my vengeance a long time ago." Miasma plunged one of his hands into the ground and ripped a piece of it forcefully before throwing it at Noah. With an effortless jump to the side, Noah avoided it. "It appears to me that this vengeance was never meant to be. When you realized that, you stopped caring about fighting back..." "I get it." Behind his back, the light and dark elements began to revolve gradually faster. Aiming his right hand at Miasma, Noah returned the favor. Magic bullets were fired at the Remnant, who immediately protected his body with his arms. The dark bullets sank into his body, exploding parts of the corruption away, while the light bullets devoured large chunks of his skin on contact. After firing a hundred of those, Noah stopped and grabbed another piece of ore. With a smile, Noah turned around and ran away. When Miasma dropped his arms and noticed the Hero was gone, he suddenly noticed the shadow over the area. He looked over to the sky, where the head of a gigantic elephant came crashing on him. Orion, who was fighting the beasts further away, inadvertently sent the head of his enemy flying toward Miasma and Noah. While the latter managed to see the incoming body part, Miasma wasn''t unable to after defending against Noah''s attack. Crushed under hundreds of tons of biomass, Miasma disappeared. As Orion wasn''t done fighting, he barely reacted to this, while Noah prepared for the return of his opponent. He knew that this wouldn''t be enough to kill Miasma. ''Fate'' wouldn''t make it happen. And as expected, black smoke began to seep under the giant head, forming the dark mass that was the Remnant of Corruption. "For fuck''s sake." Miasma cracked his neck and turned around. He placed his hand on the tusk of the beast, and as he did, a dark wave of energy began to devour the entire mass. "Powering up? You think I would let you?" Noah, a sword made of light magic in his hand, suddenly appeared half-crouched in front of his enemy. Right before the dark energy made contact with the skin, Noah cut the tusk. At the same time, he pulled back his other harm, and focused on his fist. The five elements behind his back flashed out of existence, only to reappear in front of his fist. They each imbued a large amount of magic into his fist, and, with a devastating punch, Noah smashed the elephant''s head. *SPLAT* Everything turned red for an instant, as the gigantic head entirely exploded into a red mist. Not even a bone shard remained, only blood pushed in the direction of the impact. Miasma, who watched this almost in slow motion, was forced to take a step back in shock. His purple eyes trembled at this savage display of power. ''If I were to take that hit... I...'' Even the bead forming the source of his existence would be shattered, and his life would end. ''I''d die.'' The Remnant''s face turned neutral, free of fear. ''That wouldn''t be so bad, all things considered.'' He grabbed the tusk halfway corrupted that was stuck upward from the ground, and lifted his arm to pull it out. The three-meter-long item, grabbed with all six hands, was over Miasma''s head. In swift action, he slammed downward to pierce Noah with it. But Noah slid his right foot behind him and, with a rapid movement of his waist, kicked the side of the incoming object. The two were pushed back by the force of the exploding tusk, which sent fragments everywhere. Some pierced Noah''s thighs and arms, while many ripped parts of Miasma''s body apart. "Agh!" Pain coursed through Noah''s body as the sharp bone fragments were pushed out of his muscles. Light covered his entire body, matching Miasma''s own recovery. Forced to kneel on the ground, he breathed roughly. ''So that''s what fighting the enemy of the world means...'' ''This is nothing like fighting a mindless beast.'' At any moment, Noah could kill Miasma with the power he obtained thanks to Orion. Using the light Elemental Mastery, this fight would have been over from the very beginning. But each time he wanted to, an unknown force snuffed out the idea. The punch he threw at the elephant''s head was originally meant for Miasma, but at the last second, it deviated toward the head. ''This world won''t let me destroy the reason it called me to get rid of.'' Having healed his wounds, Noah stood up. "Haha~ My God." Moving his legs to see if anything was wrong with them, he began to walk toward Miasma shortly after. "Why are you laughing?" Confused by the man''s sudden laughter, Miasma frowned. "I simply fell like a moron. Nothing against you." With a smile, a claymore of light appeared in his hands. ''Being a pawn is really frustrating.'' His eyes changed entirely. The surrounding mood also changed. "I''m pissed off." "Let''s see how far this world wants to test my patience." Miasma recoiled in shock. A bubble of darkness formed in response to Noah''s dark element, while bright light stars popped up into the air. Noah crouched down, grabbed the claymore with both hands, and, pushed at a tremendous speed by the five elements on his back, he cut through Miasma''s body. He turned around, watching the stars following him pierce his enemy. Without waiting, he let go of the sword, and lifted his hand above his head, and before Miasma could recover, light rained down on him. Suffering constant attacks, Miasma grunted as his body began to be eaten by the light. "Don''t..." Seeing his arms disintegrate in front of his eyes, Miasma clenched his sharp teeth. "Don''t fuck with me!" An explosion of corrupting energy fought back the light, emanating from Miasma as a response. "Let''s see how ''Fate'' decides to spare your life through this!" While the light kept pouring over Miasma, Noah fired volleys of light bullets. His entire body flashed white. He decided to see how far his will to revolt against his ending would push him. ... Orion watched with a smile as his older friend finally released the pent-up frustration that built up during the past ten years. ''I have never seen Noah like this.'' Tetra was shocked. Her tone conveyed a feeling of surprise, and it was for a good reason. Not once, from her memory, could she recall a moment when Noah lost his composure. ''I can understand his feelings. Being played with isn''t a gratifying sensation.'' Orion pulled out a large hammer out of the tiger''s side. A large cone-like opening revealed its insides, starting from the impact point and leaving a truly grotesque wide opening on the other side. Blood gushed from the opening as the tiger twitched, the last of his life withering away. ''What time is it?'' Orion asked Tetra with a neutral tone. ''Look at the sun.'' Doing as told, he looked at it while squinting slightly. ''Five minutes...'' The cloud that was about to pass in front of the sun was the sign of their end. ''Then, we''ll wait until Noah starts losing control.'' ''Yes.'' Stepping down from the tiger-bear corpse, Orion slowly made his way toward his last battlefield. Chapter 477: The Tale of the First Hero. The clock was ticking. With each step, Orion''s anticipation gradually built up. This stressful situation was about to take a drastic turn, where one single mistake could throw a wrench into the plan. ''Procyon''s matter has been dealt with.'' ''That you did. It was magnificent.'' ''Only because you were here.'' ''Hehe~'' Slowly retracing his thoughts through the many obstacles in his way, the two discussed as they approached the broken land, where Noah and Miasma were giving every last bit of energy they could to best the other. ''I will leave the angels and demons destiny and fate into Alyssia''s hands. She asked me to trust her, and so I will.'' ''She will make good use of the information you gave her. Don''t worry.'' He nodded. ''Are we certain that what we''ve discussed will happen?'' With a smug tone, Tetra sounded like she was puffing her cheeks in pride. ''Of course! I am inside your core, so you can also benefit greatly from it.'' With a faint smile, Orion continued forward. The sounds of explosions began to enter his ears. After just a few steps, he would enter the dark space Noah had created. But just before entering, he stopped inches from it. He looked at the sky. The cloud, which was a typically shaped fluffy cloud, began to cover the right side of the sun. ''Henrietta will do her part when she needs to. All that''s left is for us to clench our teeth, and clear the hurdle in front of us!'' ''You bet we do! Let''s go, Orion!'' The two entered the dark space with a determined expression, ready to brave the challenge of saving Noah and returning home. "Why won''t you die?!" Miasma''s furious voice echoed the instant Orion walked into the dome of darkness. "KH!" At the same time, what Orion and Tetra were waiting for was finally happening. The entire dome vanished like a bubble popping, and the rain of light stopped. At the same time, Miasma lost control of his power and began to release a large amount of corruption from his body. "Shit!" He looked around before settling his eyes on Orion. "Damn it." With just one glance, Miasma understood that his fate was sealed. Before giving him any way to escape, Orion leaned forward, stretching Celine''s robotic angelic wings. Sending a shockwave behind him, Orion flashed in front of Miasma. Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. ''Tetra, I''m counting on you!'' ''Aye sir!'' They ignored the cracking of energy happening behind them, and focused on Miasma. While the air began to grow overwhelmingly heavier due to Noah''s loss of control over his elements, which began to automatically fuse into the void element, Orion pierced Miasma''s chest with his left hand. "You''re coming with me!" Using the ''Fourth Gear'', the ''Overdrive'', and Celine''s wings, Orion pushed inside the large body of the Remnant. ''That''s where Alyssia and Alaric''s power come in handy!'' A wide halo of light appeared around his right hand, which he immediately used to pierce open his enemy''s chest. "Stop! STOP!" Miasma couldn''t even fight back. The light magic purged his body of corruption, revealing a dark purple bead inside. "NO!" Miasma began to retract the pearl somewhere else in his large body, but Orion wasn''t going to let that happen. A dark thread appeared at the tips of the fingers of his left hand. They floated for a brief instant, before slapping around the bead, holding it in place. "DAMN IT!" As a last resort, Miasma broke free from his still prison and tried to punch Orion away from him. "Here we go!" The spirit of a pink-haired woman suddenly flashed behind Orion''s back. Her eyes were closed, her expression neutral, and her arms wide open. As he punched the bead with all his strength, Miasma''s fist was about to reach Orion. The recoil was intense, but Orion resisted it. Miasma''s entire body dissipated before he could touch him. With a frustrated expression, Miasma''s face vanished. Orion grabbed the bead in his left hand after pulling it with the strings. ''Not breaking it was tough...'' Tetra wasn''t responding. He glanced over his shoulder, gazing at her figure appearing in this world for the first time. "Time to get your power back." Clenching the bead in his hand, threads of void magic began to envelop it. After just a few seconds, an energy he was familiar with fused inside his body. Now, the sigil of ''Space'' and ''Time'' was whole again. "All according to plan." When Orion opened his hand, he smiled. "Now..." He placed his right hand over his left, and with the use of both the void element and Tetra''s Remnant power, Orion focused on the bead. "We can''t have you miss in the future, can we?" With little effort, the bead separated in two. The bead in his left hand was the Miasma of his era, while the one in his right hand was the past Miasma. Without Miasma existing after losing to Noah, Orion''s existence wouldn''t be compromised. He turned around, dragged his feet behind him, and prepared to throw the bead in his right hand toward the south. "You better survive!" With the ''Overdrive'', Orion threw the bead with everything he had. "HMPF!" It traveled through the air at incredible speed. Crossing hundreds of kilometers, it moved over the Talviera Mountain Range, crossed half of Triazils, and landed in the snow at the border of the Frigoria Plains. Satisfied, Orion finally turned to the last feat to accomplish. "Henrietta! When I disappear, I''m leaving the rest to you!" Orion stretched his right hand in the air and made a thumbs up. He received no answer, but he knew that she listened. "O-Orion! I''m at my limits!" Noah, who was fighting back the intense energy raging inside his veins, was about to lose control. "Leave it to us!" Tetra''s arms began to bend toward her chest, as if she were holding an item. "Noah! Hang on!" Closing his eyes for a brief instant, Orion clenched his chest. Holding the bead in his left hand, he carefully placed it in his pocket. ''Tetra, you can do it. I believe in you.'' When he opened his eyes, the sigil of her power flashed in over his pupils. I, II, III, ... The numbers began to rapidly count up, until the last number appeared. IV. "Longinus!" Inside the spirit''s hands, a scepter formed, bending the physics of space itself. Her apparition, caused by Orion''s void magic, could only affect this world like so. But only she could use the treasure bestowed by her mother, a Valkyrie. Slowly, Tetra''s spirit opened her eyes, revealing the same number shown inside Orion''s eyes. "Even if I have to suffer, I''ll bring you home safe and sound!" Blood began to seep through the corner of his eyes. Tetra''s power was tremendous, but Orion was able to counteract it with ''Calm Analysis''. Of course, his suffering was accentuated as seconds became longer, but he didn''t care. Alyssia''s light magic was working at full power, healing his wounds the moment they appeared. "Release everything, Noah!" "You... Are you sure?!" Holding his chest, Noah opened one eye and stared at Orion. "Trust me." His words eased his worries. Leaving his life in Orion''s hand, Noah''s body detonated in a giant blast. But right before exploding, Orion was seen compacting tremendous void energy between his hands. As the entire land was reduced to ashes, and a massive crater was created, the landmass attached to the mountains began to detach itself from the magnitude of the explosion. The twins, who watched everything from afar, were sent flying, gravely injured. Tiohr-nam and Tetra caught them, and everything followed the same path. ... "I''m counting on you, Orion." Henrietta wrote inside five pages. First, Tiohr-nam. Then, Mia, Nia, Tetra... and finally, her page. With a faint smile, she closed the book. The words instantly took effect, as her face changed into despair. "Noah..." ... Inside the explosion. "THAT''S SOME FUCKING MESS RIGHT THERE!" Orion was being hit by intense blasts of energy. At the center of the singularity caused by Noah''s overload of energy were the two men, protected by a thick layer of void magic. Even though the magic sealed them from being disintegrated, the actual force was still going through, as it was the same magic in nature. "ARE YOU HOLDING ON?" The sound was so loud that he had no choice but to scream for Noah to hear him. Noah, who was feeling exhausted, only nodded. "THINK OF YOUR HOME! IMAGINE IT IN EVERY DETAIL!" The picture of his family, his wife, and his child. He wanted to look at his phone, but he remembered leaving it in the hands of Tetra before the battle. As he forced his mind to recreate a scene of his household, Orion smiled. ''See you, Noah.'' Tetra aimed Longinus at Noah, then behind Orion. A deep rift formed behind the men. A thread from the rift touched the Heroes, linking their minds to the portal. Inside the singularity, where not even the world could intervene, Orion pushed Noah inside the rift. Using the momentum, he threw himself into the ''Corridors of Time''. As Noah stared at Orion in disbelief, a room bathed by the light of dawn appeared behind him. Orion saw through the window of the room tall buildings and weird vehicles. He remembered the stories the man told him about his home world. Noah was swallowed by the rift, which began to close up. "Orion!" Before they could disappear entirely, the two men smiled at each other. "Thank you!" For Orion, this was the greatest accomplishment. The rift closed entirely, separating the two friends for good. One was sent back into the future, while the other returned to his home. The first Hero lost his life in Triazils, Miasma bailed at the last moment and survived, and everything continued like it should. No one apart from Alyssia recalled Orion''s existence. As the actual conclusion of this battle wouldn''t be known until a long time into the future, the concerned people would continue to believe in the sacrifice of Noah. The Tale of the Legendary Hero came to an end. Chapter 478: The Heroes return home. Inside a house on Earth. A strange phenomenon happened. Out of nowhere, a rift opened and spat out a man. Noah Stralicht, a man who was considered a Hero in another world, was thrown into his bedroom. *Crash* His back slid on the floor until his body bumped into a piece of furniture, sending flying everything that was on it. "What was that?!" A woman''s voice shouted from another room, panicked by the sudden noise. The sounds of running steps became louder as she approached the room that was the source of the loud noise. Barging into the room, she frantically looked around. "Ouch..." Pushing the stuff that had fallen on him, Noah rubbed the back of his head. After a second, he looked around the room. "This is... our room." Astonishment was painted over his face. As he smelled the familiar smell of his house, his eyes slowly turned to the figure standing at the door. "S-Sonia." Seeing the woman he longed to see for ten long years, Noah forced himself to his feet. Before he could take a step forward, the woman rushed him and jumped into his arms. The two fell into their bed. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?!" Feeling the weight of his loved one on his chest, he looked down. His wife, Sonia Stralicht, was a slender woman with shoulder-length light black hair. The tip of her hair was spiraling on itself, which was created by an apparel in their house. "Ha-Haha~" Noah kept his right arm around the back of his wife while placing his left hand over his eyes. ''Orion, you truly made it.'' ''I''m home...'' Gritting his teeth, the middle-aged man felt his emotions build up. "..." They stayed glued to each other for a long time, until Sonia finally had enough. "Where have you been?" Lifting her head from his chest, she noticed the sorrow on his face. Noah looked at the ceiling, feeling estranged from it. He lifted his hand toward it and, as naturally as ever, formed a sphere of light in his hand. "Huh?!" Opening his eyes wide, he sat in bed in astonishment. "N-Noah... What is this?" The magic in his body was entirely gone, but a vestige of his time as a Hero of Triazils stayed with him, manifesting in small orbs of light and darkness, completely harmless. "It''s going to be a... long story." ... Sonia listened quietly. At first, she thought Noah had been kidnapped by a weird cult, but after seeing the orbs manifesting at will around him, she couldn''t dismiss his tale. The more she listened, the more she felt horrible for him. When Noah arrived at the end of the story, she was a crying mess. "That''s unfair. Why you?" "I don''t know." They were hugging each other tightly. "How long was I gone?"Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "Two weeks. Those were the longest, most painful two weeks of our lives. Your coworkers were turning over the entire city to find a trace of you." Noah smiled, recalling his friends patrolling the city and protecting the peace around here. Suddenly, the front door opened. With the sun settling down, their son, who had finished his day of school, returned as usual. "Mom, I''m home." Hearing the voice of his son, Noah felt another surge of emotion. As he prepared himself, footsteps became louder. "Where are you?" Seeing the door to his mother''s bedroom open, he peeked inside. "Are you in he-" His bag fell to the ground in a loud thud. "D-Dad!" "Ethan..." Sonia moved over to the side and let Noah stand up. With a heavy heart, he walked up to his son, Ethan Stralicht. A teenager with the same hair color as his mother but way shorter, like his father. Noah stopped a meter away from him. Ready to hear a complaint from him, he patiently waited. But contrary to his belief, Ethan gritted his teeth. Noah was sure that Ethan would act spoiled like he always did. Instead, his son threw himself at his father and hugged him. "You''re... finally back." With trembling hands, Noah hugged him back. "I''m home." This display of affection was rare between them, which made Noah even more emotional. What happened next was a reunited family''s story. But, as Sonia and Ethan walked out of the bedroom, Noah turned around. *Roll* From the corner of his eyes, he noticed a weird item. "What''s this?" He crouched down to pick it up and brought it in front of his eyes. It was a small pearl, the size of his thumb. A perfectly round, light pink pearl. With a genuine smile, Noah clenched it in his hand firmly. "Thanks, Orion. I''ll never forget what you''ve done for me." His friend''s last gift, a pearl from the Cape of Pearl Waters in hand, Noah closed the door to his bedroom. The last chapter of Noah''s time in Triazils came to an end. ~ "Hmm~" ''What is it?'' Orion and Tetra were inside the ''Corridors of Time'' walking freely on a path inverse to the one they took to return to the past. Over his pupils, the sigil of Tetra''s power was etched, protecting him from the effect of time. "How long have we been walking?" ''Probably less than a week? Aren''t you hungry?'' He shook his head. "No. It was the same last time I was here. Time seems to only affect your body growth, but only the hair." "I don''t get hungry, and I don''t get older. What a strange place." Tetra had a guess, but that was all. ''Maybe there is also an instance of ''Space'' mixed with ''Time''. It could also be because you have both the void element and my power inside you that make you immune to its effects.'' Orion shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. ''It''s mostly a guessing game at this point.'' "You''re right." Suddenly, he stopped. ''Are you feeling something?'' Giving a nod, he turned around. In the corner of his eyes, he noticed a white opening on the side. "It can''t be..." With a smile, he walked up to the opening. "Haha~ Damn!" Without a moment of hesitation, Orion forcefully breached through the opening with his left hand. ~ "Do you think it''ll work?" "It''s our best creation so far. If it doesn''t, we''ll simply create another." Stella and Reon were looking at a metallic circle with empty displays all around. There were five of them. Everyone was here, watching them power on the device. "Amelia." Reon turned to her. "One year... That''s how long it''s been, huh?" Walking forward gracefully, she pushed her golden hair behind her back as she approached the device. "It''s the third device we''ve created. Let''s hope this one is the right one." Crossing his arms with a serious frown, Reon took a step back. "Breaching the space-time border isn''t something easily attainable, but luckily..." He turned to Henrietta and slightly bowed. "I''m sorry, I didn''t mean it like that." She shook her head firmly. "It''s fine. Tetra not being here is the reason we can try getting him back." As Amelia brought both hands in front of her, she aimed at the device. "Are you guys ready?" Glancing over her shoulder, she looked at her friends. "Ready." May walked past her and placed her hand on the left side of the circular device. "I''m ready, too." Senia, holding her fist in front of her chest, flew over Amelia and settled on the top side, just over the center of it. "We''re next." "Let''s go, sis!" Dramia and Drania flew to both sides of Senia. Dramia placed her feet on the device lightly, while Drania sat on it. "I''m last." Deveralna slithered next to Amelia before stopping on the right side, her hand placed near the display. Henrietta, Orianne, Nylon, Titania, and all the Remnants were watching from a relative distance away. ''You better come back, Orion.'' Elliott, his back to a tree, was waiting with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. The tension could be felt. This wasn''t their first try, and it wouldn''t be their last. "One... Two..." Reon began to announce a countdown. "Three!" The five women around the device began to inject a single type of element into the device. "Please work." "We have to get him back." Olivia and Karteira were watching behind Amelia, ready to react if anything were to go wrong. "It''ll work." With a definite nod, Amelia focused on her magic. As the display began to light up brighter and brighter with the colors of each element, a buzzing noise emanated from the device. "Deveralna, ease up on the lightning magic!" "Drania, take this seriously. You''re not putting enough magic into it!" Reon gave his orders, and they listened. "The others can keep it like that." "Yes!" They all answered in unison. "Stella, tell me when I need to act." "I will." Stella was observing her creation with great concern. Each detail was calculated and under the control of her Remnant power. The growing auras of the women were overwhelming. The device absorbed their magic and made it a part of its systems. *Bling* One after the other, the display began to blink. "You can begin." At this sign, Stella signaled the start of their trial to bring back Orion. "..." Amelia closed her eyes, and with her hands aimed at the portal, she focused. A heavier aura formed around her, strong enough to choke a normal person. The pressure was strong, but she managed to contain it around her and not spread it. Placing one hand on top of the other, she opened her eyes. "!" A beam of stars fired at the portal. The device devoured her magic, which began to spiral in its center into a larger phenomenon. "Please..." Stella was clenching her clothes, and her eyes were locked on the central point of the spiral. Firing continuously the energy to create another singularity, Amelia gritted her teeth. "This better be worth it!" Dishing out an energy as powerful as Deveralna, she resisted the recoil with everything she had. While her shoes were sliding slightly, she managed to dig her heels into the dirt to avoid being pushed backward. As a few minutes went by and everyone was being drained of their energy, the spiral began to spread to the border of the circular device. "Just a bit! It''s almost complete!" Reon was seeing the success happening in front of his eyes. The instant the spiral merged with the edge, it stabilized. "Amelia! Do not falter!" "You can do it!" The women behind her gave encouragement, which helped keep her mind from losing focus. "What do we do now?" Stella looked at Reon, unsure of what to do. "We wait." "If Orion is stuck in the ''Corridors of Time'', then..." "He will answer our call." Amelia smiled and groaned. "If it was this easy-" But just as she was about to finish her sentence, a hand broke through the portal. "!" Everyone stopped breathing. Immediately, Amelia shouted. "OLIVIA! KARTEIRA!" "ON IT!" The two changed states as panic appeared on everyone''s faces. Karteira instantly vanished from her spot, leaving a trail of light behind her. Olivia changed to her demonic form, flying straight to the right side of the portal. "I GOT YOU!" Even though they were in panic mode, they all had a clear mind. They knew what to do, and they weren''t going to let this opportunity slip by. Jumping on the left side of the device, right between May and Drania. Her stinger pierced the ground below as she tightly clenched Orion''s left hand. "HNG!" Forcefully, she began to pull him out. As she did, his right hand emerged from the portal too. "GET BACK HERE!" Olivia grabbed it and, with desperation, pulled alongside Karteira. Everyone was watching with anticipation as the person they wanted to see was about to return. "!" Orion''s head popped up from the portal, and at the same time, the two pulling on his arms gave their entire being to making this a success. As Amelia kept pouring void energy into the portal, she watched with teary eyes while Orion''s legs were pulled back from the ''Corridors of Time''. When Karteira and Olivia dropped him to the ground and his feet made contact with it, they all looked at him. "ORION!" Eight women threw themselves at him. Before anyone could, Amelia was already hugging his chest. "O-ooh..." Feeling the intense emotions back in full force now that he was surrounded by his companions, Orion felt strange. He reached for the first one, hugging his chest. His hand touched Amelia''s silky golden hair. ''We made it...'' Hearing Tetra confirm his thoughts, he nodded, still unsure. "I''m... back." He looked around at the seven women surrounding him, and finally, reality struck him down. "I''m back." A feeling stronger than relief and peace devoured the anxiety accumulated in his heart. Seeing the faces of the people he treasured, at last, was his greatest desire. Finally, the second Hero returned home from his long, long voyage through the past. Chapter 479: Reunion. The sound of sobs and faint whispers of joy surrounded Orion. As he looked at his companions one by one, the feelings of longing finally settled. Amelia was hugging his chest, rubbing her cheeks furiously against his clothes. Karteira and May were watching with a satisfied expression, the former, her right hand on the latter''s shoulder. Next to them, the twins, Drania and Dramia, were looking at him with disbelief, but still with a relieved smile. Olivia and Senia were hugging each other, crying from the relief they felt. The solidarity between each woman surprised Orion, as it wasn''t nearly as strong before his disappearance. Deveralna was looking at the sky, clenching her teeth while holding back her emotions. Her wings were slightly trembling, while her tail was coiling on itself. Further away, Orion noticed a few figures. His eyes opened wide, his pupils trembling intensely. Henrietta and Titania were breathing sighs of relief too, a hand on their chest. But the most shocking news to him was the figures of two people he thought he would never see again. Waving at him with a beaming smile, Orianne''s figure became printed in his eyes. Next to her stood Reon, nodding at him with the same smile. While holding Amelia''s trembling shoulders, Orion looked at his free hand. "Am I alive? Is this a dream?" But as if confirming that this was the reality he wanted, Amelia removed her face and grabbed his hand. "You''re back! You''re finally back! Of course, it''s real!" "!" The warmth of her hand propagated into his body. After a moment, Amelia moved away. One by one, the others came and hugged him, displaying their unyielding affection for him. The first one to step forward was Karteira. She wrapped her scorpion tail around his waist and pulled him closer. "You''re so stupid! Do you have any idea how hard we worked while you weren''t here?" Her cerulean blue hair tickled his cheeks as he felt the tight hug. Without a second thought, he hugged her back. "I can see that. You were always strong, so it''s no surprise." Moving away with regret, she gave her place to Olivia. The short demon grabbed her shirt while looking into his eyes. "I... I..." She approached him with hesitation filling her head. She had no idea how to act in front of him now that he was actually back. "..." Orion opened his arms, and she threw herself into them. "I missed you!" "You don''t know how much I missed you, too." With just a glance, he could tell that Olivia had grown into a beautiful woman. Her demon blood was reacting to his own, affecting him even more strongly than in the past. After rubbing her back for a minute, a small fairy jumped on his back, while the other walked in front of him.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. "It''s Orion!" "..." His lips twisted. Seeing the two being present right now was such a relief that he sincerely felt like tearing up. ''We haven''t changed anything for them...'' He grabbed Dramia''s arm and wrapped his other arm around Drania''s head, who had her face over his shoulder. Crouching slightly, he smiled. "Wha-" "Huh?" The two sisters found themselves being tightly hugged by Orion. Dramia was glued to his chest, her hands holding his clothes, while Drania had her cheek rubbed by Orion''s, her arms around his neck. "I''m so glad to see you..." "A- Huh... Yes. Me too..." Not knowing how to react, Dramia shyly rubbed her forehead on near his collarbone. "That''s... next-level affection right there." Even Drania wasn''t used to this reaction from him. Still, they were delighted, even if Dramia barely showed it. When they got their fill of his warmth, they walked away, leaving his arms empty for someone else. "I''m quite intrigued to know what you''ve been up to." A beauty with flaming hair walked next to him. As Orion stood up, he turned his head. "I''ll tell you everything. For now, come here, May." With a faint smile, May closed her eyes and stepped forward. She wrapped her arm around his back and breathed heavily, feeling an intense wave of emotion at the same time. "Aaah~ I''m absolutely certain of it. I love you." Surprised by her sudden confession, Orion managed to maintain his composure. "I knew that. I love you, too." For just a moment, she forgot everything and simply bathed in his warmth, which felt beyond comfortable. The next person waiting in line was Senia. Once May moved away, the woman winked at her to signal that she could take over. "Ah... It''s my turn." Shyly, the siren floated toward Orion. "I might be a little wet-" Orion couldn''t care less. He pulled her into his embrace and carried her in his arms. Instinctively, she wrapped her arms around his neck and rubbed her face between his chin and collarbone. "I''m glad you''re still alive. I don''t know what I would have done if you weren''t..." She closed her eyes, leaving her entire body in the hands of the man she loved. The trust she had in him had no borders. "Aren''t you sweeter than I remember? You won''t hear a complaint from me, though." Only one person was left out, and it was Deveralna. "Orion..." As she appeared to be stuck in place, he came to her. "What a great Queen I have in front of my eyes." He looked into her dark orange eyes, which he hadn''t seen since she became a Remnant. Deveralna was lost. Between her dignity and the pride she gathered while he was away, all of it crumbled the instant he was in front of her. How was she supposed to act? Like the Queen of the lamias? Like the Remnant of Strength? The answer became instantly clear in her head. "Kh!" Tears began to flow down her cheeks, and she leaped forward at Orion. With her tail wrapped around his entire body, she hugged him while he simply began to caress her long, white hair. "I''m here. I have no idea what happened to all of you, but I''m here now." "We''ve worked so hard! Even without you, we did our best!" Orion nodded with a warm smile. "Yes. You did your best." Hearing the words she wanted to hear for a long time ago that no one gave her, she hid her face inside his shirt. It was already humid with Amelia''s tears and wet from Senia''s magic, but she didn''t care. The young lamia, who had worked tremendously hard to become worthy of both titles she wore, finally felt rewarded for everything. With Orion next to them, they weren''t afraid of anything anymore. ... After Deveralna calmed down and returned to being herself, they left him some space. The next people to come forward were his parents. "Mom... Dad..." Orion walked up to them with light steps. He wasn''t sure what to say to them. "Oh!" "Reon, can I?!" Orianne turned to her husband with expectation in her eyes. Knowing what she wanted, he began to nod. But even before he could finish, she was already all over Orion. "My son! Orion! Finally!" "Mom! Wait-" She hugged him, kissed his cheek multiple times, and touched his muscles across his body. Feeling the fiery emotion of a mother''s love, Orion chose to let her be. In reality, he was unwilling to give her less than that. "You have no idea how glad we are that you''re still with us." Rubbing her cheeks on his, she smiled while glancing toward Reon. "But we believed. You''re our son, so it was to be expected! Who cares about ''Fate'' anyway?!" Reon nodded. "Orion." Orianne immediately stopped moving and let Reon speak, albeit still glued to Orion. "Have you done something interesting while you were away?" This was the words of a father. Instead of being honest with his feelings, he diverged it toward another subject. Knowing that Reon was his father and that he was like this too, Orion answered truthfully. "I did. You won''t believe it, though." With a smile, Reon closed his eyes and shrugged. "We''ll believe anything that comes out of your mouth." Walking toward his son, Reon placed a hand on Orion''s shoulder. "..." The face he was making was one of a father proud of his son. "Good job coming back to us. It means a lot to all of us." "I did what I had to do. I have no regret." Surrounded by his family for the first time, Orion felt the raging emotions inside his soul settle at last. The last thread of hatred vanished, leaving the man who sought vengeance finally free of its influence. ... After speaking with them for a while longer, or, more specifically, letting Orianne indulge in her son''s presence, he moved toward another group of people. "..." His eye glanced toward a young girl next to Henrietta. She felt somehow pressured by his gaze. Without stopping, he walked to her and pulled her into his arms. Slightly confused, she stood frozen in place. Henrietta and Titania smiled, knowing that this would have been his priority. "Stella." "Ah..." Forcefully being hugged, she saw the memories of her childhood in his company play briefly in her mind. "You... recognized me." Gripping the back of his shirt tightly, she kept her gaze to the sky. "I would never mistake you for anyone else." He released his grasp and pushed on her shoulders lightly to get a good look at her face. "Stella, you certainly grew up fine. Was it because of my absence?" The young adult looked at her adopted father with conflicted emotions. "P-Papa!" Seeing the smile of the man she admired and wanted to see again, she couldn''t hold it anymore. "It''s fine. Let everything out." "There''s no shame in showing your feelings." Caressing her hair, like he did to anyone who had a place close to his heart, he accepted her anguish. With one look, he could tell that, like everyone else, she went through difficult events. If there was something that pained him greatly, it was that he wasn''t there to help her. "I''m sorry." She shook her head vigorously while hiding between his arms. "I''m fine. It was my fault for not understanding anything." The image of Orion''s expression, which she saw last, disappeared from her mind, replaced by the warm and welcoming smile he showed. As he was sharing a moment with his daughter, Henrietta suddenly felt a deep pain in her head. "Henrietta?" Seeing the woman suddenly grab her head, Titania leaned forward. But out of nowhere, she also began to feel strange. A throbbing sensation developed in her head, forcing the two to kneel on the ground. "Dramia? Drania?" The twins rapidly followed suit, holding their heads in pain. "What... is this?" Orion immediately became serious. He gently let go of Stella, who wiped her tears away with her finger. "It''s starting..." Chapter 480: Rewritten memories. ''I can feel it too...'' Even Tetra, who was inside his core, felt her memories being rewritten. "Orion..." Henrietta called his name while glaring at him. "What... did you do?" With a smile, he walked toward her and helped both Henrietta and Titania stand up. "I did what I had to do." The memories of the past surged back into the concerned party, changing the reality they were persuaded to remember. "A-Are you alright?" Dramia and Drania began to cry in front of everyone, surprising the entire family. "Those... memories..." The twins were having an existential crisis. The events of the past began to be rewritten, conflicting with their original memories. Orion helped the two Remnants by grabbing their waists before walking toward the ground. "Here." Handing Henrietta to Amelia and Titania to Karteira, Orion immediately went to his precious companions. "It''s alright." He placed his hands on their heads and slowly caressed them. "Nia... Mia..." His words, which entered everyone''s ears, shocked them. Why was he calling the twins by these names? "Kh!" Dramia clenched her teeth, feeling the pain subside gradually. "S-Sis..." Her younger twin sister was having a rougher time processing the changes, but it also turned out alright for her. Henrietta and Titania were the first to recover. They looked at each other, slightly confused. "This is..." Titania nodded before adding something. "He is crazy. But it seems like he made it alright." Letting out a heavy sigh, Henrietta placed her hand on her chest and brought out the ''Book of Fate''. When she opened it, she went to her page. "I seriously locked out our memories... This is a terrifying prospect." Without realizing it, she turned the pages and stopped on the last page telling Noah''s story. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. She lifted her head and was about to ask Orion about the plan she remembered, but the twins were faster. Clenching on his clothes, they looked at him with pleading eyes. "Orion. I remember! What-" Drania hesitated, but not Dramia. "What happened to Noah!?" Seemingly furious, Dramia pushed his hand away from her head and stood up, grabbed his collar, and pulled his face closer. "Don''t tell me you failed." "You gave your words. It was a promise! What about it?" With their memories having replaced the previous ones, it was obvious it would happen. Everyone around them was confused and anxious about the twins'' reaction. It wasn''t usual to see Dramia being this furious about a matter. But Orion smiled. That''s all he did. "You..." Slowly releasing her grip, she dropped her hands. Orion looked at the two sisters and nodded. "I can''t tell you what happened yet." He looked over his shoulder and turned to Henrietta. "Has something changed?" She shook her head, lifting her head from the book. "Absolutely nothing." Orion breathed a sigh of relief. "In that case, it should be fine. Since you all remember everything and that nothing was explicitly changed, it means it was a success." The four people affected by these past choices looked at Orion with a dumbfounded look. "He returned home safely. I swear by it." Placing his hand on his chest, he resolutely stared into Dramia''s mossy green eyes. Dramia''s knees began to shake, and briefly after, she dropped to the ground, her eyes lost. "You... saved him." "I did." Drania crawled next to her sister and pushed her head into his chest. "Thank you..." Muffled words of gratitude could be heard by the energetic fairy. A feeling of plenitude raptured through their minds, bringing a peace they thought would never return to them. "What are you talking about?" Amelia walked up behind him and leaned over his back. Then, as Orion glanced at her, he smiled. "I went to the past and saved a Hero." An overwhelming silence took over the entire area. "Huh?" Deveralna opened her eyes wide while the other tried to understand the meaning of his words. "It''s true." Titania stepped forward and verified what he said with a pronounced frown. "Tiohr-nam. I see you''ve left the tree." "Call me Titania now. I will explain everything later." Surprised, Orion simply nodded. Immediately after, he continued to explain. "After our battle, I was sent to the ''Corridors of Time''." "As I thought..." Henrietta nodded, satisfied to hear her guess had been right all along. Orion helped the sister stand and began to caress their hair while they recovered from their emotional state. "After staying in there for a very... very long time, I managed to escape." They all saw the extreme expression of loneliness on his face. Each of them wanted to give him a tight hug just to remove that haunting experience from his mind. But Orion continued, unbothered by their longing stares. "When I left that space, I was ejected into a past era." "In the middle of a battlefield, no less." His eyes kept drifting toward Henrietta, who closely observed the book for any changes. He was afraid that speaking in now would affect the past, and that simply mentioning it would change everything. As she showed no reaction, he simply continued. "The person I met, at that moment, was Noah." Olivia, who always listened to everyone''s story, exclaimed. "The first Hero?!" Turning to her, Orion nodded. Everyone was in shock but couldn''t help but listen. "The rest is a long story, so I will tell you later. All you need to know is that I helped him return home alive." Karteira frowned. "What do you mean by that? Wasn''t he from this continent? Was he from another one?" He shook his head. "Noah was..." His eyes looked down, and, with a smile, Orion finished his sentence. "He was from another world." The absurdity of his words turned everyone speechless, yet they believed every word he spoke. "I have obtained many things from that time, and I have tried my best not to change our future." "All of it, just to get back here. Just to see you again..." Kneeling, he hugged the twins again. The sisters he knew, the women who supported him during the events in the fairy realm, were right in front of him. "..." They both accepted his hug, but Dramia puffed up her cheeks slightly, thinking that all of this was unfair. Drania didn''t care at all, simply hugging Orion back with a happy smile. After a moment, Orion stood up and walked past Amelia. He stopped in front of a Remnant. "Could you shake my hand, Titania?" "Sure." Titania did just that, extending her hand forward. The moment she shook his hand, she felt the soul of another being inside him. "Hmm... We need to do something about that too." With a deep frown, she began to ponder. At the same time, Henrietta closed the ''Book of Fate'', seeing no changes after Orion told everyone about his time in the past. She walked to him and, with a serious glare, asked him a question she wanted to know, without knowing both Orion and Titania were discussing it. "What about her?" He simply smiled, closing his eyes. The air grew heavier with the smell of powerful magic as he opened his eyes. "!" Inside his pupils, a number appeared. Henrietta immediately understood what it meant. "Tetra..." Henrietta clenched her shirt tightly, holding her emotions back. Her friend was still there, alive inside Orion. Further away, Orianne tapped her husband''s shoulder. "See? You were guessed right, again." "You were listening?" "I always listen for your voice." "Right." The two smiled warmly as another group of people approached. "And here I thought I''d never see you again." A blonde man walked toward Orion with a snarky smile. Orion turned to the voice and smiled with a mocking smile in return. "Were you missing me? You?" Orion left Henrietta and Titania before walking toward Elliott. "Oh? You''ve changed. I can''t believe you''d greet me without showing that usual disdain." Losing his provoking smile, Elliott appeared genuinely puzzled. As Orion came closer, he placed his hand inside his pocket before throwing something into the air. "Catch." Without looking at the item, he caught it. After opening his hand and looking at the object, Elliott opened his eyes wide. "Wait. Is that what I think this is?" "Do what you want with him. He shouldn''t be able to cause any problems now." A white, almost translucent pearl rolled in the palm of his hand. When Elliott looked back at Orion, he noticed something. A power Orion shouldn''t have been in possession of. "..." Everyone turned to Orion instinctively. All Remnants in the vicinity felt the aura of an alien Remnant. One that was locked away behind thousands of years of corruption. "No way..." Both Titania and Henrietta opened their mouths in shock as a white aura covered Orion''s figure. Over his pupils, thin layers of light covered his anthracite-colored irises. The power of ''Purity'' covered his entire body, bathing and cleansing his entire body in the purest energy available to this world. Chapter 481: A source changing hands. Covered by the aura of ''Purity'', Orion approached Elliott, who was in utter shock by what was happening. After lifting his arm, he tapped the man''s shoulder. "I believe this is yours." After a few seconds, Elliott felt a strange wave of energy wrap itself around his soul. As if something missing finally had returned, he turned his face slowly before staring at Orion. "This is..." Vanitas vibrated inside its scabbard, seemingly celebrating the moment. Over his irises, a visible shimmer began to warp into shape. A green pentacle began to take form, and the power following its existence embraced Elliott. Passing the power Miasma stole from him a long time ago, Orion nodded to a shocked Elliott. "What you do with it now, it is up to you." The Remnant of Bravery was born anew, with his power recovered through Orion. Lifting his free hand, Elliott looked at it. Closing it repeatedly to get accustomed to that new energy rapidly entwining itself with his core, he nodded. "I can''t believe you would willingly return what''s mine without showing that enmity I am so used to." "People change. So can I. Let''s go drink some other time." Orion remembered the promise he gave to himself. The fury and hate he had for Elliott was lost, leaving both men as perfect equals. Shrugging lightly, Elliott smiled. "Sure. I haven''t done that in a while." As Orion removed his hand from his shoulder, Elliott''s face turned dark. "What do we do about this?" Requesting Orion''s input, he extended the hand holding the white pearl in his hand at him. "There are few endings you can give it." With an equivalent expression, Orion pointed at it. "You can either destroy it on the spot and be done with him entirely..." "Or give him a second chance. Miasma is no more, but it is up to you." Orion frowned slightly, recalling some events. ¡ª ''Shouldn''t we deal with Miasma now before returning home?'' Tetra asked a question to Orion as they were walking in the ''Corridors of Time''. "You''re right. We should get rid of the corruption for good before another mistake happens." "I wouldn''t want something to happen to you ever again." Flirting with her slightly, he brought the dark purple pearl out of his pocket and opened his hand, making it roll inside his palm while Tetra squealed in embarrassment. After Orion stared at it for a moment, he stopped walking. ''Oh, did you leave your gift to Noah?'' "I did. At the last second, I flicked it into the portal." ''Good. It would''ve been a waste not to give it to him after all the trouble you went to find one.'' He nodded. "I can''t believe that place wasn''t existing at that time. It was a huge pain getting one."Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. The Cape of Pearl Waters, which was a beach solely covered by broken down seashells and light pink cream-colored pearls at the top of the Eogis island, only came to be after the two lands merged. "Alright, give me a moment." ''Be careful.'' "I will. Trust in me." ''I always do and always will.'' As he closed his eyes, Orion forced his consciousness inside the pearl, where Miasma''s soul was deeply hidden. "..." Black clouds began to cover Orion as his mind sank deeper into the layers of the purple core. Nothing happened to his physical body, but his mind perceived the malicious clouds trying to devour him. But not a single cloud actually touched Orion. The void element pushed everything out of the way, lighting the path toward the Remnant''s soul. "You little shit. I can''t even have a moment to myself." Seeing the black figure with purple eyes glaring down at him, Orion shrugged. "You knew I wouldn''t let you go, did you not? The game is over, Miasma. No more jokes, no more pathetic struggles, no more heinous plans..." "No more threatening our lives." "Pff~ You don''t understand anything, hypocrite." Miasma leaned down, approaching his disgusting face full of sharp teeth in front of his. "As if you wouldn''t hunt down the creature that would dare hurt your precious companion." Orion crossed his arms and spat words at Miasma. "Of course I would hunt them down. Does that make me a hypocrite?" "Just because your approach was to turn the entire continent into a corrupt field doesn''t mean I would do the same." He took a step forward, staring deep into the Remnant''s purple eyes, almost watching through his mind and soul. "What even are you, Miasma? You are the only one in this circumstance. The other Remnants have suffered losses just like you, but they chose to protect everything." "Without you, life would have flourished. People would be living in a fragile harmony but would strive to keep it strong." The Remnant straightened and turned his head away. "Again, your hypocrisy shows. Who was the one who hated humans all this time? It was you!" Pointing at him, he smirked. "I did. Don''t you think it''s time we get over it?" "Over what?" Miasma growled. "I despised humans because of you. You are the greatest plague this world has known." "It would be rather pathetic not to be conscious of that fact." Anger kept growing inside Miasma. It even appeared on his face as the gnashing of his teeth entered Orion''s ears. "What if I am a plague? It doesn''t change anything. My entire goal was to get closer to those beings!" "As if you would understand!" But Orion shook his head. "The problem is, it is relatively easy for me to understand. Weren''t you the one who said that I had many people to protect?" Showing perfect neutrality toward Miasma, this confused the Remnant. "To protect those people so dear to me, I am prepared to fight those monsters. The same monsters that took your wife and all those Valkyries'' lives." A grimace formed on Miasma''s face. "As if a weakling like you would ever succeed." "I am still the one who bested you. Give credit where it''s due, idiot." Taking offense to the insult, he clenched his fist. "Weird, you seem to enjoy insulting others, but can''t take one insult from me. It seems like my simple existence irritates you." "..." Smirking back at Miasma, Orion shrugged. He turned his body to the side, slowly walking around the dark shape. "Alright, let''s stop playing those stupid games of provocation." "What do you want from me? I can''t believe you came just to insult me." Entering to the meat of the matter, both turned incredibly focused. As Orion walked behind Miasma and the other kept his eyes perfectly looking forward, he threw the entire subject at him. "Miasma, hand over your entire power. Give me everything." "!" The Remnant froze on the spot. Orion walked back in front of him and continued walking, silent. "What would you do with this power? Are you trying to become the second coming of corruption?" Orion laughed loudly in his ears. "No way! Are you stupid?" This mocking frustrated Miasma greatly, as he was usually the one to do this. Being on the receiving end wasn''t to his taste. "Let me purify this power and use it to fight those beings. I need it." "Do you really think I would give it to you if you asked nicely? Aren''t you old enough to stop daydreaming?" Not stopping for a second, his walking began to bother Miasma. "Don''t you understand already?" Finally, Orion stopped in front of him, his arms crossed. "It is over, Miasma." These words finally sank into the Remnant''s head. "Over..." Giving a firm nod, he continued. "There''s no way out of this. Either I destroy your core or I give you to Elliott." "Either way, this is the end of the line. Neither he nor I will let you go alive. You''ve caused too much grief for us." Miasma could picture everything he did to them. From the beginning, he knew he wouldn''t have a pretty end. "Give me your power. If you do, I''ll purify your entire being." "Blanc... right?" Recalling the name of the man he was before, Miasma frowned. "Are you trying to say that you would spare me?" "I would, not Elliott. All I can do is deprive you of your power and make you acknowledge the path we''ve taken, which is the opposite of yours." "You will suffer. You will be constantly judged for your actions, and probably never will be happy." Orion glared at him. "I have no reason to spare you. I detest you from every fiber of my being. You took the life of a woman I treasure and scarred my daughter''s mind." "Killing you is the easy route. Simple, fast, and we would be sure you would never return." "Which imbecile would let his enemy leave, only for them to return later and take the lives of those they treasure?" The intense hatred in Orion''s eyes stopped Miasma from opening his mouth. "Really, this would be stupid. That''s why, before they leave, you have to cripple them!" He stretched his arms to the side and slammed his fist into his open hand, grinding the two together. "You have to squash every bit of ambition of your enemy so that they never want to try again! Make them learn that everything has a price." "For each action taken against me, I will turn your life into a nightmare. Retribution is better given against a live target to begin with." These words coming out of a Hero''s mouth truly shocked Miasma. Those were the words of an implacable being. As Orion''s emotions calmed down, he smiled. "You get the idea. The choice is rather simple for you." He lifted two fingers. "Give me your Remnant power willingly and get a chance at survival as Blanc." Dropping one finger, his gaze darkened. "Or die pitifully like the tyrant you wanted to be and have your power taken forcefully." Having no choice anymore, Miasma released the tension from his body, contemplating the choices in front of him. "..." "If you take the first offer, you at least live until I give you over to your son. Whatever happens to you is in his hands. But you will have a chance for redemption, even if it is lower than one percent." "You will be stripped of any power. All that would remain would be Blanc the human. Never will you be able to use corruption to affect the world or stand in our way." But Orion smirked, holding his greatest argument yet. "What you will have a chance to see, if Elliott''s chooses to spare you, will be the downfall of the being that killed your wife." "!" Suddenly, the conversation shifted toward something Miasma wanted from the deepest part of his soul: the death of Frey''s killer. Miasma genuinely began to ponder. The prospect of dying wasn''t a problem. But he wanted to see his ambition succeed at all costs. He lived to see the usurper of his wife''s identity die, its wicked smile turned upside down. "Is it too difficult of a choice?" "No." The fast answer surprised Orion. He was certain Miasma would argue more, knowing the Remnant''s past interaction with him. The dark figure sighed. "Take it." At that instant, Orion''s mind was pushed out of the core. ''Orion?'' Sensing Orion awakening, Tetra was fast to check on him. "I''m fine." Looking at the pearl in his hand, Orion clenched it. "We''ve got a bit of work ahead of us." With a smile bordering on smirking, he continued to walk through time. After a few days, Orion absorbed the source of ''Purity'', purging the entirety of the corruption out of the core at the same time. Miasma disappeared, leaving behind a powerless individual. Chapter 482: The second miracle. When Orion returned to himself, he watched as Elliott glared at the core of the purified, former Remnant of Corruption. He took a step back and patiently waited for the man''s choice. "..." Elliott considered the two options. After a brief deliberation, he threw the core in the air. ''So be it.'' Orion maintained his stance and looked as the white core fell toward the ground. Leaning forward, Elliott dropped his hand to Vanitas'' hilt and drew it from its scabbard. *Swing* "..." To his surprise, the sword missed Miasma''s core. Before it could fall to the ground, he pierced his sword into the ground and grabbed the falling bead. "Astonishing. I still have hope for him." Rolling the bead in his palm, he frowned. "Orion, weren''t you hoping for me to destroy it?" Answering his question, he shrugged. "I already gave my answer. If you spare him, I have nothing to add." With a flick of his wrist, Elliott threw his father''s core at Orion. "Bring him back if you must. With his power in your hands, I bet there''s nothing to worry about." "Indeed." Catching the core, Orion nodded. The matter with Miasma was settled rather rapidly. Both men couldn''t care less about him now that his sinister presence wasn''t weighting on the world. "I''ll put this away for the moment. There are more important matters I have to settle now that I have returned." Orion looked past Elliott''s shoulder and looked at a group of people waiting. He immediately noticed Layla, the former Apostle he revived on a whim, testing the limits of his powers. "I see there are a few people I need to be acquainted with. Many I do not recognize..." His eyes fell on the twin sisters managing the inn near the harbor of Hocride. "And some I have met before." Chelsea and Kelsea bent forward professionally the instant they felt Orion''s gaze upon them. ... The Remnants greeted Orion one by one. With everyone sharing a few words with him, he began to understand what went down while he was away. Each Remnant born from a Valkyrie had been gathered by Henrietta to teach his companions and friends. For that, he was grateful. To their surprise, they weren''t betrayed by the expectations they had toward him. Orion was kind, smart, and respectful. His words were especially impactful around Keleanos, who appreciated the man''s wits and actual train of thought. Both were kindred spirits, searching to answer the questions they pondered incessantly. The twins Chelsea and Kelsea were drawn instinctively toward him now that they were out of their business, attracted by the wealth he accumulated over the years. They asked him many questions about how he gathered so much money and why he never spent more than he needed, resisting the greed that came alongside it. Layla was a little shy to finally have a discussion with the man who saved her life, but they quickly found common ground in the protection of humans. She was working hard to make up for her mistakes, and under Elliott''s watchful eyes, her accomplishments as a Remnant grew exponentially. Heto was the last to approach Orion. The gentle giant thought that they would be mixing like oil and water thanks to his nature, but to his surprise, Orion actually respected that.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. But most of all, Orion immediately asked him if they would be training together, to which Heto gently refused. With a faint smile, Orion shrugged it off and let the matter go. Then, as Orion returned to his companions, he looked down at his shadow. Two bright eyes stared at him, as if the abyss itself glared back in return. "Nylon. Is that how you planned to great me?" His shadow twisted before a figure ripped through the dark matter. A beastman with long ears and a thin but muscular build appeared at him. "Orion, brother, not even a surprised look?" "I went through more terrifying experiences to be scared by that." With a smile, Orion wrapped his arm around his brother''s neck. "I''m glad to see you. Mom and dad always believed you would return." Picturing the couple in his mind, Orion felt a small force pulling his heart. He missed these people more than he thought. "Thanks for helping everyone." He removed his arm from Nylon''s neck and stretched his arm toward him, ready for a handshake. "That''s why brothers are for." Grabbing his hand firmly, the two brothers smiled at each other. ''I''ll have to meet with Dylan and Eliza in the near future. I can''t let them think I''m ignoring them.'' As his thoughts were starting to settle down after meeting everyone, he heard someone coughing dramatically. ''Haven''t you forgotten someone?'' The grumbling voice of a woman echoed in his head, replacing his previous thoughts. ''Of course not. I was on my way to deal with that.'' ''With that? Am I an object now?'' He chuckled lightly. "Let''s bring you back." Not seeing the three Lords around here, Orion assumed that they were dealing with their cities, and he was correct. Kamala, Florian, and Eric were all busy redirecting resources to the various places that were hit by the invasions sent by Miasma. As he approached his companions, he stopped next to Henrietta and Titania. "I will need both of you. Would you mind coming with me?" "..." Henrietta knew the meaning of his words better than anyone else. Titania simply nodded, following behind him without uttering a single word. "Everyone! Let''s go home." After so many years, Orion walked toward his house with a bright smile, surrounded by his entire family. The Remnants went to continue their business, while Orion finished the important matters he needed to deal with. ... "Sirius!" The instant Orion saw his dog, he ran toward him. Hearing the voice of his master, which he hadn''t heard in a year, the large white dog lifted his ears up. "Woof!" Upon seeing Orion approaching him, Sirius ran toward him with every ounce of energy in his body. When the two reunited, Sirius sat in front of him, wagging his tail vigorously. Orion kneeled in front of him and patted his friend energetically. Then he threw all pretense away and hugged him. "I missed you! I''m glad you were alright after that battle." Ruffling Sirius'' fur while sinking his face into it, he felt at peace. Everything was going well. Everyone was alright, and even though they went through a lot, they were still waiting for him, going as far as to create a device to bring him back. Showing the same affection, Sirius began to lick his face the moment Orion pulled back. "Easy! Haha~" Seeing this heartwarming scene, they all felt something change in their hearts. They were moved by this scene of tranquility, which was something Orion rarely showed in the past. All they knew was the anxiety in his heart, the exhaustion of his incessant training, and the fury of revenge. This Orion wasn''t the same. Henrietta then recalled the words Reon spoke to her in after they had brought him out of the crystal. ¡ª "Orion will have to transcend himself to become strong enough. Hopefully, he will realize what is important before it is too late." ¡ª ''He drastically changed. It''s to wonder if he is the same person anymore.'' ''Tetra... Were you responsible for that change?'' Thinking about her friend''s involvement, she smiled while looking at the sky. ''Transcendence. I wonder what it means?'' The answer to her question would be answered in the near future. ... The front door opened. After taking a few minutes to caress Sirius, Orion went back to his home. "..." He inhaled the smell of the house he missed. The smell of wood, soap from the kitchen, and the coffee he wanted to drink so much again all returned to him. "I see you''ve been drinking a lot of coffee. I thought everyone hated it." As he entered the main corridor, he smiled over his shoulder. ''Home sweet home.'' Orion wanted to turn to the right and brew himself a cup of coffee, but he refrained from doing so. "Alright." Making up his mind, he walked deeper inside the house, ignoring the stairs. "Orion?" Confused, Amelia and the others followed him, while Henrietta and Titania were deeply focused on his back. "Isn''t that..." Placing his hand on the handle of one door, he nodded, answering Amelia''s question. "Tetra''s room." With heavy feelings, he opened the door. *Creak* A sweet smell, one Orion was used to smell in the past, wafted in the entire bedroom. He observed the surroundings and found what he was looking for. Walking inside, he continued until his feet stopped in front of the bed. Laying perfectly still, her breathing so shallow it required an attentive observation to notice, Tetra''s body, void of a soul, reflected in his eyes. Clenching his hands tightly, he sighed. "This is still painful, even after all this time. I can''t help but remember that day." The lifeless body of this sweet and obsessed woman, sprawled on the floor, was a memory that would forever haunt his mind. This would remain his punishment, denouncing his lack of attention and power at the time. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing everyone enter. The now-crowded room was a gallery for the next miracle Orion would create. "Henrietta and Titania, you can simply wait and watch." "Do you not need us?" Surprised, Titania asked. "I do, but all you have to actually care about is checking for any problems after I''m done." The Remnants appeared shocked. It meant that Orion himself would do the work. "I''m beginning." Everyone knew that Orion needed to concentrate, so they closed their mouths tightly. *Rumble* The air inside the room began to distort. "I''ll rewind time, but only for her." The sigil of the Remnant of Space and Time appeared in his eyes, and the symbol of the number III flashed vividly. Everything around Orion began to stop moving. As he lifted his hand, a pink flame escaped the area of his chest where his heart was beating. That flame freely began to caress his clothes. He made sure the flame never separated from his body, as it would instantly vanish from existence. It crawled over his shoulder, traveled down his left arm, and followed down toward his hand. Resting in his open hand, the flame stayed perfectly motionless. It was a breathtaking sight, which left everyone speechless. "You better come back." With a smile, Orion violently bent forward and slammed his hand on Tetra''s chest. *BOOM* A pulsing shockwave, which remained contained a few centimeters behind him, began to beat repeatedly. *THUMP* Shockwaves akin to heartbeats pushed against the barrier Orion erected behind him. This power was a shock to everyone, but it was just like him to protect them instead of sending the group away beforehand. The pulsing gradually took off. A single drop of blood dropped from Orion''s mouth, but he had already healed the injury. Only he could survive the countereffect of Tetra''s power, and he was prepared to shoulder it in its entirety. "Come on!" This was starting to get far too long for him. "You better be joking, or I''ll get seriously angry!" Forcing the power of time out of his body, his hair began to defy gravity. *THUMP* *THUMP* Two beats echoed each half a second, gradually picking up even more as Orion gave his everything. "Tetra! Open those damn eyes!" The tension was visible, to the point Orion was sweating profusely. It took everything out of him to bring back the last companion he made. Even then, he wasn''t sure if he would succeed. But Orion was unwilling to give up. Even if it had to take everything out of him, he would turn his promise into a reality. He would bring Tetra back to life and make her his ninth woman. Suddenly, the beating began to lower in intensity. Orion opened his eyes wide, feeling the detached source in his core vanish. "Oh..." He moved a step back and took a moment to gather his bearing. *Thump* Tetra''s chest began to move up and down. Her breathing stabilized, and a groan escaped her mouth. "Hng..." Closing his eyes with a genuinely satisfied grin, he breathed a long, tired sigh. "Hey..." As Tetra opened her eyes and smiled at him, she greeted him, seeing his face instead of seeing through his eyes. "Welcome back." Orion sat next to her and patted her head. Another miracle happened, as Tetra''s soul and source fused with her body. Chapter 483: The family whole again. After checking that everything was alright with Tetra, Orion stepped away from the bed. While Tetra kept her stare on his back, she lovingly smiled at him. All the women affiliated with Orion felt a sudden shiver down their spines as they looked at the pink-haired woman moving to sit. "Tetra..." At the voice full of anxiety, she turned her gaze away from Orion. As her shoes touched the ground since forever and all her senses returned to her, she smiled. Henrietta, her closest and only friend, carefully walked up to her. "Isn''t it Enri I see with a weird frown? How are you?" "..." Without answering, Henrietta sat next to her with the same expression. "What? Why aren''t you saying anything?" While she was putting up a front to avoid worrying everyone, the exhaustion on her face was plain as day. "Stupid..." Unable to contain herself, Henrietta hugged her friend with everything she had. "H-Huh? Enri?" Even though she was used to being called such names, she couldn''t understand the tone that followed it for a brief moment. She couldn''t even register the hug, as it wasn''t an action Henrietta would have done. "Losing you was eye-opening... I''ll never make that mistake again." Tetra finally began to gather her thoughts. Her face dropped, and the smile on her face turned into a restrained and painful one. Wrapping her arms around her friend''s back, Tetra finally stopped acting as if she were fine and welcomed the warmth she hadn''t felt until now. "I can''t believe... the same Enri is actually hugging me." As Orion replaced Henrietta next to Titania, he breathed a sigh of exhaustion and looked at her. "What do you think?" At his question, Titania activated her abilities. Her eyes shone a green color, displaying the sigil that made her entire power. "Let me see..." Having the power to see the lives directly in everyone through her ability to control ''Life and Death'', Titania carefully observed the movement of Tetra''s soul. Seeing through her constitution, she watched as threads securely wrapped around the anchor of her soul were slowly building up. After a few seconds, she confirmed that her soul was slowly getting reattached to her body, and her core was reforming. The sole magic container in her soul was also healing, which was unprecedented for a Remnant to this day. "You have outdone yourself. That is all I can come up with..." Astonished by the miracle Orion had brought, she couldn''t help but remember Layla''s case either. But somehow, she was satisfied. With the memories of her past interaction with them, she understood that Orion wouldn''t let anything move past his control anymore. "Control..." "Hmm?" Hearing her speak a word he wasn''t used to hearing from her, he glanced toward her. At the same time, Titania activated every ability she possessed. "!"The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. A nauseating feeling suddenly pushed her back. An intense sense of fear appeared on her face as Orion''s full identity revealed itself in front of her. "You..." "Are you looking at me? Or are you looking for something else?" With a neutral smile on his face, he turned to look at the warm scene in front of him. "Haa~!" She exhaled the air she kept for too long in her lungs and looked away. Orion''s words managed to free her from the terror she was feeling, and with that, she apologized. "I am sorry..." "You don''t have to. Even though this power is in my hand, I still don''t know how to use it well." A smile she was more used to appeared while he explained something else. "I am still myself, so you don''t have to be afraid of what I could do." After breathing a bit more to calm herself, Titania finally nodded. "I know. I believe I understand you quite a lot." "And I appreciate that." Giving back a nod of his own, Orion leaned against the wall. Titania kept her gaze on him as he closed his eyes to rest for a moment. ''I wonder what will happen in the future. With the power of ''Purity'' in his hands and that title...'' ''Also, I worry about the corruption still present in his body.'' What she was certain of was that Orion was truthful in his words. Both the power of ''Purity'' and the void magic''s full potential were running unchecked inside his body. The only thing blocking a burst of power out of his body was the corruption in his magical veins. With the curse still ever present in his body, Orion was avoiding the worst. But the instant he would purge his body and clean it entirely... Destruction beyond belief would surely devour Horizon. This was what terrified her the most. The idea that they had brought a ticking time bomb made her doubt everything for a brief moment. But she trusted him nonetheless. "Orion." Amelia and the others approached him, careful as to not make his exhaustion worse. "Yes?" He opened his eyes and turned his gaze toward them, a warm smile on his face. They could tell that he was genuinely delighted to hear their voices and see their faces. "Is it weird if we ask you what''s your relationship with Tetra?" "That''s right. We''ve noticed the gaze she gave you when you walked away." "It was the kind of gaze... we give you." Amelia, Karteira, and Olivia all looked to the side. They were slightly apprehensive about questioning him after his return. "It''s something I was going to explain to everyone anyway. It''s nothing you should be worried about." As Orion began to take this opportunity to rest his mind, he explained what had happened between them during the time he spent in the ''Corridors of Time'' and the six years in the past. Then he told everyone that he gave Tetra a chance to finally let go of her unrequited feelings. Instead, he grew fond of her and decided to accept her advances. ... "I guess... it''s fine." Amelia looked at Tetra with mixed feelings. The entire group felt strange at the idea that another person would join their ranks. But was one more person a problem? Someone who has already lived with them in the past? While Tetra and Henrietta were discussing what had happened, Orion ended up doing the same. "Well, everything would have been worse if she weren''t there, right?" Deveralna recalled the beginning, where Orion almost became a shell of himself. "Loneliness..." They all turned to Orion as Senia spoke that single word. "If she''s the one who protected you, who are we to push her away?" May shrugged. "I can''t believe she was with you this entire time!" Pouting cutely, Dramia walked closer to Orion and stared up at his face. "Sis, you know why he couldn''t tell us." With a defeated smile, Drania came closer and tried to pull her sister away. "I''ll keep my promise to you, Mia. Even if I kept a few things hidden, I was truthful to you two." Hearing her human name again, she shuddered. "Don''t... call me by that name." "Why?" The faint blush over her ears gave it away instinctively. ''She''s embarrassed.'' Then, Orion appeared surprised out of nowhere. ''Oh... That''s right. I can''t hear here anymore.'' He was so used to hearing Tetra in his mind that now that she was back in her body, he felt lonely. As his back left the wall, he placed a hand on Mia''s head. "Your real name is Mia. Yours is Nia. From now on, you should get used to hearing it." "I don''t know what the others will choose to call you, but I''ve decided to keep it that way." Not forgetting Nia, he gently ruffled through their grass-colored hair. "What about that wolf?" Nia looked up, ignoring his hand blocking her sight. She grabbed his hand and dragged it to the side, wanting an answer to her question. "Procyon?" "Yes. You told us you would do something with her, but she never returned after that." Orion nodded. "That''s something we''ll have to do later. Until Tetra feels better, she''s fine-" "I''m fine, too." Held by the arm by Henrietta, Tetra approached the group. "Don''t get me wrong. I''m not at my hundred percent yet, but I can at least help you bring her back." "Tetra..." A concerned frown appeared on Orion''s face. He shook her head and crossed his arms. "It''s not a priority at the moment. Until your body is stable enough, I won''t risk damaging your soul." "I need you at your peak, or else it will be useless." Tetra also frowned in return but rapidly sighed in defeat. "So protective..." "That''s only the beginning." Without saying anything else, he walked past everyone and left the room. The others were about to leave too, but suddenly stopped. "Welcome back." "And thank you for helping Orion." They all bent their heads down, showing appreciation for the woman. As they left the room, Tetra opened her eyes wide. "You have a bit of work to do before being entirely accepted as one of them, but that''s already a good start." With a genuine smile, she nodded. "I''ll do my best." ... Everyone decided to let Orion alone for a while. The man walked upstairs and stopped in front of his room. ''I haven''t been in this room in so long.'' Placing his hand on the door handle, he slowly turned it. He was ready to see it dusty. As the door opened silently, he was surprised at the sight. After entering the room and closing the door, Orion smiled. ''It''s clean.'' Everything, going from the furniture to his clothes, was perfectly clean. Even the sheets of his bed were new, freshly placed prior to his return. He sat on his bed and looked outside the window. ''I''m back.'' Caressing the cover slightly, memories shared with everyone slowly returned. With it, the slumbering power of Silka reawakened. But this time, Orion was in full control of his desires. He wanted to embrace them, but after all this time, he knew how to control this feeling. But simply remembering Amelia, Karteira, and Deveralna in his bed during their heated moments made him yearn for something more. The need to advance his relationship with everyone became Orion''s priority outside the duties he had now. He pulled out the bracelet from his pocket and placed it on his nightstand. At the same time, he picked up the hourglass and laid down in bed. "So much happened." "I''ve gone through so much." The start of his adventure across the continent felt so distant yet so vivid in his mind. "I made so many allies." An image of his companions and friends flashed in his mind as he turned the hourglass around. "Many people stood in my way." His enemies, starting with the Apostles and ending with Miasma, came to mind. "And I managed to save many others." Three beastmen appeared in his mind, then Elliott and Layla, and lastly, Noah. Many others followed, like the sirens, the arachnea, the fairies, and even humans. Glancing at the bracelet, he smiled. "Some even supported me through my darkest times." The entire angel and demon faction sealed inside the bracelet, smiling, flashed in front of him. "And where does everything lead me to?" His eyes focused on the ceiling. A white form covered his eyes as he grinned. "Back here." Lifting his hand toward the ceiling, he continued. "Prepare yourself, beasts. I won''t let you touch the women I love." "I''ll hunt you down, even if I have to invade your world." Grabbing air, Orion readied himself for his next tale. "Devourers of Purity or whatever." "You will all regret threatening our lives." Chapter 484: Father and son. After an hour of lying in bed, Orion glanced toward the door. Once all of his ideas formed in his head, he simply enjoyed the comfortable sensation of his mattress. But footsteps disrupted his leisurely time alone. *Knock* A single knock. This was a strange action, as almost anyone he knew usually did it twice or several times. He sat straight on the edge of the bed, shuffling the sheets. While pondering as to whom it could be, he stood up and walked to the door. "Yes?" Opening the door, Orion looked at the figure standing there. A man with silver hair was patiently waiting with a neutral smile. "Dad?" Reon nodded at his baffled son. "I thought we could talk for a bit." Orion opened the door wider and invited his father inside. "Sure. It''s still difficult for me to get around the fact that you are alive." Closing the door, Orion pointed at the table further inside the room. Reon reached for a chair and sat down. "I will let Henrietta and Titania tell you what happened later. If I were to tell you everything, they would have nothing to explain." With a smile, he brought a hand into his pocket. "Orion." Listening, he stopped before reaching the table. "What is it?" Out of his pocket, Reon pulled out what appeared to be a repair kit with many tools protruding out of a plastic cover. "Your bracelet. It was damaged during your battle against Miasma, hasn''t it?" With a quick glance toward the nightstand, where the bracelet was resting, he nodded. Rapidly walking to it and grabbing the device, he clenched it in his hand. Then he walked toward his father and placed the bracelet in front of him. "Here." "Thank you." Immediately, Reon took it in his hands and began to carefully and meticulously observe for any damaged surfaces. "..." Orion silently sat in front of him. ''I should probably ask him now that I have the chance.'' His thoughts focused on one matter. It was something he needed to hear directly from him. "Dad. Why did you seal the survivors of our faction inside the bracelet?" Reon suddenly stopped everything and opened his mouth wide.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. For a moment, he remained in a shocked state, trying to confirm what his son actually said. "When..." "In the past. I survived thanks to their help." Noticing the lack of judgment in his tone, Reon understood that Orion had brought this conversation simply to obtain an answer. Following a nod, he returned to repair the bracelet while answering his question. "That''s something even Orianne doesn''t know." "I intend to tell her in the incoming days now that you are also aware of it." Orion placed his back on the chair and listened intently, while Reon pulled out a small stand with various motorized hands and metal picks to hold the bracelet. "Let me ask a quick question before answering you truthfully." "Isn''t it our nature to fight against devastation? Me, you, your mother, even your companions and friends." "Haven''t we all tried our best to avoid total destruction?" Reon picked up a metal stick from the pouch and held the two broken rings, normally holding the chains together. "That''s simply what I tried to do. An attempt to protect what we took so long to build and create." "Just like we did for you, I sacrificed a lot of time I could have spent with Orianne to save those who weren''t fighters and those who chose to protect those civilians." "For your information, I have no regret doing so. These people, stored preciously inside this bracelet, are the reason we fight. Or were, I suppose." With a faint smile, he replaced the broken ring with another one, bending a thin piece of metal into a ring with other tools. "I''ve done a lot of research and only came to succeed thanks to the knowledge of that final spell." "Behind everyone''s back, I built a large construction that absorbed their souls and directly fired it into the device, in a place deep into it so that no one were to even suspect a thing." He kept repairing the bracelet, removing any scratches, and repairing the word ''Orion'', which had been damaged over time. "I had hoped that one day they would be able to be brought back." Reon frowned. "But their bodies have been destroyed. Even if they were intact, it has been so long since then. Only bones would remain, unlike us, who were in a crystallized form." With difficulty, Orion nodded. He knew that even with all the knowledge in his possession, he could do nothing for souls without their bodies. "This is simply too daring to do. I made a mistake and sealed them for eternity inside this little box." Guilt was painted on his face as he finished the reparation. "I''m sorry, everyone. I wish I could do more for you." Handing the device over to Orion, Reon closed his eyes. "Again, you are incredible, dad." Orion picked it up and immediately attached it around his left wrist, where it had been since his birth. "The chain is even modular." Pulling slightly on the chain, it matched perfectly his wrist, not causing any discomfort. Reon opened his eyes as Orion once again showed admiration toward him. "I wish I was half as great as you." "Aren''t you putting me too high on a pedestal?" But his son shook his head. "It''s me who thought too highly of myself. Going into the past was a learning experience." "Meeting Noah was what made me realize what I was missing." With a faint smile, Orion bumped his right fist over his heart. "Compassion, kindness, mercy." "In other words, a heart." Having meditated for a long time, Orion had time to reflect on his actions. "Everything that happened went far too fast. In a single year, I was thrown into the chaos of this continent." "The accumulated stress made me blind. Pressure built up, forcing me to only see what was in front of me, unable to realize what was truly important." "I made it difficult for all of them. Amelia was the one who suffered the most thanks to my selfishness." His gaze dimmed. "I still cannot forgive myself for threatening Amelia and Karteira. Even if they forgive me, I cannot." But his expression immediately relaxed. "Humans, beastmen, fairies, arachnea, kelpies, dragons... who cares? In the end, we are all part of the same ecosystem. We live on the same continent, sharing the same land." "It is obvious factions would sometimes fight against each other. I learned that fear drives most of those conflicts." "Not understanding the other is what makes it terrifying. This is what we need to change." He placed both hands on the table. "Even if my hatred was justified, not every human is an enemy." "Kamala, Florian, Eric... Those three proved to me that humans weren''t all corrupted. Even the people under them were good people who truly cared for other factions." "In the end, all that hatred needed to be pushed on one being, and it was Miasma." Reon agreed to this. "Our death was caused by Miasma. The Apostles came to be at the hand of Miasma. Corruption spreading and creating corrupt beasts was Miasma''s fault." "We can''t reject every single problem upon him, but to say that he had no part in all of it would be a mistake." Father and son were of the same opinion. "I have learned that everyone needs the same chance. It doesn''t matter who it is." "It doesn''t make criminals any less responsible for their actions. They exist in every faction." "Those who suffer the most... are usually the normal people. And I have the power to make it safer for them." "To help them develop into what they were meant to be." Noticing the white light in his eyes, Reon couldn''t help but ask. "Are you planning to use Miasma... no, Blanc''s power?" "I do." Orion frowned while looking at his hands. "How I should use it, I still don''t fully understand." "It is too complex to be understood yet." Closing and opening his hands multiple times, he still couldn''t control the purity itself. He couldn''t even see it yet. "These things will take time." Reon began to pack his tools. Rapidly, he turned to the door. "Your mother is coming." Without even hearing her footsteps, Reon knew Orianne was looking for him. He stood up from his chair and walked to the door. "I''ll leave you alone. You probably want to enjoy a bit more of your time after returning. Your mother will have to wait for her turn." With a smile, Orion nodded. "I intend to speak to mom, too." "You should. She''s been craving affection lately." "Haha~" As Reon opened the door and walked outside the room, he suddenly remembered something. "By the way, your mother and I have taken a room on the first floor. I hope you don''t mind." "I don''t. Feel free to continue using it." "Thank you." With a smile, Reon closed the door. Moments later, he heard hurried steps running up the stairs. "Reon! Where were you? I looked everywhere for you." "I went to repair something." "Was something broken?" "Something important. Come on, let''s go." "Ah! Sure." Their voices began to diminish as they walked downstairs. ''It''s going to be even more lively around here.'' With a warm smile, Orion leaned on his chair. *Warp* Suddenly, the area behind him began to warp. "Hmm?" As he looked over his shoulder, all he saw was a strand of pink hair. Something warm and smooth touched his lips. Tetra''s face was close, and she had pressed her lips to his. For a few seconds, they stayed like that until she pulled her face away. "I told you. I''m going for it, and I won''t hold back." She placed a finger on his lips and winked with a certain charm that made his body heat up. "See you later." Then she disappeared as fast as she came, leaving Orion to deal with his raging emotions. "..." He straightened on his chair and looked at the ceiling. "What am I supposed to do if you simply barge in here and kiss me?" Placing his hands over his eyes, happiness took over his entire body. Chapter 485: Catching up. (Part 1) A few hours went by without Orion showing his face. All he did was look inside his wardrobe and change the clothes he had worn for a long time. Freshly cleaned shirts and carefully folded pants. Items he hadn''t seen in a long time. Suddenly, he felt a powerful urge well up inside his core. "I need to go!" He grabbed a white shirt and black pants and opened his door with an intense gaze. "To the bath!" With heavy footsteps, Orion walked downstairs. The instant he arrived at the bottom of the stairs, he turned to the door right next to him. Opening the door with gusto, he closed it behind him and entered the changing room. "..." He removed his clothes in a second and walked past the open door leading to the shower and bath area. Not forgetting to close it behind him to keep the humidity inside, he stood stark naked with a towel around his waist. The place seemed to have been used recently. With Reon now living in the house, it was obvious that he also cleaned himself often. Without wasting any time with superfluous thoughts, Orion walked to the shower. *Pshiii* The sound of running water echoed inside the large room until Orion scrubbed every inch of his body. Once done, he entered the hot water of the bath and plunged his entire body deep into it. "Oh." "It''s been so long." Closing his eyes, he let the water soothe his mind. "I hope Noah really returned home. There is no way for me to confirm it, but it should be fine." "If I managed to enter the ''Corridors of Time'', there is little chance his memories failed him and sent him somewhere entirely different." Gently caressing his face with his hand, he smiled. "I trust Tetra. She went above and beyond, even without a body." "But not hearing her voice now is strange. I wonder how long it''ll take me to get used to this loneliness." Placing his elbow to the side over the edge of the bath, he sighed. "This is how it was supposed to be." ... Another hour went by as Orion soaked in the bath. When his soul had enough, he finally left. After drying himself, he put on his new clothes and exited the changing room. "Feeling better?" A face popped out of the doorway leading to the living room. Orion turned toward the voice and nodded. "Nothing is better than a good bath." Olivia was the one who noticed him first. With a smile, he walked up to her, entering the room. Inside were May and Karteira, discussing a few things together. Matters that intrigued Orion, but he focused on Olivia instead. "I see. It''s good that you''ve kept that love for it. You''re still the same Orion we know and love."