《Voidscape: Calamity》


 Confirmation: Part 1

    The sound of brute force hitting metal echo throughout the empty cracks of the canyon, shockwaves push the air repeatedly, and the groans of pain break the piercing silence of death.


    A figure stands in front of what looks like an immense magenta flower. The stem is bigger than the largest of whales, as thick as an elephant, and as smooth as a Tevron¡¯s leather back, with streaks of yellow pulsating through it. The 5 petals on its peak are open, holding a heptahedron frame of white crystal. Above ground, many leaves grow around the quasi-spherical base, beating like a heart at the centre of the yellow streaks. Around the base are many roots that coil above ground before heading into the dry dirt. This one flower is bigger than most known trees.


    The figure hitting it is that of an elaborate suit of armour, a suit of armour so big, and so thick, that only the strongest and biggest of men would wear it. The golden carvings on the pure silver reflect light so beautifully, that each move of the gauche presence has surprising elegance to it. Alongside it is a polearm that stands at 4m tall, while the tip alone covers just a little under half of that. As beautifully crafted and graceful as it is, it should be unusable by all means, even if you ignore its ludicrous weight, it¡¯s extremely unbalanced and cumbersome to even be called a weapon, and yet, it moves through the air like the figure of a majestic butterfly.


    In a matter of seconds, multiple vines burst forth from the ground aiming to pierce the metallic figure, but swiftly does it dodge the blows, jumping into the air before promptly parrying another root that¡¯s slamming it from above.


    The moment the figure¡¯s feet touch the floor, it launches at an incredible speed, spear first, into the protected base of the flower. Suddenly, the moment the tip of the weapon touches the first petal, the suit of armour comes to a halt. The shockwave raises dust to incredible heights¡­


    An incredible amount of force was dispersed without leaving a mark.


    It¡¯s not that it had no effect, it¡¯s just a situation of unstoppable force meets immovable object. Both still had incredible energy flowing through them before a vine pushes the armour ever so slightly to the left, enough for it to fly away with residual energy left from the thrust attack.


    The battle had begun not even a full minute ago, and yet, with each second that passes, the armour gets attacked from 4 different sides in 4 different ways. As if each and every vine has its own individual thought and initiative. Not only that, but whoever¡¯s wearing the armour feels drained of energy every second it stays close to this thing. After assessing the situation, the figure parries but a few more hits before launching into one final jab. A jab timed in between pulses and aimed at the very centre of one of the protecting leaves.


    The clank of a giant footstep is heard loudly across the fields right before an even louder sound takes over. A loud egg crack-like sound is heard as leaves break down into dust instantly from the blow. Behind it is a pulsating blue glassy surface filled with potent energy.


    A few heartbeats later, the armour is chased away by barrages of attacks, and even fewer heartbeats after that, new leaves have already grown to replace the last ones.


    The figure lost the battle from every way you could look at it, but the mission was a success, so it swiftly stepped away before enduring any more damage.


    The armour loudly steps back in haste as vines break through the ground where it once stood following its trail, but just as an extremely sharp spike projects out of the ground towards the heart of the armour, the air breaks.


    The sound barrier was broken leaving ripples of strong wind behind slashing the vines that tried to follow with blades of condensed air. The sudden departure at mach 3 left a crater that revealed a network of unmoved vines, like veins of a body.


    The armour flies away far too high to damage anything on its uncontrolled path, but a flow of blood is let out from the majestic silver; by the time the armour lost its momentum, there had been an entire litre of blood lost, if not more.


    After a dozen seconds of soaring through the air, the metal meteor finally shows signs of slowing down, although not nearly fast enough to stop before reaching its destination.


    It approaches a lone campsite on a hill of wilting yellow grass. The campsite had several large tents, when put together would form one large house, around a telescope and some equipment on the open in the middle.


    Before it hits the campsite from above, the armour passes through a veil of light that slows it down considerably before being caught by a (relatively) smaller figure wrapping her arms around the armour to a full stop.


    An old lady that¡¯s seen her share of time, wearing humble garnements, quickly drags the armour into a large tent putting her next to a makeshift bed.


    The old lady wears a frown of worry as she looks at the battered shape of the armour, with splatters of blood leaking from within.


    She turns the decorated silver helmet before removing it, revealing the gentle face of a young woman in her early twenties (for your own reference) knocked unconscious. The unusually pale colour on her face was enough for the old lady to quickly reach to a shelf behind her and pull a couple of glass vials before pouring them into the unconscious girl¡¯s mouth.


    She was expecting this but it still doesn¡¯t make looking at her injuries any easier. After half an hour, she finishes removing the incredibly huge armour piece by piece leaving just the slender body of the young girl that was inside. Without the armour, the size difference between the girl and the old lady is noticeable, as the girl is just over half of the old lady¡¯s height. She puts her on the bed and carefully removes her (fashionable) top.


    ¡°I told you not to get too carried away," the old lady sighs as she strokes the girl¡¯s hair with a look of worry.


    She really tries not to worry about others much, especially with her age and attempt at leaving the world behind, but sometimes she can¡¯t help but feel motherly towards the few that can¡¯t grow up.


    She wets a large piece of cotton with ethanol and starts dabbing it on cuts all over the girl¡¯s torso¡­ so many openings on this fragile body. She doesn¡¯t wish to see the girl in harm, or fight for her life in that matter, but the girl¡¯s very stubborn so she has no choice but to be there to support her. Luckily the armour stopped any shrapnel from going into her wounds so all she needs to do is sew her body together. The old lady brings a bottle of viscous liquid that she pours into every opening in the girl¡¯s body before closing it with a hot needle. Each time she pierces her delicate skin, she fills the thread with her hope for a quick recovery.


    The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.She finishes by wiping the girl¡¯s body with a wet towel cleaning her and looking at the vast amount of scars and wounds she had to heal over the years. Such a young girl, yet, such tenacity and history. A girl like her should live a peaceful life, without conflict or complications. Granted it was the girl¡¯s dream to be a knight someday, although, these days, there¡¯s no glory in that title anymore. But since it makes the girl happy, she¡¯s okay with it and will be there for her every time she returns injured.


    Not many hours later, the young girl wakes up unhinged by her lightheadedness and chest pain. She takes a moment to gather herself before putting on a warm smile and leaving her tent to look for the old lady.


    She stumbles around the campsite as everything feels out of focus for her and somewhat distorted. Luckily she¡¯s very good at walking blind, but it still takes an effort to push past the urge to stop and fall to the ground to reassure her stability.


    The old lady¡¯s probably mad at her, but it actually couldn¡¯t be helped this time. You don¡¯t expect an impossibly fast flower the size of a castle to become even faster. Even when she was on the lookout for attacks she couldn¡¯t dodge it¡­ if anything, she¡¯s very impressed with herself for not getting the worst case scenario.


    Stepping over soft dirt, she makes her way out of the small campsite and over to a cliff where there¡¯s small patches of dying grass, and on top of it is a recliner chair.


    ¡°Sorry I caused you trouble again," with a soft voice, she looks at the ground apologetically as she stands next to the old lady.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like you weren¡¯t gonna try if I weren¡¯t here." she leaves a big sigh behind before turning and looking at the girl¡¯s eyes, ¡°you have to avoid flying your way if there¡¯s the slightest hint of bleeding, if I were back at the castle you wouldn¡¯t have survived the trip back."


    Asire of Leyion, world class devil-may-care knight, extremely young, rivals the best in the empire when it comes to both power and technique, can seamlessly carry great weights, and is weak in body and frame with little to no endurance; reasons unknown.


    ¡°Hehe, well, it was either I risk blood loss or get impaled to death¡­ I chose to trust in you instead."


    The gentle smile on young Asire¡¯s face was enough for the old lady to forgive her recklessness.