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. "I could say the same." He looked at her with a loving smile, which turned Olivia into a bashful mess, her ears turning bright red. "Ha-Haha~ Here!" Olivia turned around and bent her upper body to pick up something on the coffee table. When she turned around, she handed him a cup of coffee. "Amelia just made it. She said she wanted to give it to you, but she had to go with Henrietta to do something." Orion took the cup and looked at it carefully. Inside it, a black liquid he loved shook slightly from the movement. "Thank you. You''ve all become so responsible, I wonder if I''m even needed anymore." Taking a sip of his cup, he wasn''t expecting the two other women to butt in. "What are you even saying?" "Of course you''re needed." Karteira and May frowned and crossed their arms. "..." Gulping the first sip of his black coffee, he smiled. Soon enough, Olivia turned around and looked at the two. "I know it''s been a while since you''ve seen him, but do you really think he was serious?" She turned to Orion. "It was obviously a joke." The two women apparently froze for a second at her words. They looked at each other and chuckled at their mistake. "You''re right. I have no excuse." "Me neither. Sorry, Orion." He shrugged lightly while walking further inside. Sitting on the couch to the left, he kept drinking his coffee in silence, appreciating the company of the three. Olivia sat next to him gingerly, but rapidly forgot it as a natural mood between them arose. Stopping in their conversation, May and Karteira joined them, telling part of the events of the past. ... Olivia told him where everyone went and what they were doing. Amelia was with Henrietta doing some control training further inside Horizon. Deveralna was back in Lahro to lead her people and look over the development of the lamia and human rehabilitation plan. Mia and Nia were with Kamala in Hocride, making the plan to introduce fairies to humans a reality. Senia was in the sea, watching other seafood supplies with the other sirens. And Tetra was wandering Horizon alone, enjoying the surrounding nature, which she couldn''t appreciate before. With a nod, Orion asked something. "What about Stella? Where is she?" "Stella? She''s probably with Reon." Karteira said while bringing a finger to her chin. "With dad?" "Yes." Olivia confirmed it. "Since her return, she''s often been working with him. The device that helped us bring you back was made by them." This strange combination surprised Orion. "That''s incredible. Is there a reason for that?" May nodded. "Were you aware that Stella was a Remnant?" This question made him frown ever so slightly. He still nodded. "I think I can make up the rest by myself. Since I still need to hear about her circumstances, maybe it''ll be better to keep this question for later." "It might be a good idea, yes." The three agreed with his statement. Just hearing him acknowledge that he knew the true identity of the family''s daughter, they knew it wasn''t their place to explain everything. "They should all come back soon. It''s already getting late." When Olivia looked out the window, they followed suit. The sky was turning grayish, and the false sun was dimming, changing the white sky into a sky with bright stars. "You can bet they''re going to come back at top speed-" Before she could finish her sentence, the door opened. "I lost?! What?" "I''m always one step ahead of you. You''re a thousand years too late to win against me." "But I''m the same age as you! Even worse, I''m your twin sister!" The twins, Mia and Nia, walked inside their home. The elder sister had a smug face on her face, while the younger sister was pouting. Instantly, Nia''s face brightened up. "Orion!" Before anyone could understand anything, her wings buzzed, and she was sitting on Orion''s lap. "..." Mia took a bit too long to notice and lost the opportunity to do the same. She won the race but lost the next one, to her misery. With a now wholly different mood, she sat next to him and entirely ignored Nia. "You smell good. Did you take a bath?" "I did." Orion lifted both hands, placing each one on the twins'' heads. Nia smiled while Mia remained quiet, her bitter expression vanishing. Rapidly, one after the other, the members of the family returned home. "Oh. Orion." Deveralna was the next person to come back. Slithering across the room with a beaming smile on her face, she sat on the couch in front of him. "How was your day?" Genuinely intrigued, he asked. "Not bad." "Everything is going smoothly, while they are all slowly getting rid of their prejudices toward humans." "One day, humans and lamias will live together, just like our progenitor intended us to." This first step was necessary to break the barrier of factions. To create what was supposed to already exist. "That''s great to hear. You''ve been working hard as the ruler of your people." Hearing the familiar compliments coming out of his mouth, she nodded. "Yes." At that moment, the plasma snake around the upper part of her arm unwrapped itself and moved over Deveralna''s thigh area. "Ophion?" Confused by the awakening of her little friend, she placed her hand underneath his floating body. "Is that its name? What is this creature?" Great interest toward this unknown beast grew inside Orion. As if answering his inquiry, Ophion turned to him and approached him. "Hmm?" When it stopped in front of Nia, Orion lifted his hand. *Bite* "Ophion?!" Panicked, Deveralna stood up from her seat and leaned over the table. Everyone''s eyes opened wide as they watched the snake absorb some of Orion''s magic through his finger. "Are you some form of magical beast? So you eat magic. Interesting." Hearing the simple comment coming from his mouth, they all relaxed. They thought Orion would react negatively to the little snake, but he didn''t. Deveralna felt instantly relieved as Orion began to caress the top of Ophion''s head, who was still eating his magic. "Does that often happen?" "No." The lamia shook her head from side to side. "It''s never happened before. Usually, I''m the only one he eats from." "I guess it likes me." With a bright expression, he kept rubbing Ophion''s nose. After a few minutes, the plasma snake removed its fangs from his finger, leaving no trace behind. *Puu* A small puff of hot air escaped his mouth as it felt full, returning to its master. "Do you mind its presence?" Genuinely worried about it, Deveralna asked. "No. It''s perfectly fine. I won''t tell you to let it go. I wouldn''t want anyone to tell me to get rid of Sirius, either." Breathing a sight of relief, she watched Ophion wrap around her arm, falling into a deep slumber. "If you can let me observe him occasionally, I''d make me happy." "Anytime!" With a bright smile, she nodded. Since Orion didn''t mind Ophion, and she was able to keep him close, she felt content. "By the way, Olivia. What happened to that big creature in the Carmel Sea?" Turning to the blonde woman leaning on his right shoulder, he asked. "It''s still asleep. Reon told me that the larger a creature is, the longer it takes for them to recover naturally." "Couldn''t Karteira help with that?" The cerulean fairy shrugged. "I tried. This thing is no joke." "Even though its body is perfectly fine, there''s nothing light magic can do to heal the psyche." Orion pondered for a moment before agreeing with her. "You''re right. In that case, it will depend on the being itself. Thank you." "It''s nothing." As the conversation came to a close, Amelia and Henrietta walked inside alongside Senia. "We''ve got a big fish for tonight." "That''s great! I''ll have to see what to do with it." The moment they entered, they noticed everyone in the living room. "Hi." As Orion greeted them, the family was almost complete. After closing the door behind her, Henrietta stopped while her daughter and Senia joined the other. "What timing..." Seeing the space warp in front of her, she smiled briefly. "Strange..." A pink-haired Remnant walked inside the hallway with a confused face. She confirmed she was in the right place and nodded, missing seeing her friend behind her. As such, she blurted out the matter that confused her. "I''m not getting sick anymore." Chapter 486: Catching up. (Part 2) Tetra suddenly turned around after feeling someone staring at her from behind. "Enri." Seeing her friend stare at her with a neutral expression, she turned around. "You heard me?" "I did. Should have I not?" She looked away for a moment before shaking her head. "No, it''s fine. I don''t intend to keep secrets from you." With a nod, Henrietta pointed out to the dining room. They walked inside the room and sat side by side around the large table capable of receiving more than fifteen people around it. "Where have you been?" Henrietta asked her this question. "I walked around the place. It''s been a long time since I could feel my legs carry me." With a longing smile, she looked down at the table. "The gentle breeze, the feeling of dirt under my shoes, my leaves falling on my head..." "It''s only when you are removed from things that you truly understand how precious those are." Surprised by her friend''s unusual behavior, she opened her eyes. "You''ve changed. I can''t believe I''m hearing the same Tetra telling me how being alive is great." Tetra chuckled. "You should find another lover. It''ll help you feel refreshed." But she shrugged. "I don''t think so. I''m actually fine with Amelia, you, and everyone else." "Wow." Putting her hands in front of her mouth in an exaggerated manner, Tetra exclaimed. "I had no idea you liked me that much." "Stop spouting nonsense and get to the matter." "Alright, killjoy. I''ll do that. Still, you''re also important to me, if you wanted to know." Putting up a facade like she usually did, Henrietta still showed a slight tint of embarrassment at this. "Since you heard me a moment ago, I can tell you straight." Henrietta focused and crossed her arms. "Have you been having nightmares recently? When you use that book, I mean." For a moment, Henrietta pondered. "The most recent one was a year ago... When I used it quite a lot to revive Reon and Orianne and heal Amelia from her unconscious state." "It''s good that you haven''t used it much. I don''t like your face after you wake up from one of those." If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Tetra frowned, showing the constant concern she had for her. "When I was inside Orion, I could use it without much drawback other than the inability to use it efficiently." She explained in detail. "Through Orion, I could somehow manifest it. He was a catalyst for the consequences of that power." "Which meant that each time I used it, he suffered what I should have been through." There was no regret or guilt in her voice. This was a matter she had already agreed with Orion, so she was fine talking about it. "Only two times I had to manifest outside his core. This also affected him greatly." "I think he took enough internal damage to die fifteen times while we were together." "I can only imagine the pain that he went through because of me." This time, she appeared guilty. It was an obvious result of her intense feelings toward him. "So, you''re saying that you managed to use your power without consequences?" Slightly perplexed, Henrietta leaned forward and placed her chin on her hands. "It''s not just when I was protected inside his core. Nothing happens when I use my power." Tetra looked at Henrietta with an unusual seriousness. "You''re not pulling my leg just because you were away, right?" "I won''t do that anymore. I promise you it is true." Giving her a nod, Tetra continued. "Remember when I came back? Usually, I would feel this sickening feeling in my stomach and chest." "I don''t have it anymore." Henrietta squinted, pondering about the strangeness of this statement. "Are you serious? Nothing?" "Nothing. Absolutely no discomfort." "I haven''t tried using more than the first tick of my power, but I believe I would be fine... Even if I were to use my full power." Shock appeared on Henrietta''s face. "I need to know if it''s true, so I don''t make the mistake of sacrificing you." "You want me to use more of it right now? I can do that." Tetra stood up from her chair and walked to the other side of the table. Extending her arm toward her side, she closed her eyes. "It''s not exactly the same, but..." When she opened her eyes, the number ''III'' flashed over her pupils as space warped in front of her. A breach in space-time opened, leading to a moment of the past when Tetra was walking inside a forest in Horizon. "..." Henrietta opened her mouth wide open as another Tetra walked past the portal, not noticing it one bit. Tetra closed her hand, and the portal followed suit, shutting tight as if nothing had happened. "It''s possible for me to return two hours in the past, it seems. If I were to cross over, my body would disintegrate and my mind would fuse with the past me." "Or so I think it''s what would happen." Suddenly, Henrietta stood up from her chair and rushed to her friend. "E-Enri?" Confused, Tetra recoiled slightly at the grim expression on her face. "Nothing''s wrong with you, right?" "Your mind isn''t melting? Your body is holding up? Don''t you feel like vomiting blood?" Being closely examined by the blond woman, Tetra felt suddenly embarrassed. "Ah! Wait! Don''t touch-" "Not there-" Unable to resist Henrietta, who was too focused on looking for any anomalies on her, Tetra bit her lower lip. "That''s enough!" She pushed Henrietta''s face with both hands. Breathing roughly, she took a step back. "I''m not into women. I love Orion, sorry!" "What are you on about?" Henrietta recovered from her concerned state and shrugged at the absurdity coming out of her mouth. "I-I''m fine! See? Nothing wrong!" "You''re right. Normally, this amount of power would have fried your brain instantly..." With a serious expression, Henrietta confirmed it with her memories of the workings of Tetra''s Remnant powers. "How could this be possible?" Tetra breathed in and out for a minute as Henrietta silently pondered. Right after, she gave her opinion. "It''s probably related to the power of purity. Orion subconsciously cleansed the downside of my power as he obtained it." "You''re telling me his subconscious wish to protect you from the effects of your power caused this to happen?" She nodded. "That seems a bit... unconventional." After thinking about it some more, Henrietta came to the same opinion. "I think it''s correct to believe that Orion is the reason for this change." "We know nothing about the Remnant of Purity, and the power in his hand is the same." Both returned to their seats calmly. "There are so many things we don''t know about." Bringing a hand to her chest, Henrietta was about to bring out her book out of her core. "Don''t." Gently, Tetra placed her hand over her friend''s. "What are you saying? I have to look to be certain of it." But she shook her head. "You know you won''t find anything in there. Isn''t Orion''s entire voyage into the past entirely nonexistent in this book? You won''t find a single trace concerning the reason, and you know it." With a serious glare, she pressured Henrietta. "Stop relying on this book. We''re past the point where we need to actually correct things." "Don''t you want to enjoy the future with your daughter? Before being a Remnant, aren''t you a mother?" "Don''t influence it. Stop forcing those nightmares on yourself. It''s easy to guess that you dream of those failed timelines each time you do." She gave no chance to Henrietta to fight back with words. "Aren''t you sick of seeing Amelia die in your dreams? We don''t have to be shackled by our responsibilities anymore." "You don''t have to look back anymore." Henrietta''s lips trembled. "But..." "What if something comes and destroys their happiness? What would I tell them if I could avoid it all along?" She clenched her chest, while Tetra kept her hands on hers with a smile. "Leave that to Orion. You''ve done more than enough. You''ve sacrificed too much already." "It''s time to retire, granny." A vein popped on Henrietta''s forehead. "And here I thought you were a better person!" "Appearances can be deceiving. Haha~" Seeing her friend laugh wholeheartedly, Henrietta relaxed. ''Can I really leave the rest to them?'' She pictured the entire family standing strong in front of adversity. "!" "See?" With a bright smile, Tetra said, her eyes shining an unusual pink color. "Was that...?" "I am there too. The future seems brighter than I thought." At that moment, two people entered the dining room. "Mom, Tetra. We''ll eat in a bit." Carrying a large fish by the tail, Amelia walked past them and entered the kitchen, followed by Mia. "Wow! I haven''t eaten Amelia''s cooking since forever!" "Orion said the same." Mia said with her usual cold tone. "Hmm?" Intrigued, Tetra walked into the kitchen. "What?" She stopped next to Mia and stared directly at her face. "Do you mind if I hug you?" "Eh?!" "I mean, Orion does it often. I also wanted to do it." Watching her friend integrate Orion''s family placed a smile upon Henrietta''s friend. ''Maybe it is best for me to listen to her.'' ''You''ve matured, Tetra.'' As she thought that, her friend pulled the fairy closer to her and tightly hugged her. The genuine happiness on her face was a new sight to her, expressing the changes she undertook. It was Henrietta''s time to let go of her regrets. With these thoughts, Henrietta noticed Orion as he entered the room. He smiled at her respectfully and joined her at the table. With a light heart, she began to talk to her son-in-law, simply enjoying a conversation unrelated to their power. Chapter 487: Training routine for Amelia. The night of Orion''s return, everything went by without a problem. They ate dinner, discussed some things that had happened, and ended up early, as everyone was exhausted. As Orion returned to his room, someone followed him inside. It was Amelia. She couldn''t hold her desires anymore. Naturally, Orion let her in and blocked the sounds from leaving his room. ... "Nhg..." The first one to wake up was Amelia. As she opened her eyes, she felt the warmth of the man she loved. She was resting on top of his chest, rubbing her cheek on his shirt. Orion was still deep in sleep, letting the peace take over his tired mind. While Amelia wanted to stay like this, she had to continue her training with her mother. Just because Orion had returned, the responsibilities she obtained during the past year still existed. Without waking him up, she left his side and stretched her arms. Her waist was feeling a bit sore, but compared to the past, it was manageable. She was wearing one of Orion''s shirts, with just her underwear underneath. In just a minute, she changed back to her clothes and approached him. (See you later.) Kissing his cheek, she smiled. As she straightened, she then turned around and left the room, closing the door gently behind her. After sighing from happiness, she walked downstairs and went to the kitchen. "Good morning, Amelia." "Hi." Henrietta and Tetra were already awake, alongside her second teacher, Orianne. "Good morning." With a smile, she greeted them and walked into the kitchen. "How was last night?" "Pretty relaxing." Amelia prepared herself toasts while answering her mother-in-law. "Orianne, don''t bring that up this early in the morning." With a frown, Henrietta glared at the woman, who simply shrugged. "That''s why you''re still single." "I said the same thing yesterday." Tetra agreed with her and began to mock her lightly. "You two..." Seemingly fed up with their heckling, she sighed. But then she smiled. This was the usual for her, and she felt relieved now that Tetra was also there. Then Tetra looked at Amelia. "Is he still asleep? Isn''t that rare?" When she looked out the window, she noticed that it was past 8 AM. By this time, Orion was supposed to be awake. At least she was used to this being a normal occurrence for him. "He is. I avoided waking him up as I left." "Since we went a bit wild last night, I might have pushed his exhaustion even further." If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "Wow." Tetra felt the love overwhelming Amelia''s heart and felt a large spike of jealousy in her own. "Sounds nice." Transforming this jealousy into love, she began to envy her instead, wishing it would happen to her too. "Get your heads out of the gutter, you two. This conversation this early is rather sickening." "I don''t mind it. I mean, I also go wild with Reon so knowing that Orion does the same makes me happy." "Orianne!" Henrietta was completely shocked and disgusted. She was the only one thinking that this entire conversation was inappropriate. "Haha~ Alright, we''ll stop. We wouldn''t want to irritate you for the rest of the day." The crimson-haired woman chuckled while picking up her cup of coffee and sipping it candidly. "Good grief..." Feeling dread emanating from the three horny women around her, she hid her face in her hands. "So, what are we doing today?" Walking to the table with a tray with toasts and a jar of strawberry jam, she placed everything in the middle. There was enough for all four of them. Leaving behind the weird vibes, they enjoyed breakfast. ... "As I told you earlier, we''re going to confirm again that everything goes well with your arsenal of Elemental Masteries." "Alright." Thanks to Tetra''s warping ability, it became easier and faster to move around. They managed to push their breakfast longer because of that. With the three older women watching over her, Amelia nodded. "First, fire." In a blast of fire energy, Amelia''s body and clothes changed. A long spear made of intense fire that spun like a cyclone appeared in front of her, and when she grabbed it, its form took hold naturally. The bright fire crown over her head flashed a violent and ruthless white, an indicator of the hazardous power wrapping her body. "Good. It''s stable. Push it further." Henrietta smiled with satisfaction as Amelia followed her advice. "Hng!" Amelia forced every bit of energy inside her body toward the spear. Vesta began to react as flames began to swallow the blade whole. After a few minutes of doing that, the flames broke apart, starting from the tip, and opened like a flower. Then, they suddenly bent inward, creating two powerful rays of fire to the side in a reverse V-shape. "Oh!" Feeling the energy stabilize, Amelia exclaimed in joy. "..." Watching carefully, Orianne approached her. "There is still a bit of waste in your usage, but for now, this is the most you can possibly gather." "The only way to make it perfect is to battle. There are numerous people who would, so pick your fighter." As she looked all over Amelia to find any leakage of magic, she nodded. "I''m part of those people, if you were wondering." Watching Orianne walk away, Amelia felt an urge to use her spear. With just a thrust forward, the full power behind her fire element showed great potential. Pushed by the rays of fire, her feet scrapped a hundred meters of grass in a flash. The transition to turn around or to the side needed to be carefully calculated, but she already felt a certain ease after using Vesta all this time. Once she returned to the group, she looked toward her mother. "Now, wind." With a nod, Amelia instantly changed the focus on her element. Her crown exploded in ember particles before a visible green breeze pushed them away, slowly taking the shape of a windy crown. "..." Tetra was silent. For her, seeing Amelia''s prowess was a discovery, as she missed everything alongside Orion. "Good." Amelia confirmed that the magic took hold. The spear gradually morphed into another shape, while Amelia watched her clothes also change. When she grabbed Aura, it had turned into karambit knives, which she began to skillfully play around with, spinning them around her fingers. As she grabbed them tightly, the crown above her head stabilized, a miniature storm at the center of it. "It''s stable." This Elemental Mastery once happened with Ruminona, the wind dragon. It happened once, when both reacted to the scale bathing in its respective element inside her core. Before her mother could tell her what to do, she focused every bit of energy into the knives. "..." They began to glow light green before Amelia slashed forward once. A tornado the size of a building ripped the air in front of her and devastated everything in a straight line. But it only took hold for a few seconds before vanishing. "If we''re talking magic, that''s what I can do. But if it''s close combat, it''s another thing." Spinning the karambit knives wildly, she took an offensive stance. She crouched lightly and, with swift and precise movement, began to fend the air itself with every swipe. *Fwoosh* Her movements began to gain momentum, fending the air more than once per second. After a minute, she stopped. "I''m not even tired anymore." With a caring smile, she looked at Aura. "It''s better than when you started using it. The control is fine, too, but not perfect." Amelia turned to Orianne. "I think most of my Elemental Masteries are like that. There''s something I quite don''t understand yet, but I can''t seem to put my finger on it." Orianne nodded. "That''s normal. If it were simple, everyone would be capable of doing it. You, especially, might find this even more difficult, as you possess the five elements plus the void element." From the entire Agathion faction, those who possessed the ability to control their power were the Remnants, Elliott, Nylon, and Deveralna. Since their training wasn''t focused on controlling the output, they were lacking compared to Deveralna, who trained under Elliott specifically for that reason. But out of everyone else, Amelia was the closest to this breakthrough. Even Orion had found the fundamental rule of ''Control''. All he needed was to understand the laws of both powers to gain total command over them. "Next one, Amelia. Water" As Henrietta asked, she changed her Elemental Mastery again. The crown of wind dissipated in the air as water began to condense over her head. Then, as the large droplets of water accumulated into a beautiful crown of water, it froze almost instantly. An icy, sharp crown of ice with water flowing inside its frozen edges formed, and the karambit knives shattered in her hands. Turning into shards of ice, they began to gather in a single spot, changing into a dual-bladed scythe. Dana, the water elemental, turned Amelia into the coldest, deadliest reaper this world had known. Her snow-white skin glistened with particles of ice. "..." Spinning the scythe skillfully with both hands, Amelia took a step forward. *Slash* With a swift movement, she leaned forward and slashed forward. Wherever she attacked, blades of grass frozen and shattered. "That is spectacular. I think this element is total under her control." "I think so, too. There''s no mistake about it." Simply looking at Amelia''s expression and skillful manipulation of the scythe, they knew that she wasn''t moving on instinct anymore. Every single movement, every breath, every muscle twitch¡ªeverything was under her total control. Her thoughts were manifesting through her actions, which created the frozen landscape in front of them. To prove the perfection of this element, Henrietta, Tetra, and Orianne were unaffected by her magic, feeling completely fine around this incredible cold. As Amelia continued to display her devastating power, Henrietta recalled the carnage she wrought by herself on the battlefield against the invasion caused by Miasma. ''Five corrupted giants... She''s terrifying.'' An in a fraction of a moment, no less. She was already powerful enough to kill a dragon that grew past its limits. "So, that''s how she trains." Suddenly, a man walked up next to them. "You''re awake. I thought you would stay in bed for the day." Tetra jokingly snuggled up to Orion, who placed his hand on her head in return. "I came to pick you up. After hearing that you were actually fine using your power yesterday, I decided that it was time for us to bring Procyon back." "Geh! Work..." She faked a distasteful groan and looked at him with puppy eyes. "No can do. The sooner it''s finished, the better." Turning around and leaning back against his chest, she sighed. "I guess so." He smiled briefly before turning to Henrietta. "Henrietta, I won''t bother Amelia during training. You can tell her that I encourage her if you''d like." "Sure." With a nod, she returned to focus on her daughter''s training. "Can I come?" Orianne lifted her hand in the air while hopping toward him. "..." For an instant, Orion and Tetra looked at each other. "Why not?" Tetra was the first to accept. "It''s a good opportunity to do something together. I don''t mind." "Yes!" His mother grabbed his right arm and hugged his shoulder. "Hey!" Tetra did the same and grabbed his left arm. "Calm down, you two. I''m not going anywhere." With that said, Orion opened a portal and walked through it, leaving Henrietta by herself. ''These women, I swear. Are Titania and I the only responsible ones around here?'' With a faint smile, she closed her eyes. "Amelia, this time, use the lightning element." "Yes!" As they kept training, it took a long time before Amelia realized only her mother remained. Chapter 488: Return to Ormrdivin. A massive dragon opened its eyes. "Hmm?" Letting out a grunt as its head lifted away from the rocky ground, it felt a strange pressure in the air. Then, out of nowhere, a portal opened. This familiar breach in space reminded him of someone. And, out of it, emerged the figure he wished to see again. "Orion!" Monolavir suddenly forced himself to stand and approached the man, who had a smile on his face. "Mono?" Awakening from her sleep, Ruminona glanced in the direction of the commotion. As she was protecting her eggs, she remained in her nest. "Hey. How are you doing?" He tried to wave at him, but both of his arms were tied by Tetra and Orianne. "I cannot believe it! You are back!" "I am. As you can see, I am healthy." Lifting her head too, the green dragon opened its eyes wide. "He had returned, Rumi! Orion is back, alive!" The excitement in the Azure Dragon''s voice was a new experience for Orion. He quite enjoyed it, but he also was glad they were fine. "Can you let go?" He asked the two women at his sides, who nodded before letting him go. Both dragons were too focused on their returning friend to notice the two others. Orion walked up to Monolavir and suddenly warped on top of his nose. With a smile, he crouched and placed his hand on his scales. "It''s been a while." "It truly was. I never thought time would affect us so much while waiting for you." Dragons were a long-lived faction. They would sleep without a care for the world in normal circumstances, but these days, it was different. "Feeling lonely?" After a moment, Monolavir grunted, giving an answer without speaking. "Haha~ Never change." Orion jumped off his nose and dropped rapidly, reducing the speed of his descent as he approached the ground. "You''ve become more powerful, that I can tell." "I''ll tell you later. For now, I have to recover a friend who is sealed deeper in this mountain." "Oh? Intriguing." Without hesitation, Orion approached Ruminona. Surprisingly, her instinct as a mother wasn''t activating in front of Orion, as she could feel the genuine feelings of peace coming from him. She let him approach her nest before dropping her face near him.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it "Can I?" He placed his hand on the side of her head and gently caressed her green scale. Before walking inside the nest, he asked for permission. "Promise me to be careful." "I promise." Closing her eyes, she let Orion enter the nest. He climbed over the steep slop without much effort and slid down the interior of the nest. After walking a bit, he found the three large eggs she was incubating. They were twice Orion''s size, which was a true sight to be granted. "How did humans manage to steal such large eggs?" His involuntary question didn''t bother Ruminona. She turned her head to look at him and answered it. "These eggs are larger than normal. I have no idea why, but they were exhausting to birth." "I can believe that." Truly intrigued by the eggs next to him, Orion observed them. Then he placed his hand on one of them. "Warm..." He felt the life being created inside of it. The beating heart of the dragon inside echoed with his own. "Thank you, Ruminona." "It''s nothing. I trust you enough to allow this." Moving his hand away, he thanked the green dragon and warped away. Particles of void magic seemed to touch the egg, but as dragons were already magical in nature, nothing happened to them that could damage them. Ruminona returned to protect her eggs but remained awake to listen to what he had to say. Then the two dragons noticed. They noticed someone they recognized instantly. "You... I never thought I''d be seeing you again." Squinting their reptilians eyes, they stared at Orianne. "Took you long enough, blue lizard." Monolavir bent his head toward Orianne and groaned, releasing a cloud of ice on her. "That way of speaking... There is no doubt about it. I''m not hallucinating." "I chose not to come and see you voluntarily. I''d rather not bother you anymore with the past." She shrugged and wiped the snowflakes glistening on her shoulder. Her natural heat melted the rest away. "Well..." Monolavir glanced at Ruminona, who was barely reacting. "You''ve changed. Normally, I would already be chased away. I cannot blame you for doing that anyway." Orion, who had returned next to the two women, glanced at his mother with confusion in his eyes. ''What happened between them?'' The Azure Dragon walked backward toward its original spot and laid down next to the nest. "It''s not that we forgive you." Ruminona suddenly talked to her. "There is nothing to forgive to begin with. It was his choice, not ours." Orianne opened her eyes wide. "Don''t you hate me? I was persuaded you did." "Why would we? You''re still the little girl who came crying because she needed power to marr-" Her face suddenly crumbled in shame. "Ah! Stop! Not in front of Orion!" Waving her hands in front of her, she stopped Ruminona from speaking further of her past. "Hmpf." Snorting, the green dragon stopped and simply stared at her. "I get it. It was my mistake for misinterpreting everything. Please don''t bring that up." Her son was giving her the side eye, which she knew she wouldn''t be able to ignore for long. His interest in her past was greater than her shame, and it was unavoidable. "A-Anyway, shouldn''t we go search for that friend of yours?" "Sure, mom." With a sneaky smile, Orion nodded. Pivoting his body toward the exit of the large cavern, he began to walk. "Orion." Hearing Monolavir call his name, he glanced over his shoulder. "Are you going near the entrance?" "I am. Why?" With a solemn expression, the dragon answered. "When you exit the tunnel and find yourself at the exit, take a turn right immediately." "That''s all I request from you." After pondering a moment, Orion nodded. "If that''s all you ask for, I have no reason to refuse." "See you later, you two." Waving at them with his back turned, he walked down the tunnel. ... "You''re quite popular with the dragons, aren''t you?" Orianne was impressed by her son. Every dragon that greeted them was glad he had returned. "I have trained with them in the past. They all went easy on me, but we had a great time. They are good and protecting beings. All of them." Arriving at the end of the wide tunnel, they ended up entering the giant cave, where the Tree of Life stood thousands of years ago. "Didn''t that dragon say to turn right?" Tetra, who knew about the language of the dragon thanks to her time inside Orion''s core, looked toward the tunnel to their right. "Yes. We''ll see why in a minute." Orion was wearing a concerned expression, which both women picked up. His mother glanced at him and asked. "Why the long face? Something wrong?" "Some dragons are missing. I remember just about every nest along this path, and a few dragons are nowhere to be found." "Maybe they''re outside?" Tetra pointed at the opening in the ceiling. With a nod, his face relaxed. "You might be right. I hope it is that." He couldn''t fully get rid of the strange anxiety in his heart, but he tried to ignore it as he walked down the path Monolavir asked him to go down into. The further Orion went down the tunnel, the worse his feelings became. At last, what he feared appeared in front of him as he entered a large cavern, bigger than any cave in the den of dragons. "..." "What happened?" Inside this large cave, supported by massive pillars, hundreds of skeletal remains of ancient dragons rested. But, halfway through, perfectly preserved corpses of dragons, who needed to have their flesh removed by flames, were sticking out. "Orion?" Tetra frowned as she turned to Orion. His expression was one of confusion and disbelief. "I see. That''s what Monolavir wanted you to come here..." Orianne nodded with a solemn gaze. As they walked toward the dragons, Orion''s gaze observed each one of them. "They are... the missing dragons I couldn''t find." Thorns of heartbreaking pain wrapped themselves around his heart. Taking it upon herself to explain, Orianne grabbed his shoulder. "This is something that happened a year ago. It happened when Deveralna and Olivia went to protect Lahro from the corrupt beasts sent by Miasma." ... She explained what Deveralna and Olivia told them in the past. That those dragons were the ones who died protecting the continent. "I should pay my respect to them, then." With a heavy gaze, Orion turned around after hearing the entire story. "There''s no reason to lament their death. They chose to act even though everyone was terrorized by their presence." "They did what they thought was best for them and weren''t sacrificed by any means." "A war with no death is inconceivable. Yet, I wish it was real." Orion spoke those words, convincing himself at the same time. It was easier to believe it was the case than see them as victims. Bending his upper body forward slightly, he dropped his head. "Thank you. I will never forget the greatness each of you possesses and will strive to make this world one that accepts you so that your legacy will remain in this world." At the same time, Orianne continued past him and walked alone toward the very end of the cave. "Mom?" Surprised, Orion followed her. Tetra also went with him, keeping an eye on his expression. ''He''s recovered. Good.'' With a faint smile, she was glad he didn''t let this discovery affect him. ''Honoring the death in their family... Dragons do that only between them.'' ''I guess Orion is one of them now.'' As they came to the back wall, Orianne stopped and looked to the left. "I see you''re still here." The largest skeletal remain was proudly exposed, held perfectly intact even without its ligaments. "Right? Old friend." With a longing smile, Orianne stared at the skeleton. For the first time, Orion noticed an emotion he never knew existed in his mother. Chapter 489: Oriannes past. (Part 1) For a while, Orion and Tetra watched Orianne stare at the skeleton. In silence, they waited. After a few minutes, she turned toward Orion and smiled. "Let''s go. I wouldn''t want to bother you when I simply tagged along." They both knew that Orianne was holding back something. The fact that she decided to follow her son probably had to do with her current state. While turning back in complete silence after paying their respect to the dead legends of this mausoleum, many questions returned to Orion now that he was with his mother. Returning to the entrance of Ormrdivin, Orion looked toward a familiar wall. "It hasn''t changed. That''s a relief." Stopping in front of it, he caressed the smooth surface. "Let me open it for you." Tetra leaned over his right arm, purposefully pressing her breasts on it while touching the wall. "..." He knew that Tetra would be acting like this, something she told him again and again before. Since he was fine with it and actually enjoyed these little moments of affection, nothing came out of his mouth as Tetra opened the fake door with a smile. Crumbling into dust, the path leading to the Remnants'' hideout appeared. "Incredible..." Orianne opened her eyes wide in astonishment. "We have to go further inside to find whom we''re looking for. It''s a few hours of walking, so let''s talk on the way." Glancing over his shoulder, he gave a sharp stare at his mother. This told Orianne that whatever she was hiding, he wanted to hear it. With a defeated smile and a shrug, she followed behind them. ... They walked down a rocky path, where not even light could show them the way. Compared to the past, Tiohr-nam''s roots weren''t present to create the bioluminescent light they used to get further down into the guts of the mountain. When Orion stopped, he thought about lighting the path with light magic. As he lifted his hand in front of him, he suddenly hesitated. "I''ll light the way." Seemingly reading the unease on his face, Orianne placed her hand on his arm and gently pushed it down. Once Orion nodded, she opened her hand, creating in the palm of her hand a bright yellow flame that pushed away the darkness. "Thanks, mom." "Anything for you." With a smile, she walked alongside him, while Tetra took a step back. She knew when to back off and when to take the opportunity.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. For now, it was Orion and Orianne''s time. "Mom." While walking, Orion looked at her from the side. Keeping her head forward, Orianne smiled. "What is it?" "I know a lot about dad, yet I know barely anything about you." "I could gather that you were rather important to the dragons and that you grew more powerful thanks to them. That''s it." He frowned. "That previous matter with Monolavir and Ruminona was one thing, but standing in front of that skeleton confirmed it." "Would you tell me more about you?" Orianne''s heart melted. She knew Orion wouldn''t force the subject out of her, even if he desired to know her secrets. Inside, she wanted to avoid the topic, but this query came from her son. No amount of hesitation would help, and the more she pondered on telling him, the stronger the fear he would hate her grew. Dropping her gaze as she walked down the rocky slope, she sighed. "It''s nothing pretty. I''m not a protector like your father or a perfect woman who can do anything." "But if you want to know, I have no reason to hide it. You would know after asking those two anyway." With a shrug and a light smile, she began telling another part of her story. "It was a year after I had met with Reon." ¡ª A crimson-haired teenage girl was exploring the north coast of Eogis. She had a fight with her father that day, which led to her leaving the house she had grown up in since her birth. While kicking rocks on top of a cliff over the crashing waves of the sea, she grumbled. "They are all so stupid! Why won''t they understand?" She crouched and picked up a large rock, the size of her fist. "If only I was more powerful, things would be going the way I want them to." Crushing the rock into pieces with her raw strength, the girl glared at her hand. "Angels or demons, who actually cares? Aren''t we just the same? Why does everyone want to continue this pointless war?" "Aren''t we in peace today because we''re done with sacrificing our people?" "Wasn''t the blood we spill enough...?" She felt disappointment, anger, guilt, and concern. Disappointment in her father and his retainer. Angry at the people for not understanding her words. Guilty of the death of so many good people on both sides. And concerned about a young man that she started to love. "With things going as they are, it''s a matter of months before we''re back to square one..." "I cannot let Reon waste his life on the battlefield." She loved many things in this world. The sound of rustling leaves during training, the feeling of accomplishment after a good workout, and cute objects or animals. But there was one person living constantly in her head. Reon Feales, an angel. His love for nature was uncharacteristic for a man, especially in this era of strife. He was a bit clumsy but very precise with his fingers. She could watch him play with those weird devices she couldn''t understand for hours without feeling bored. His gaze when focused on his work and the one he wore when focusing on improving his magic were very striking to her. But what she loved the most was his caring and stupidly stubborn personality. It took her an entire year to realize that behind his wimpy and low self-esteemed attitude was actually a smart and thoughtful person. He wasn''t like the rest. His dreams were bigger and more fleshed out than everyone else. With his dream aligning with hers, she couldn''t let such an opportunity go away. She was persuaded that her happiness and the prosperity of both factions were in her hands. With one wrong choice, everything would crumble like a house of cards after a light breeze. "If only father would listen to me... I don''t understand." "Is it because I am a woman? Or is it because I am weaker than he is? Or because I am a disappointment?" Her lack of magic energy was no mystery to the demons. The amount of teasing from the people her age and the berated looks of the adults were a clear giveaway. "Why do they want to fight so badly? What would that create?" "What happens if we win? We kill all the people who never fought? Do we enslave them? Women and children, even the elderly?" The anger in her words was following the wrath of the waves below her. "But what if we lose? Will we be treated like slaves? Or would they execute us all?" Despair was growing more and more as time went on. It became harder and harder to find a clear solution to this problem. "The only solution I can think of is to fight my father and take his place." She wasn''t smart enough, like Reon, to find the perfect path ahead. The sole idea she had would definitely bring more trouble down the line, which couldn''t be settled with power alone. "But I am far too weak..." Hating her immaturity and lack of strength, she gnashed her teeth. After a moment, she relaxed her mind and body. Letting her shoulders drop, she approached the edge of the cliff and looked down. "Issues aren''t easily solved. Reon was right." "Still..." Looking with determination into the distance, she clenched her hands into fists. "To avoid having regrets, I have to push forward. I cannot let those emotions stop me from achieving our dream of peace." Suddenly, as she watched the tall mountain far away from her island, she noticed a shadow suddenly covering her surroundings. "Was it cloudy today?" Confused, she looked up. "..." Her mouth opened wide as terror suddenly wrapped around her mind. Petrified, she watched as a massive red dragon dropped gradually in front of the cliff. *Snort* Orianne instinctively smiled from the tension. "What a day to die..." Unable to free herself from the fear, she watched as the dragon tilted its head to the side, as if pondering. ''Is it an intelligent beast?'' Confused, she kept watching the dragon. ''Oh, it might be thinking of a way to torture me before eating me. I heard cats do that with their prey.'' She was no match against a dragon. All she could do was prepare herself for her impending death. But, as she readied herself, the dragon lowered its body further down the cliff, hiding its body from her sight. His long neck, its wings, and its large head were all she could see. As the dragon looked at the woman, it stared inside her eyes. Intrigued, it approached its head closer to her, going as far as to almost touch her with its nose. ''I''m dead...'' As she thought that, a powerful heat suddenly wrapped her heart. "Haaaa!" All the air in her lungs escaped, leaving her unable to breathe. Orianne grabbed her throat, her eyes crying from the painful sensation ravaging her internal organs. Then her head began to burn intensely. But at the same time, the voice of an old man broke the silence in her head. "Young lady. Can you hear my voice?" The heat suddenly stopped hurting, and she looked up at the dragon with a bewildered expression. "Huh? Why? What happened?" Confused, she looked around but could only see the massive dragon in front of her. "I understand your bewilderment. The one speaking to you is right in front of you." Her gaze slowly traced back to their original position. "I see you do hear my voice. Sublime." A sense of satisfaction echoed through his deep, older voice. "Who... are you?" The dragon leaned backward, stretching its neck higher. "Me?" Its mouth opened slightly, letting out a torrent of lava from it that fell into the ocean. "I am one of the primal dragons created by our father." "My name is Diramo?." Chapter 490: Oriannes past. (Part 2) The red dragon, Diramo?, flapped his massive wings over the crashing waves. His massive body, reflecting the glow of burning fire within his core, covered the entire vision of Orianne. The two curving horns on his head, which could easily perforate the largest of beings, represented his rank among his peers. The flowing lava coursing down his veins pulsed through his scales, leaving a sight that would stay etched in her brain. Diramo?, the mightiest of dragons and the first bearing the mutated genes of his faction, stared at her. "Young girl." Calling her out, he leaned forward again, approaching his face toward her. Orianne jumped slightly, suddenly finding the strength to move again. "I could see it in your eyes. Hearing the words of hope seeping from your soul, I dared approach you, knowing full well you would be terrified." Squinting his reptilian eyes, he snorted. "For not fleeing, even after being released from fear, I command you." The pride exuding from his words made Orianne tense up. "Y-You''re not going to eat me, are you?" With a terrified gaze, she looked inside his eyes, which reflected her in her entirety. "Eating you?" His tone changed to astonishment, but right after, Diramo? began to laugh. "Hahaha~ Me? Eating you?" Inside, Orianne was perplexed. She wondered what was so funny about her inquiry. "We dragons don''t eat humans. Sure, we do eat meat, but we hunt for food by ourselves." "Even then, we already possess the supply to eat for generations to come. We have no need to hunt down individuals like your kind." Seeing the visible smile on the dragon''s face, the expectation she had for the mightiest faction crumbled audibly in her head. "Don''t dragon eat us?" He looked at her after calming his laughter. "Be it humans or other factions, we do not. We, dragons, only eat the common animals. We do need a lot, but the sea is plenty of food." "We also have a dragon that can preserve it without risk of contamination." Suddenly, Orianne felt at ease. The dragon, which began to converse with her, appeared to be genuine in his statements. "But that is enough of us. I have a question for you, young girl." Diramo? eventually turned serious. Freezing on the spot from the pressure exerted by his presence, she gulped audibly. "Are you afraid of losing what can be saved?" Surprised painted her face. As her mind worked without respite to understand the dragon''s question, she instinctively went ahead and answered.