    ¡°Well, did you find what you were looking for?¡±


    ¡°I think so, I think Alastair should have noticed something, if he has, then I figured out why we can¡¯t seem to break through."


    She really hopes that this is the key they¡¯ve been missing. She already lost to that giant thing 4 times. Her pride won¡¯t let her walk away before killing this thing.


    ¡°Rest up tonight, no point in contacting him if you can¡¯t fight for a few nights anyway." The old lady rests her head on the wooden frame and closes her eyes letting herself bathe in moonlight.


    ¡°I can push through, it¡¯s already been too long."


    ¡°No," she says firmly to stop that thought process before it goes too far, ¡°we don¡¯t know what else it got up its sleeve, I can¡¯t have you risk your life over a bet."


    Asire tries to argue back but sucks it up. She knows the old lady¡¯s right; the flowers already surprised them by growing protective petals after they attempted to cut one down.


    She stands there in silence, trying to figure out what¡¯s this weird feeling she wants to express to the old lady, but no words come out.


    Half an hour of staring into the night sky and silence in the wind.


    The old lady breaks the silence.


    ¡°Come here." She extends her arm towards Asire and pulls her head down to her chest once she gets close enough.


    The young girl¡¯s taken aback by the sudden warmth surrounding her but she does not object.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done splendidly." the old lady kisses her on top of her head. ¡°You¡¯re so very welcome, don¡¯t ever worry about it."


    The knot in Asire¡¯s heart disappears as she relaxes in the old lady¡¯s arms.


    She stays there for a while before standing up again.


    ¡°Good night Ten," she says before kissing the old lady on her forehead and going back to the campsite.


    After waiting long enough for Asire to be asleep, the old lady drinks a vial full of a flaming liquid from her backpack. She feels it going down her throat before spreading over through her blood. A light glimmers in her eyes as she looks towards the small flower on the horizon.


    She can see thin veins spreading across the land¡¯s ground like a network of fungi, veins so small you¡¯d mistake them for a strand of hair, draining the literal life out of ground.


    Not just from living beings but the ground itself and everything on it. Even sentient life isn¡¯t immune to it, but to conscious creatures, they get a sudden urge to leave the area, like the sense of impending doom, and it¡¯s just around the corner.


    The veins crawl ever so closer at an incredibly slow pace, but it¡¯s a constant pace; nothing slows it down. No stone, no mountain, no river. It keeps asking for more life.


    Even though it¡¯s a clear threat, she can¡¯t help but admire the beauty of its network and how life flows through it. To her, it looks more like an art piece than a monstrosity¡­


    She has to stop it either way.

 Confirmation: Part 2

    The morning sun rises slowly.


    On the rooftop of a modest house in a remote village sits a man and a woman enjoying pancakes and tea whilst looking at the majesty of sunbeams breaking through the horizon making their way to the clouds and letting them admire the farmland and plains beyond as birds soar through them.


    ¡°Nebula isn¡¯t here anymore," he says between bites.


    ¡°Neither is cosmo," she answers nonchalantly.


    ¡°Were we not hospitable enough?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much about their whims, I¡¯m sure Nebula just got distracted by something else."


    ¡°Or scolded herself back home."


    ¡°She¡¯s such a lovely child... we really should visit her more often¡­¡± her face wears the gentlest of smiles.


    ¡°I do worry that she gets too lonely at times," he wears a sad but kind smile.


    ¡°Anyhow, we¡¯re getting guests this afternoon so let¡¯s make today a delivery day."


    ¡°Oh? Outer friends or?¡±


    ¡°No no," she says with giggles, ¡°actual guests this time... they¡¯ll be seeking help."


    They finish their breakfast in idle chat about the happenings of their pleasant surroundings.


    Once the morning gets brighter the dirt roads get busier¡­ well¡­ as busy as a small village gets.


    The man and woman go down to the first floor to their flower shop. It¡¯s called a flower shop but they have a habit of selling any plant that¡¯s not too exotic. Not the most lucrative of businesses in a remote location, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯re doing it for the gold.


    Moments later, they leave with a large bag filled with different kinds of herbs. They go around the village, house by house, leaving them a present by the window. Some were orders and some were pleasant surprises. It doesn¡¯t take them more than two hour to finish their lap of every building, but it¡¯s still longer than they expected. Has the village grown since the last time they did this?


    Lunchtime comes and they go to a small house by the village centre where a group of kids get ecstatic by the sight of the gorgeous couple. A young girl thanks them before leaving the house in their care.


    Some of the kids are energetic and lively while others are timid, but all of them sit around the table in a mannerly fashion. When it¡¯s lunchtime or there¡¯s a guest in, they always behave.


    The couple engages with the children in all sorts of fun chats that the kids like to talk about as they eat, what they¡¯ve done this week, the newest toys they got, what fun activities they¡¯ve done in the festival, that sort of thing.


    The couple practically fund the House of Children. Parents that can¡¯t attend to their children during the day leave them here, parents that are sickly and wish to keep them safe, parents that need to leave the village for one reason or another, and most important of all¡­ children of war; those that lost their parents or were sent here as refugees. Even though the village was always welcoming and had their gates open, adults rarely ever seek its shelter, but they can¡¯t risk having children stand the fight with them.


    Seeing the happy looks on the children brings a spark of joy into the couple¡¯s hearts. This life they¡¯re living now is worth it.


    After having lunch with the children, they make their way to the outskirts of their humble abode to welcome the weary travellers from (not that) afar.


    Two figures make their way closer to the two welcoming them with a warm smile.


    ¡°Lady Asire and Lady Tensha, what a pleasant surprise!¡± the lady says with enthusiasm.


    ¡°Seraph! Musha! Argh! I missed you two!¡± Asire throws herself at the two hugging them tightly while old lady Tensha stands behind with a nostalgic look.


    ¡°It¡¯s been far too long." Musha, the man, looks to be genuinely surprised by their visit, and still happy to see them.


    ¡°All that power and speed of yours and you don¡¯t even drop by to say hello." Seraph has a teasing expression on her, not that Asire can see it, but it¡¯s still there.


    ¡°I wanted to, I really did... but after what happened I couldn¡¯t bring myself to¡­¡± before she could finish, Seraph pats Asire¡¯s head.


    After holding the hug for a while, she lets go so that Tensha can greet them as well.


    Tensha turns to look at the somewhat excited Asire behind her.


    ¡°Go on then, we¡¯ll be at the shop." She has a kind smile on her.


    Asire runs off like an overexcited child into the village, waving at everyone she passes by while everyone returns the favour with an even bigger smile, while they know not to stop her on her trail.


    It¡¯s been a very long time since she has come here, others don¡¯t see it as that much, but considering her extraordinary young age, 40 years is considered a lot for her.


    She makes it to a little house near the centre of the village and knocks. The door slowly opens as an incredibly old lady with marks of age all over her tired body peeks out to see who it is.


    A large smile of pure delight forms on the lady¡¯s face as she shuffles towards Asire and wraps her arms around her as tightly as her weak arms can.


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d never see you again," they both say the same thing as they¡¯re tearing up with joy.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I didn¡¯t¡­ I wanted to¡­ but I¡­¡± Asire couldn¡¯t finish any sentence as she sniffled between words and shook her head next to the old lady¡¯s.


    ¡°Shhhh, it¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯m just happy you came to see me." The old lady wants to embrace her closer, but her body is barely holding her as is.


    They walk inside to enjoy a short, but still sweet family reunion.


    ¡°Vanilla cinnamon tea with Senin (a type of flower) cake, just how you like it." After putting it down, the excessively gorgeous man wearing an apron leaves the living room behind and heads back to the kitchen.


    ¡°it must have been hard for you both to come here¡­ so I¡¯m all yours." The excessively gorgeous woman wears a melancholic smile on her face¡­ it doesn¡¯t suit her at all.