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. "I am..." Retracting his neck back, Diramo? snorted. "This lack of hesitation, I admire it. Many I have seen fail to bring fruition to their ambitions." "But you seem to understand clearly what you need to do." Flapping his wings to push himself away from the cliff, he majestically covered the sun with his immense body and asked her a question. "Do you want the power to achieve your dream?" Orianne opened her eyes wide. She couldn''t believe what was happening to her. After fleeing her village and wondering what could be done to change the pressing matter of war, an opportunity appeared to her. Without an ounce of hesitation, she lifted her arm toward Diramo?. "I need it!" That day, Orianne became a part of the dragons'' family. ... Diramo? immediately picked up Orianne, who sat on his back. Returning to Ormrdivin after checking the surrounding areas, he brought with him a small being that shocked the entire nest. At first, the dragons weren''t very friendly toward her. It was to be expected. They were proud, difficult to deal with, and genuinely concerned about someone snooping around in their nests. But as one month passed, they began to understand that she wasn''t a threat. Slowly, but surely, the dragons approached her. Simultaneously, Orianne began to live within Diramo?''s nest. She entered a friendly relationship with the old dragon and received lessons after lessons on how to bring the most out of her body and magic. As more dragons came to see her, they taught her the way of the dragons. When they learned that she wasn''t human, the entire nest became warmer to her. After three months of being away, Orianne was unmistakably stronger than she was before leaving her home. It was at that time that she went to Diramo? and brought up the matter that tortured her. "If it isn''t Orianne." As she walked inside the cavern of the ''Volcanic Dragon'', she noticed another dragon. The walls were burning and were turned into flowing lava from the heat of his presence, and in the middle of it, the two dragons were standing. "Ruminona? What brings you here?" "Just checking on this old man. His health has been deteriorating faster than any of us, and it''s a concerning matter." She already knew that Diramo? was sick. In fact, the dragon himself knew why his life was wasting away rapidly. The mutation that brought the mightiest dragon alive was also killing him. She watched as Ruminona covered Diramo? with wind magic. As a stopgap to ease his pain, she and Monolavir were perfect to dissipate the devouring heat of his body. "I''ll leave for today. If it gets worse, come to us." "I will. Thank you." Thanking the green dragon, who was of the same generation as him, he snorted a heavy cloud of scorching air, which made Ruminona frown. "It''s all we can do for you." Concerned about him, she left the cave. "Haha~ Who would have thought that the mightiest dragon would die from his own power?" With a faint laugh, he looked at Orianne. "You''re the Volcanic Dragon for a reason." With a tired look, he laid down. "I taught you most of what a dragon can do. Your growth is far superior to our young, which in itself is quite terrifying." "That''s what I came to talk to you about." Orianne''s body began to change. "You''re faction traits..." Diramo? immediately understood. "Yes. I awakened them yesterday." She had crimson bat wings behind her shoulder blades, but that was it. With a frown, she glanced over her shoulder, looking at her wings. "I should have known that I wasn''t the most powerful of demons out there. Those wings are the mark of the lowest among us." "No horns, no tail, nothing. Just those wings..." But when she turned around, the frown had disappeared. Instead, determination painted her face. "Even in this situation, I have to go. While I might not be the strongest of my people, I have the strength you and the others taught me." "I am not powerless enough to let this affect my ambitions anymore." Diramo? smiled. "That is good to know. The youngster is starting to fly by itself, and I couldn''t be more proud of it." Feeling like a father, he closed his eyes. "I''ll go. I have to stop the war between demons and angels at all costs. I want to be with the man I love, and I want everyone to stop berating each other." "Diramo?." He opened his eyes. "I''ll come back." "Sure. Do be careful, though." "Yes!" With heavy footsteps, Orianne turned around and left the nest. ¡ª "We''re here." Orion suddenly stopped his mother''s story as they arrived at the empty hideout. "Alright. I''ll continue with the rest later." With a smile, she hugged her son, who listened to her until now without interrupting. "I had no idea that the beast I saw during that trial was the dragon that helped you." Perplexed, Orion recalled the ''Trials of the Abyss''. He especially recalled the fiery being that instructed him on what to do. "So it was Diramo?." Orianne nodded. "I was afraid at that time. I haven''t mentioned this yet, but I also went through a similar process." "I don''t know exactly what it was for you, but it was different for me. All I can say is that I am glad you made it." She tightly hugged him, showing the love a mother only could. "You''re just like me. You''ve got the determination to go through anything." Hugging her back, Orion nodded. He was truly relieved to have his mother alive next to him. "Alright, let''s move on. We have all the time in the world to continue this story later." Breaking apart from him, she took a step back. Orianne nodded to Tetra, who took her spot. "From this point onward, it''s between you and me." With a serious expression, Tetra remained a step away from Orion. Unsurprised, he knew that Tetra could be serious when it mattered. With an equivalent expression, he stared forward. "Let''s go." Taking a step forward, they ignored the main room, where the now inactive spying table was. They walked past broken-down rubble, which was actually the room they had stayed inside in the past. Continuing down the cavern system, they shortly arrived in a wide cave. "It''s still there. I can feel it." Tetra closed her eyes and visualized an anomalous shape in front of her, deeper inside the cave. "What do you see?" Orianne asked, intrigued. "It''s like a spinning star, but also similar to a breach in space-time. It''s very difficult to explain." Opening her eyes, she looked at her. "It''s a combination of both Orion and my power." "Oh." Suddenly, Orianne began to blank out. "Too difficult to understand for you, mom?" "Kind of." Orion smiled as his mother nodded with a frustrated expression. "Don''t worry. You don''t have to think too much about it." Walking forward toward the source of the seal, he continued. "To simplify it, void magic was used to break the laws of the world, while Tetra sealed her inside a pocket of space and time." He turned around and lifted his arm. Tapping the back of his hand on something invisible behind him, he smiled as something cracked wide open. "Incredible, isn''t it?" A large, inaccessible crack with millions of stars, close to the night sky, formed at his touch. "We''re here to break that open." Chapter 491: Freeing Procyon. Orianne tilted her head, letting the idea permeate through her mind. "If your father was here, he would understand this instantly." "But you''re here right now. It doesn''t matter." With a shrug, she smiled. "Alright, I''ll watch whatever you''re going to accomplish. Even if I don''t entirely understand, I will at least return with a good story for Reon." Orion smiled at his mother, seeing her retreat toward the entrance. He gave a quick nod toward Tetra, who came closer to the anomaly. While she stayed further away, Orion walked next to her, preparing his mind and body to receive the intense energy. "Longinus." Tetra spoke the name of the staff resting in her core, the last vestige of her mother, a Valkyrie. "Give me a moment to get used to it. I might have used it as a soul, but while in my body, it''s entirely different." "I have to adjust to this energy before using it." Glancing toward her, he began to focus on the void element inside his body. *Hiiiiiiiii* A low frequency began to emit a sharp noise, coming from Orion. As a few minutes went by and both were getting used to their respective energies, they opened their eyes. "Slowly, you understand?" Hearing Orion''s concerned tone, Tetra nodded. "I know. We''ve done this once already. I can do it twice." Reaching for each other''s hand, they tightly entwined their fingers. "!" "..." The energies traversed their entire body, causing them to shudder. Powerful void magic rippled through Tetra, while her Remnant power bathed Orion''s magical system. With a frown, Tetra turned to Orion. "What about that spot of corruption?" He smiled in return. "Since it''s still there, I diverted magic from there. It''s not the time to remove it." "I see." Still anxious about any problems that could happen at any moment if not careful, she focused on the matter at hand. The low-frequency ripple, which bothered Orianne for a while, began to subside into a high-pitch noise. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Like a rumbling echo, it pounded into their chests. As if someone were playing an instrument, it continued to ring in their ears, too. A small layer of void magic suddenly covered both Orion and Tetra, starting from their feet. When the liquid-like form of magic enveloped them entirely, Orion lifted his left hand while Tetra pointed Longinus in front of her. "Ready?" "More than ever!" Having a smug smile on her face, she looked into his eyes. "Time to break what we''ve created." Giving the same kind of smile to Tetra, he then turned to look in front of him. *VRRR* A perpetual shockwave of energy, just strong enough to lift the dust of the rocky floor, began to blast from the duo as their center. What happened next was equivalent to igniting a match inside a coal mine. In front of Orianne, a multiple-layered wall appeared, sealing her off from the room. Nothing went past his magic, protecting her without leaking an ounce of energy past it. The enveloping energy around Orion and Tetra protected them from the external force that they were about to unleash. As a spinning star, similar to the one Tetra saw through her sixth sense, formed inside Orion''s hand, all sounds suddenly stopped. The shockwaves continued, but dust and small rocks began to float all around them, completely still. Tetra approached Longinus toward the star and absorbed it inside. As her eyes squinted as it required an immense amount of focus, she aimed her staff at the anomaly. ''Slowly...'' ''Like a key inside its keyhole...'' When Longinus was perfectly aligned with the rift, a faint beam of light slowly reached for it, coming from the jewel at the tip of the staff. The instant the light reached the anomaly, space swallowed the entirety of the cave. Both were suddenly thrown out of this realm. Similarly to what would happen outside the planet''s atmosphere, they began to levitate. The walls were gone, the ground had disappeared, and only an endless void of stars swallowed the two. With a face of pure disbelief, Orianne watched this scene unfold. In the middle of space, Orion and Tetra were reaching for the spinning star. ''Don''t breathe...'' ''We don''t have much time.'' Glancing at each other, they nodded, seemingly understanding each other. They turned to what they came to find. It was roughly the size of his fist, but it was brightly lit. The source of the seal was impossible to reach without them. It was a star, a rock, and a strange composite at the same time, changing states with each pulse. Orion immediately grabbed it in his hand and crushed it without a moment of hesitation. Not a second later, the entire space around them disappeared, like a curtain falling down. "Haaaah!" Taking in a deep breath, Tetra inhaled loudly. Orion sighed in relief as he closed his eyes. Longinus vanished, returning inside Tetra''s core, while Orion opened his eyes and looked at the stardust falling between his fingers. The space returned to normal, except for the spot where the anomaly stood. Now becoming inactive, the anomaly began to collapse on itself. But as the collapse distorted space itself, a figure suddenly replaced the singularity. When the anomaly stabilized, a bipedal wolf with clear white fur looked around, confused. "..." Procyon stared at the familiar area, her tail waging lightly. As her eyes scanned the cave, her eyes fell on Orion. "Grrrr." Growling with joy, she walked forward. "I told you I''d come for you. My words are always true." Exhausted, Tetra let go of his hand and turned around. But as she was about to leave, Orion suddenly grabbed her hand. "Wait a moment." Void magic began to cover his body as he focused on it. Then, as per his will, light magic covered Tetra, healing the headache she was starting to feel. "Thank you. I didn''t intend to bother you, so I thought I''d wait." "Your health is more important. You should still rest while I make sure everything is back to normal." He patted her head a few times and smiled at her, relieved. Feeling the love with her power, she resisted the urge to jump him and walked away, frustrated. Still, she was too tired to even try, even if she wanted to. Patiently waiting in front of him, Procyon was sitting, her tail wagging rapidly. When he turned to her, he kneeled and caressed the Remnant''s head. "How do you feel?" "Roooo~" The one-way communication was still there. Orion was unable to understand the language of beasts, similarly to how it was for Sirius. Still, it wasn''t difficult to understand that Procyon was fine. "Let me take a look at you. I need to make sure your life isn''t in danger." Procyon stood up on her hind legs, showing her bestial might. Her long, white mane, which covered her neck and went down her back, gave the image of a powerful and dignified leader. In fact, she still was one, even in the future. Checking her body, Orion realized that her power as a Remnant was still present, even after being sent thousands of years into the future. Her body was the same as when he sealed her, which meant that barely any time passed inside it. The relief he felt was greater than the feeling of accomplishment he had when he succeeded in bringing her back a moment ago. "Paw." When Orion asked, Procyon''s right leg slid behind her, and she threw a fast swipe with her right arm. He ignored the attack and dodged effortlessly, which surprised Procyon greatly. Grabbing her right arm, he examined it. "Muscle mass is good. Strength is the same, and agility is unchanged." "From the looks of it, you were sealed for close to two days. Even if it''s a shared work, I''m still surprised at such a success." Orion never forgot that, without Tetra, this entire plan would have been useless and impossible to do. Because she trusted him enough to leave her life in his hands, they made the impossible possible. The path to greatness, in his eyes, was one where no one was sacrificed. And in this path, he was also a part of it. The days of fighting unconsciously, risking his life at every opportunity, were long gone. Protecting the ones important to him, saving those in need, while defending the common people. After confirming that Procyon was perfectly fine, he took a step back. He gazed at the ceiling, which was barely lit by Orianne''s magic. ''I understand now, Noah.'' Remembering the conversations he had with the former Hero, Orion turned a page of his story. ''To be a Hero isn''t to simply act accordingly to what the world desires.'' ''To be a Hero is to protect those who need help and to support the people who need you.'' ''And...'' He smiled. ''A true Hero isn''t someone who caused grief. It is someone who brings hope.'' The Remnant power in his core acknowledged his thought. Orion Feales, a man who possessed the genes of both an angel and a demon, birthed a new element completely alien to this world and obtained the power of his enemy to change the world. Something awakened inside him. The Remnant of ''Purity'' and ''Hope'' started anew. What other traits would he awaken? Only Nature knew. Chapter 492: A Remnants considerable loss. After a moment of reflection, Orion lowered his head. "Alright, Procyon." "It''s time to introduce you to your home. You''re coming with me, right?" The Remnant stared at Orion with trepidation. It understood everything he had told her before her being sealed. Even though she couldn''t understand most of the things Orion spoke, she knew that time continued without her. "Mom, you can enter. It''s safe." With apprehension, Orianne stepped inside the cave once again. The sight she witnessed was stupefying and genuinely terrifying. She wasn''t scared of Orion, but simply by the real appearance of an inhospitable zone, void of life entirely, where air didn''t exist either. Seeing his mother slowly stepping inside, he smiled while turning toward Tetra, who was leaning against the wall with her eyes closed. ''It would be best if we were to return home now.'' For a brief moment, Orion thought of opening a portal to Horizon, but he refrained from doing so. "Let''s breathe some fresh air before getting home." With another location in mind, he opened a portal. Tetra smiled, while Orianne grabbed his arm. Procyon, intrigued by the magic in front of her, walked past them and touched the portal. "?" Her paw went through the opening, but nothing happened. When she retracted her arm, it was still there. "That''s a path that closes long distances together. It''s harmless." Turning her face toward him, she tilted her head. When she learned that it was harmless, she stepped inside it. "So, this is the friend that you came to recover?" Surprised, Orianne watched as Procyon vanished into the portal. "Yes. Procyon is a Primordial Remnant. She was the one who created the Kobolds." "!" Her face cramped when she understood the weight of his actions. "Wait... Wait a second..." Tetra came next to them and grabbed Orion''s free arm. As Orianne''s mind froze up, they all walked through the portal. A soft breeze caressed everyone''s cheeks, brushing their hair lightly at the same time. On the plateau leading to the opening to Ormrdivin, Orion, Orianne, and Tetra joined Procyon, who observed the landscape with a tragic expression. "Alright. I get it." Having given up, Orianne smiled brightly. "That''s my son. You''re just too incredible." When it concerned Orion, most matters were far too complicated for her. Reon was one thing, as she was used to it, but she was not accustomed to her son''s feats. Seeing him do things inside the bracelet was wholly different from being there in person. She was simply happy he was fine. Letting the matter go, she smiled and inhaled the fresh air of the mountain. Dragons flew freely above them, unbothered by their presence, roaring and defending the nest.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. As she turned around and gazed at the sky, she removed herself from the absurd power she witnessed. Tetra also let go of Orion, walking toward another edge of the plateau. Under Orion''s careful gaze, she sat down and sighed from exhaustion. ''It''s understandable. I need to make sure she''s rewarded properly.'' With this thought, Orion turned to Procyon. He walked slowly toward her and stopped next to her, gazing in the distance. "..." The wolf Remnant kept her eyes on the world laying in front of her. Multiple cities were built, which she never knew about. All she knew was the cold of the south and the constant battle against the corrupt beasts. But there was something else she knew: her children. Orion perceived this and frowned. "Are you grieving the death of your children?" Procyon turned her head toward Orion, her eyes shimmering with tears of sorrow. The connection she felt with her children was gone. Before being sealed, she could feel them, but now, not a single one remained. "I''m sorry. Because of Miasma and the corruption, humans hunted down every kobold." "Grrrrrr!" Anger appeared on her face as she growled, showing her sharp fangs. But then she calmed down. Her shoulders dropped, and she sat down. "I know that feeling. I would be a hypocrite telling you to ignore it." He sat next to her, placing his arm over his bent knee. "Deal with it how you think you want. What you have to know is that we killed the last person, part of the family that hunted them down, already." Procyon let out a lower-pitched howl in return. ''This is heartbreaking. The fact that there is nothing I can do to alleviate her pain is ripping my heart apart.'' He really liked the wolf. She was strong, unwavering, and clever. But she was a mother before all of that. The Primordial Remnants worked similarly to the fundamental Remnants, as their children weren''t born from them directly. By drawing energy into another being, change occurred, creating children related to that Remnant. The link between them was, in fact, the thread of magic that continued to live through generation after generation, unless none of the individuals survived the perils of time. Orion did what he does best in return. He extended his hand above her head and dropped it on top of her fluffy fur. "Do you want to live with us? We have a big land where nothing bad would ever happen to you." He pondered for a moment, as Procyon closed her eyes from the gentle head pats. Suddenly, an idea came to him, but he had no idea if it was a legitimate one in this circumstance. Still, he chose to be true to others. With a smile, he continued. "You could even restart there and create more children in this new home. No one will be allowed to hurt them. You have my word on it." Procyon froze for a moment. Her mind easily translated his words perfectly, and she heard him right. Was it a trap? Would Orion exploit her in this world where she was alone? As the Remnant considered her options, memories¡ªgood ones¡ªcame back from her subconscious. Not only did he save her life from certain death, but he also protected her. He kept his words and met again. Was Orion someone who would stoop so low? The answer was simple. Of course, he wouldn''t. Bringing her left paw over her head, she touched his hand and looked beneath her. Relief from seeing her reaction brought Orion to smile. "From today onward, you''re part of our family. If you need anything, come to us." Pulling his hand back, he stood up. "Before that, we have to introduce you to everyone." ... After enjoying the sight at the top of the Talviera Mountain Range, Orion, Tetra, Orianne, and Procyon returned to Horizon. It took a while for Orion to explain everything to the others, but they all acknowledged the great deed he had done. The ones most intrigued by Procyon were May, Mia, Stella, and Olivia. The others were more interested in simply enjoying Orion''s voice. So, it was only natural that those three would listen intently and ask questions. "So she''s a Remnant? That''s interesting." They were all outside, sitting in the grass in front of their home. Mia, who was the closest to Procyon, was caressing the tail of said Remnant without showing any satisfaction on her face. Still, to everyone''s guess, she was undoubtedly enjoying the sensation. "I sincerely hope you will allow me to observe you from time to time. The life of a Remnant is quite interesting, especially a Primordial one." Science was Stella''s craft. If she could have Procyon help to bring forth new ideas, she would do it. Luckily, she was very reasonable and patient. The ones more concerned were Olivia and May. Especially Olivia. "Orion... How did you even come up with such an idea? You have to explain it." "I have to agree. This knowledge is past anything we could call ''normal'' or ''simple''." Everyone was brought to a sudden realization. "The question is: at which point are you too dangerous to be left alone?" Olivia was serious. She wanted to avoid an event where he would be sent back somewhere again. Even if he hadn''t explained everything about his time away from them, they knew that his heart had been damaged by the loneliness he felt. This had to be stopped at all costs, and they would use any drastic measures to protect him. There was no escape from this question, but he wasn''t thinking of ignoring it anyway. "For me, it is a basic theory. I understand that for you, it will be more chaotic to get around. But I assure you, it came from the same origin as void magic." "Is it that simple?" Senia tilted her head, to which Orion nodded. Lifting his hand to shoulder-length, a strange rift appeared above his palm. Then a book fell in his hand. "Laws of physics and gravity." Another fell on top of the first book. "Space and time in constant expansion." He gently places the books in front of him in the grass. "Do you know anything about these books?" He asked a simple question. They all nodded in return, giving the most simple answer in their memories. "Of course. Those are parts of your bookshelf collection." He shook his head at Deveralna''s answer. "Do you know who wrote this?" He showed the cover of the book, where a small ''N'' was drawn. They all shook their heads. "Come on. It doesn''t take a genius to figure this out. Mia." He turned to the cold fairy. Pointing at the letter, he nodded. "The scarcity of the books. How difficult it is to procure one. The fact that only one edition exists. Doesn''t that make it suspiciously stand out?" "..." Mia looked at Orion and then at the books. For a moment, she pondered seriously. Then, she slowly turned her head toward her twin sister, Nia, who was making the same expression. "Don''t tell me Noah wrote those?!" "What?!" In unison, everyone except Tetra and Procyon screamed. Orion nodded, which confirmed the actual truth behind the books he obtained his knowledge from. "In fact, before leaving, I took the opportunity to receive all of his work." The books in the grass were incredibly clean, as if brand new. "You have... The entire collection of his writings." Amelia couldn''t believe it. "That''s 148 books, varying length from subjects. No one else apart from me possesses the originals anymore. I have all of them." With shock written on them, he smiled. "Now, to answer that question." Orion crossed his arms, a grave look in his eyes. "This wasn''t an idea I came up with by myself. I have Tetra to thank for that." Gazes turned to the pink-haired Remnant, who was sipping warm tea to recover from her exhaustion, specially prepared by Amelia and Mia. "W-What? Don''t look at me like that. Orion was the one to bring up the idea. I just gave my input on the matter." She blushed slightly at all the stares. "Sure, it was a joint operation, but without him, nothing would have even started. His ideas are just out of the normal!" Turning her face away, she continued to sip on her tea. They decided to give the woman a break and focused on him again. Orion shrugged with an irritating smile. "That might be true. I cannot deny this anymore." He opened the first book and developed his idea. "Do you know what ''void'' actually means?" Throwing this question, he waited for an answer. Chapter 493: What void is. Orion quickly went through the pages without truly reading them. At one point, one of them decided to answer his question. "If I have to be honest, I only know what you''ve told us." Karteira scratched the back of her head. "From the beginning, you''ve told us that it was a creation based on light and dark magic. By combining both, void magic was created." May nodded but frowned at the same time. "That''s probably what you were asking, though. It sounds more theoretical than practical from your question alone." With a smile, he closed his eyes. If there was something he missed, it was the smarts these women had when he asked a difficult question. "That''s what I thought, too." Olivia confirmed May''s observation with a similar frown. "Which means that we''re talking about the word ''void'' as a whole, ignoring the element itself?" "Most likely." Amelia nodded at Deveralna''s question. "He probably isn''t requesting the exact answer, since we haven''t read the book." Senia sighed in relief when she heard Mia speak those words. "That''s great. I don''t think I have the confidence you all have in this discussion." "Don''t worry, I don''t really understand either. Haha~" Nia leaned toward Senia and chuckled, while Mia sighed in desperation. Ignoring her sister, Mia pondered alongside the other. "What I can think of is what we consider ''void'' to be." Amelia, who was used to Orion''s rambling about the world and everything related to it, looked in the air. "One of the best examples would be the sky, or what''s beyond, in our case." "Could the abyss be considered a type of void?" Senia asked in return as Amelia brought one example forward. "That could be one option." Karteira acknowledged her opinion, even if it was rather improbable in this context. No opinion was wrong, as it was a theoretical discussion with Orion as an observer. "Pure darkness is a form of void." Nia followed, who considered herself too stupid to be a part of this discussion. To this, Mia smiled without saying anything, as she appreciated the effort her sister was making to get included in the conversation. "So..." Deveralna looked at May and Karteira. These three were starting to get the idea before everyone else. "In this case, ''void'' is an area without any sign of life, or scarce..." "It has very little matter around it..." "And it is a dense zone of nothing." Compacting everyone''s ideas, they all made a point. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "In other words, it is a nihilistic spot where nothing lives, can live, and is null of physical materials." Stella, who was wondering in silence until now, understood clearly what it described. Orion nodded, satisfied. "It is just about what you said." When Orion entered the conversation, they stopped speaking. Since he joined, it meant that his explanation was about to begin. "Let me explain what is written in this book, so you can understand clearly where this idea to seal Procyon came from." With a nod, they listened intently. "Void magic, by itself, isn''t related to the description you''ve given, for this simple reason." "It is magic. Just as light is unrelated to the light of the sun and dark is far from being the same as nighttime, void isn''t nearly as imposing in nature as the real void present in this world." He lifted his hand and opened it. "But if we go by your definition, then it is correct. Where all those sparkling lights we call ''stars'' reside, Noah called that place ''the void of space''." "It is infinitely spreading, but that''s all we know. ''Where does it stop?''. ''Where does it begin?''. ''Does it have an end?''. So many questions that even Noah cannot answer." "It isn''t a nihilistic space, like you said, Stella. Since stars, other planets like ours, and even interstellar wastes float freely in there, we can''t say there is nothing in it." Stella nodded, taking his words at face value. She changed her opinion on it. For everyone, it was interesting, albeit mind-boggling to listen to. They were already having a difficult time acknowledging the size of their continent, and even understanding that they were living on a large planet, but now, it was way worse. An infinite space where an incalculable number of stars and planets, just like theirs, were all over the sky. Recalling the terrifying amounts of lights while looking at the night sky, their worldview''s foundation began to crumble. "The void is, in reality, simply a vast space with ''barely'' anything in it. Even if we were to go into space, we would be dead before reaching anything. That''s how far they are from us." Amelia tilted her head. "How can you believe that so easily? It could be a scam, you know?" He nodded in return. "At first, I was skeptical. This knowledge was too precise and weird to be real." Taking a more relaxing posture, he placed his arms behind his back and pressed his hands in the grass. "But the more I read and pondered on it, the more it made sense." "This planet is round. The sun is the source of our light. An apple falls to the ground if you throw it above your head." "Have you taken the time to observe the world? Or is it that obvious things aren''t registering in your thought process?" "Why do fish breathe in water? Do you know?" They shook their heads in unison. Even Senia didn''t know. "Then you''ve never asked yourself. Because it is an obvious fact, or else they would never exist." "That''s why I can believe it. It made too much sense. And the reason it made sense is that Noah was from a place where this knowledge was common." "!" They all opened their eyes wide. "I know he never wrote these books to enlighten our people. To avoid boredom, that''s all he could do." "So, even in the hands of other people, they simply rot, as they were too farfetched to be taken seriously." He smiled. "I won''t enlighten our world, either. At least, not yet." "Why?" Stella was confused by his comment. "Wouldn''t it be better to let everyone know about these facts?" Shaking his head, his smile disappeared. "Ignorance is bliss, Stella. You should know better than anyone what I mean by that." Turning their heads to the daughter of the family, they rapidly gathered the problem. "..." "Knowledge leads people to make mistakes. It terrifies people. The fear of the unknown is absolutely horrible. Wasn''t your mother killed because she was the Remnant of Progress?" She nodded with a longing frown. "I can share it with those close to me. That isn''t as dangerous as sharing it worldwide. Whatever you do with it, you should be careful not to spread it around." What he suggested was that Stella would receive this knowledge if she were to ask him. Her frown disappeared as the sigil of her power flashed in her eyes. "Thank you." With a bright smile, she thanked her father. He smiled back at her before returning to the discussion. "Alright. Now that you get the gist of what ''void'' is and that you know that ''space'' is the place related to it, what do you think?" Mia placed a finger to her chin. "The only option is that you''ve sealed that wolf in space. Orianne also told us that you were in a dreadful place where not a single sound could be heard." "Yes, she also said that countless stars were present. She also noticed a bright ball of white fire in the distance." Senia confirmed with Mia what they had heard. This was taken seriously, as Orianne wasn''t one to be scared of anything she didn''t know about in normal circumstances. "It''s difficult to believe it... but you went into a place we wouldn''t even be able to bring you back from if you were lost there." Karteira placed her hands in front of her eye and eyepatch while sighing. "Well, it wasn''t as dangerous as you may think." Tetra finally entered the conversation after placing her empty cup of tea on the tray. "Right. You had something to do in all of it, too." Amelia turned to the pink-haired woman with a neutral expression. "Orion isn''t normally capable of going somewhere he never went to. You know that because his portals work the same." Everyone nodded. "What we did was... Well..." She scratched her cheek in hesitation. "We pushed my power to its next stage. In other words, we forced it out while I wasn''t ready to do so." "..." Silence swallowed the area after Orion finished his sentence. "Aaah~ That doesn''t even surprise me." "Me neither." Amelia and Olivia dropped their shoulders. "To what you might think, it wasn''t dangerous at all. It requires an incredible and inhuman amount of concentration to pull it off, but nothing would have happened if we had failed." "Tetra was constantly notifying me of any changes, while keeping a path for us in case anything went wrong." "I also left a thread of my magic around the seal to trace it back, and it went smoothly." Orion smiled, proud of his accomplishment. "I was the one who sealed Procyon. I couldn''t let her float in space like that, so I used my power to create a small dimension where she could survive." Slamming her fist above her chest, Tetra wore a smug smile on her face. "You two... I swear." Deveralna glared at both. "So, void magic literally sent you to the void of space thanks to another evolution, and Tetra used her Remnant power over the laws of ''Space'' and ''Time'' to seal Procyon into a pocket dimension." Stella analyzed the entire explanation, making it basic for the others, even Nia, to understand. "That''s how we chose to protect her from a potential problem. She was supposed to die in the past." "But you saved her." Amelia continued in his place. As he nodded, he looked at the Remnant, who was looking around furiously, as if something was bothering her. "I did... Procyon?" Worried about her, he watched carefully. The others also did the same, until a white dot came rushing from their house. "Oh, that''s Sirius." Seeing his dog coming at a rapid pace, he smiled. He wondered how the two would get close to each other. But he wasn''t ready for what was going to happen. "Grrrr!" Procyon growled menacingly as her gaze turned to Sirius. The same was happening for Sirius as he bared his teeth toward the wolf. "Huh?" Confused, Orion suddenly stood up. The Remnant wolf suddenly rushed forward and attacked Sirius, who also bit her forearm. "What is happening?!" Panic suddenly took over the group as an unexpected conflict arose. "Why?" With a dangerous frown, Orion glared at the two. He felt a part of his power emerge, and darkness swallowed his body. As he stepped forward, six black ink wings dangerously covered the others. At the same time, changes appeared to Sirius. As dark threads began to cover his white fur, he broke off from Procyon and growled as a bubble of dark energy swallowed him from below. After a few seconds, the Abyssal Wolf broke free of it, howling with a dangerous tone. Chapter 494: Fighting for dominance. It had been a long while since Orion had felt true panic take over him. While the others were confused, he took the chance to protect them. Hindering their vision with his wide wings, he observed intently. ''What is happening?'' He didn''t wish to admit it, but this situation was too sudden. The normal action to do would be to intervene, but this would mean siding with one side. And if that came to it, he would side with Sirius without hesitation. ''Is this the price I have to pay for breaching the laws of this world?'' Complete chaos wrapped his mind. ''I don''t want... to kill Procyon.'' Seeing his trusty dog in his Abyssal Wolf form, baring his fangs toward a Primordial Remnant, made Orion reticent about interacting with them. Nothing he would do would make these two break away. It was clear as day that two beasts were holding their ground against one another. ''Why did it come to this?'' Suddenly, Orion''s mind relaxed. All the stress vanished in a split second, helping his thoughts to focus more clearly. "Orion?! What''s happening?" Hearing the rumble past his wings, Amelia stood up and touched his shoulder. "Something I wasn''t prepared to deal with is what is happening." "I''m sorry, but could all of you keep quiet if possible?" He glanced over his shoulder and smiled at them with a frustrated expression. "S-Sure." With a concerned look, Amelia nodded and walked to her original place. As more time went on, Orion watched Sirius and Procyon fight like wild beasts against one another. ''...'' Sirius went all out, similarly to when they had fought Miasma. Procyon was even going out of her way to inflict heavy damage with each attack. It was a painful yet impactful scene in Orion''s eyes. Slowly, ideas developed in his head. ''They could be fighting for territory, but I doubt that''s it.'' Horizon was massive. Now that he had returned, Orion was already planning to expand the area to create more living space for the residents. It could be resolved at that point. Sirius'' territory was Orion''s house, and Procyon never went near it. It couldn''t be that option. ''I would rather not believe it, but they can''t be fighting to see who''s more worthy of staying around me, are they?'' As much as he wanted it not to be true, this was another option. Still, it was most likely not the case.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Procyon never saw Orion as her master, unlike Sirius. At best, Orion was a savior to her. ''Could they be fighting for dominance over the other?'' This was the most plausible choice. When Sirius noticed the presence of Procyon, something might have caused his sudden aggression. The same happened to Procyon, who felt his approach. Still, it was nowhere close to being the only reason. What even was the reason for their outright animosity toward each other? *Whimper* As he pondered, Sirius took a heavy blow to the side. Procyon, who had charged him with her full speed, sent him flying in the air. The black wolf recovered in midair, stepping on inky black platforms to stabilize his body. Dark threads of energy formed all around Sirius, gathering in front of his mouth. ''Sirius! What are you-?'' Orion could only take a defensive stance as his wings covered everyone from top to bottom except himself. A powerful blast of condensed dark magic ruptured through the air, closing on Procyon. *HOWL* Shouting a bone-chilling howl, Procyon bent her body in a feral posture, all limbs placed on the ground. A radiant light began to cover her pristine fur, and a wide shield exploded out of her to meet the beam head-on. The beam crashed into the protective shell with a massive, echoing thump and exploded into smaller beams in every direction. *CRACK* But the shield cracked as a dark figure charged it in the center of the dark beam. With one single headbutt, Sirius breached through the shield and dropped in front of Procyon, growling furiously. Procyon leaped forward and tried to bite his neck. Prepared, Sirius took a step backward and spun his body around, slamming his tail covered in dark matter on her face. *KYU* Thrown away like a ragged piece of cloth, she rolled on the ground. The shockwave of his tail swipe destroyed the remaining shield in a single moment, sending its shards flying everywhere. Struggling to get back up, Procyon glared at Sirius in the posture of a wolf. Wolf against wolf, they stared at each other, growling and snarling. ''Can I really do nothing but watch?'' Removing one of the shards of shield from his arm, which had pierced his skin, Orion glared at them. He wanted to help, but something inside him was shouting not to interfere. It felt like a force as strong as Nature herself spoke to him to stay his ground. Even his desire to support one of them was crushed by this feeling. ''...'' The climax of their battle finally arrived. Having recovered enough strength for one last attack, Procyon leaped forward. Glaring at her, Sirius stood his ground. Standing on her hind legs, she attacked Sirius with both claws, sending a rending swipe that could detach a massive chunk of flesh if it were to touch. ''!'' But the attack went through Sirius. Confused, Procyon tried to step away, but she had already fallen into his trap. Appearing behind her, he grabbed her mane with his fangs, flipped her over his body, and slammed her entire weight into the ground. He stepped over her fallen body and roared a magnificent howl of victory. Orion observed this with a perplexed gaze. ''Why is there no blood anywhere?'' Something suddenly registered in his head. ''These blows¡ªnot a single one was meant to kill.'' Even Procyon''s last attack, which could kill a normal beast with ease, would be unable to kill Sirius. ''As if they were sizing each other...'' Then Orion finally understood. With a faint smile, he removed the covering protection of his wings and returned to normal. At the same time, Sirius also returned to his original shape. "Woof" Sitting next to Procyon, he barked at Orion, content. "I was scared for nothing." Letting out a heavy sigh of relief, Orion sat down. "Orion!" Amelia jumped at his back as he hid his face between his hands, hugging him tightly. "I''m fine. I feel a bit exhausted, that''s all." Tetra walked next to him, her gaze locked on the reason for his state. "Uh." With a weird smile, she felt a strange emotion coming out of the two beings. "That was a battle for dominance." Orion turned to Tetra, who glanced at him with a cheeky smile. "I never thought your dog would have it in him to subdue the strongest wolf in the world." "Like his master, who subdues every woman he encounters, doesn''t it?" The entire group looked at her with wide-open eyes until they understood everything. "What?" Karteira turned to Sirius, who was nudging Procyon with his front paws. "He fought to get her love?!" Nia stood on her legs and leaned forward with her hands in front of her chest. "That''s how animals do it, depending on species." Orion leaned backward, letting his back fall on Amelia''s lap. While doing that, he lifted his hand before pointing at them. "Karteira, could you heal Procyon? Please." "Sure. Give me a moment." Happy to be depended on, Karteira stood up and walked to the unconscious wolf. "Here you go." Crouching next to Sirius, she placed her hand on the Procyon''s back. After a few seconds, she twitched. "Grrrrr..." A defeated growl escaped Procyon as she pulled her head from the ground. She looked at Sirius, who was happily staring at her. She also turned to Karteira and appeared to thank her for healing her slightly injured body. Sitting next to Sirius, Procyon looked down. It seemed like the taste of defeat would take a while before disappearing. "A loss is a loss. There''s no way around it." One by one, Orion''s companions left his side and walked toward the depressed wolf. "If it''s Sirius, there''s nothing to be down about." "Right!" They all began to pat and caress her, while Sirius returned to his master. "Woof!" Licking his face, Sirius appeared happy. "You scared me, you little rascal." He turned his lying body and ruffled Sirius'' fur with vigor. "Good for you. You won''t be alone in here anymore." Genuinely happy for his friend, Orion placed his forehead on Sirius''. The master and his trusty dog were now the same. They had to protect more than themselves. In a way, it added more pressure to their life, but the reward was worth the difficult path. "Those who say that love makes you weaker are those who do not understand the power this warmth brings." "It is the reason we are strong. To protect the smiles of those we love, we cannot accept defeat." Amelia smiled as she pulled his face on her lap. "And we are here to make sure you will never regret choosing us." "You are not alone fighting. The one who said a Hero cannot be happy is stupid and doesn''t comprehend how strong our bonds are." He smiled. "You''re right." As Procyon suffered a defeat at the paws of Sirius, their relationship became sealed in stone. She became a part of Orion''s family, and alongside Sirius, she would become the second pillar of the Hero Orion. Chapter 495: Reuniting with friends and buying presents. For a while, life continued without any problems. Peace was finally arriving at the Agathion faction after everything that had happened to them. Everything was stable, and nothing was out of the ordinary. After Procyon''s matter, Orion went to meet with his friends and the rest of his family. ... The first person he visited was Kamala. The hardworking Lord was slowly creating a haven for all factions in Hocride, strengthening her rule over the city and forgiving no discrimination against them. To begin with, Hocride was a peaceful city with few conflicts. The rare issues came from the merchants and travelers from other lands, but even they were too afraid to go against Kamala on this specific matter. The two met when she was ordering her people around the harbor, inspecting boats that just had docked at the port. When she looked behind her sight of the man who saved her life, her expression failed to follow between the orders she was giving and the sight of Orion''s figure. Tearing up, the woman with glistening brown taint and royal garments walked toward him without a care for her responsibilities. She stretched her arms to the sides and tightly hugged the friend she missed for more than a year. For a while, they exchanged pleasantries and talked about their current lives. But as Kamala was currently in the middle of dealing with important matters, he left her with the promise of catching up later. As such, he decided to enjoy the sight of this beautiful city for a few hours. ... After going through the market, Orion stopped in front of a familiar stall. Greeting the man, whom he had bought a few souvenirs from in the past, he chose to buy a few more items. As usual, Orion was stacked with coins. Without giving a single care for the content of his wallet, he bought three items. Each item was particular. The first one was a piece of dead gray coral made into a pendant. With one glance, Orion could see that it would make a great gift for Senia, but not in this state. In front of the seller, he healed the piece of coral, letting its bright purple color reappear. Surprised, the man asked him if Orion could heal the rest in exchange for the items, which he agreed to do. The happiness of his companions was far superior to the idea of someone else''s filling their pockets with money. In fact, he thought that more people would be happy to receive such a gift. As the merchant gave his money back, Orion healed the few pieces of coral. At the same time, he looked at the other items. After pondering for a while, he picked a light green leaf-shaped brooch for Mia, which had quite the amount of tiny jewels encrusted over its surface. It gleamed an emerald light that enthralled him. For some reason, he had a big grin on his face, imagining her reaction. He couldn''t wait to see her with it. Since he knew her pretty well, he expected some cold reaction before accepting it. It was part of the fun at this point. The last gift he found was a pocket watch similar to his own. Since he appreciated Tetra''s help, he was unsure of what to give her. But what better than this gift for the master of ''Time'' herself? Orion found a silver watch with a long chain so that she would never lose it. The numbers etched on the mechanism were quite elaborate and refined.