    ¡°The empire has been too busy cleaning up after themselves to notice the patches of death spreading through its land, but I¡¯m sure you noticed," Tensha wears a serious face to discuss the matters at hand.


    ¡°I did notice, and I deemed it too much trouble for us to get involved." Seraph¡¯s face also gets serious in return.


    ¡°I figured¡­ but we ran out of options."


    ¡°So, what is it you know?¡±


    ¡°May I?¡±


    Seraph responds with a nod and old Tensha picks up an ornate board and puts it between them.


    Currently, the board looks like a decorated board of chess, but after Tensha puts her finger over a slot on its side, the chequer pattern fades into a unified grey colour to contrast the golden border.


    The grey surface starts to warp into the vague shape of a map. At the very centre stands a miniature castle. And around its land¡¯s (surprisingly large) border, there sit three miniature flowers that look the same as the one that Asire fought, equally far from each other.


    ¡°These three flower-like creatures are what¡¯s been draining energy from its surrounding area. They¡¯re not expanding their fields like a bubble, instead actively seeking areas with higher potency." Lines start to spread out from the miniatures, providing visual feedback to Tensha''s explanation.


    ¡°Which is why your castle is safe." Seraph throws Tensha a cheeky look.


    ¡°Living in dead land has its occasional benefits."


    ¡°And you want to kill the flower things?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea."


    ¡°And you need help where exactly? Last I checked, you have two of the most efficient active destructive machines on this side of Feria." Seraph leans back waiting for what¡¯s expected of her.


    ¡°We believe that all three of them have to be killed at the same time."


    ¡°And there¡¯s 4 of you, I don¡¯t see the issue here."


    ¡°These things are incredibly fast and deadly¡­ my dear Asire wasn¡¯t even able to hold on for 2 minutes."


    ¡°When was this?¡± Seraph¡¯s expression changes ever so slightly.


    ¡°About a month ago."


    ¡°That brings me peace of mind," the old lady sighs with relief, ¡°what about those¡­ those friends of yours¡­ the other knights you were with?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re also fine and living in the castle with us¡­¡± Asire¡¯s smile turns into a saddened one but the lady¡¯s too old to notice. She can¡¯t exactly tell her that most of her friends are missing and presumed dead.


    ¡°That aside, I got you this," she says as she puts a bracelet around the lady¡¯s wrist.


    The lady looks at the bejewelled bracelet, already happy just with getting a gift from a girl she raised. Jewellery isn¡¯t her style, but she¡¯ll treasure this nonetheless.


    ¡°Try to walk around."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡±


    ¡°Come on, gran just do it." Asire excitedly helps the lady stand up, and a wave of joy runs over the lady.


    She starts walking around the living room with great care on each step.


    ¡°I heard you were getting tired and didn¡¯t leave home as much as you used to."


    An ear to ear smile forms on Asire as she helps the old lady get used to moving.


    ¡°But¡­¡± tears start dripping from the lady¡¯s eyes, ¡°how?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much, I had a few friends help me make it for you."


    After a while, the old lady lets go of Asire and walks to the kitchen at normal speed. She doesn¡¯t feel joint pain or feebleness. And if she gets used to it, she¡¯ll be able to move like she¡¯s a few decades younger. She¡¯s still old and will get tired easily, but this makes it a lot easier and much less painful.


    ¡°So you¡¯re telling me, you¡¯ve been out of the loop for an entire month?¡± Seraph can¡¯t help but show her surprise with a hint of excitement and anticipation.


    ¡°Well," Tensha shows some embarrassment, ¡°it¡¯s been more like 4 months."


    The gorgeous Seraph only answers with a shocked face.


    ¡°It took us a long time to figure out how to deal with the situation, and we needed time to rest between battles and decide on our next move."


    ¡°Wow¡­¡± after a pause, Seraph quickly shakes her expression back into a serious one. ¡°Anyway, from what I gather, you need someone to take care of a flower while you take care of the other two."


    ¡°And given our current situation, we can¡¯t really announce a call to arms."


    Seraph thinks for a moment before answering her.


    ¡°I won¡¯t help personally, but I can¡¯t let you return empty han-¡­¡± she pauses mid sentence as she stares blankly out the window.


    ¡°Lady Light?¡± Tensha taps the table to snap her out of it.


    ¡°Ah." She shakes her head as she regains her focus. ¡°My dearest apologies, I simply didn¡¯t expect a response that hastily¡­ And especially not from her."


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s saying, she found the help you were looking for." a third voice joins the conversation, a gentle voice with a rough tone.


    Both the ladies¡¯ heads turn to see the man sitting on a couch. A chiselled refined body covered with a skin tight, black¡­ material? It doesn¡¯t look like cloth or leather, just a flame-like pattern of black surrounds his body like a snake entangling him. He¡¯s not big by any means, but anyone that glances at him can tell you that he can probably punch through a wall with ease.


    Tensha tenses and a wave of adrenaline flows through her.


    ¡°You¡¯re not¡­¡± before she could finish, Seraph gets interrupted.


    ¡°She¡¯s a bit preoccupied, so I¡¯m here instead." he sits comfortably like he owns the place.


    ¡°And you¡¯re here to help?¡± she asks with a sarcastic tone.


    ¡°Yes." he nods his head with a stupid smile on his face.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.¡°And we should believe you why?¡±


    There¡¯s a tense aura in the room, a single spark is all it would take for this situation to go sour.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to offer a helping hand, if you don¡¯t believe me that¡¯s alright with me."


    ¡°Where is she?¡± Seraph asks with a deadpan look on her.


    ¡°Busy," he responds with an equally expressionless face.


    ¡°She always gives notices before doing anything, and she would rather send anyone before sending you."


    ¡°She leaves notices??¡± he asks with genuine surprise. ¡°Of course she does, cause why wouldn¡¯t she." he facepalms.


    ¡°She¡¯s the one that replied to my summons, so¡­ where is she?¡±


    ¡°Ugh¡­ fine¡­ she¡¯s busy removing 13 Flowing Curses¡­¡±


    Silence fills the room for a second. Throughout this entire scene, Tensha was just observing and constantly on edge. She doesn¡¯t trust neither him, nor the girl they¡¯re talking about, but especially him. She¡¯d seen him burn down an entire village once out of spite.


    ¡°You know, I may not be able to fight anymore, but really¡­ you ought to avoid picking a fight around me."


    A decorated exotic sword spins and materialises next to Tensha who instantly takes it and jumps from her seat to the couch aiming for the guy¡¯s heart, but the only thing it pierces is the couch. She turns to see him standing by the window.


    ¡°Okay, well, that¡¯s just rude, I¡¯m only here to help," he says with disappointment.


    The room becomes ever so slightly brighter as a force field fills the room.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always held malicious intent whenever we¡¯ve actually met you." Seraph calmly takes a sip from her tea.


    Tensha moves in to slash the man by the window but quickly changes her swing to a lunge backwards where it pierces the man¡¯s stomach before he jumps back.


    ¡°Well, as impressive as it is that you can adapt to find me in such a short period of time." he steps back again avoiding another swing. ¡°I implore you to stop trying to kill me."


    Tensha turns sharply and throws the sword to the other corner of the room where it gets wedged inside the man¡¯s left shoulder.


    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to kill you my dear invader, we¡¯re just kicking you out." Seraph throws a cheeky smile at him.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m lending you my help whether you want it or not." the sword falls onto the man¡¯s right hand. ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of options. And evidently, I want you to keep trying to kill me," He says with a calm smile from the sofa where he¡¯s sitting now.


    A minute of silence as Tensha goes back to her seat.


    ¡°If I had malicious intent I would¡¯ve attacked before she had the chance to turn you two into invulnerable buildings," he says cheerfully like he¡¯s talking about a game of football while handing her the sword back.


    Seraph lets out a big sigh.


    ¡°Are you sure you can take it down?¡± Tensha asks with a hint of disdain.


    ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve killed a See-¡±


    ¡°Flower¡­ you haven¡¯t killed many flowers like that one." Seraph cuts him before he can say any more.


    ¡°Yeaaaaah¡­ flower¡­ anyhow, I think I can take care of the third one."


    ¡°In exchange for what?¡± Tensha can¡¯t help but be suspicious of him.


    ¡°Nothing?¡± he asks with a tone of confusion.


    ¡°What do you mean nothing?¡±


    ¡°I mean nothing, you have nothing of interest to me."


    Veins around the man¡¯s wound start to dimly glow through his skin.


    ¡°Then why would you help?¡±


    ¡°There was a call for help, and that wench would have helped, so I¡¯m doing it for her¡­¡±


    Tensha¡¯s been around the block one too many times; throughout all her years, one rule stood strong. Everyone with significant power had ulterior motives. Sure, the rule had exceptions every now and then, in fact, her and her friends are a part of the exception, but she can¡¯t be too trusting.


    Seraph merely sips from her tea and watches the exchange between the two.


    ¡°For the record, that sword is extremely painful," he says casually at Seraph.


    His veins still glow


    ¡°I better hope so, it¡¯s one of my most precious treasures." Seraph answers with a smile full of pride and content.


    Tensha, strong, smart, old, tired, best chemist in the empire by a large margin, childless, helped raise many powerful and notable individuals, most of which are either dead or missing, and owner of a True Artefact of Defence that can withstand and stop great force, limit: meteor.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they did that." Asire laughs wholeheartedly with the old lady. ¡°I really wish I was there."


    ¡°I know how much you like weddings, this was one you would¡¯ve enjoyed most," the old lady has a smile on her face as she speaks.


    ¡°I never thought either of them would get married ever, but that sounds exactly like something they would do."


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll be the talk of the town for the next decade."


    ¡°I¡¯m happy for them, I really am¡­¡± Asire¡¯s head turns slightly as the gears in her mind start turning; she realises she doesn¡¯t really need to wait for them to come back from their honeymoon year to give them a gift. ¡°You don¡¯t happen to know where they are right now, do you?¡± She can barely hide her excitement.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t, but I¡¯m sure Salem¡¯s mother can tell you¡­ she was always fond of letters."


    Asire leaves and heads to another house somewhat away. After knocking, a warm face of a lady greets her with a smile. They hug and spend a few minutes catching up before Asire congratulates her for her son¡¯s wedding and asks for his whereabouts.


    After the pleasant chat, Asire leaves and walks out the village and starts sprinting towards a very small camp she set up with Tensha on the outskirts.


    She pulls out a thin fully metallic spear from the weapon¡¯s wrack and steps away a safe distance before looking into the sky.


    She assumes a throwing position and aims very carefully down to the fraction of a degree.


    She knows how risky this is but she¡¯s still going to try out her new ¡®ability¡¯ she discovered.


    Lightning starts to crackle off the spear, her smile gets illuminated by her madness as the wind starts to turn around her and the spear, leaving nothing but static air around, even in her lungs.


    Everything came to a sudden stop around her.


    As sudden as the stop was, a sudden bolt leaves her as she throws the spear with enough strength to blow apart a meteor in its course.


    The spear itself has now been launched at mach 11 and leaving behind it a trail of nothing through the air.


    Asire starts to giggle to herself thinking about what she had done and slumps back slowly to her granny''s place.


    A knock on the lady¡¯s old door at midnight. This is the busiest her home has been in years. She opens the door to see the gentle face of an old friend; someone much older than her, but the marks of time weren¡¯t as cruel to her friend as they were to her. Tensha smiles and hugs the old lady before stepping in.


    After having a nice and long chat about old times, the old lady thanks Tensha for taking care of the chaotic child (relative) that is Asire for all these years. She knows that she doesn¡¯t have much time left, and she¡¯s happy that she can rest easy knowing that Asire is in safe hands¡­ the safest of hands. She looks through the window on the wall to Asire¡¯s room where she sleeps peacefully hugging her pillow like she used to when she was a child. She can only hope that she¡¯ll be remembered.