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. These were the perfect gifts he had in mind for those three. After walking out of the marketplace, he entered a shop and bought some necessities for everyone. Hand cream, shampoo, gloss stick, simple items he thought would make them happy. With a smile, he walked into a dark alley, out of prying eyes. ... After ending his morning in Hocride, he traveled to Albriar right after. He warped in front of the southern gate, instantly catching the eyes of the soldiers. After a bit of chatting, they let him inside, welcoming him with joy. His renown had reached everywhere he went by in the past. Every action he took, which coincidentally saved many people, stayed with them until this very day. Contrary to his belief, he was well regarded, thanks to his family helping during their times of need. Orion entered Albriar with light steps, enjoying the sight of this bustling city. The people entering and exiting stores, others enjoying a day at a table in front of a restaurant... He thought of taking everyone to one of those restaurants one day as he walked through the busy streets. As his steps carried him up the hill, where a single house stood over the rest of the neighborhood, he glanced at the sky. The clouds were standing almost still, slowly moving through the cyan blue sky. After arriving in front of Florian''s home, he knocked a few times. The one who answered wasn''t the person he was expecting, but she nonetheless welcomed him inside with a relaxed smile. Lobelia, former Lord of Albriar and Florian''s mother, greeted him. Once inside, she brought Florian out of his study and led him to Orion. To say that Orion''s presence was a shock was an understatement. His reaction was completely out of his expectations, as Florian was frozen in place. But as soon as the reality settled in, Florian approached his friend and grabbed both of his shoulders with a wide grin. He was proposed to have lunch with Florian and Lobelia, which he accepted. As he explained what had happened to him during the past year, they also told him the harsh battles that they had been through while he was absent. He had already heard of a few events from Amelia after their intense night together, but learning more of their laborious but heroic fights made him smile. After asking Florian for a fight in the near future, he went to Lobelia for advice about the gifts he wanted to buy for his companions. Once he obtained enough knowledge, he thanked her and left the house, letting them return to their activities. ... Walking into one of the stores of Albriar, Orion took his time. Since he had gifted Amelia a pearl and Karteira a hair clip in the past and bought accessories for Senia, Mia, and Tetra, all he had to find was one for the others. But it was easier said than done. Only thanks to Lobelia''s advice was he able to carefully pick the other accessories. He couldn''t find everything he wanted, but he still managed to find the perfect stuff for Olivia and Deveralna. As if fated to be bought by Orion, two items particularly caught his attention. For Olivia, it was a music box. Maybe it wasn''t an accessory she could wear on her, but he chose it anyway. Since she was a very talented violinist, he found it rather charming. The music itself was a continuation of notes that brought a smile to his face. He preferred this type of music for Olivia, more than the melancholic one he had heard so long ago. While not in the same store, the next item he found was for Deveralna. At first, he seriously hesitated. She was of royal blood, which meant that she had no need for anything in particular. If she wanted jewelry, she could have it from her mother, Palarvina. If she desired an item, she could have it crafted by her people. This made it tremendously challenging to find an actual item that would make her happy. Until a wavy bracelet akin to a golden snake captured his attention. It had a scale-like touch to it, which made it even more perfect for his companion. What was perfect was how simple it was to adjust it around the forearm. The shopkeeper demonstrated it in front of him, which led to its immediate purchase. ... Since he had a few more people to meet, Orion left Albriar before 2 PM. His next stop was, of course, Turric. The couple that helped one of his dearest companions resided in this city, covered by perfectly white snow almost all year long. As he appeared in front of May''s house, he turned toward the house right next to it. This was where Eric and his wife Caroline lived, and that was also his destination. Hearing the crunchy sound of fresh snow under his feet and the cold air traveling through his lungs, he felt satisfied. Knocking at the door with a proper posture, he heard a woman''s voice and thrashing behind the door. When Caroline opened the door, Orion understood what that noise was. She had a drowsy expression, her hair disheveled, and saliva dripping down her mouth. Grinning at this sight, Orion pointed out her sloppy appearance. He teased her for being lazy, while her face froze instantly. Stunned, she turned around slowly and stared inside her house. Shouting loudly, she called her husband, who came rushing out from another room. The rest was similar to what happened with Kamala and Florian. A long moment of relieved tears from Caroline and a warm, manly hug from Eric caused Orion to thank them for still considering him a friend. After settling down, the couple led him inside, sharing their happiness with him. In return, Orion brought a proposal to Eric. A way to erase the problematic ability that blocked his memories after each use. Shocked, the couple couldn''t believe his words, yet they agreed to it instantly. The only payment was a battle once freed from it. They would have to wait until Orion mastered the power of ''Purity'', though. Drinking his cup of coffee with a lighter heart, Orion said goodbye to them. He was relieved to see all of his friends being safe and sound more than anything. As he walked out of their house and continued deeper into Turric under the warm gaze of the couple, he went to buy the last of the gifts he needed. ... What he needed to buy was something for Nia and May. May was a true mystery to Orion. He had actually no idea what this former commander of Turric''s army, and now a member of his family, liked. He could base his gift around the few things he knew about her, though. She was dedicated and kind. Powerful, but responsible. It showed in every situation, even in her daily life. And so, Orion found an interesting gift, fitting for a dependable woman. A frozen flower that grew around this region: a Polaris Lily. Albeit an extremely fragile flower, it required a truly dedicated person to make it shine. It possesses the ability to live far longer than common flowers, thanks to it growing in temperatures below zero. He couldn''t see any other gift for her, so he bought the flower and the freezing pod to make it grow into. Lastly, Orion entered a peculiar shop he had never been in before. For Nia, he braved the strange world of a plush shop. Her childish behavior was something he wanted to protect. The innocence she managed to maintain even through the challenging times needed to be kept alive. Looking for various plushies¡ªbear, dog, cat, bunny, and all other cute creatures of this world¡ªOrion finally settled for one especially cute. A green dragonfly half his size but slightly smaller than her, with plenty of fluff inside to keep her warm. Putting his purchases into a pocket dimension, Orion exited the store and looked at the sky. He noticed the coloration turning to a light orange, and as he brought his pocket watch out of his breast pocket, he looked at the time. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed someone walking closer to him. A face he saw only once, but impacted him greatly. Chapter 496: Chance encounter. A bad memory returned to him when their gazes met. When coming into Turric for the first time, Orion, Amelia, and Karteira took a short respite into a restaurant. At that time, a rude man bothered his alone time and brought the worst out of him. The bald man approached Orion with a serious expression. Instead of moving away, he stood his ground. "Sir..." Hesitantly, the man called out to him. "Do you perhaps remember me?" Seeing the neutral gaze on Orion''s face, he knew he had to be careful about his speech. "I do. Is there something you want from me?" This sounded colder than he meant it to be. "No. I don''t need anything from you in particular." With a smile, he scratched the back of his head before bending his upper body forward. "I simply hoped for an opportunity to thank you." Seeing the genuine display of humility, Orion lifted his eyebrow in surprise. Suddenly, he felt a need to listen to the man. "Have I done something to justify receiving your thanks?" "I remember almost leaving you to die. It would make more sense if you were to resent me." Orion turned his head toward him with a serious expression, as he couldn''t understand why he had approached him. "What you said to me that day. To this day, I continue to base my actions around them." The bald man straightened and clenched his hands into tight fists. It wasn''t an act of defiance, but one of frustration toward himself. "When I settled in Turric, I was still an immature person. I thought I could get everything by pressuring others." "You were the one who opened my eyes." He smiled naturally. "If you could accept my apology from that day, I would have no regrets left." "Sure. I have no reason to refuse an apology." With a firm nod, Orion let the matter go. It wasn''t as if this incident bothered him anyway. "Thank you. I am relieved to hear that from the man I have wronged." Orion shrugged it off. As he did, he noticed a woman carefully watching from afar. "That person behind you... Is she with you?" He turned around and looked in her direction. "Oh. Yes." With a smile, he waved at her. "Thanks to the advice you''ve given me, I built a wonderful relationship with a colleague of mine." If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "After you left, I went to apologize to the owner of the restaurant." Waving for her to come closer, he continued. "I began working in that same place and grew accustomed to Turric''s life. She might be a few years younger than me, but she helped me nonetheless." "Even though I was this way, she accepted me. She taught me a lot and replaced the loneliness I was feeling previously." With careful steps, his companion came closer. The creaking of the snow under her boots stopped as she stood next to the man. "Hello." Somehow, Orion recalled seeing this woman. She was one of the waitresses working at the restaurant. "Hello." Orion nodded as she gently waved at him. He could feel the radiant smile on her face and gathered that she was truly happy being next to the man. "What were you talking about?" She turned to him and stared into his face with a concerned expression. "I apologized to him for something I''d done before being hired. I''m sure you remember that day, too." "Oh! Is that the person with the two gorgeous women at that time?" He nodded. Glancing toward Orion with a nervous smile. "Do not worry." The man grabbed her hand and eased her worries. "If you say it''s fine, I believe you." Orion could tell. This was a perfectly healthy and genuine relationship. The man had worked hard to make his beliefs a reality and find the happiness he was looking for. Feeling the air turning colder, the two shuddered. "I will be on my way now. The sun is setting." Looking at his pocket watch, Orion smiled. "Your apology; I''ve received it. Now be on your way, and never worry about it ever again." "I hope you''ll stay happy forever." The two stared at Orion with astonishment. With a nod, they said their goodbyes and walked away. Watching them walk away, he heard a bit of their conversation as they left. "What were you doing here?" "Your shift ended around this time, so I came to find you. I thought you would like going home together." The woman hugged him. "I love you!" "Haha~" Orion closed his eyes and walked away with a smile. ''This is how our world should be.'' ... "Hmm?" Dylan dropped the book he was reading and looked toward the window facing the entrance of his home. "This feeling. Is it Nylon coming back?" Eliza walked behind him and placed her hands on her husband''s shoulders. "..." But then, both squinted their eyes as they felt something strange. "This aura... It can''t be!" Dylan and Eliza immediately rushed toward the door and opened it abruptly, surprising the man standing behind it. "I... haven''t even knocked yet." Orion smiled while retracting his hand. Before he could say anything else, Eliza leaped forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. "Orion! You''re fine!" The instant reality sank in, the beastmen couple were all over him. "He''s... alive." Tapping lightly Eliza''s back, he returned the hug. At the same time, he watched as Dylan turned around, wiping his tears with his sleeve. ... "So much happened to you." "It was difficult, but I learned a lot." With the sun having gone past the horizon, and Orion''s story coming to an end, the two adults, who considered him a precious part of their family, accepted it without questioning. "You''ve grown. Hearing words of forgiveness from you truly is remarkable. Never in my wildest dreams had I imagined it." Proud of him, Dylan nodded firmly. "I came to tell you that I was back myself. Of course, Nylon knew, but I asked him to stay quiet about this." Eliza stared at him with a warm gaze. She didn''t care about it, since it was obvious coming himself was a non-negotiable matter. They both felt grateful that he visited today instead of hearing of his return. "For now, that''s all I have to say. Since it''s already this late, I have to return home." "I''m not one to make everyone worry." As he pushed his chair and stood up, he smiled at them. It was true that his companions were waiting for him, but he also couldn''t hold the excitement of seeing the smile on their faces once he gave them the gifts he bought. But most of all, dinner was most likely ready by now. "So soon... Well, there''s nothing we can do about that." Dropping her shoulders, Eliza sighed. Time went by too quickly, and she wanted to speak with him more. "We''ll have plenty of time to talk. With his return, we don''t have to worry about anything." Dylan patted his wife''s back lightly, a smile on his face. "You''re right. I shouldn''t keep him stuck with us, since he has many women waiting for him at home." "A genuine stud." "Dylan!" Laughing at their interaction, which was as normal as ever, Orion walked toward the corridor. "Alright. See you soon. Stay healthy." "Same to you." "Take care, Orion." Waving at them, he exited their house and entered the portal back to Horizon. ... With his visits done, Orion breathed a sigh of relief. They were all perfectly healthy and in a good mood, easing his concerns. He chose to immediately warp in front of his home after exiting the portal hub building. And just as he thought, through the window, he noticed Amelia and Henrietta place plates on the table. Walking toward the door, he eagerly entered. "I''m back." "Welcome back!" He heard multiple excited voices answer him in return. After removing his shoes and mantle, he entered the dining room. "Do you need my help?" Amelia smiled while shaking her head. "We''re fine." "But you can get Stella and Reon. They''re in the farthest room on the first floor." "Sure. I''ve never been there, so let me do that." He peeked inside the living room and waved at everyone. Senia, Karteira, and Mia were missing. Giving it a thought, he determined that they were in their room. With light steps, he continued down the hallway and entered the farthest area of his house. Opposite to the place where Tetra had been attacked by Miasma was a room where his father and his daughter worked together in the name of science, developing new gadgets. Giving a quick knock, Orion placed his hand on the handle. "Is it that time already?!" He heard his father''s voice echo from behind the door. "It''s dark outside..." Stella quickly followed with an observation, as if she hadn''t paid it any attention. "I''m coming in." Orion opened the door and entered. "Papa?" Surprised by his unexpected appearance, she released the strange item in her hands and hopped closer to him. "Is it time to have dinner?" Reon also placed the complicated device, which resembled a cube with moving parts, on the large table. "That''s why I am here. I was also curious about this room." "You''re welcome to enter anytime. There''s nothing dangerous about our discoveries." "So far..." Rubbing the back of his nape, Reon began to sweat. "Mom''s on your case, huh?" "Haha... Yes." Unless he was extremely conscientious while creating his devices, Orianne wouldn''t let him do this. "I have to be careful not to damage this house and the surrounding terrain. That''s the deal I made so that I could do this hobby of mine again." "Nothing happened for a year, so she hasn''t been nagging at me." "Are you taking resting days? Don''t forget about her." Reon smiled. "I would never. I work at most three hours a day on this and spend the rest of the time with her." "I should take examples from you. I have to make up for my absence, even with you, Stella." His daughter hugged him for a brief instant before walking outside the room. "Let''s go eat, Orion." "Sure, dad." They left the workshop and moved together toward the dining room, where everyone was waiting. Chapter 497: Orion and his companions. (Part 1) That same night, after dinner. It was time for everyone to head toward their rooms and rest. Orion took this opportunity to visit each of them, starting with Tetra, who was living on the first floor. Before he could even knock, Tetra opened the door abruptly. "Again..." Orion smiled weirdly as the door once again opened before he could knock. "Whoa! Orion." Surprised, Tetra visibly jumped, since she wasn''t expecting to see him here. "Hey." With a sheepish smile, he walked to the side, letting a path for her to move through. "You needed something?" Walking past her doorway, she stopped in front of him with a more relaxed expression. "That can wait. Weren''t you going somewhere?" "I haven''t been feeling well since getting back into my body. I thought drinking some water would help me." She noticed his immediate concern and shook her head. "Don''t look at me like that." Without hesitation, she hugged him. "It''s just fatigue and lack of energy. There''s nothing wrong with me." "You have to remember that I was stuck in your core for a very long time." Removing her arms, she walked away. "We were together for a few thousand years. Give me some time to adjust." While nodding, Orion stopped worrying. Satisfied by his reaction, she continued deeper into the house to drink a glass of water. After a few minutes, she returned to her room. "Want to come in?" Pointing inside her room, she looked rather adorable to him. Each time he felt the urge to embrace one of them, Silka''s sigil made it even harder to control his feelings. ''Not today. Be patient, Orion.'' Tetra wasn''t in perfect shape yet. Making a move on her would certainly bring joy to her, but it could also complicate things. So, he entered and emptied his thoughts. As the door closed, he looked around. "Nothing''s changed." He smiled. Even Noah''s photography was displayed on top of her drawer. "Well, of course it hasn''t changed. I haven''t had much time recently." "Enri is acting so cutely that I can''t help but stay with her." After shrugging, she sat on her bed. "Hm." Staring at Orion, she lightly tapped the spot next to her, urging Orion to sit there. "..." Without a word, Orion did just that. "You don''t often come see us. Is there something important you want to ask me?" "Is it about my power again?" Orion shook his head. "You''ve got it wrong, for once. The reason I came to see you is..." Turning to the side, he lifted his hand and pierced an invisible distortion. As his hand sank into the rift and disappeared, Tetra opened her eyes wide.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. When Orion pulled out a silvery chain from the distortion, she lifted an eyebrow, intrigued. "To give you a present." The pocket watch fell into his hand, which he immediately handed to Tetra. Receiving the item with both hands, she alternated her gaze between the watch and Orion. "For me?" "Yes." She slowly dropped her hands above her thighs and gently moved the present around. Meticulously looking at it, she finally pressed the button to open it. *Click* As the cover opened up, the intricate and gorgeous mechanism inside ticked serenely. Inside the cover, a small sentence was engraved. ''An eternity together, forever and ever.'' Orion scratched his cheek in embarrassment. Even for him, this was a little too much. But for Tetra, it was everything. She closed the cover and pulled Orion''s hand closer to her face. Rubbing her cheek on it, she smiled while tearing up. "Thank you. I''ll treasure this gift every single day." Basking in a moment of silence, they stared into each other''s eyes with ever-growing fondness. ... It was tough to leave Tetra''s side, but he wasn''t done giving the items and accessories he had bought for his companions. He made up his mind as he walked up the stairs, picking Olivia''s room first. As he stopped in front of her door, he knocked lightly. "Yes?" He heard footsteps approaching the door, so he moved backward. "Orion?" When Olivia opened the door, she found Orion standing behind it. "Huh? What are you doing in front of my room at this roo-" She stopped instantly. Her face turned red, but she lasciviously smirked at him. "I see. You came to devour me!" "No." With mixed feelings, Orion placed one hand on her head and pushed her backward into her bedroom. "Ah! Wait! That hurts!" "Be more gentle!" As her voice echoed inside the corridors, the door closed. Orion finally let her go. "What was that for?" The instant they were alone, Olivia''s illusion disappeared, revealing her matured demon form. "..." Stunned by her natural beauty, Orion couldn''t help but feel his demon blood burn in his veins. "I mean, I''m not against some rough play, but tell me beforehand." "I''m not here for that." Being brought back to reality by her obviously tempting proposal, he shrugged it off with a smile. "You''re not? That''s disappointing." "Though I was expecting that. You would''ve dragged me to your room if we were going to have sex." Surprised, Orion chuckled. "For a young lady, you''re quite asking for it." "Have I hidden my motive since meeting you? I fell in love with you at first sight, and I am willing to give everything I have to you." She frowned bitterly. "Even my maids." "We''ll speak about that later. I have no interest in taking things from you." Walking toward her desk, Orion immediately took this chance. "In fact, I came to give you something." With a swift movement of his arm, he pulled a little box from an invisible space. Olivia followed him with light steps, only to freeze right next to him. "A... music box?" "Yes." Taking a step to the side, he let Olivia pick up the small box and open it. A melodic sound escaped the music box, instantly drowning her mind into a feeling of tranquility, which she hadn''t felt in quite a long time. Orion smiled warmly as Olivia closed her eyes, letting the music etch its mark inside her heart. Once the melody stopped, she closed the box. "You have a great sense for picking gifts. I haven''t felt like this for a while." She glanced toward her violin, resting against the wall in its protective case. "Does that make you happy?" Olivia smiled and placed the box on the desk. She then approached Orion and stared into his eyes. Lifting her arms, she enveloped Orion''s face with her hands and pulled him closer to her. *Kiss* Giving no room for hesitation, she passionately pressed her lips on his. After a few seconds, she pulled her face away, her ears bright red. "Does that answer your question?" The stunning smile on her face, which contrasted with her demonic look, made his heart skip a beat. "Definitely." ... The next room Orion chose to visit was the twins''. With a resolute knock, he waited for an answer. "Who is it at this hour?" He could hear the grumpy voice of Mia coming toward the door. "I hope it''s something impor...tant." When the door opened, her eyes settled on Orion. "Come in. Quietly, though, she''s sleeping." Even though she said that, Mia made no effort to speak quietly. Since she knew her younger twin sister wouldn''t wake up unless she shook her, she didn''t bother. "Sorry for intruding at this hour. I had something I wanted to give you." "If it''s too late, I can always give it to you tomorrow." Mia shook her head from left to right. "It''s fine. I wasn''t planning to go to sleep for a while." With a quick glance, Orion scanned the desk, where a few papers were neatly arranged. He couldn''t make much sense of what was written from the angle he was looking from, so he stopped doing that. Mia seemed to appreciate the fact that he didn''t try to snoop around, which made her open up instead of clamming up. "Intrigued?" "If I said no, I would be lying. And since I chose to never lie to you, yes, I am quite interested in what you were doing." Walking toward the desk, she pulled a single piece of paper from the arranged set and handed it over to Orion. Taking the sheet off her hands, he looked at it. "Plans for... a weapon?" Lifting an eyebrow, Orion kept looking at the picture and began to read the underlying text. "Interesting. So you''re the one designing those weapons?" "Correct." With one look, Orion could tell that this was a topic related to his father and daughter''s work. But something made more sense. "Weapons for the fairies and arachnea?" Turning his head to Mia, he noticed her nod. Opening his eyes wide, Orion was impressed. "You''ve been doing well even when I was gone. I''m glad you stayed strong." She shrugged. "It wasn''t all shine and sparkles. You being gone was a terrible blow to everyone''s mood." "We all took it upon ourselves to avoid dwelling on it, but us who haven''t spent much time with you took it a bit harder than Karteira." He could imagine that. It was his greatest regret, and he planned to make it up to them. "Anyway, why are you here?" She asked for the paper back, which Orion gently returned. At the same time, he pulled the brooch from the storage space and presented it to Mia. "I want you to accept this." "A bribe?" As she placed the paper on her desk, she wasn''t aware of the accessory in his hand. "Haha~ For what reason would I need to bribe you?" "I don''t know. You could be asking for a... date..." Her eyes finally settled on the brooch as she walked closer to him. "What do you think?" Compared to the reaction he was expecting, she quietly came closer. The emerald leaf reflected the low light of her desk lamp, glistening in her eyes. "It''s quite lovely." Carefully placing her hands over the accessory, she picked it up, approaching it closer to her face. "Thank you." When she lifted her head, she gave the warmest smile ever. One only dedicated to him, and no one else. Not even Nia saw this kind of smile, as this was a lover''s smile. She pointed her free hand toward the ground. It wasn''t hard for Orion to get the point. After placing one knee on the ground, Mia gave him a little peck on the lips. "You''re not the only one who decided to change. It''s still in progress, though." Clenching the brooch close to her chest, she turned around. "Hnn~ Orion?" Nia began to awaken, reacting to her twin sister''s feelings reaching her in her sleep. As she rubbed her eyes cutely, she sat in bed. "Hey. I''m sorry to have woken you up." "It''s fine. It was just a little nap." Orion laughed for a moment before approaching her. "Here. This is for you." Pulling out an extra-large plush from his storage space, Nia opened her eyes wide. "Is that a plushie?!" She immediately jumped out of bed and waited for Orion to give it to her. Changing hands, the plush, which was as large as her, made Nia tear up. "For me? Are you sure? I won''t give it back." "I picked it up just for you. I wasn''t sure if you would like it, so I''m actually relieved." While Mia looked at this with a warm smile, she was happy that Orion thought not only about her, but also about her younger sister. Seeing Orion scratch his cheek in delight, a surging emotion took over Nia. Her wings suddenly spread behind her, and with a faint buzzing noise, she leaped forward after sending the plush toward her bed. She wrapped her hands around his neck and kissed him, just like her sister did a moment ago. "We only love one person, and it''ll always be you." "You make me forget about the toughest moments of my life, and I''ll forever love you for that." Giggling happily, she dropped to the ground. Picking up the dragonfly plushie, she jumped into bed and snuggled close to it. "Good night." And just like that, she fell asleep. "You know what? I also like this gift." Orion turned to Mia. "She will hug this instead of me. Thanks." With a satisfied feeling, Orion exited their room. Chapter 498: Orion and his companions. (Part 2) Orion walked toward the next room. So far, he was in a great mood. Each gift he brought back so far made the ones who received them happy. The ones who still had to receive their gift were Deveralna, May, and Senia. In that order, he went to their rooms. *Knock* For a moment, no one answered. To be sure, Orion perked his ears using his ability. (Shit! Where have I put decent clothes?!) He heard Deveralna panicking behind the door, looking for something to receive the visitor. "I''m coming in." With a smile, Orion opened the door now that he knew the lamia was awake. "A- Wait! I''m not ready!" "What''s to worry about. I''ve already seen everything of you." Closing the door behind him, he entered the royal bedroom of the lamia Queen. When he turned his gaze toward her, he froze. "That may be true, but you could have waited!" A pillow came flying at him at an incredible speed. He caught it and stayed still for a moment. "You better hide your face. You hear me?" For a split second, Orion noticed the see-through dress she was wearing. He couldn''t see the details of her body, but the light showed her lines perfectly drawn under the piece of clothing. To say that it hadn''t left a mark on his mind would be a lie. The memories of their night together came flashing back in his head, making it difficult to contain himself. Although feeling hotter, he breathed in and out discreetly and let this feeling pass through. "I''m done. That''s what you get for being forceful." With a sneaky smile, she pulled his arm, holding the pillow. "Sorry. I''ll should''ve waited." She shrugged. "I''m sure some of us would love to receive you in such an attire, but I''m not." Leaning forward, she pressed her index finger on his lips. "I''ll allow you to see my body like this only when we do it." Smiling, Orion bent his head down. "Yes, my Queen." "Good." Ending the joke, she pulled him toward her massive bed, which took up a large amount of space in her bedroom. Orion took the moment to look at her changed clothes. They weren''t as revealing as the previous ones, being simpler than her nightgown. Still, she also looked very attractive in those. Putting that aside, he sat on the bed next to her. "Tell me why you came barging into the room of a lady at this hour, my dear Orion." With a defeated smile, he dropped his shoulders. "I have nothing to my defense. Would you accept this as a reconciliation gift?" Pulling the bracelet out of the storage dimension, Orion presented it to her. Deveralna received it in her hands and looked at it for a moment. She stretched it lightly, noticing its property. Then, she placed it around her right forearm, and lifted her arm so that light bathed the item. "It''s not a reconciliation gift, is it?" When she turned her head toward Orion, a faint emotion of expectation appeared in her eyes. ''If it were me from before, I wouldn''t have noticed.'' Closing his eyes, Orion shook his head. "You are right. I went to buy a gift for you and everyone now that I had the opportunity." "I wanted to make up for the lack of seriousness I made you witness after becoming part of this family." His gaze wandered forward, ridden with guilt. "I should''ve done that a long time ago, but I still wanted to make you feel important. That I do not compare any of you. That you all take a large portion of my heart equally." As he spoke, he felt a warm feeling wrap around his leg. Without even looking, he knew what it was.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Deveralna had wrapped her tail around his leg, tight enough to transmit her heat. "This gift has more significance to you than I was expecting." With moist eyes, she stared at the snake-like bracelet. Its golden hue seemed to appear even more clearly to her, sparkling brilliantly. "Thank you, Orion. I''ll wear it every day." "I''m glad you like it." With a warm smile, he glanced at her. "Of course, I appreciate the gift. What I appreciate even more is the care you show us." "This..." She rubbed the scaly texture of the bracelet and smiled. "It proves that waiting for your return was worth it. That not abandoning our feelings for you was the right choice all along." "One gift from you is enough to fill my heart with so much love I don''t know how to deal with it." For a brief instant, the mood changed. ... Orion walked out of Deveralna''s room, wiping the corner of his lips. ''I already knew it, but her bite marks stings.'' Placing his hand on his neck, he touched the mark and healed it. ''Good thing I managed to calm her down, or we would have done it.'' Approaching May''s room, he checked his clothes. Nothing looked different from before, so he knocked without giving it a second thought. ''May might be sleeping. She''s an early sleeper, if I remember.'' Since May was previously part of Turric''s army, she was used to sleeping early. But contrary to his expectation, she opened the door. "Orion?" She looked rather pale. Paler than she actually used to be. Concerned, his mind took a sharp turn. "Are you alright?" "I haven''t been sleeping well this past year." She rubbed the elemental etched on her nape, which caught his attention. "Let me in for a bit." "Sure." Opening her door completely, she let him in. After closing it, Orion dragged her toward her bed. "Sit there and show me your back." May nodded faintly and did as he said. "Lift your hair, please." "Alright." Lifting her hair and showing the elemental red jewel, she sighed. It took but a second for Orion to notice the reddish outline on her skin. "How long have you been feeling unwell?" "..." While looking downward, she answered. "Since you went missing." "The stress took everything out of me. First was infighting, then the invasions." "Being trained by a Remnant was another thing. Having to constantly be on the lookout and repel enemies has taken so much power from my elemental that it also affected me." Instead of keeping it to herself, she explained everything. "Do they know?" "Karteira knows. I asked her to look at it, but she wasn''t sure if her power would help. She still helps me heal the pain when it becomes unbearable." Orion nodded, saying nothing else. He looked at his hand, which began to be enveloped in a white light. "There appears to be a rejection between the elemental and you. The light inside the crystal is also dim, which tells me it is overexerting its energy." Caressing the red skin around the jewel''s outline, Orion continued as May clenched her thighs from the pain. "I''ll start by healing your skin, and then I''ll infuse some energy into the elemental." With a smile, he carefully finished removing the constant pain she was feeling. "Thank you." "It''s nothing. I only wish you had come to me earlier. If this jewel completely detaches from your body... I fear the worst would happen." She nodded, looking guilty. "But, I''m genuinely surprised you went to Karteira for help. Knowing you, I was sure you would have kept this to yourself." Glancing over her shoulder, she looked slightly embarrassed. "I''m part of this family, so..." No more words were needed, as Orion smiled. At the same time, the red outline disappeared, showing the skin perfectly fused to the elemental jewel again. "Alright, how do you feel?" "Better." Moving her neck in various directions, she smiled as the pain she felt all this time vanished. "Thank you." She turned around and thanked him. "I''m not done, though. Come here." Orion grabbed her hand and pulled her into his embrace. For a brief moment, May was confused but never thrashed around. "I might be able to do something for the elemental." He hugged her back with one arm, while touching her nape with his other hand. It was one thing to heal exhaustion, but it was another to fill an elemental with energy back to its perfect state. But for Orion, it wasn''t even a challenge. As a serene air formed around him, which soothed May''s entire being, a gleaming light mixed two elements into one and entered the jewel. She closed her eyes and gripped his chest tightly, letting his warmth cover her senses. Slowly, the red hue inside the crystal began to grow as it converted the energy into its own. "That should do it." May''s body began to recover some color. As she was between life and death, it was difficult for her to keep a healthy skin color. Her heart was pumping blood so thin it was almost transparent, to the point where not even a cut would make her bleed. This was a dilemma Orion vowed to resolve, and it was only a matter of time before making it a reality. "I''m done." "I can feel it." Opening her mouth, May released a hot cloud. When her eyes fell on Orion, the feisty look she always displayed returned. Feeling a sense of satisfaction take over him, he hugged her tightly. "I like you better like that. I''m sorry, I should''ve noticed earlier that you were feeling unwell." Shaking her head, May stayed in his arms. "I did everything not to bother you. You had just returned, so I thought it could have waited." He pushed her shoulders lightly and brought out the gift he wanted to give her. "Would you accept this gift?" He handed the pot covered with a tall glass cover. At the top was a device attached to it, similar to a fan. Above the fan was a small slot that needed to be filled with water. And inside, the bag of seeds rested on the dirt. "A flower pot?" "I thought it would be perfect for someone as responsible as you. I heard those seeds gave the prettiest flowers to those who carefully nurtured them." Perplexed, May stared into his eyes. "Do you think I have it in me to grow them?" "I do." Gazing at the pot in her hands, May pondered. "I... want to give it a try." With an enticing smile, May hugged the pot near her chest. For Orion, this view was all he wanted to see. May was probably the only one he wasn''t sure would be happy about the present, but she eased his concern with her genuine smile. "You should start decorating your room some more." Orion looked at the plain bedroom, which had really the bare minimum inside: a bed and a few pieces of furniture. There were no photos, no trinkets, absolutely nothing. "Starting with this plant, you should find a hobby for yourself." "I''ll think about it." Dropping her head on his chest, she rubbed her forehead on it. As Orion looked at her, he noticed the elemental pulsing lightly. With a smile, he caressed her hair until she felt satisfied. ... The last person he needed to visit was Senia. It was probably the trickiest of the rooms to enter, as it was filled with water. Still, it wasn''t a reason to chicken out. With the intent of giving her his gift, he knocked. Shortly after, the door opened, revealing a moving wall of water. Not a single drop of water spilled into the hallway, which, again, astonished him. ''Amelia sure does wonder with her power. Her control over the elements is remarkable.'' Taking a deep breath, Orion stepped inside the water-filled room. "Here I go." *Splash* The water swallowed his body entirely, and the door closed by itself behind him. "Hmm?" As he walked inside, he noticed that the water wasn''t hindering his movement. He could also breathe normally, which confused him. ''Is the blessing of the kelpies still working on me?'' Recalling Saffira''s blessing, Orion pondered until the siren noticed him. "Oh! It''s you, Orion. I thought it was someone else." She hurriedly left her comfy reef bed and swam in front of him. "Amazing..." Orion was at a loss for words. The entire room looked like a peaceful haven for aquamarine life. Corals, sponges, and anemones sat on the walls and ceiling, while small fish swam around her room. There weren''t a lot, but still a marvel to gaze at. The ceiling had a slight layer of air under it to simulate the feeling of waves. A true underwater heaven for a siren was her bedroom. "Haha~ If you keep staring at everything, I''ll start getting shy." Giggling, Senia placed her arms behind her back while looking away. "It''s the first time I ever entered your room. Sorry if I made you uncomfortable." "Oh no! Of course not! I''m pleased to see you." From her reaction, Orion confirmed that the others had already entered her room. It seemed that being able to breathe air and walk normally was one of the features of this room. Seeing her floating freely in front of him, he stared at the true beauty of this person, only brought to life in her natural environment. Her light pink hair, floating freely around her. Her tail nervously fidgeting around, and her gleaming eyes trying to avoid his gaze. This was the Senia he loved. A bundle of shyness, but bold enough to reach for what she desired. "I won''t take much of your time, since it''s quite late already." Before entering, he looked at his watch. It was 10 PM by this point, which was usually the time he went to bed. "It''s alright. I wasn''t feeling sleepy anyway..." Orion noticed the faint pinkish hue under her eyes, which told him many things. Going straight to the point, he pulled out the pendant from his dimensional storage. "I bought a gift I thought you would like. I wanted to give it to you today, so that''s why I''m here at this hour." With a smile, he took a step forward and gently lifted her hand before placing the piece of coral in it. "Huh?" Senia looked at the pendant, then at Orion. She repeated this a few times before a faint smile formed on her face. "Orion, I''m sure you aren''t aware what gifting a piece of extremely fragile piece of coral to a siren means." Concerned appeared on his face. ''Have I bought something I shouldn''t have?'' Noticing his frown, Senia gently covered the pendant with her other hand. "It''s a vowed of eternal love. From your perspective, it is similar to marriage." Opening his eyes wide, Orion understood what he had done. "Oh... I confessed my love to you through this present." Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, he looked inside her eyes. "Exactly. Of course, I won''t give it back, since my feelings have been set in stone since the day you saved us." Senia swam closer to him and went for a passionate kiss in exchange for the pendant. Now that the last gift was in Senia''s hands, Orion felt at peace. They all received their presents and appeared to appreciate them. After ending his heated moment with Senia, he tried to return to his room. "Tonight..." But Senia stopped him. "I''ll make my feelings clear to you." Unable to exit the room, and unwilling to, Orion spent the night with Senia for the first time. "Bring it on." With a smirk on his face, he embraced the siren, but not before snapping his fingers to seal the entire room. Chapter 499: Orianne and her father. Orion opened his eyes in a strange room. The sound of running water soothed his mind, while the blueish hue captured by his eyes confused him. It took him only a few seconds to actually remember what happened the night before, as he sat on the rather comfortable and soft algae bed. Next to him, barely clothed, Senia slept soundly. Recalling the rough night, he placed his face between both hands. ''Having sex underwater is something I would have never imagined...'' Moving one arm to the side, he placed his hand into a rift and pulled out dry clothes from it. Even if he went at it in this environment, since he was unaffected by it, it felt like normal. ''Never underestimate the power of a timid person...'' After putting on his clothes, he sat on the bed''s edge and leaned backward toward Senia. Placing his hand on her hair, which was hiding her right eye, Orion gently caressed her. "See you later." He stood up and quietly left her room. ... "Hnnnnnng!" Immediately after, Orion walked downstairs while stretching his arms over his head. The audible cracking of his bones told a story only he and Senia knew about. Getting back to his usual routine, he went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee. When he turned into the dining room, he realized that other people were already awake. "Hi." Walking inside, Orion waved at his mother. "Good morning, Orion." Greeting her son, Orianne yawned lightly. "Is this the hour you usually wake up to?" As he walked into the kitchen, he asked. "Not really." When he entered the kitchen, he found himself face-to-face with Tetra, who looked even more tired than Orianne. The drowsy look in her eyes showed that she had been awakened against her will. "Aah~, I see..." Orion watched as she walked past him with a cup of very dark coffee in her hand. He rapidly brewed his own before joining the two at the table. "It''s about the rest of your story, isn''t it?" "Correct. Since I can''t really finish it with others around, I expected you to wake up early. I hope you don''t have anything urgent to do this morning."Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Pondering for a brief moment, he finally shook his head. "I''m fine. I was going to train to refresh myself, but that''s something I can do anytime." "I''m relieved." Placing a hand on her chest, she smiled. At the same time, Orion, who had sat next to Tetra, placed his hand on her back. With an up-and-down motion, he rubbed her back while applying basic magic to his hand. Tetra felt his energy remove the drowsiness in her head before her mind cleared up entirely. "Thanks." "No problem." Since she was here when Orianne told her story, she was forced to attend this early morning, as it would be unfair to finish it without her. "Alright. Last time, I stopped before I returned to Eogis, right?" Orion nodded. ~ A demon rapidly flew over the sea, separating her home from the main continent of Triazils. In a few hours, she managed to cross the distance while feeling little to no exhaustion. Taking this opportunity to improve herself, she kept going over the land and rapidly returned to her village. Her singed and damaged cape flapped behind her back as her eyes settled on a marching force leaving the confines of the village. "Shit! He truly agreed to invade the angels..." Feeling grand disappointment in her people, she picked up the pace. As she watched a few thousand demons stand in formation, she noticed the person she was looking for. She flew over the formation, catching everyone''s eyes. After flying in various patterns, she dropped to the ground behind the leader of the demon faction. *Drop* Placing her feet on the ground, Orianne wiped the dust off her legs. "Who are you?" A tall man with short black hair and an imperial mustache glared at the hidden figure that appeared behind him. "Not even recognizing your daughter... You''re really something." Walking toward him, she removed the hood that was concealing her face. "Orianne!" The man''s expression showed great relief, but it immediately turned into a sharp glare. Clenching his fists tightly, he faced her. Orianne''s father, Atlas, was way taller than his daughter. Albeit old, he was still renowned for his impartial conduct in all circumstances. This was what Orianne hated the most about him. "Do you even realize what listening to those morons will accomplish?" "Those pathetic retainers that never stepped a foot on the battlefield told you to subjugate the angels. Great." "Then what? I thought blood had spilled enough times to learn the lesson." She unclasped the metal hinge of her cape and threw the entire piece of cloth into the grass. "You little girl who knows nothing of the adult world! You should know not to open that mouth to spout such idealistic ideas." "Talks about peace won''t certify a bright future for our people. We cannot stand another hundred years of fighting when food has become that scarce." "Open your eyes, Orianne. There is no other solution." Breathing in and out, she remained calm. The teachings of the ''Volcanic Dragon'', Diramo?, weren''t wasted on her. "So what if I dream of peace?" Glaring at her father, her demonic trait stunned everyone. "I have idealistic ideas? You''re the one who should be nurturing those ideas." "Why am I the only one who seems to care about our future? Killing the angel because we don''t have food..." She inhaled and shouted. "Bunch of buffoons!" Her voice shocked her father. The pure, unaltered wrath behind her words carried a pressure that was unbelievable to Atlas. "Have you ever wondered about joining hands with the angels? Instead of stealing a land that is nearly like ours, wouldn''t it be better to strive to build it instead?" "Work the fields alongside our neighbors. Cultivate both the land and our relationship between each other!" As she stepped closer to her father, her nails grew longer and her wings stretched wider. The intimidation she was exerting terrified the soldiers behind her father, but they weren''t the main recipients of her fury. In their eyes, she was similar to those creatures of legends that rarely appeared. "You told me, didn''t you?" Her feet stopped in their tracks as she glared at him. "That if I wanted to make those words a reality, I had to throw away my weaknesses." "You told me that those dreams were the reason for my lack of talent." "Would you still say this in front of mom''s face?!" Swiping her hand in front of her, she leaped forward, leaving no room for regret. Atlas clenched his teeth and managed to pull himself out of the fearful state he was in. He glanced at the greatsword stuck in the ground but shook his head internally before clashing with his daughter. Both entered a destructive brawl, catching the other''s fists as they aimed for each other''s faces. In complete silence, the soldiers watched their leader lose to Orianne after only a few minutes. Battered completely, Atlas fell to the ground, both knees sinking into the ground. "Weak..." Orianne looked at the sky with a torn expression. The days of weakness had ended, and with it, she inherited the mantle of the demons'' leader. Having bested her father in a duel, she obtained the entire power to do what she wanted. "Dad... Are my dreams so unrealistic?" Her gaze met Atlas''. For a moment, they stared into each other''s eyes. "I never thought they were. She would be proud of you." At that moment, she understood who the real enemy was. ''Those pathetic worms!'' As Atlas stood up and removed his coat, he looked as his daughters glared past the stationed soldiers. He placed the coat on her shoulder and took a step back. "Everyone! Return to the city and detain the retainers of our faction." "Their polluting mindset has to come to an end, and what better day than today to make it so!" With a wild and chilling smile, she extended her right arm forward. "We will no longer wage war against the angels. I have seen enough of your blood spill on these lands to know we have fought for far too long." "Today, finish your duties and rest with your loved ones. It is an order." Confused, the soldiers looked at each other. Slowly, they began to walk back into the walls of the village. Atlas observed quietly as his daughter gave orders with clear intent. The man who couldn''t disobey the words of his elders carefully watched as a new era arrived for his people. And the one who brought this to reality was none other than his cherished daughter, Orianne. That same day, forty-five retainers were arrested and relieved of their functions. They were forced to let go of the power they had over the entire faction and accept Orianne as their new leader. Of course, many thought what she did was against the demons. Many tried to rebel against her, but the soldiers themselves, who admired her for her bravery against Atlas, protected her from them. On the side of the angels, Reon had already subjugated all the retainers and successfully created a new order of angels, who embraced the ideas of peace. It took less than a month to strike a definite peace treaty between the two factions. Alongside it, prosperity finally flourished in both factions. Food became abundant after Reon created devices to help grow crops, and Orianne brought the two together by erasing the prejudices between them. Until the day Diramo? called for her, Orianne''s dreams of peace continued to grow exponentially. Chapter 500: The demon and the dragon. After a few years of focusing on the peace built between the two factions, Orianne heard the call of the dragon Diramo?. For an unexplained reason, she heard a voice calling her name once. She threw all responsibilities on her father''s shoulders for a while as she left the demon village for Ormrdivin. At that point, Orianne and Reon weren''t yet together, which made it easier for her to keep this entire matter a secret from him and everyone else. In a few hours of moving at top speed, Orianne arrived at the dragon''s nest. Flying over the large opening that led into the mountain, she stopped. ''It''s far too calm... What is this weird feeling in my chest?'' Confused, she observed the lack of guarding dragons at the entrance. Dropping toward the bottom of the hole, she looked around. ''The air is different.'' She watched as a few dragons were standing still near the path to Diramo?''s cave. From it, a cold air traveled through its large passage, which was unusual to say the least. With a concerned expression, she made her way past the dragons. "It''s Orianne." "Should one of us stop her?" "..." The dragons watched with apprehension as she moved deeper into the cavern system. With her footsteps echoing in the empty path, an eerie feeling caused her to tense up. It took her but an instant after walking into the cave to understand what was happening. The lack of heat emanating from the deepest part of the cave was a dead giveaway that something was amiss. When she turned the last corner, her feelings were met with an odd sight. ''The lava... it''s gone.'' The room, which was usually scalding hot, dripping molten rocks from the ceiling and from the walls, was entirely solidified. Pools of lava, which comprised most of the room, were turned into obsidian spots, vitrified as they had cooled down almost instantly when the reason for the melting stopped to exist. "Diramo?..." With a pained gaze, Orianne approached the dragon lying on the ground, breathing at a shallow rhythm. "So, this is how a dragon''s end is." Slowly opening his eyes, the dragon stared at Orianne with its discolored pupils. "I see you''ve come. I am relieved to see you." Diramo? was unable to move anymore. His scales had fused due to the awful amount of heat released by his magic. "When I thought I heard your voice, I didn''t hesitate. I had no idea I would be meeting you like this, though." With a faint, heartbroken smile, she approached him and placed a hand on his massive nose. ''Cold...'' She immediately frowned when she felt the lack of warmth. This dragon really had little to no time left before passing.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. "Orianne." "Yes?" Turning away from her thoughts, she listened to him with a neutral smile, concealing her true feelings. "How did you fare after leaving? Did you manage to make your dreams come true?" "I did. Thanks to you and everyone else, I stopped the worst from happening. We finally created a path toward true peace between both factions." Closing his eyes, Diramo? felt an overwhelming delight in his heart. "Slowly, we''re removing the obstacles that led to this in the first place. It will take more time for everyone to accept each other, but we will do everything it takes to make it a reality." "I swear on your name. All the efforts you''ve placed into me will never be a waste." Orianne felt that these would be the last words she needed to speak. Even in front of death, he was a proud and powerful dragon. His legacy was forever continuing through Orianne, until the day she would cross over. "I have... one last question." Similarly to a volcano losing its magma chamber and turning extinct, Diramo? felt the flame of his life waver. "I''m all ears." As she maintained her fake smile with incredible tenacity, the bitterness continued to pile on her heart. She was used to hearing about the deaths of her people. It was a recurring event before becoming the leader of her faction. But this was the second loss she witnessed in person. The first being her mother. "Would you... inherit my soul?" "...?" A perplexed expression replaced her fake smile. "I might not understand what you are asking of me." Opening his eyes one last time, Diramo? gathered his last strength to explain. "This is forbidden knowledge that I learned from our father." "We, dragons, possess the power to share our power with any creature we deem worthy of it. It could only be a sliver of power, or the entire soul." "In my case, I have no use for it anymore." There were only mere minutes before his death, but he continued, his vision slowly turning black. "Instead of letting it wither away, I would be pleased to give my soul to you. To help path your future, you, who I cherish like a daughter, I ask of you that you accept this proposition." Orianne took no time to think. She ignored the consequences and wholeheartedly agreed to his demand. "I will! If that means I can feel your presence in the future, I can only accept!" Drawing his last breath, Diramo? departed. For a moment, Orianne stared at him with a blank stare. "Huh?" Nothing was happening. The dragon she greatly respected and admired was no more. With her hand still pressed on his scaly body, she felt the emotions she was containing erupt like an eruption. "Gh..." Clenching her teeth, she tried to stop the tears from flowing. *Thump* Then, as suddenly as his death was, a violent and ripping tear destroyed her heart. "..." Orianne fell to the ground with her eyes wide open and hands gripping her chest. At that moment, the demon Orianne died alongside Diramo?, the ''Volcanic Dragon''. ¡ª "You... died?" Orion leaned forward, concern showing on his face. Right after, Orianne nodded. "Like I said, I died as a demon." Thinking on her words, Orion asked another question. "Which means that you aren''t fully demon, now... Huh?" The entire picture appeared in his head as he pondered on her words. "You have the soul of a dragon inside you, and you are a demon... Are you saying that you are now a hybrid demon and dragon?" Orianne nodded. "Do you remember the trials you went through to awaken your demon blood? I went through a similar process." The shock on Orion and Tetra''s faces was priceless. "I went through five trials. After succeeding the last one, I met him again. He explained many things I needed to know that he couldn''t tell me before passing away." "Mainly, that my firstborn would be directly inheriting the link between me and him." The more Orion listened, the weirder it got. "Do I have the blood of a dragon running through my veins?" Surprised by his question, Orianne stared at him in disbelief before bursting into laughter. "Haha~ Of course not!" Wiping her tears with her fingers, she calmed down. "I don''t have the blood of dragons running through my veins, either. All I have is the reconstructed soul in my core. My demon soul and genes were rewritten after finishing the last trial." Standing up from her chair, she stepped to the side of the table. On short notice, she activated her demon blood, which revealed features similar to dragons. It was the first time Orion had the opportunity to see his mother in her full glory. "Those wings, that tail, those horns, those scales, and those eyes are all from Diramo?." "All I had as a demon were those puny and pathetic wings. Thanks to him, I changed." The eight wings spreading behind her back, all coming from her lower back, showed the true might of the demon called Orianne. Being the only demon to have attained such heights in power, she felt proud of herself for demonstrating her prowess to her son. Both were in admiration in front of her, who was the pinnacle of greatness. But she was a humble woman. "That''s also why I will never forget that this is not my strength that led me to this moment. This power isn''t mine in its entirety." "It might be disappointing to you, but in reality, I am a fraud." As she returned to normal, she walked to her chair with a demoralized look. "I am not like Reon, who worked through the ranks with his own capabilities." "There was no talent given to me at birth, like my father hoped to see." As she sat down, Orion shook his head vigorously. "Are you joking? Is this seriously what you think?" "Huh?" Astonished by his fervor, she opened her mouth while Tetra began to smile. "You know how tough those trials were. Even I suffered greatly during those." "I cannot stand you dismissing the dedication it takes to go through these. The sheer will, the tenacity, and the focus these trials required are impossible for normal people to undergo." Adamant about this matter, he kept going. "Say whatever you want, and think anything you believe in. I will never accept a reality where your achievements are disregarded." "You didn''t earn this strength? What a joke!" "My mother is the greatest woman who was accepted by a dragon. She challenged the hardest trials ever created to forge a vessel for a dragon''s soul." "Even if you aren''t, I am proud of it. My power is also borrowed entirely. Both the light and dark elements were Noah''s to begin with." "But I created something new with them. An element that was formed by my will to grow stronger." "Was it not the same to you?" Orianne looked into his eyes with a shimmer in her own. "Haha... I''m at a loss." Staring at the table, she felt tears of happiness form in the corners of her eyes. "My son believes in me more than I ever did in myself." Seeing this, Tetra shrugged. "Why not just accept it as it is? Orion always admired you." "There is no changing his mind. Just change the way you see yourself, and everything will be settled." The two women looked at each other until Orianne sighed. "I''ll do everything for my son. If you think so positively of me, I have no reason to think the contrary." As Orion nodded with a satisfied smile, they all heard people coming down the stairs. "I have more stories to tell, but this is the end of what I went through. Don''t tell your father, though." Orion smiled. "I won''t. You want to tell him yourself, right?" She nodded. As they stared at each other in silence, Amelia and Karteira entered the dining room, ending the private discussion these three were having. Chapter 501 - Christmas Special: The Winter Tree gathering. Winter arrived rapidly after Orion''s return. With the cold temperatures washing over Horizon, the plane turned differently from its standard green scenery. The fairies, the sirens, and the arachnea all were used to it by now, as they went through its first arrival a year prior. Through Titania and the Tree of Life, the trees, and plants managed to survive the coldness, compared to the ones on Triazils. Avoiding fall altogether, a strange landscape spread in all directions. As the first snowflakes dropped from the clouds, a pure white snow blanketed the green grass. It was at that time that Orion, who was staring through the window, recalled a discussion he had with Noah. As he pondered, ignoring the ruckus caused by his companions behind his back, an idea emerged. Decided on making it a reality, he nodded to himself. He walked out of his house and searched around. "It''s so cold!" Karteira shivered next to him, wearing the fluffy coat she had received from Orion. "It''s not that bad." A few of them had followed him, and one of the women who did was May. With a neutral expression, she shrugged. "I don''t want to hear that from someone who lived most of her life surrounded by snow. We''re not built the same." Breathing the hot air from her lungs on the tips of her fingers, she glared at May. "Why are we even outside at this time? I want to feel toasty again!" Mia and Nia also followed behind. That was the entire group at that moment. Orion already made plans before exiting his house with Amelia, who stayed behind. Olivia stayed with her after overhearing part of their conversation, which made things easier for Amelia. Senia and Deveralna weren''t good with freezing temperatures, so they stayed behind. As for Tetra, she spent most of her time with Henrietta, which was normal. Unless she could spend quality time with Orion, she would not leave her friend''s side. "Catch!" A snowball came flying straight toward Orion. For a split instant, both he and May remembered something similar, as the cold ball of snow grazed his cheek. With a smile, he turned to Nia. "Don''t start a battle you aren''t guaranteed to win." As he started at the fairy mischievously sticking her tongue out, he noticed a tree that looked fancy enough to satisfy him. Walking past everyone, he placed his hand over Nia''s head before patting her lightly. At the same time, he looked at the growing pine sapling. "Is that what you came out to search for?" Mia was the first to walk to his side. Orion touched the tree''s small trunk before observing its state. "Yes. It seems perfectly fine as is, so there shouldn''t be any problem if I take it with me." "This small tree? Why?" This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Karteira and May were confused. For what reason would he need to cut down a tree in this season? There was no need to build a structure or to create firewood. "Orion. Does that have something to do with Noah?" With a sneaky smile, he turned to Mia. "Who knows?" Kneeling in front of the pine tree, which was barely taller than him, Orion placed both hands on its trunk. "Like this?" A blade of darkness traveled under his hands, slicing the tree with one swift action. "Alright." Standing up with the pine tree between his hands, he walked a few steps forward before placing it over his shoulder. "Let''s get home. I wouldn''t want any of you to freeze out here." Staring at Karteira, who was turning pale from the cold, he smiled. "Sure." While discussing the reason for his venture outside, they returned home. ... "Oh." Approaching his home, Orion, and the others, noticed a few more people than usual. A few women were standing perfectly still on the side of the entrance, while he noticed a few others inside the house through the window. "Are Olivia''s maids here?" "Seems like it. She might have asked them to come here for something." With the pine tree over his shoulder, he continued to walk. After a few minutes, he stopped, a few meters from the door. "You can go in first." Stabbing the tree into the snow, he gestured for them to go in. "Alright." Without questioning if he was going to enter too, they rushed inside the house to feel more comfortable. As the door closed, he carefully walked around the tree and plucked the dead branches off. At the same time, he looked at the two who were guarding his home. "If you were trying to hide the fact that you are freezing, you should try better." Dropping a branch, he smiled at Eden and Alice. "..." They silently stared at him. "Did Olivia tell you to stay guard outside? That would surprise me if she did." Making sure the tree was perfect, he double-checked it. "Perfect." Nodding proudly, he picked up the tree again. "Alright. You two, get those feet moving. If you don''t go in, I''ll drag you in myself." "Today is a special day. Since I''ve decided that it is special, you don''t have to worry about anything. Just enjoy your time." "That''s all you need to be concerned about." As Eden opened the door for him, she looked at Alice with a perplexed expression. "Y-Yes, Master." "You first." Orion gave them no chance to refuse. With defeated smiles, the two maids entered the house, feeling the heat wash away the chill. Carefully pulling the pine tree inside his home, Orion watched as Eden closed the door behind him. Just as he asked, they both were inside the house. "You''re finally back! I''ve prepared everything as you wanted." Amelia leaned over the couch she was standing behind as she turned to him with a massive grin. At her feet was a large pot. Orion nodded and entered the living room with the tree in hand. Without wasting a second, he placed it inside the pot under everyone''s gaze. Everyone was here. His partners, his daughter, his parents, his mother-in-law, and the twenty-seven maids. The house was more crowded than usual, but he didn''t mind it at all. "Let me fill this rapidly..." Amelia used the earth element and filled the pot with fresh dirt, stabilizing the tree at the same time. Orion finally let go of the tree and took a step back to admire it. "Can we start?" Olivia walked next to him with a box in her hands. In fact, a few of her maids also held similar boxes. "You''re good to go." Giving her a thumbs up, Amelia walked away. "Nice!" Rushing toward the tree, Olivia pulled out from the box various types of decorations. "Oh!" As more and more decorations were placed on it, a strange mood filled with joy took over the room. With one look, Orion gathered that the spheres they were placing on the branches were made with magic. All forms of elements were used to make beautiful and striking ornaments, like a sphere with sparkly stars inside it or a pitch-black sphere made with dark magic. Once Olivia began, her maids followed in her footsteps and placed one decoration each on the tree. "Hmm~" In his eyes, something was missing. He turned to Karteira, who was watching from the furthest couch, before walking toward her. He sat next to her and whispered something in her ear. "..." She lifted an eyebrow before a smile formed on her lips. "I can do that." "That''s great." Extending her hands in between her and Orion, she formed a light in between them. Orion placed one hand over and one below hers, creating a sort of box that contained the speck of light. Adding to her magic, he let out his own light magic and mixed it with Karteira''s. As it grew, they slowly moved their hands further away. Manipulating the light together, a star with five branches formed. It shone a pulsing light that satisfied both of them. "Thank you." "Haha~" Karteira smiled warmly as Orion picked up the decoration he made with her. He carefully walked between the maids and approached the decorated tree. With a swift movement, he dropped the light star above the top of the pine tree. "Perfect!" As the final touches were being added, Amelia gave one last decoration to everyone. Every member of the family placed their sphere on the tree, and a sense of accomplishment washed over them. "Just like Noah said." "I knew it was from Noah." Mia placed her sphere on one of the branches while glancing over her shoulder toward Orion. "So, do you mind telling us what this is all about?" Amelia, who had followed the idea until now but was ultimately in the dark, asked him. Staring at the tree, Orion smiled. "I heard a story from Noah. One that I took a particular liking to." "He told me that where he came from, they celebrate a day in winter by decorating a tree like this." The flickering light of the star and the elemental spheres reflected in his eyes. They all noticed the enthusiasm in his behavior, which was beyond unusual. "Well, it''s an interesting event. If you''re happy, I don''t think we have anything against it." At Amelia''s assessment, the other began to smile. It was rare for Orion to be ''normal''. If one decorated tree was all it took, in no way they would be against it. To the maids, this small event was like a dream. They had forgotten about their duties without noticing it and were enjoying every moment of it. Marie, who idolized Orion, felt even more inclined to follow his orders. She was silently observing his gestures while letting the mood take over her actions. Every maid under Olivia appeared as a normal woman for once, talking about mundane topics they would rarely talk about. ... As time went on, a considerable feast was prepared by the cooks of the family. Before dinner, Orion invited the Remnants staying in the guest house. Since Nylon was also staying there as part of his training, he was also invited. He also went to pick up Titania, who was watching over her children. Not long after, he forcefully dragged the Lords out of their cities. A wild night of festivities, which happened so rarely for those people who suffered tragedies after tragedies, brought everyone even closer than ever. The men drank together while talking about random topics. Even Reon, who never touched alcohol, enjoyed the day with everyone. One of Orion''s hopeful events was brought to reality as he drank with Elliott, Nylon, Florian, and Eric. On the other side, the women were discussing in groups, splitting and gathering as time passed. The very first ''Winter Tree'' gathering officially ended as they all parted before midnight, not a single one of them intoxicated. It ended with smiles and happiness, leaving a powerful impression in everyone''s minds. With the one the most affected being Orion. Chapter 502: Discovery in Cepha?d. After winter came to pass, spring returned with blooming grace. Flowers, which hid from the cold, covered the entire realm. Critters came out of hiding, appearing occasionally to the residents of Horizon. As the weather became fairer, the master of the land pushed a certain plan into motion. Stepping out of a portal near Albriar, Orion breathed the fresh air of the continent, letting out a faint cloud of heat from his mouth. "It''s still quite chilly around here. I suppose it''s a normal occurrence for the southern part of Triazils." "Horizon is already warmer than this place." Looking toward the walls of the city, he shrugged. "I probably shouldn''t worry about this too much. Hocride is more likely to be hotter than Horizon anyway." With light steps, he entered the city after passing its checkpoint. ... "Is that the store Florian recommended?" Inside the massive city, a peculiar brick-and-mortar shop stood in front of Orion. Pondering with his hand on his chin, he looked at the name to check if it was the correct one. "Well, there''s no doubt about it. This is the right store." Seeing the countless rings and pendants made of clear metal displayed behind the thick glass, he smiled. Firmly nodding, he entered the building without giving it a second thought. "Welcome." As he stepped inside with his right hand in his pocket, Orion was greeted by a gentle and respectful clerk. The woman, who appeared to be in her early thirties, bowed lightly forward. She was wearing a fine suit, which promoted the seriousness of the establishment, alongside the luxury placed all around. "Hello." Greeting the clerk back, Orion approached the counter. "Are you perhaps looking for something, sir?" As he stopped in front of the woman, he nodded. For a moment, she stared at him with awe, as a pure feeling emanated from him. Like a prince from another country, his regal appearance stunned her the more she observed him. "Yes. This place was brought out by your Lord during a conversation we had, so I came to check if you really accepted orders." The clerk opened her eyes in a stupor and frantically straightened out. "L-Lord Florian did? Could I ask who you might be, if it isn''t presumptuous of me?" "Hmm? I''m Orion Feales. One of his close friends." Nonchalantly, Orion gave a fair smile while looking at the selection of rings under the glass casing between them.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. "O-Oh!" For a moment, she appeared doubtful. To make sure, she asked another question. "Are you perhaps aware of Lord Florian''s business with us? Are you here for the same matter?" Without moving, his eyes went to the clerk. "I''m here for basically the same reason. He told me you make the greatest wedding rings in the city, so I came to check this for myself." Her doubts instantly disappeared, replaced by a textbook professional smile. "I thank you for the compliment. We pride ourselves on our craftsmanship, so hearing such words from our Lord himself only makes us more eager to produce greater results." Orion straightened and pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket with his right hand. Placing the paper on the glass counter, he slid it in her direction. "Could you prepare this for me?" The clerk picked it up before opening it. As she read what was written on it, she nodded. "I understand it to be improper of me to ask, but is this truly for ten people? One man and nine women?" Giving a clear nod, Orion smiled. "It is not at all improper. I understand your suspicions." "We aren''t exactly humans, so you shouldn''t assume our customs are the same as yours. That is all." She read the paper again with a neutral expression, until she nodded. With a professional smile, she carefully tucked the precious information he gave her. "We have nothing against joyous events like this. The more, the merrier, as we say." "Thank you for your patronage." With one glance, she already knew Orion would pay, so she instantly thanked him. After making sure his order was placed, Orion asked for the price of crafting everything. The amount was quite high, as they used the finest metals and jewels, but he was never stuck on it to begin with. This was a tiny investment compared to the everlasting happiness it represented. Satisfied, he walked out of the store after getting the approximate date for the finished products. ... ''I''m starting to get the gist of it.'' Walking around the streets of Albriar, Orion''s vision shifted as a white, semi-opaque layer covered his irises. Through this perspective, he could see the silhouettes of people in various hues, going from grayish to black. Hardly any people showed a radiant white color, always turning toward the gray area rather than white. With a few trials and errors, he finally understood how to manage the ''Eyesight of Purity''. ''So, those with lighter color are those who are pure, and those who aren''t. What does this mean?'' Shaking his head, he released the power from interfering with his vision. ''I don''t know yet.'' Someone''s purity wasn''t dictated by the crimes they had committed or by their overall predisposition to wickedness. He hadn''t tried to use it on his family yet, trying to carefully observe if his use could affect others. There were far too many mysteries behind this power, and Orion wanted to be extremely sure before pointing it toward his family. ''It doesn''t seem to affect others apart from me, so it might be alright to try more things.'' Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks. Without caring to hide it, he placed his hand into an empty space. As his hand disappeared, he searched for something. When he felt it, he pulled the item out of the spacial storage, which he mastered since his return. Orion pulled out a glass vial with a plastic cap. Inside the vial, a clear bead rolled before coming to a stop. ''Blanc. He is my best bet at understanding this power.'' Inside his core, he despised the man who brought the many horrors that befell him and his companions. But hate wasn''t going to control his life anymore. Unshackled through his actions, he aimed the vial at the sun with a neutral expression. As light passed through the bead, a prism-colored ray lit the pavement. ''Not yet. I''d rather learn most of it myself than go through the easy way. It wouldn''t be fair to him anyway.'' There was no reason to bring Blanc back for something so little. When the time came, he would be freed. Throwing the vial into the magic storage, Orion shrugged and continued down the road. ''I guess I can still prepare the trail ahead instead.'' Turning into an empty alley, he vanished. ... "It''s the first time I''ve come here since Elliott and Nylon freed this place." Above the walls separating Triazils from what was formerly the Frigoria Plains, Orion observed with awe. Lush lands across the entire horizon, a large amount of fauna having taken back the land that had been corrupted and the tall mountains opposing the Talviera Mountain Range that were now in full display. Suddenly, Orion winced as he noticed some sort of movement above the clouds over the mountain. "What''s this?" He wasn''t sure what it was, as this was more than a hundred kilometers away from his position. All he could tell was that it was a rather large creature, unknown to him. It wasn''t a dragon, which was too big, but not a bird either, which was too tiny. Curiosity took over him, but he contained himself. "There''s something else to do. Since it is on the way, I''ll check it out later." With a smile, Orion stepped past the edge of the wall and fell straight down. His speed shifted and slowed down before his feet touched the ground. "Alright. Let''s move. I don''t have all day." Taking a step forward, Orion warped away. ... Using countless effortless warps, Orion traveled through the Cepha?d rapidly. What took weeks for Elliott and Nylon, he turned into hours. At multiple points during his warps, he found a few remnant traces of their battles. The most shocking finding was the carcass of a truly massive worm that had entirely solidified into rock. Scorched marks indicated that the enemy was a fire wielder and that this fight had been a true test of might. Compared to the normal corrupt beasts, these giants weren''t affected by the disintegrating state they went through after dying. All that was left was the aftermath and their lifeless corpse. He couldn''t believe Nylon had fought against those creatures alongside Elliott. The thought of asking them both about their achievements came to mind, which he told himself to ask later. Before the sun even began settling past the horizon, Orion arrived at his destination. "Damn..." With a frustrated smile, Orion observed the corpse of a gigantic spider split in half, rotting pungently from afar. Ignoring it, he looked at the dilapidated lab, which was his goal all along. "So, I just have to place a portal here..." Near the entrance, he laid down one of his portals that led to Horizon. "I''ll have to recalibrate it later so that it goes into the hub-" Suddenly, a shadow covered his spot. As he finished placing his portal, he instantly went into his cautious mode and prepared to defend against anything that came at him. "KAAAAAAA~" A violent blast of wind descended on him as a large creature dropped to the ground. Its cry was something completely unknown to Orion, but as he protected his eyes from the sand, he was unable to see clearly the creature. "Tsk!" Irritated, Orion swiped his hand forward, covering his body in a white light. Six wings of light pushed the dust away, revealing the creature in front of him. "Wha-" Shocked, Orion opened his eyes wide at the discovery. "A Griffon?!" A four-meter-wide griffon landed in front of him, glaring at him. Chapter 503: The griffon. For a few minutes, Orion and the griffon stared at each other intensely. ''Strange. Why is it not attacking?'' Perplexed, he silently observed, until his mind gave in. "Aaah~ What am I even doing?" His shoulders dropped as he relaxed. Just in case, he stayed in his angelic form, but the previous caution disappeared completely. "I would rather not fight you. Am I stepping on your territory, perhaps?" Placing both hands on his hips, Orion stared at the mighty being. A creature possessing the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. That was what was written in the book Orianne showed him in the recordings. But the imposing presence of this griffon wasn''t something he was expecting to witness after doing a mundane task. Yet something was strange. ''Aren''t griffons supposed to be living in groups? Why is there only one around?'' There were no signs of another in the vicinity. Strangely, Orion couldn''t hear the voice of the beast, even with Silka''s sigil. It meant that this was a beast of the same nature as Procyon. One-way communication could be possible, but Orion wasn''t sure it would work. The griffon kept its eyes glued on Orion, before a state of weakness forced it to lay on the ground. "..." Watching the pained expression on the beast''s face, Orion''s instincts instantly kicked in. ''It doesn''t look injured.'' Without wasting a single second, he walked toward it. Its giant body, which was larger than any normal animal in this area, was observed by Orion. Delicately, he touched the griffon. "As I thought, your body is alright. What I don''t like is how clearly I can see your bones under your skin." The problem became rather apparent. This griffon was severely malnourished. "Hmm?" As Orion touched around its abdomen, he felt a few bulging spots. After carefully probing around with his fingers, he winced. "Eggs..." This was a female griffon, malnourished and on the verge of laying eggs. "Shit. I wasn''t expecting my first meeting with the last faction to be like this." When it opened its eyes, Orion''s eyes flashed white without his consent. "Ugh!" ¡ª Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The history of the griffons flashed in his mind, from the day of their departure to Triazils to this very moment. After leaving the continent during the ''Purging War'', the griffons went further west. After meeting the civilization on the other side, they were immediately subjugated. Out of fear of being destroyed, they became domesticated and were integrated into the armies of that country. It took very little time for most of them to turn into their mounts. But as of recently, that same country crumbled in the face of a mightier force. Most of the cavalry of griffons died, with just a handful of them escaping. This one griffon was the last of its kind that made it back to Triazils. The last thing it saw was Orion, and as a last effort to survive, it appeared in front of him. ¡ª "What was that?" Anger took over Orion as he regained control over his Remnant power. Taking a moment to gather his bearings, he sighed. ''Can I trust what I just saw?'' ''If that''s true, the Griffin faction is lost. But what about its Remnant?'' The question remained unanswered. "Damn it..." Feeling an intense frustration in his heart, he stood up. Then he looked at the griffon. "I''m going to ask a lot, but would you mind standing up and following me?" "I can''t let you here now that I understand the severity of your presence in front of me." Just like with Procyon, the griffon understood his words. Struggling to get back on its feet, it still managed to do so. "Alright. I won''t take advantage of you, so you can relax." Extending his hand in front of him, he opened the portal he created a few moments ago. "Go in. It will lead to a safe place." The portal widened, enough to let it go through. While glancing at Orion, it decided to trust him. The feeling coming out of Orion told it that it was safe around him. Pacing itself slowly, it finally went through the wide, starry opening. Orion followed right after, closing it behind him. ... As usual, his finding shocked the entire family. But instead of asking questions, this time, they all stepped forward to help him. Amelia and Olivia went ahead to prepare a nest for the massive beast, while the others went to gather food for the poor griffon. Senia went to gather fishes out of the sirens'' farm, May and Deveralna went to the arachnea for vegetables, and Mia and Nia returned to the fairy village to request meat from them. To Orion''s surprise, the entire realm gathered to help the last of the griffon. Remnants or not, everyone appeared to have adopted his way of doing things. Nothing would be left lacking, and the griffon will be saved. With this mentality, they all worked with such intensity that it managed to move Orion greatly. ... As the nest was created in front of the griffon, and food was laid down for it to eat whenever, Orion picked up the tablet in the dining room, which only Amelia had the need to use. With a serious frown, he walked out of his house. "..." He glared in the distance. His eyes fell on the walls of the plane, which were approximately making a rectangle of ten kilometers long and seven kilometers wide. "The area had been widened while I was away. I only realized now." With the same expression, he looked down at the tablet. "Let''s see what Amelia did recently." After checking the logs, he noticed that what she did seemed closer to training the void magic than intentionally growing the realm. "The only part that was affected was the southern area and the western area, right under the fairy village." "Since I haven''t stepped in the altar for quite some time, I haven''t noticed." Tapping on the screen, he zoomed into the southwest corner. "It might be unwise to expand the territory all of a sudden. Expanding gradually sounds more appropriate." "We need to let Titania process the new terrain while also avoiding exhausting her, and the wildlife needs to catch up with the development." Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he caught two figures approaching him. Sirius and Procyon came toward him, unbothered by the ruckus. "Hey." Smiling at them, he watched as they both sat next to him. After her loss, Procyon was almost always seen with Sirius. They were seen more frequently going through the surrounding areas, most notably relaxing under the sun together. Someone else came running toward Orion, which immediately caught his attention. "Amelia. Is something wrong?" Before assuming the worst, he chose to ask. Knowing Amelia, she wouldn''t hide anything. "No. Everything seems to be going smoothly. The griffon has been resting in the nest we made, and it has devoured just about everything we''ve shared." "Good." A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. "There''s only one thing worrying us." Orion nodded. He had the same thought, even if he hadn''t checked on the beast with the others. "The eggs, right?" Amelia nodded with a serious frown. "We don''t know if she will have the strength to go through the laying phase in one piece." "But Deveralna went to Ormrdivin to ask Ruminona if she could come up with an idea. She went through a similar process, so we hoped she could be of help to lessen the burden of the mother griffon." Giving a nod, Orion pondered. His fingers tapped on the back of the tablet for a few seconds before he closed his eyes. "There''s nothing I can do for her anymore. I leave the rest to everyone else." "That''s not true." Smiling warmly at him, she shook her head. "Maybe. Still, there is little I can actually do. I thought of pretty much everything." "Extracting the eggs with void magic could have been a solution, but that might upset the order of the world." "I''m not one to normally admit it, but the actual survival rate of those baby griffons is rather low..." "Let''s wait for the natural order of nature to do its work." This answer left a rather sour taste in Amelia''s mouth, but she accepted it. She knew Orion was conflicted about the matter more than anyone else. He admired every hidden faction unconditionally, which was the reason for his search for them. "So... What are you going to do? You''re not going to check on it?" Shaking his head, he lifted the tablet. "Not yet. I intend to create another wonder for our realm." "Huh?" "And I need your help." "Oh, and also Nia''s." ... Three people and two animals walked toward the southwest corner of Horizon. Orion, Amelia, Nia, Sirius, and Procyon. The five of them stopped quite far away from the walls of the realm, staring at Orion, who was looking at the place with a hand on his chin. He turned slightly backward and looked at the fairy village in the distance, which was easily observable thanks to the Tree of Life. "This seems to be a great place." "For what?" Intrigued, Nia leaped in the air and hovered over his shoulder. "I''m going to add a mountain to Horizon. I might add a few more if I have more leeway to do so." Amelia and Nia looked at each other, a drop of sweat dripping from their faces. ''This will be tiresome...'' ''I shouldn''t have come.'' Another of Orion''s crazy plans came into motion, which was brought to life by the griffon. Chapter 504: The creation of Horizons mountains. The temporary nest of the griffon was built further away behind the portal hub. Inside a wide forest area, out of anyone''s sight, it could rest without being bothered. By now, almost everyone had left the exhausted creature alone, leaving only Titania behind. ''This is incredible.'' Carefully, she caressed the beast''s beak. For an unknown reason, this creature spoke to her. Not in a literal sense, but more in what it represented. This griffon was the last of its species, but still possessed the hope of future generations inside its belly. The flow of life was still moving calmly through the griffon, and the beating hearts of its children echoed in her ears. ''I will monitor this closely. Even if it is against the order of the world, I want to protect the lives in front of me.'' ''That is why you gave me this power, is it not?'' Thinking about the almighty power that gave her the Remnant power to control ''Life'' and ''Death'' to some extent, Titania focused on what she had to do. Suddenly, a low rumble shook the entire realm. ''...'' A frown appeared on her face as she turned toward the south instinctively. ''I should pull the roots closer to the Tree of Life. I have a feeling Orion''s doing something again.'' With a strained smile, she looked at the beast. "There is never a boring day in here." ... "Agh!" "More!" "But that''s what I''m doing?!" Amelia and Nia were arguing as they were creating a nightmarish amount of energy around them. Orion watched them, checking the tablet from time to time. Giving instructions to them, he clicked on it to read at the same time. "We can''t simply create rocks and pile them upward. This won''t do." "What we need to do is rip the ground open and pull the energy of the realm, which will take the shape you two desire as it is pulled out." Nia glanced over her shoulder. "Huh? What does that even mean?!" "If you think of a rocky mountain while you do your thing, a rocky mountain it will turn into. If you want snowy peaks, you''ll get snowy peaks." Both Amelia and Nia exclaimed audibly. "Oh!" "That simple?"If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Yes. I''m the one who''s going to mold the mountain while also supporting you two at the same time." Looking away from the tablet, his body vanished into a bubble of black ink. Sirius also underwent some changes, just like his master. After a few seconds, the bubbles popped, and the two emerged as the Abyssal Sovereign power flew through their veins. Procyon''s mood suddenly dropped as she remembered her defeat at the paws of this incredible wolf. Sirius sat down next to her proudly right after. "Alright. Get ready." Two of Orion''s eight black-ink wings, the ones at the bottom, stretched weirdly. They arched toward his partners and pierced their backs. "Ahn!" Amelia let out a sensual moan as a tremendous amount of energy ran through her body, rapidly merging with the magic flowing through her veins. "What the fuck?" Nia, who felt it to a relatively lesser extent, stared at Amelia with a stunned expression. "I''m sensitive, alright?" "Huh-uh?" Still confused, Nia kept her gaze planted on her. If only she had retracted her gaze, she would have avoided the next remark. "Wait until he takes you at night. You''ll understand." Her ears suddenly turned red at the thought of Orion spending the night with her. "Focus." Orion finally decided to intervene, knowing that this conversation would lead to Nia losing her focus entirely. "R-Right!" Still embarrassed, Nia looked forward. It took a few minutes for her to let the matter go, but Orion was patient. He had a lot of energy to share with them and didn''t mind expending more than necessary to keep them away from danger. His wings attached to them and acting like the roots of a tree, he fed them the magic necessary for the extremely challenging task of pulling out a mountain out of the ground of Horizon. "When you feel like trying, go for it. But you have to do it together. One of you alone won''t be able to do so." They nodded in agreement. When the energies between them entered their threshold, they began the process. "Let''s do this quickly!" Amelia began to move first. The first part was to open the ground for the energy to go through. Lifting her arm in the air, she condensed some of her energy into a blast that traveled in an arc forward. It crashed on the ground, ripping it apart. When the dust settled, Nia and Amelia aimed their hands forward and sent a beam of pure energy, similar to Elliott''s energy signature. This was different from magic, which was inherently natural compared to the elements that were brought alive by the elementals. "J-Jeez!" Nia''s arms began to tremble before the very first blob of energy moved upward. Amelia appeared to struggle just as much, but she hid it well. "That''s why I''m here." Suddenly, they felt the tension leave their bodies. It felt like intense exhaustion, and the weight of boulders on their backs disappeared, replaced by the warm feeling of expectations. Pumping energy into them with a serious face, Orion watched their backs intently. Glancing back for an instant, they smiled. They looked at each other before nodding. ''What''s a mountain in the grand scheme of things?'' ''For Orion, I''ll blast a mountain away!'' Looking at the deep opening in front of them, they gave everything they had to pull out the energy out of the ground. Slowly, very slowly, from the depths of the opening, something emerged. After ten minutes of intense work, the first peak of Horizon''s mountain emerged as a white matter. But then, as the first ten meters were brought out, everything stopped moving. "I... can''t!" "Me... neither!" It wasn''t a problem of power. The realm was resisting with everything it had. Creating mountains meant recreating Horizon from another side. The sky had to widen, and the matter had to stabilize. Even if Orion desired this change, they had to give more than their 100% if they wanted to succeed. "This... little...!" "Why won''t you... move!" Amelia was starting to lose her patience. She was trying to lift her arm upward to facilitate the process, but it wasn''t budging. "I can''t!" "It''s not... possible!" Nia was about to give up. Seeing them struggle so much, Orion was about to cancel the project for their sake. "No!" "I''m also... just as strong... as sis!" The fairy wings behind Nia''s back suddenly opened wide and vibrated furiously. At first glance, her two wings appeared as though they were four. ''Wait...'' Squinting his eyes while activating ''Calm Analysis'', Orion noticed that Nia''s wings were actually starting to separate into a new pair. A fierce expression appeared on Nia''s face as she began to sweat profusely. Very slowly, she began to lift the rest of the mountain by herself. "You want some rocks?! I''ll pull them out. Just wait!" Letting her emotions run wild, she began to curse at Horizon itself. More and more energy exploded out of her, increasing exponentially as her second pair of wings took form. With her free hand, she created a few steps of metal that she began to climb. The further she climbed them, the taller the mountain grew. But in exchange, the toll on her mind greatly increased, too. Seeing that the petite fairy was giving her all while she wasn''t, Amelia felt wronged. "What are you doing...? Trying to act cool all alone...?" Gritting her teeth, Amelia felt the rivalry in her core activate. Each one of the other eight women was her friend, but at the same time, they were all competing for Orion in some way. Her need to push herself further grew as her friends and rivals did the same. "Ceres!" A blast of energy covered Amelia entirely. An ''Elemental Mastery'' only a few managed to see was finally revealed to Orion. The earth ''Elemental Mastery'', Amelia''s last of her five original elements, began to change her body. Amelia''s hair turned a light dark, while a metallic crown with prickly spikes floated over her head. Her clothes were replaced by a tight outfit with shorts and thigh-high boots, leaving only a sliver of skin appearing. Ceres, the carbon fiber scimitar, formed in her right hand, ready for action. A suit of carbon fiber on her body, Amelia reappeared, thoroughly changed. While still gritting her teeth, she threw Ceres forward. The blade spun rapidly as it traveled forward, only to get stuck into the spike of energy. "Heya!" Lifting her arm in one fell swoop, Ceres followed suit. At the same time, the energy continued to grow upward. "MORE!/MORE!" Together, the two wielders of earth magic pushed the energy higher and higher, until the peak pierced the ceiling of Horizon. *CRACK* A wide crack formed over their heads, which confused them. Exhausted, they stayed still to catch their breath. "Good work." "Are we done?" Orion shook his head. "Have you heard of a mountain just a few kilometers tall?" He chuckled. "Ah... You''re right." As Amelia and Nia''s shoulders dropped, he snapped his fingers. At that very instant, the sense of perception in the surrounding area became distorted. "Leave the rest to me." Placing the tablet in Amelia''s hands, Orion stepped forward, releasing his demonic form. Chapter 505: A brand new realm. Orion approaches the giant formation. His power surged from within as the void element reacted to realm shifting. As the giant peak of matter pierced the sky, Amelia and Nia stopped using their magic. It was at that moment that the latter realized that her wings had separated. "Heh? What?" She looked over her shoulder and touched them. "You have four wings..." Seeing her friend''s change, Amelia was in disbelief. Even now, they were evolving into something far stronger. Just as they were getting confused, the surrounding space began to shift. Alternating black and white particles, glistening and shimmering as they slowly traveled the air, caught the two''s attention. They turned to look at Orion. (----) Whispering what sounded like an incantation, his back was the reason for those particles. Dropping his shoulders, he closed his eyes. The entire space around him began to warp strangely, in a wavy pattern. Then, as the effect settled, it appeared to pulse lightly. Emitting a faint light as it traveled out of Orion, the pulsing continued regularly until he opened his eyes. For a split second, the void magic raptured through his body like a surging wave, enveloping the entire realm. Threads of void magic, growing into larger sizes than tree trunks, bathed the entire realm as its time flowed in slower. A second became a minute, turning perspectives upside-down. "Expand." Orion''s single word echoed inside Horizon when the threads made contact with each wall, corner, inch, and part of the plane. With Orion as the center of this massive spell, Horizon answered his order. The ceiling cracked as the peak of the mountain pushed even further. Past the fake sky, a real one appeared. The realm breached through reality and its secluded space, merging the boundaries of two worlds. Horizon was still in its isolated place between worlds, but it borrowed the sky of Triazils as if it were its own. It was also independent of the continent. Overall, it was a reflection of another world. The starry white sky was no more, indefinitely stretching upward. Heat from the true sun caressed his face as he continued his process to expand his creation. Orion, the creator of a world, broke the walls holding the siren sea. Behind it, a larger, almost infinite expanse of water rapidly curved. The real horizon was shorter, which proved that his plan was actually working. You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. The wall in front of him, which was the southern one, vanished, revealing the remaining part of the sea. Instead of being a flat area, Horizon became a large sphere where life could flourish. He had plans to create smaller islands with Amelia and bring life to those places with Titania. Horizon ended its changes when the two other walls at the east and west disintegrated. His small world, Horizon, became a piece of land in the center of a never-ending sea, similar to the now-destroyed fairy realm. The power of a Remnant to create a world was in his hands, and he made sure to meticulously fabricate it. As the sky became higher, the peak of the mountain, which breached the three-kilometer high mark, continued to expand to the side. The lone peak began to form other, smaller peaks around it. A new landmark in the realm formed, later obtaining the name of Mount Agathe, from May later that day. It would take a few years for the entire realm to thrive in wildlife. Seas needed to be slowly populated, plants needed to encroached rapidly, and animals had to be spread evenly. With Senia and the sirens ruling over the sea, this part would be in their hands. The arachnea and fairies were now free to roam the world and spread without worry. This mountain was created with the idea of helping the griffon live near it. Since he noticed it around the peak of Cepha?d''s southern mountain, he supposed that they would normally live at high altitude. Void magic suddenly began to retract into Orion, slowly pulling the threads back to their origin. When the last sparkly thread was absorbed back, time returned to its initial state. Amelia and Nia, who were around Orion, were in a state of shock as their world changed in real time in front of them. To those outside of his magic range, time had basically stopped. The man they loved was truly breaking all barriers between him and common sense. Despite this, they never worried. What he did was in no way different from his usual safe. As the pulsing around Orion subsided and the void particles stopped erupting from his back, they returned to normal. A wild gust of wind carrying the smell of salt went past them. "Wind..." This wind was different from usual. It felt more real than ever. Just like Orion, they felt the rays of the sun caress their cheeks gently. Clouds that appeared more real than ever slowly continued toward the north until the eyes could see. "Incredible..." Amelia and Nia were at a loss for words. "I have to agree." Placing his arms on his hips, Orion smiled at the tall mountain in the distance. The warping of space distanced them from the development of this rocky formation, and land stretched further away after the walls were brought down. It was majestic, a representation of these three''s hard work. With a satisfied and genuine smile, Orion turned around and walked up to them. "Good work. You''ve done well." He placed his hands on their heads and patted them. "It was incredible, Amelia. I had no idea you perfected all of your elements." With a nod, she smiled and breathed a sigh of relief as their ordeal was finally done. "And Nia, congratulations on evolving are in order." "Hehe~" "Let''s go home and rest. I bet Titania would like to hear about this event." He opened a portal directly in front of his house to avoid wasting any more energy. ... A few hours later, in their house. "Orion is just on another plane of existence at this point." "I don''t think I''ll even be able to win against him, and I''m the Remnant of Strength..." "There is no way." The family was relaxing in the living room with Orion, while his head was on Amelia''s thighs. "Who knows?" Orion glanced at her with a glint of curiosity in his eyes. "I didn''t mean this to test it!" They all laughed as Deveralna furiously shook her hands in denial. "I''m joking." He sighed as Amelia caressed his bangs. She leaned forward and smiled, staring inside his eyes. "What''s on your mind?" Something was starting to weigh on his shoulders, something that they all noticed but never asked until now. Since his return, they all avoided bringing up anything that would cause any discomfort, but after months of doing nothing but slowly putting his roots back into Horizon, it was the breaking point. "It''s..." He hesitated. Looking into her light pink pearl eyes, Orion felt the need to speak. Turning his head to look at everyone, one by one, he looked at them. "..." For a few minutes, he stayed entirely still, staring at the ceiling. ''Orion isn''t someone who keeps mundane matters hidden.'' ''It might be something very heavy...'' His partners all looked at each other, exchanging gazes that hid meanings. When Orion leaned forward and sat next to Amelia, they felt a rush coursing through their body. What was he about to say? "How confident are you in beating me in a fight?" Silence. "A-Are you serious?" Senia asked with the most anxious expression ever. "I am." Even Amelia looked confused. Karteira, who usually enjoyed a good fight, felt something off about his way of asking. "Explain further. We won''t understand if you don''t lay it on us." May crossed her arms, expecting him to describe his thoughts. "Answer me first. This is more important than you think." "Depending on your answer, this will lead to a different conclusion." The seriousness on his face put them all in a strange mood. They felt anxious, confused, and most of all, frustrated. "Individually..." Mia, who had already considered everyone''s strengths and shortcomings, frowned. "We won''t hold a candle to you. No matter how many times we try, we''ll never beat you at your best." Orion nodded. He was about to give his conclusion, before Deveralna spoke first. "If we''re to fight you all together, I bet we''ve got a fair chance." "Me too?" Tetra pointed at herself with absolute disbelief. "..." They looked at her with obvious expressions. ''Of course...'' Scratching the back of her head, she smiled dryly and leaned back on the couch, silent. "Olivia." Orion turned to the youngest of the group for her opinion. "Hmm..." She pondered seriously. "Looking at it from our side, even with all of us together, we probably have 80% of winning. If I were to bring Marie, Eden, and Alice, it''ll likely go up to 95%." Surprised, Orion lifted his eyebrows. "Just three humans managed to bring the percentage to near perfection? That is surprising." "Don''t underestimate my maids. They protected Noctelagia all these years by themselves. They have the experience and wits to survive and thrive on carnage." Shrugging it off, she knew he wasn''t meaning anything by this remark. "That changes everything." Placing his hand on his chin, Orion reflected on the odds. "95%... In other words..." The next sentence broke everyone''s focus. "I wonder what fighting me in my unleashed form would lower the rate." Their faces dropped. "W-What do you mean by that?" Karteira stood up, her hands clenched into fists. But Orion was only preparing to explain. Chapter 506: Orions berserk state explained. "What does that even mean?" Rubbing between her eyes with her fingers, Olivia sighed. "You are aware that the last bud of corruption is within me. Tetra knows it pretty well by now." The pink-haired woman frowned heavily at his callout. "Are you thinking of finally removing it?" Orion nodded. Staring into Tetra''s eyes, they conversed without a word leaving their mouths. "Amelia..." Tetra called her, the frown still very visible. "What?" "I know what is going to happen already. Of course, not in its entirety." "What you and everyone need to understand is that what you''re all preparing to face is Orion..." Amelia shrugged, while the others smiled bashfully, as if Tetra had said something stupid. "Well, that''s a given." "Let me finish." The mood froze when Tetra''s voice appeared colder than usual. "You and Karteira, I don''t have to remind you about Orion''s madness." "!" The two women opened their eyes wide, while Orion closed them, removing himself from the conversation for now. "You can''t do that! Are you asking us to fight this monstrosity again?!" Everyone else had only heard about this incident, but never actually saw him turn into a violent beast. "That''s what you will be against. No... even stronger." "What?!" Karteira sat back on the couch, feeling like fainting from the idea. "You can''t be serious?!" "I am." Answering Amelia with a serious expression, Tetra crossed her arms. "..." Then she looked at Orion. "After discussing this a lot, we came to the conclusion that this berserk state was a creation of Orion''s bloodline." "Having the blood of an angel and a demon caused a predisposition to sudden bursts of energies." "The problem is that his body is way more resilient than his mind. While it is possible to contain a tremendous amount of magic energy inside him, the instant it is released, his mind shuts down to avoid the resulting stress." "Not only all of his released power merges into one, but Orion himself undergoes a change. The peak of both worlds merges into one." They all listened to Tetra with interest. "But this is way different." "You''re going to fight Orion in his berserk state, but not while the energies of dark and light clash into his body..."The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. They gulped, already guessing her next words. "This time, Orion is fully controlling those elements. The one that is being contained is the void element." "Instead of being a state brought by his blood... We will have to fight Orion in a form close to the perfection of his being." "Void magic is no joke." She turned to Deveralna, who was sitting next to her. "Even your Remnant power will be mostly ineffective. I suggest you get prepared to sacrifice every ounce of energy to contain him." While she spoke to her directly, she also meant the last part for everyone else. Tetra sighed as she turned to Orion. "You''re lucky I managed to finish my own training." Orion suddenly opened his eyes with expectation. "Is that right?" "I did. We can try whenever you want." Without hesitation, Orion stood up. "Can I ask everyone to close their eyes?" "Why?" "To be certain Tetra''s power actually works, I''ll have to do something a little too violent. I would rather not shock you or make you panic." They looked between each other. "..." Not a single one of them closed their eyes. Orion smiled dryly before a blade of darkness ripped his left forearm off his body. "!" His arm fell to the ground, and they all stood up from their seats. "W-Why?!" The pained expression on his face told them that this was not a joke. Tetra immediately left her seat and rushed toward him. "Can''t you wait?! You''re making me panic! Damn it!" A pink aura covered her body as she focused. *TICK* *TOCK* The sound of a clock echoed in the room. Her aura covered Orion as his time stopped. Then, as if turning back, his arm floated back up and reattached itself where it was cut. As if nothing had happened to him, Orion clenched his left hand. "O-Oh..." They all sat down, feeling their knees weaken. "I can use this maybe once every day. The moment I use it, I can save an indefinite number of people, unless they have already passed." "What a strange power." Tetra shrugged at her own comment. She only managed to probe further into her Remnant power only thanks to Orion removing the limitation placed upon her. "That is quite incredible." With a smile, Orion placed his hand on her cheek and gently rubbed it. "I''m just doing what I want." After a few seconds of standing there, she then returned to her seat before crossing her legs. Still astonished, Orion looked at his left arm. The pain he had felt was a phantom remnant, and the cut was nowhere to be seen. "I told you to close your eyes. You can''t say I didn''t warn you." With a faint smile, he sat down. "Give us a moment..." Silently waiting, Orion watched as, one by one, they recovered their composure in record time. This was Orion. They were used to his antics. "The matter isn''t necessarily settled, but that''s the gist of it." "I intend to remove the curse at last." The curse that made every human slightly affected by the corruption an enemy, was about to be removed. At last, the very last vestige of hatred would be removed. "I will ask Elliott and Nylon to support you, too. The higher are your chances to fight back, the better it will be." A few women in the group frowned at Elliott''s name being spoken, but they kept silent. Some sour feelings still existed between the group and him, but that was pretty normal. He didn''t care the least how well he was perceived. All that mattered to Elliott was his newly created friendship with Orion, and Layla, who he was getting attached to. "I suppose I have no reason to complain..." Amelia crossed her arms. In front of her, May observed carefully before speaking out loud. "Amelia, Karteira, Olivia, Deveralna, Senia, Mia, Nia, Tetra, and me..." "Olivia''s maids, Marie, Eden, and Alice..." "And Elliott and Nylon." They all nodded. "I''ll ask Titania to watch over the fight. If she needs to extract someone during the battle, I''d rather it is her." Mia and Nia nodded at each other. "Then, I should ask mom to be present, too." Amelia thought that Henrietta would be perfect to watch over everything. From Orion''s side, a paw touched his leg. As he looked down, Orion noticed Sirius and Procyon. "You two want to participate?" "Awoof!" "Grrrr." The entire cast was almost complete. As Orion kneeled to pat his dogs, he noticed his daughter leaning against the wall near the door leading into the hallway. "Count me in." "Stella! When did you enter?" Surprised as to why he was unable to sense her, he lifted his eyebrow. "Since the beginning. I merely listened quietly. It''s not difficult to make your presence substantially lessened." She was wearing her white blouse, meaning she had just left the lab at the back of the house. It also meant that his parents were most likely around here. Listening carefully, he heard his mother''s voice from the dining room. "I didn''t mean to let everyone know about it..." With a faint smile, he ruffled Sirius'' fur. The large dog seemed to enjoy it as his tail wagged furiously. "In that case... We''ll do that next week." He finally stood up. "You all need to be in peak condition. There will be no second try..." With a serious glare, he looked at everyone in the room. "I trust you with my life." ... A week went by at incredible speed. Almost no one stayed inside the house during that time, preparing to face Orion at their fullest. Typically, they were training. They went to their mentors, the Remnants, to perfect their magic even further in the small time they had to do so. When the time came, one at a time, they went to the training area. Orion, standing perfectly still, his back turned to them, glanced in the distance at the wide world that he created. Titania and Henrietta stayed further away, watching the others'' backs. Elliott and Nylon arrived last and carried on past Orion''s partners. They both stood next to him and stared at the same landscape. "Are you ready?" Asking his friend, Elliott crossed his arms. "Can I ask you to protect them in case I do something I would regret?" With a faint smile, Orion glanced toward him. "You have my word." Satisfied, he nodded. Then he turned to Nylon. "Sorry to force this on you." His brother shook his head. "I always wanted to have a serious fight against you. The only disappointing part is that you won''t be conscious to enjoy it." "Haha~ My bad." Chuckling lightly, Orion extended his hand toward him in a fist. "I leave this to you." "Understood." Nylon bumped his fist against Orion''s before both men turned back and joined with the women of the Agathion faction. The air grew silent as Orion stared at the wide sky. Its blue hue eased his frustration as he pondered if this was the right thing to do. ''Alright.'' Slowly, Orion closed his eyes. ''My life is in your hands.'' As his consciousness sank into an endless bog, even the sounds began to vanish. As a white hue covered his body, the corruption sealing his body rapidly devoured it. The bridge that Tetra had created to help his use of magic raptured, returning to her in worrying echo. "Be careful... It has begun." Elliott didn''t hesitate. He instantly entered a defensive state and drew Vanitas out of its scabbard. "Already? But nothing''s happening?" The white hue vanished. Orion was still with his back turned toward them when the first changes appeared. Orion''s hair began to turn a pure white, whiter than the warm yellowish white his angel form displayed. Then Orion disappeared. Only to reappear behind the group. *BOOM* Chapter 507: An unrivaled entity. The ground exploded where they were all standing. As their senses were sharp, they all moved away from the origin of the impact with an intense sense of dread. "The air..." Amelia dragged her hair back behind her ear as she stopped sliding on the grass. "Something strange is happening. I have to agree." Olivia, who had avoided the attack in the same direction, looked around. "!" The air was stagnant, void of wind, and the reason for it was the barrier erected in the blink of an eye. "We don''t have a chance to escape, is what Orion is telling us." Frowning, the two women turned to the cloud of dust that was about to settle. Slowly, a figure appeared from within the dust. A white-haired man, acting far too different from his previous berserk state, looked around him. His eyes were a pure white. The Remnant power mixed with the void element, creating a link that miraculously stood the violent energy swirling inside him. It wasn''t Orion, but something close to himself. The entity that was in front of them was smart and thought of what to do carefully instead of rushing them like the monster he turned into before. "Shit... this doesn''t look good." Karteira, who stood next to the twins, smiled dryly while sweating. "Let me guess? This isn''t what you were expecting?" She nodded at Mia''s comment. "There''s never a thing to expect with him. You should know that." Nia frowned while preparing herself to save Orion from this awful state. Standing her ground, she waited for her sister and the others to get ready. Orion looked at them for a brief instant before turning around, where Senia, May, and Tetra were standing. Next to them, Elliott stood, ready to pull them out of danger. "I''m not participating. This is your battle." He glanced toward Tetra, who appeared anxious. "You''ve already made the mistake of attacking him once, so you feel guilty?" "Don''t read my mind." A frustrated smile escaped his control as he shrugged. "There''s a part of it, but as he said, this is a battle to help him control the dangerous power within him." "If I were to meddle, I fear I won''t be of use toward that goal." "All I can do is be a shield to all of you." She nodded. "I understand why he trusts you. You''ve changed." "I owe this to him." Looking at his friend staring daggers at him with the same eyes his father once had, he felt conflicted.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. "Are you done talking?" "That''s right. We don''t know when he is going to attack again..." May and Senia asked them while keeping their eyes glued on Orion. The moment they asked, Orion looked toward the last group. Stella, Deveralna, and Nylon. Far behind them, close to the barrier, Henrietta and Titania were standing, but he entirely ignored them. "Can you support us?" "I can." Nylon heard Deveralna before immediately nodding at her request. "I''m going to do my own thing. Depending on the situation, I''ll act as a decoy, too." Stella pulled out the weapon that was entrusted by her mother from her core. Catharsis trembled, responding to its master''s wish to help her father. "But I won''t do anything too risky. We have no idea how Orion is going to react as of now. Since it''s early in the fight, we should observe for now." What she said made sense. They both nodded in acknowledgement. "He''s moving..." Suddenly, Orion lifted his hand. Aiming the palm of his left hand toward them, a pulse of energy gathered in front of it. "Move!" A flurry of beams, flying out of his hand in arcs, rapidly traveled toward them. Nylon vanished into Deveralna''s shadow before she flew away. Stella stood her ground with Catharsis in hand. Sliding her left foot behind her, she anchored her body like a rock. "I''m here!" The beams all merged into one point, right on Stella. In horror, they all stared at her as a large explosion engulfed the young woman. "That''s a lot of magic!" Gritting her teeth, she had erected a barrier between her and the attack with Catharsis. Slowly, the energy was absorbed, boosting her power for a brief moment. "I hope you don''t mind if I use your magic against you, Orion." With a slick smile, she aimed Catharsis'' tip at him. When the last of the energy was drawn into the blade, it released it instantly. The massive counter returned to Orion, who simply stood there, the light of his own attack reflecting in his eyes. But with a movement of his wrist, he slapped the attack with the back of his hand upward. The attack disappeared on contact with the barrier, not even creating an explosion. "Wha-" Shocked, they couldn''t believe Orion simply brushed the attack so effortlessly. "Let''s go!" Amelia''s body flashed into a blue light as Dana appeared in her hand. The scythe ripped through the heavy atmosphere, leading the group to act now that Orion had attacked. Olivia stood further away, acting as support. The ones who acted as a vanguard were Amelia, Karteira, May, and Nia, while Olivia, Deveralna, Senia, Tetra, and Mia all stood behind them to attack or support the others. Stella performed in both roles. She was closer to being like her father than anyone else. Orion watched with a neutral expression as Amelia''s scythe reached his face. Lifting his hand upward, he caught her blade with two fingers. "Karteira!" "On it!" Covered in light, she appeared behind him, ready to kick his back. But just like with Amelia, he turned his back halfway and grabbed her leg before using Karteira to attack Amelia. "Woah!" The two were sent flying backward as they crashed into one another. At the same time, a fairy, flying like a cannonball, and wrapped in a whirlwind created by her sister, stabbed two metallic swords into his shoulders. "Got you!" Nia smiled as she felt the resistance. "Huh-?" But before she understood anything, she was alone. Immediately, she turned around to where her sister was. "You little-" She flew at top speed and stood in front of Mia, who was preparing a powerful attack. Orion grabbed Nia''s head with one hand and tried to slam her on the ground. "GHH!" But the small fairy was tough. She managed to resist the pressure, giving time for the others to act. "Take that!" May slashed her fire sword at his back, while Senia prepared a powerful magic of her own. Tetra, who wasn''t one to fight, stood ready to help anyone who would suffer heavy injuries. Her power wasn''t useful in such situations. But, just like before, Orion vanished. May''s sword fell on Nia, who defended against it. *Cling* The double blade met the sword, releasing sparks as they clashed. Reappearing behind May, Orion kicked her side. "Ah!" Then, this time, Orion grabbed Nia''s blades with his bare hands and spun her around. Sent flying, Nia rolled on the ground. "Sis!" Worried about her sister, she recovered mid-roll and looked in her direction. Mia was under attack, just as her magic entered its full potential. "You want some?! I won''t hold back!" A cyclone formation swallowed Orion before he could touch her. She took this chance to return next to her sister before someone else attacked Orion. Above them, Deveralna was focusing a massive amount of magic between her hands. Looking into the eye of the cyclone, she glared at Orion. "When are you going to control your power?!" Sending a powerful beam of plasma straight down, Deveralna screamed. Orion lifted his head and looked at her. Unaffected by the rough wind, his hair remained still. As his body vanished into the light, a massive explosion ripped the cyclone apart. "Deveralna! That''s overkill!" "Tetra said my power won''t do much against him! I''m just tryi-" As she answered Amelia, Orion warped in front of her. He grabbed her tail and sent her toward the ground with his full strength, where she crashed violently. She slammed her tail on the ground and recovered from the impact with barely any injury. "Shit! We can''t look away for a second!" Ophion reacted to her cursing, rapidly awakening. It moved away from her arms and grew into a larger size. *BZZT* Plasma began to gather in its mouth as it aimed at Orion, still in the air. Before it fired, a hand dropped over its mouth, forcing it to swallow the energy. Orion grabbed Ophion''s nose and shook him from left to right before releasing it. "Ophion! Damn it!" She noticed a dangerous amount of energy coming from Orion as he aimed his hand at her. Deveralna tried to make some distance, but she was unable to. Suddenly, a spear fell from the sky, right in front of him. Just as Orion was about to unleash a beam of energy, Amelia appeared in front of him. She was in her fire ''Elemental Mastery'', the spear Vesta planted in the ground. In a split second, she spun around her weapon and kicked his hand from below. He fired the beam into the sky, which, again, disappeared into the barrier. Taking this chance, Deveralna slammed her tail on Orion''s side, sending him away. "That was close! Thanks!" "Don''t mind it." Amelia glanced over her shoulder and nodded. After saying that, she rushed forward, leaving a trail of fire behind her. She met with Karteira, who was in her armored state, her four limbs on the ground. Her tail was arched over her back, aimed at Orion, who was only recovering from the impact that knocked him away. Placing her hand on her back, Amelia shared some of her magic with Karteira. "I''ve improved this! Eat it!" A devastating blast of fire left the tip of her tail, creating a flamethrower that spewed blue flames toward him. Orion slammed his foot on the ground, creating a small shield around him with his dark magic. *Crack* The power of Karteira''s flames was far stronger than his shield, which began to crack. Flames entered the inner part of the protection, devouring what was inside. Appearing above her, Orion stepped on her back with such force that her entire body sank to the ground. "Kha!" "Karteira!" Blood spewed from her mouth as he crushed her scales. To worsen it, he kicked her off the ground, sending her rolling away. Amelia took a step back before her fire element changed to lightning. She knew Karteira would recover with light magic, so she focused on stopping Orion. Chapter 508: The signs of evolution. "Senia! Support me!" "On it!" Preparing a strong attack, she appeared behind Amelia. As Amelia''s chains dropped to the ground, they began a terrifying clash against Orion, who stared at them with a neutral glare. Amelia leaped forward with Leima and its copy in hands. Electricity coursed through her veins, pushing her reaction time and movements faster than usual. She slashed at Orion''s limbs to try to incapacitate him, but he simply remained in place while avoiding each strike with ease. When Amelia realized that her attacks had no effect, a drop of sweat dropped from her forehead. Giving a moment for Senia to attack, she feinted Orion by attacking his face, only to throw Leima to the side and use its chain to move away. "I''m sorry!" A massive flower, shaped in a saucer type and made of water, bloomed in front of Senia. Out of the center, a light attracted the water from the air, drying the surroundings. In just a few seconds, Senia gathered enough energy to fire it when Amelia arrived at her spot. Luckily, Orion remained in place, his eyes glued on Amelia. The moment the tidal blast erupted from the flower''s center, Orion turned to look at it. It swallowed him entirely, throwing him away while spinning uncontrollably within it. The vortex effect applied to the water kept him from moving, as he crashed into the ground in the distance. Rain began to fall on everyone as the energy exploded. The fine shower dissipated rapidly, not enough to soak them. All that was left was a mist where Orion had crashed. With expectation, they all looked at where he was. *PULSE* Their hearts suddenly began to react to the energy Orion released, increasing their pulses. Even Elliott frowned at it. The mist was suddenly pushed back by his energy, revealing him from within. Orion was leaning forward, his hands on his knees. "Did we... make it?" At first, it looked like Orion had recovered his mind. As Nia asked, Mia looked more attentively. "I don''t think so..." A light erupted from Orion''s back, catching them off guard. "Gah!" A gasp of pain escaped his mouth as two wings ripped through his flesh. Bony structures appeared over his back before snapping violently. *CRACK*Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. They all felt the nauseating sensation move to their stomachs as the sickening noise of bones snapping echoed. Henrietta and Titania also looked worriedly at this scene. The wings that formed behind Orion were incomplete. They were free, floating behind him, but were only in their early development. "Did he just... power up?" Karteira opened her eyes wide as he began to straighten. "Be careful!" Tetra shouted early as she guessed something powerful was about to happen. The bony wings stretched widely before Orion''s body vanished. He appeared in front of Olivia instantly after leaping forward, leaving a shockwave behind him. Going for her throat, he stretched his hand forward. "Not so fast!" Her maids stepped in front of their master. Marie, Eden, and Alice, their expressions filled with anxiety, released the metallic strings from within their rings. In the blink of an eye, they wrapped Orion in a thick cocoon of metal before he could reach Olivia. "Good job." Stretching her arms and rolling her shoulders, Olivia walked past them. Her demonic features were in full view, and her gaze was genuinely horrifying. The glare in her eyes glowed a dark hue as a dark energy covered her body. She pointed her finger at the cocoon as it began to crack and shake. At the tip of it, Olivia fired a bubble of water that enveloped her maids'' work. "You will dream for a while. Maybe it''ll help you calm down." The metallic cocoon exploded at the same time as dark fumes filled the bubble. Orion looked around him before rapidly succumbing to the spell and stopping moving. His eyes were wide open, but his consciousness, or lack thereof at this point, was away. But to her surprise, he broke through it in record time, exploding the bubble and leaping at her. "Olivia!" Her maids were too late, as his left hand pierced her stomach. "I''m not that weak. Don''t scream." The image of Olivia being attacked wavered as the real Olivia walked next to her friends. As Orion glared at her with what appeared to be frustration, chains wrapped around his body. "I got him!" Amelia shouted at the others as Leima''s chains sealed his movements. "That''s for earlier!" Karteira, who was thrown away earlier, covered in light, appeared in front of him. She was wearing her full armor, using the full might of the light magic to back her punch. *BAM* She punched his left cheek with so much force that a tremor continued behind him, ripping the air apart. Karteira took a step back and threw an uppercut, which sent Orion flying in the air. Still sealed by the chains, he couldn''t do anything but look at what was happening. Nia instantly leaped into the air and readied her dual blades. She moved at a diagonal angle higher than Orion while someone else entered her vision. Smiling at her in response, Stella grasped Catharsis with both hands. Amelia pulled back her chains, leaving Orion to these two. Stella took a step forward, cracking the ground as she did. Then she leaped upward diagonally. Taking this action as the starting sign, Nia dropped toward him, leaving a supersonic boom as her wings pushed her forward. The two met at the same time and sliced Orion together. "!" They both dropped on the ground, looking at the blood on their blades. Orion fell to the ground violently, blood gushing out of his wounds. He had two wide cuts on his chest and two smaller cuts on his back, which were enough to kill anyone. Worried that they had gone too far, they turned around. But as they believed Orion to be lying on the ground, they weren''t expecting him to already be attacking them. "Watch out!" As Amelia warned them both, Orion was already standing, both arms aimed toward them. Two beams of void energy ruptured through the air, closing in on them. "Oops..." Unable to react in time, Stella smiled dryly. "It''s not the time to look defeated." Elliott appeared in front of her, holding Vanitas in front of him. Meeting the beam head on, he used every ability possible to defend her. On the other side, Nylon appeared from the shadows and pulled Nia out of danger. After a few seconds, the beam stopped. Everything around them had been erased from existence, leaving only their spot untouched. Placing Vanitas in its scabbard, Elliott leaped back further away to observe again. Nylon also dropped Nia closer to her sister before joining him. "How long is it going to take?!" "Orion!" Amelia and Karteira, who were having a rough time battling him with all their might, were starting to become impatient. There were no signs of Orion ever coming to his senses. "There''s no use. You have to expend his energy until he manages to control it." "The more he uses his power, the better his chances are." Tetra walked behind them, coming from who knows where. "I know... but it''s still an awful experience." She nodded at Amelia''s remark. "Don''t think. Just go at it with your full might. I''m sure he''s enjoying it deep inside." "!" They both opened their eyes wide. "I... hadn''t thought of that." Karteira looked at her feet, realizing that she had mistaken this matter entirely. "Going all out..." Amelia recalled the day she fought him with everything she had. A wild smile appeared on their faces at the same time, as their thoughts became clearer. "Let''s go, Karteira." "I''m right there with you, Amelia." They fist-bumped each other under the warm gaze of Tetra, who was relieved her plan worked out. These two were the biggest hopes to resolve this entire matter. Their states of mind were more important than anyone else. And if she could boost their morale, she would go to any length to do so, except lying to them. With heavy footsteps, the two best friends and greatest rivals walked toward Orion, who was transforming even further. Muscles were slowly forming over the bones of his wings. "Do you think he will recover if we let those wings form?" "Probably. It could be the representation of his power and how much he has under his control." They stared at him, who noticed their gazes. Amelia''s body was swallowed in a green light, changing into her wind element. Aura, her karambit knife, spun around her finger before she tightly clenched its handle. Seeing this, Karteira also decided to go all out. "I haven''t used it in a while." *Clack* All of her plates fell to the ground, revealing the beauty that was hidden within the armor. Threads of light left her body as they attached themselves to each plate. "If he wants a battle, I''ll give him everything I''ve got." "The power that annihilated five giants, I''ll show it to him." A wild smile, which hadn''t been seen in a while from Karteira, altered her face. As a dome of floating plates floated over and around her, she smiled. "Even without my plates, I can fight." Her scorpion tail arched over her right shoulder as she took a fighting stance. Amelia smiled at her friend before taking an offensive stance. "Let''s show him what we''re made of." They both rushed toward Orion, who stood sideways while glaring at them. Everyone stood their ground and watched as a devastating battle, short but breathtaking, happened in front of their eyes. Chapter 509: Strenuous confrontation. As Amelia stepped directly in front of Orion, Karteira stayed a little away behind her. The blonde woman slashed with her knife at his face, ready to begin the fight. As usual, by this point, Orion barely reacted. His eyes followed the knife''s trajectory with a monstrous accuracy, letting it graze his skin as much as possible while avoiding any injuries. After a few introductory slashes, Amelia ducked. A shield of plates moved over her back and crashed into Orion. He placed his hand forward and held the shield in place while glaring at Karteira. "What?" With a smirk, she pulled the shield while sending another one to his side. Standing back on her feet, Amelia went to pierce his chest with Aura. Orion grabbed the incoming shield without looking at it and protected each stab with his forearm. "Tsk!" Clicking her tongue in frustration, Amelia took a step back to think about her next move. Her green hair covered her eyes for a few seconds before she leaped forward back in action. Using the power of ''Calm Analysis'', which she learned to use as proficiently as Orion, her thought process was unrivaled by none but Orion. Her body flashed a green light, and, bathed by a fair but fierce gale, she attacked him with the power of the greatest of storms. Karteira took this chance to join in her assault and rushed past their sides, her plates closely packed around her. The flurry of attacks Amelia unleashed created a devastating gust of air that could easily rip anyone in half. Each time her karambit knife spun around her finger, its lethality increased, gathering energy with each slash. Her speed slightly increased as she exchanged blows with Orion, who seemed to seriously struggle to defend against these attacks. While forced to jump a few meters backward, Orion failed to notice Karteira. She appeared behind him and bashed his back with a wall of plates, sending him straight toward the other fighter. Smiling at this, Amelia nodded internally. Her eyes shone a bright green as energy accumulated in her core. Wind caressed her arms before they moved at a speed rivalizing with the lightning element. A flurry of wind slashes appeared static in front of her. One, two, three ... It became impossible to count as the number increased and a net of wind slashed formed in front of her. Only a second later, when Orion was getting closer thanks to Karteira, her hands slowly stopped moving. The instant her arms stayed still, the nightmarish power she unleashed broke free of its stillness and rushed toward him. His cramped expression told everyone that he was struggling to break free, and, before he could, the wind blades all gathered on Orion. A lacerating force swallowed him whole, leaving no room to even scream. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. But as he suffered this intense attack, his eyes glared at Amelia. Gritting his teeth, his eyes shone an even brighter white. His wings stretched to the side as the last of the muscles formed over the bones. Under the stress of this battle, Orion was growing even more powerful by the second. Karteira rushed toward Amelia before both nodded at each other. Amelia placed both hands in front of her chest, holding Aura in between. She closed her eyes and focused on her magic. Orion, who was still enduring the raging storm, suddenly got his vision hidden by Karteira''s plates. A dome of plates, with only an opening on the top, covered him. Tightly closed, not even light could enter through the plates'' connections. After gathering the wind energy she needed, Amelia infused it into Aura. She leaped in the air, as high as she could. Extending her hand in her direction, Karteira sent a platform of plates for her to jump on. Twenty meters above the ground, Amelia glared into the opening, where she and Orion stared at each other for a brief instant. Without a word, she aimed her karambit knife at the dome. Glowing wildly, Aura fired a condensed wind energy downward. The energy crossed the distance in the blink of an eye, crashing into the dome. At the same time, Karteira closed the opening of the dome, letting the energy explode within it. A deafening sound of undescribable noise raptured through everyone''s ears. Karteira''s plates vibrated and rattled violently as the energy tried to escape the dome, but with an iron will, managed to contain every bit of Amelia''s power within it. Afraid for his well-being, they all stared in silence as the sound slowly ceased. Nothing... Not a sound. Not even a movement, a knock, or an attack. "Did we...go too far?" Amelia looked at Karteira with overwhelming anxiousness. The fear of the worst suddenly took over them. "That can be. We''re talking about Orion." Karteira tried to relieve the stress they were both feeling with a fake smile. Until something told them that there was no reason to even think those thoughts. *CRACK* "Huh?!" Turning their heads toward the dome, they noticed something. The plates were beginning to separate, forcefully brought apart by two hands. Orion ripped a plate off the dome before kicking the rest with a kick. One of those plates came crashing into the ground right in between them, deeply embedded in the dirt. "..." The battle was still ongoing, to their greatest fears. Out of the dome emerged an uninjured Orion. But most of all, ... They opened their eyes wide at the sight of two new wings forming behind him. It had already attained the same stage as the first pair, forming the beginning of a nervous system around it. The pressure coming out of Orion was enough to turn the air heavier. It became harder to breathe as he walked through the opening with a disinterested look on his face. "That... was our best." Karteira chuckled in despair as she watched Orion roll his right shoulder. "We''re taking over!" Stella ran past both of them, followed by Mia and Senia. The two women nodded as Karteira pulled back the plates toward her. At the same time, in the distance, Henrietta and Titania were discussing. "Don''t you find this strange?" "What should I find strange?" Titania glanced at her. "Orion isn''t acting aggressively at all. He did attack them at the beginning, but he hasn''t proactively tried to injure them." "At most, he might be trying to incapacitate them so they won''t bother him." Henrietta marveled at Orion, calmly and expertly catching Catharsis with his fingers before sending Stella to the side with a swift movement of his wrist. "I understand what you mean. There was definitely something odd about these interactions." "Maybe his subconscious is holding the berserk state at bay, avoiding repeating the same mistake he did in the past." She pondered while Henrietta squinted. "We don''t know how this voyage to the past affected his mind. There''s very little reason to believe his mind weakened." "You might be correct. If I had to make a conjecture, I would say he actually built his mind to greater heights." With a nod, Titania agreed. "Tetra also seemed to have evolved past her weak mind." "She was always seeing the glass half empty, but look at her now." Seeing her friend watching carefully over the battlefield, ready to use her power willingly, she smiled. "It is rather crude to say it like this, but this voyage to the past actually turned for the better." A faint smile formed on Titania''s face as she looked at Orion, holding his power back not to hurt them too badly. "Even now, he keeps proving to us that he has the power to break free from his shackles." Henrietta''s face suddenly cramped after hearing the last word. "Shackles?" Both women looked at each other. Henrietta was stunned, and Titania was confused. Then, both looked at each other as a dark shade covered their eyes. "Tetra told me recently that the ''Shackles'' and the ''Key'' were her creation. She knows exactly what seals Orion." Turning her face toward her friend, she frowned. Titania listened intently while nodding. "There are fifteen locks that hinder his progress. I have no idea why she made it like this, but I can make a rough guess." "She wanted to avoid something like what happened to Noah happening again. Tetra is far too kind for her own good." "Out of those fifteen seals, ten of them are allocated to his magic power." "What is currently happening is the awakening of the tenth and last magic seal." Curious, Titania asked. "Did she tell what it actually was?" Henrietta nodded. "Void Master." A brief silence happened between them until Titania sighed. "We have surpassed the Elemental Mastery and directly went to ''The Master of the Void Element''..." They were relatively calm. "I have a feeling that primordial is fully aware of this and actually welcomes it. A new element is almost impossible to create, and I believe no other element will come to light anymore." Titania looked at her and asked another question. "What about the other seals? There are five more, aren''t there?" Nodding, Henrietta answered. "The seals were separated into five after that. There are two locks on his arms and two on his legs." "Both still have their last seal holding on." The idea was somehow strange, as he should have unlocked everything by now. It meant that the power needed to unlock them was tremendously high and that they were dangerous to use. "The last one is the ''Seal of the Soul''. But even Tetra doesn''t know how to unlock it." "A real mystery..." "You''re right about that." Crossing her arms, Henrietta pondered something. "Between you and me..." Titania glanced at her. "I heard Tetra speak about a sixteenth seal. She was mumbling something incomprehensible, so I don''t really know much about it." "''The eleventh magic seal will be the greatest of all''." They both looked perplexed at this information. "If that is true, then we have entered the correct timeline." Henrietta''s arms trembled lightly as she recalled these horrible endings she went through. "No more death. No more despair..." Looking at the women fight with every fiber of their beings, she smiled. "At last." Staying quiet, Titania nodded. Seeing her children fight for their happiness made her feel relieved. Albeit for Orion, this battle wasn''t seldom for him. Unknown to everyone, this was also the greatest opportunity for everyone to evolve past their limits. And out of everyone, two of them were about to undergo drastic changes. Mia and Senia, breathing heavily behind Stella, glared furiously at Orion, frustration building in their hearts. Chapter 510: Evolution. "What is this madness?" "Does he not have a limit?" Mia placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath. "We''re completely exhausted over here..." The siren dropped to the ground, feeling her magic dwindle after an exhausting confrontation with Orion. Even Stella, who acted as the vanguard, couldn''t help but feel her muscles ache. On the other side, Orion stared at them with disinterest. As more time passed, everyone entered an exhausted state. But the same couldn''t be said for Orion. Neither his face nor his movements showed signs of fatigue. "I''ve been... running around like crazy..." "And he isn''t even tired?" Heaving furiously, the family''s daughter pierced the ground with her weapon to keep herself from falling down. Her knees were shaking slightly, demonstrating the intense stress that she went through standing against her father. "I''m here to alleviate that." Karteira appeared behind her before placing her hand on her shoulder. A white aura covered her body, rapidly removing the exhaustion from her entire body. As vigor returned to her body, she glanced over her shoulder, only to see Karteira already helping the others behind her. ''This has been going on for a long time.'' Turning her head back toward Orion, she thought. Without Karteira, this clash would have been won by him. A battle of attrition was out of the question at this point. Even in normal circumstances, Orion was an unrivaled monster. The man, whose greatest achievement was the stamina he obtained after continuously training his body, was now on another scale. "Eh~" Expelling a mocking sound from her mouth, Stella smiled. "Here I was, thinking I was getting closer to his level." Pulling Catharsis from the ground, she spun the naginata around her and took a fighting stance. "I guess I still have a long way to go, isn''t it?" As she prepared to clash against Orion, the other two walked past her with furious steps. "I''m done!" Frustrated beyond belief, Mia''s wings vibrated frantically. The speed at which her wings moved also affected the grass under her. The always cold and responsible fairy glared at him with so much rage, she couldn''t contain her emotions. Wind magic covered her body, lifting her body off the ground.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Seeing this, Stella took a step back after realizing what was happening. "I''m not usually like this... but I cannot accept this any longer." Senia, floating freely while under her magic, glared at Orion. "If we need to focus on knocking you out, then I''ll do it!" Magic gathered around her at an absurd rate. At one point, both noticed that their magic was interfering with the other. "..." But instead of making way for the other one, they kept pulling even more energy toward them. Mia pulled the surrounding air, while Senia absorbed the humidity in the air. As if trying to surpass the other, they grew more powerful by the second. But everything had a limit. Their innate limits, which were impossible to go past, even after improving over the past year, were right in front of them. ''I won''t be able to win against him if I remain weak!'' Clenching her fists, Senia looked down. She could feel the energy surge within her core, but it dissipated as soon as it arrived. On the other hand, Mia was losing her composure. Anger kept growing as she felt impatient. She wanted for Orion to return to his senses. But as if affected by the other''s magic, a strange exchange happened between Mia and Senia. Water magic soothed Mia''s anger, while wind magic pushed Senia further past her innate limits. Under Orion''s neutral gaze, a cocoon of magic engulfed the siren, while Mia bent her upper body forward. "What''s happening?" Amelia stared with anxiety as a drop of sweat trickled down her cheek. Nia clenched her chest, feeling that the same thing that had happened to her was also taking place for her sister. "Sis..." Mia''s wings stretched behind her before separating. Under their progenitor''s gaze, the half-fairies evolved into a new species. As if waiting for her sister to awaken her transformation, Nia began to feel her entire body heat up. They both clenched their chests as their respective magic ran rampant inside their cores. Ripping everything apart, they felt their entire existence beginning to be reconstructed. The water and earth fairy, Nia, and her sister, the wind fairy, Mia, underwent an evolution. Titania, all the way back, frowned. Feeling the link between her and the two fairies strengthen, she looked conflicted. "Why is our link getting stronger? I thought for certain they would retrieve their human nature if provided the opportunity." In her mind, she already perceived the true nature of this evolution. Far stronger than a common fairy, they were essentially out of her control by this point. Instead, they had merged with the fairy gene, rejecting their human one. The process was excruciatingly painful, but it came with a major opportunity. Mia and Nia became Dryads, Aid of the Tree of Life. It meant that they could plunge into the limitless power of the Remnant of Life and use its energy indefinitely. ''Life and Death'' had no power over them, as they became the Icon of a Remnant. Titania''s sigil activated out of her control as she stared at them from afar. A part of her was immensely relieved that they remained faithful to her after sharing many moments together. These twins were, to her, like children. Children that brought back her emotions as a human, compared to the fairies she created as a Remnant. Mia and Nia felt their bones crack as a visual change happened to them. It wasn''t much, but they gained height. Around ten centimeters pushed their 152 cm to 160 cm. Their wings also stretched longer, touching the back of their knees. Their hair grew longer, adopting the same light green Titania possessed. More mature features appeared on their faces as they aged, leaving their younger looks behind. As their bodies were lifted, horizontally stretching over the ground, a blast of magic ripped through the air. Released from their transformation, they slowly dropped to the ground. Peerless beauties that weren''t present before opened their eyes. The sigil of their Remnant flashed in their eyes for a brief instant as they felt Titania''s energy embrace their entire being. With a smile, they both looked toward her. Titania inhaled audibly, holding the emotions that were welling up inside her. If the situation were different, she would have cried. But just as fast as they turned to her, they both focused on Orion. Orion was starting to make a move at last. Perhaps the lack of action made him impatient, but his body appeared darker than before. Spikes of dark magic emerged from the ground as he lifted his hand upward. But contrary to everyone''s expectations, his target wasn''t Mia. It was Senia, who was still undergoing her evolution. "Not so fast." Spinning her body elegantly, Mia stood in front of her friend. Swiping her right hand in front of her, wind magic listened to her every order. "Shield." A wide wall of pure wind formed in front of her as Orion''s magic arrived at high speed. With a smile, Mia held back the attack entirely. Not a single spike pierced her defense. Orion warped in front of her and punched her shield with every bit of strength. "..." It cracked under his power instantly. ''Another hit and it''ll crumble.'' From her spot, Nia stretched her hand toward her sister. Sending her thoughts to her, she supported her sister with her newfound power. The earth next to Mia cracked open as a blade of metal emerged from it. Without hesitation, she grabbed it firmly and pulled it out. Giving a nod to her twin sister, Mia prepared for the next attack. Orion spun around and kicked her defensive wall, shattering it entirely. With her sister''s sword in hand, she imbued wind magic over its surface. "Care for a dance?" A fierce clash happened as Mia countered Orion''s every move. She appeared very proficient and successful, but it was only a front. In fact, she was getting pushed back, only defending at the very last second. But it wasn''t relevant. All she needed was to gain enough time for Senia to finish. And just as Orion''s last blow sent Mia''s sword flying off her hand, the cocoon of water exploded, sending a torrent of water crashing forward. Mia fled the scene, leaving Orion dragging his feet into the mud. The water was only arriving at his knees, which wasn''t enough to destabilize it. As the water washed away, a glowing light stared him down. Suddenly, large shards of ice flew toward him and pierced the ground near the left and right sides of Orion, while another went between his feet. Senia, assuming a form that wasn''t very different from her usual self, spun around in the air as if her body were inside a vortex. The instant she stopped moving, columns of water raptured through the ground, while powdered snow fell from the air. Opening her arms wide over her body, she opened her mouth. A beautiful and melodic voice escaped her throat, shaking the very foundation of her existence. Answering her voice, bullets of ice and water formed around her before crashing on Orion. Pelted by violent objects, he was forced to take a step back. That was when everyone saw Senia at her greatest. The peak of her existence, past the realm of the sirens. Her tail was longer and far more lustrous, with scales gleaming magic energy. Her eyes were fiercer, removed of shyness. But most of all, Senia was using her magic differently. Like Amelia, she could use the sub-magic that was ice. And, except for her, not a single siren ever evolved to this stage. Rinsing her siren blood, Senia embraced the ''Empress of the Seas'' bloodline. She became the only one in the entire world... A Lorelei. Chapter 511: Lorelei and lamia. Senia stared at Orion, who walked past the shards of ice stuck around him. His feet sploshed around the muddy landscape as a serious expression formed on his face. A frown suddenly appeared as his steps came to a rest. Another pair of wings raptured through his back, albeit way quicker than the previous ones. The largest pair of wings was the first one, stretching farther than a meter away from his back. Halfway through, they curved upward. Under them, the second pair, way smaller, only covered half of the first''s length. The third, which has only been created, began to stretch horizontally, differently from the other two pairs. It was the longest and the thickest. At this time, it was impossible to guess what those wings would look like, as they were a mess of flesh and bones still under development. As Orion was under incredible stress while his wings were being formed, a white-haired comet crashed in front of him and Senia. "..." Deveralna glared at Orion without saying a word. The seriousness in her gaze spoke louder than anything she could say. The berserk Orion gathered his bearing instantly. Playtime seemed to be over for him, as a wild energy left his core. Inside his left hand, a white light spun around like a wormhole, gathering rapidly. After a brief instant, a weapon very familiar to the group formed, directly aimed at the lamia. "Alcyone..." Amelia was stunned. This was a weapon, alongside Taygeta, that Orion was unable to create anymore. After separating from the light and dark elements, it became impossible to recreate them, as their essences were no longer in his core. Even the bored energies from Alyssia and Alaric weren''t familiar with this transformation, making it impossible to replicate. But here was Alcyone, in the hands of its creator. *Click* The crossbow fired a bolt of light straight at Deveralna. "Hmpf!" Slapping the arrow out of the way, she kept standing in between him and Senia. This was like introducing yourself to someone. Neither of them were seriously attacking the other, but that was only a matter of time. Senia, behind Deveralna, stretched her arms above her head, letting out a wonderful voice. Choked with magic, her song called for snow to descend upon the battlefield. A very thin and delicate powdered snow began to fall to the ground. At that point, Orion began to seriously attack, which he hadn''t done yet. He warped away from her and fired. Pressing Alcyone''s trigger, a single arrow escaped its groove. After traveling a few meters, the arrow split into ten, which again multiplied into the same number. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. The volley of light arrows crossed the distance almost instantly, until Senia''s snowflakes turned into water spheres. One after the other, the spheres captured the light arrows. Only a handful of them made it to Deveralna, who covered her tail with plasma. With a single swipe of her tail, she nullified the magic arrows. But that wasn''t nearly enough to make Orion stop. The air grew heavier around him, noticeably shifting as it warped. Over his shoulders, two crossbows similar to Alcyone formed as if expelled from some place hidden away. Deveralna took this even more seriously as he fired the three crossbows in unison. A shower of light arrows came from above, while a ray of them went straight toward her. Some arrows were stopped by Senia''s water spheres, but their power was far stronger than before, easily piercing through them. Her eyes gleaming a bright white, replacing her usual dark orange pupils, Deveralna released enough plasma to erase anything around her. The snow melted instantly on contact, while the ground burned instantly. A low growl echoed as a monster made of plasma crashed behind her. Ophion, extending his body over Deveralna, glared at the incoming attack. Wrapping his lengthy body around his master, his energy swallowed the surrounding force field. The arrows fell on Ophion, meeting an end that was all too obvious. Not a single arrow went past his defense. Slithering around, his head appeared directed at Orion. He opened his mouth and prepared another beam of plasma, similar to the one that had been interrupted earlier. Orion, with his weapon in hand, warped above Ophion and aimed his crossbow at it, ready to strike it down. "..." But Senia, who was attentively watching, dropped one hand in his direction. A hail of frozen bullets struck him down, sending him crashing toward the ground. He recovered before hitting the ground, sliding as he aimed Alcyone and the copies at Ophion and Deveralna. Gathering a similar energy that managed to erase giant corrupts from the face of Triazils, the giant snake opened its mouth wider. Orion, on the other side, focused yet even more energy into the crossbows. Light gathered at the tips of the crossbows, forming a large sphere of light energy in front of him. When Ophion fired, Orion did the same. Two blasts met at the very center, pushing against one another as air pushed back anything around it. "He''s serious!" Tetra, holding her ground as best as she could, hid her eyes due to the sheer amount of dust sent her way. Her hair was pushed horizontally from the harsh and continuous blasts of air, and her feet were sliding over the grass as she was pushed backward. The noise of the two clashing energies was enough to cause a shudder down everyone''s spine. But while this folly was happening, two women were still battling at their fullest. A lone Lorelei gathered a sphere of water twice her size over her head. She condensed the water into a pearl-sized orb that she sent over to Orion. Crossing over the blast at high speed, it abruptly unleashed a torrent of water over Orion. As the water dropped on him, most of it disappeared on contact with the beam of light, but some managed to soak him. A white trail of light flew high into the air from the center of Ophion''s wrapped body. Deveralna glared at Orion as she released the energy she had accumulated. A bolt of plasma traveled from her hand and directly struck Orion. The conductivity of salt water created by Senia and the devastating lightning magic that Deveralna unleashed shocked him on the spot. Unable to maintain the beam of light, Ophion''s plasma beam took over and ravaged everything on its path. Orion''s eyes reflected the incoming beam as it swallowed him whole. "There''s no way he fell for that." Glancing toward Senia, Deveralna frowned. She nodded instinctively, recalling the warning Tetra spoke to her. "If not even my full power can bring him down... I wonder what it will take." Ophion''s energy began to dwindle as the beam diminished in size. All eyes turned to where Orion was. A dark sphere covered him, opening ever so slightly. Entirely unscathed, Orion appeared to everyone. "Not only is he using very little void magic, but he isn''t even suffering from our combined attacks." "This is absurd." Deveralna felt like giving up the fight, but she couldn''t. Her pride as a Remnant couldn''t accept a defeat like this. During this brief instant of inattention, Orion moved. Dark shadows crawled under Senia and Deveralna before erupting unexpectedly. "Wha-!" Before they could move, abyssal tendrils grabbed their limbs and pulled them toward the ground. "Ack!" Pinned down on the ground, they began to thrash around. Ophion was also sealed, as arches of dark magic caged him entirely. Then, from above, dark javelins began to rain upon them, ready to skewer them. "Shit!" "Deveralna! Senia!" The rest of the ground immediately moved to defend them. Nia was the first to move. With swiftness unlike anything else, she appeared in front of them, erecting a thick wall of metal to withstand the attack. As Olivia arrived to counter Orion''s dark element with her own, the javelins met the massive shield. *Bang* A continuous echoed of objects hitting the walls entered their ears as Nia frowned. "Hurry! It''s stronger than I was expecting!" The javelins were denting the wall rapidly, giving them very little time before piercing through. "What do you think I''m doing?!" Focusing on taking over the magic, Olivia snapped at her. "Calm down." Elliott stepped forward, reminding them to focus. He stood in front of Nia, ready to counter any javelin that would get through. "I... don''t need your help." "It is also fine. I am but insurance." Nodding at Nia, Elliott stayed motionless with his hand, ready to draw Vanitas. "I''m serious." As the first dent appeared on the other side of the metallic wall, Nia forced her energy to surge even more. In front of Elliott, a second wall of metal broke through the ground and stopped the advancement of the javelins. This was causing a headache for Nia, but she managed to hold it nonetheless. Smiling, Elliott glanced over his shoulder. Olivia was breaking the tendrils with her dark magic, and Nia was holding on with everything she had. Such a sight made him acknowledge that he liked this place. He loved the feelings these people were expressing. His Remnant power, which he had obtained very recently, was soothing his emotions in turn, making Horizon a perfect place for him. With that in mind, he walked away, leaving the situation to Orion''s partners. As Olivia rescued Deveralna and Senia, they moved away from the area. Ophion shrunk down and returned to his master, in need of recharging his expended energy. Nia was the last to move away, holding the defense until the very last second. The javelins pierced the second wall and wrecked the ground behind it. This was a serious attack that would have seriously injured both of them. As all eyes were turned to them, they failed to notice the fourth pair of wings behind Orion. With each pair of wings powering him even more, how long would it take for Orion to finally control his power? As this question kept coming back in their minds, May stepped forward, her sword in hand. Meeting her gaze, Amelia also stepped forward. The woman who possessed enough power to turn the battlefield into a firestorm, May, felt her energy surge from within. The end was near, but no clear victor was in sight. Two women, fighting on the same side of the battlefield, approached their beloved with faith. Chapter 512: Revival. Two blades under the light of Horizon''s sun. From Orion''s left side, Amelia, using her earth ''Elemental Mastery'', walked toward Orion. Opposite to her, May, her fire sword tightly clenched in her right hand, walked toward his right side. She was the weakest of the group. As a simple human only supported by an elemental, there was very little she could do to get stronger. Her power was within the limits of what a human could do. To begin with, May was born without magic. After her death in Bandir, she was brought back by Henrietta as an act of pardon for what had happened. Now a walking corpse, her strength entirely depended on the jewel attached to her nape. But her dignity as a member of the Agathion faction and the pride of being part of Orion''s family made it impossible to give up on her dream to stand by his side. The day she stood up in front of the three armies, her mind had been made. She would find a way to prove herself and to get stronger in front of adversity. Being taught by a Remnant greatly improved her reaction time and overall power usage, making it possible to use more energy while dishing out devastating blows continually. Even as a human, she fought alone against hordes of corrupt beasts and giants, protecting the city she cherished for a year. Proving that she was strong wasn''t the problem at this point. It was to know if she was worthy of being here. If Orion needed her. She knew she was loved, and it wasn''t a worry to begin with. But as a warrior, as a soldier, she had to know. Was her power enough to make him turn his gaze toward her? At this instant, she steeled her resolve. A fiery storm escaped her blade as she swiped it in front of her. The fire covered her whole body, heating the air surrounding her and burning the grass into ashes. Orion glanced to his right side, reacting to her magic. They exchanged a glare before both leaped forward. *Cling* A blade of light in hand, Orion parried her. Copying Noah instinctively, he pushed her back with one strike. Sliding on the grass, she rapidly recovered her stance. "Tsk." Clicking her tongue, she returned to the assault. Amelia appeared behind him with her scimitar, Ceres, above her head, clasped with both hands. Dropping it straight down toward the back of his head, she clenched her teeth while putting everything behind this hit. Orion turned around and took a step back, watching the carbon blade graze his nose as it moved downward. "Heh!" Letting out a mocking smile, her blade pounded the ground, creating a large spiderweb crack that took his footing away. May was already on the move, appearing behind him in his blind spot. Swinging her sword behind his back, she was about to strike him before Orion warped away from danger. "Damn it!" Her blade went toward Amelia, who stared at the fire sword coming closer to her arms.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. She pushed on them and let go of Ceres, springing away from danger. If she hadn''t reacted in time, she would have lost both arms. While Orion reappeared further behind May, he noticed an unarmed Amelia falling toward the ground. He vanished, only to appear in front of her with a fist drawn back. "!" Protecting herself from the attack, she brought both arms in front of her. Her carbon-based suit solidified into a solid matter to alleviate the impact as his fist met her forearm. *BAM* Amelia went flying downward, crashing brutally against the ground. It shook as columns of dirt exploded around the crash site. "..." The violent shock caused Amelia to lose consciousness for a few minutes. She had avoided getting injured, but the sheer strength of his punch instantly knocked her out. "!" May, who had recovered her footing, watched with horror as Orion stopped pulling his punches. If even Amelia were unconscious, it wouldn''t take long for her to be brought down. Swallowing the little drop of saliva in her mouth anxiously, she carefully observed Orion. Immediately after dropping to the ground, he vanished. "!" She turned around and held her blade horizontally above her head to parry his attack. *Cling* With one single move, Orion''s hand, in a chop, broke her weapon''s blade. Horrified, May watched as his hand continued. Gritting her teeth, she let her back tip backward as his hand came closer to her chest. His hand grazed her chest and barely injured her as she fell to the scorched and cracked ground. Her body rolled further inward of the center of the web of cracks before she stood up. Confused, the berserk Orion turned to her with a visible shock. "What? You think I''d let you incapacitate me?" With a serious glare, she looked at the place Orion had grazed her. The center part of her top was open under her breasts all the way to her belly button. There was a red mark going down that told her his attack nearly split her stomach in half. ''My fire is no match for his power...'' Orion was unimpeded by the energy swirling around her. The fire, which came from a powerful fire elemental, wasn''t enough to even burn his hand. ''That''s... slightly pissing me off.'' With a frown, she stared at the broken sword in her hand. "Thanks for your hard work." The blade that accompanied her during many battles was no more. All that was left of it was a cleanly cleaved blade that wouldn''t be a liability at this point. She opened her hand, letting it drop to the ground. ''What am I to do now that I don''t have a weapon?'' She thought about creating a weapon made of fire, but it was quite taxing to do so. Against Orion, she needed to be absolutely focused on nothing else but him. Recovering from his shock, Orion frowned. His body began to warp, spelling trouble for May. "Shit..." With a forced smile, she readied her body. The space next to her left side showed signs of alteration, catching her attention. Immediately, she dropped one knee toward the ground and punched the air. Orion missed her head by a bit, while May hit his stomach with a devastating blow. But it was far from affecting him, as all it did was push him a few centimeters away. Taking this moment to dodge, she rolled on the ground, avoiding a punch that crashed where she was. His gaze grew darker and darker as May continuously avoided his attacks, as if she could notice where he was going to warp. In fact, she could do just that. It was a perceptible alteration of the area he wanted to go, and it showed for a brief moment before he warped at that spot. Using this element to her advantage, May avoided most of the attacks, causing Orion to snap. "!" A dark aura covered his body. Dark magic erupted from his body as he let rampant energy inside him. Dark spots formed all around the field, ready to swallow her whole with one wrong step. "Bring it on!" Smirking at his attempt to intimidate her, she glanced over her shoulder. ''I''m back here...'' Ceres was still embedded into the ground, waiting for its master to awaken from her concussion. ''A sword... I need a sword.'' With trembling hands, she extended her arm toward Amelia''s blade. Her body screamed at her not to do it. Placing her hand on the scimitar''s pommel, she felt a sharp pain rush through her head. Using someone else''s element was impossible. Especially a weapon made by using magic. But May refused to give up. ''I''m already dead! A little pain is nothing!'' Pulling Ceres from the ground, she ignored the stinging feeling in her brain. *Flash* Catching fire, Ceres'' blade changed to a molten mess. But as a powerful blade, it contained the destructive element of fire that May usually contained. Searing, an ardent energy flowed inside the blade. As intense heat radiated from around her in a large radius, she frowned with caution. "With power in my hands, I will bring you down." Pointing the scimitar''s blade at Orion, she pulled it closer to her hand and grabbed it with both hands. ''Amelia, I''ll borrow your element.'' Rushing forward, she met Orion head-on. A dark spear appeared in his hand as he took a step back. May dodged the dark spots on the ground, easily revealed by her intense fire. As Orion thrust his spear at her, she parried his attack. *Cling* The spear moved upward as sparks exploded from the molten blade. Noticing the deadly projectiles, Orion jumped backward. Pursuing him, May kept pressuring him. For a few minutes, she appeared to overwhelm him, as he suffered continuous attacks that seeped into his muscles. Overwhelming heat, coupled with damaging projectiles, forced him to stay on the defensive. But it was a matter of time before Orion stopped playing. Willingly, he let one hit go through. The blade rapidly fell downward, ripping the air in half. It sliced Orion in half before May realized that it was an afterimage of him. "...!" She reacted too late. Orion stood behind her, his fingers on the jewel stuck on her nape. *Pull* Horrified, everyone watched as Orion pulled the elemental from May''s body. A trail of blood followed his hand as both the light of the elemental and the light in May''s eyes disappeared. Tetra frowned furiously as she realized her power wouldn''t be able to save her, as this was past any kind of injury she could heal. Damage to the soul was something she couldn''t deal with. As she fell forward, Orion warped in front of her. He grabbed her head before lifting her body. With her feet hanging off the ground, he stared inside her empty eyes. "..." Great dissatisfaction flashed on his face as he glared at the jewel in his hand. Then, Orion clenched it in his hand before thrusting his hand into her chest. But no blood, or even the sound of bones breaking, appeared from his violent action. Instead, his hand had vanished into an opening. As Orion''s expression kept fluctuating into annoyance, the last pair of wings raptured through his back. After a minute, May''s hand twitched. "PWAAAAA!" She inhaled violently as a bright fire exploded from her body. It even began to devour Orion''s skin, who released her after pulling his hand from the space over her chest. May dropped to the ground, staring at her hands while taking deep breaths. "What?" *Thump* Touching her chest, she felt the burning heat of life devour her body. The freezing touch of death, which accompanied her life for the past twenty years, dissipated rapidly as warm blood coursed her veins. *THUMP* Her eyes gleamed the light of life, as the elemental jewel crystallized above her chest. As if invigorated by the sun''s rays, an energy that she was unfamiliar with flashed in her mind. Orion, satisfied, nodded with a stern expression. Close to having recovered his mind, his actions spoke louder than ever. Even in this berserk state, his thoughts were going toward his partners. Only May managed to bring the conscious part of Orion, who wanted to free her from her affliction. With tears trickling down her face, May peered into the eyes of the man who swore to save her. As Orion''s wings began to stretch widely behind him, skin rapidly grew over them. May moved away from the battlefield, while the rest of the group stared at him with awe. Until a small black spot appeared over his head. The end was near, and his awakening was imminent. But one last challenge was left to the group. Chapter 513: Void Singularity. Slowly, but surely, Orion''s consciousness surfaced through his actions. Although in his berserk state, which was by itself unusual compared to what Amelia and Karteira experienced before, most of his attacks were only meant to push his companions past their limits. There was no reason behind his actions. He simply listened to the deeper instinct moving his soul. Deep, deep inside the farthest layer of his soul, a tiny seed known as the ''Core of Divinity'' took shape as his mind drew power from it. Spiraling into complete chaos before, the Remnant power of ''Purity'' protected his bearer from falling down the same path as before. Taking notes of what had happened to Miasma, his mind remained secure at every time. What was the ''Core of Divinity''? Orion had an inkling about this new creation. This was a gift from Nature. The reward for saving the world she so dearly loved and wished to protect. It was by no means the power of ''Creation'', which was in her hands alone. Nevertheless, it gave Orion the power to face his greatest opponents. A reward too great for a mortal, but definitely worthy for a Hero. As his mind dove into the finer details of his developing power, the bones and flesh that composed his body hardened. His magic system, entirely reworked from scratch, traveled his body like roots, feeding the forged body of a Divine. Invisible nerves of magic stretched from the open wounds of his back, directly into the wings that sprung from his shoulder blades. With the last pair finally out, Orion''s control over his void magic became almost perfect. Representing the passionate and wishful ideal of a man that desired ''Control'', his evolution was near completion. With skin growing over the visible muscles and bones of his wings, Orion stood alone. Or so he thought. A flashing image, engraved in his retina, entered his soul. Nine women, desperately holding back his power. Friends and family, supporting his endeavor. The burning passion in his core exploded as he once again acknowledged that he was not alone. ''For them...'' ''I will grow stronger!'' ¡ª One of Orion''s fears was losing his family. Before undergoing his evolution, he went ahead and used his Remnant power on the group. For the first time, he considered Miasma''s thoughts to be close to his. As his eyes adjusted to the brightness, nine blinding lights, so intensely pure, entered his sight as he readied himself for his new trial. The idea that the purest beings were targets made Orion perplexed. His entire family was as pure as can be. They were, in his eyes, the embodiment of the Valkyries themselves. Stolen story; please report. And Orion, the Leader. The one who influenced their fates. With the threats of the overworldly beings ever invading Horizon to devour his companions and bring chaos to his life, a choice had to be made. As he turned around to look at the scenery, he clarified his mind. Protecting his family was a priority with no precedence. ¡ª The last pair of wings, which curved downward under the tinier fourth one, entered the family''s sight. May, who was slowly getting over her raging emotions, joined the rest of the group. "He''s not moving..." "It''s been at least ten minutes..." Olivia and Senia, alongside the others, watched as Orion stood motionless, his gaze turned to the sky. A dark spot above his head confused them greatly, but so far, nothing happened. All it did was cause them to grow even more cautious than ever. "A silent and still Orion is a threat." "Just be alert for any movement on his part." Nia and Mia, flying above the group, watched from above. "If he has stopped entirely, could it mean that he is close to controlling his power?" May, the corners of her eyes still red, approached Karteira, who had helped Amelia recover from her concussion. "Probably. Still, I have a bad feeling about this." Amelia glanced in her direction with an anxious frown. Internally, she wanted to warn her not to ever do something as stupid as forcefully use her weapon, but she didn''t. In her situation, she would do the same. May wasn''t to blame for her mistake, only herself. She left her alone to deal with him, which was actually an incredible feat. But more than ever, she was also relieved, knowing she was fine after hearing what had happened. The person most devastated by a loss would be most certainly Orion, and knowing he would have been the cause, he would have never forgiven himself. As they all wondered about what to do, Orion suddenly dropped his chin. His eyes wandered toward them at the same time. Inside them, they noticed an emotion that shattered their expectations. ''Get ready.'' Their bodies froze under the intense gaze. In their minds, they knew something major was about to happen. With a movement of his hand in an arch above his head, nine void crossbows glitched in and out of existence. "It''s..." Karteira immediately looked toward Amelia while swallowing her words. "That''s Pleione." A cold bead of sweat dropped from their forehead as they recognized the crossbow. They recalled Orion screaming that name while crashing both Alcyone and Taygeta together in his furry. The void crossbow, Pleione, was again brought to the realm of existence it failed to remain in previously. Aimed at each of his companions, the copies of the real Pleione, which warped in Orion''s hands, cocked an invisible energy in the form of an arrow. But before firing, Orion aimed Pleione, not at the women, but at Elliott. With a faint smile, the man tried to draw Vanitas. *Click* A powerful blast of energy traveled toward him. The instant Orion fired, he turned to Nylon. *Click* The first blast met Vanitas'' scabbard, pushing Elliott backward. Then, Nylon followed the same pattern, defending with shadows. Three more triggers sent Marie, Eden, and Alice backward, before two others followed. Shocked, Olivia turned around, watching the remaining two arrows push Titania and Henrietta backward. These seven people were forced outside the dome Orion had set up after starting this trial. None of them were actually harmed, as not a single arrow had any potent power behind it. All it did was drag the concerned party out of the dome. The only people left were Orion and his nine partners. "..." With cold sweat running down their spines, they looked at Orion, who lowered his stance. Then, very slowly, he lifted Pleione over his head, pointing it toward the small black dot above him. An impulse condensed at the tip of the void crossbow, ready to be released anytime. *Click* Nine triggers were pulled at the same instant, forcing the group to panic. Their reaction time was great, but the tracking of the void arrows was greater. They all had their chests pierced by the arrow. "Huh?" Deveralna looked at her chest, but there was nothing stuck in there. They heard a piercing sound behind them, and as they turned around, they noticed that the arrows had turned into anchors, deeply stuck into the ground. A long chain, barely visible to the naked eye, and starting from the copies of Pleione, ran through them. These chains were intangible but anchored them from the darkness of what was about to happen. Orion then fired Pleione. The void energy raptured through the air, rapidly joining the black spot. Instead of engulfing the spot, the inverse happened. The spot began to devour the void energy, feeding on it as it rippled through the space above everyone. Rapidly, the spot enlarged. The small opening grew into a larger, more oppressing energy. The singularity Orion faced after facing Miasma once again revealed itself, pulling everyone toward it as it attained an outrageous size. "What is happening?!" Forced to stay in place by the chain coursing through their bodies, they watched as Orion fed the black hole more void energy. The only one standing with a straight face was Amelia. Her eyes stared into his, watching his every move. Something called her. As she peered into the abyssal eye of pure darkness, devourer of light, she felt compelled to stare at it. Her core released energy as her mind focused on it. The ''Key'' rattled in her core, reacting to the ''Shackles''. Alone in front of such a singularity, Amelia clenched her fists as her mind peacefully drifted away. "What is she doing?!" Tetra glanced at Amelia, who opened her arms widely at her sides. Suddenly, as her eyes turned to the singularity, her power reacted. The sigil appeared in her eyes, and visions of the past flashed in her head. As if in synchronicity with everyone, the vision of Orion fighting back a similar black hole played back. An event that was unknown to everyone, frozen in the sands of time, one that Orion never told anybody, was unveiled. With dread in their hearts, they stared at the ever-destroying force that swallowed matter and light equally. ''What happens behind it?'' This dangerous question formed in their minds. Then, as if the answer itself developed independently of their will, they looked at Orion. The answer was Orion. Behind everything, they would find him. All they had to put their trust in was Orion. Behind the singularity, it didn''t matter what it was. As they stood with determination in their eyes, they walked next to Amelia, letting the intangible chains move through them. Fighting back the incessant pulling force of the singularity, they lined up in front of him. At last, Amelia opened her eyes. Her body released void particles while her eyes fell on the black hole. Lifting her right hand toward, while seemingly holding a weapon in it, she moved instinctively. *Chime* The sound of a bell echoed as Orion and Amelia''s power reacted to each other. Stars flickered in her eyes as a revolver glitched into existence in her hand. Then, a sigil morphed into the symbol of a bright star. A crown, in the shape of a spinning galaxy, gleamed a deep mixture of black and white periodically. With all eyes turned to her, Amelia pressed the trigger.