    Two incredibly attractive figures sit on a rooftop watching the glittering stars with a cup of tea. They enjoy the silence between them for a long time before the man speaks.


    ¡°The gears are turning."


    ¡°So they are¡­ even the twins are getting involved."


    ¡°It¡¯s gonna get very interesting by the end of things."


    ¡°How do you think we should handle the merger?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­ we can¡¯t exactly act like nothing happened."


    ¡°But we also can¡¯t just let them experience the entire thing¡±


    ¡°Maybe a Hosted Dream?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out when it¡¯s time."


    The night continues with the both of them enjoying the view of the sleeping village lit by the stars.


    A thin figure stands before a bed, barefoot on the mossy marble floor. He wears a long robe, dragging behind him, undecorated and bland, just 3 holes in white cloth. The guy has long silky flowing hair, very long cyan hair, so long, it reaches his ankles and folds back up to his neck then back down to his hips.


    Many roots have embedded themselves in this bed around the sleeping beauty in the middle of all the fungi and vines covering her and leaving her face untouched.


    The tanned lady may be asleep but her face conveys emotions of pain and grief. The guy looks down at the lady with a sad frown on his face.


    He wants to help her but has no idea how, so he does the only thing he knows, and watches over her whenever he¡¯s not doing anything else.


    Many uninterrupted hours go, where he stands with the same unchanged expression with a blank mind.


    He starts to hear a gentle female voice in his head.


    ¡°Hey Bubbles, Ten wants you to go to the camp now, she¡¯s waiting for you."


    It¡¯s Asire¡¯s voice. With it, a smile of joy forms on the guy¡¯s face. He nods meaningfully before leaving the room. He strolls out the giant black castle in the middle of an endless snowfield and takes graceful flight into the sunset.


    Tensha sits by a hill watching the giant blue wool balls bounce over the hills as glowing insects fly in and out of them, still shining even under the morning sun. The grass has a tint of blue reflecting beautifully till the horizon. But something¡¯s missing in this alluring scene¡­ There are no flowers in the serene hills. There¡¯s usually many other sets of contrasting colours that make the bluish green even stronger. Well, different as it may, it¡¯s still a beautiful place to look at.


    A white sheet made its way to float next to Tensha as she finished her cup of milk tea. She turns to greet the young man with a smile. They have a mutual hug without exchanging words. She¡¯s glad to see that he¡¯s been faring well. Alistair isn¡¯t the kind of man that should be left alone, especially not to take care of an entire castle.


    ¡°Alistair sweetheart, we¡¯re going to attack that flower we talked about. Are you okay with that?¡± she asks him with a kind tone. He responds in a soft nod and a smile.


    ¡°Alright, but before that, have some breakfast, you¡¯ve been flying all night." She removes the lid off a plastic container with brownies inside and puts it next to a cup of milk.


    Alistair¡¯s heartbeat slows down.


    Tensha continues watching the beautiful scenery, but it¡¯s even more beautiful now, just merely looking at the hills next to someone she cares for enhances the experience 3 fold.


    As he finishes eating, they both hear a voice in their minds.


    ¡°My dearests, I¡¯m in position and waiting for your order." Even though it¡¯s just Asire¡¯s voice, they can imagine her saying it with a full smile under her huge armour.


    Alistair¡¯s heartbeat slows down even more after hearing Asire¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Asire dear, we¡¯re gonna need another hour before we get there."


    ¡°Oh, alright¡­ and what about that guy? Do we have to message him somehow?¡± she only now realised they don¡¯t have a way to contact him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, he said not to worry about timing." Tensha is trying not to think about the third flower. If she thinks about it anymore, she¡¯ll start to realise how much of a gamble this is.


    The black flame pattern that entangles the tight body of the man moves like a snake repositioning for a better sleeping position. He stands before the skyscraper-sized flower on the hot desert planes between the mercury rivers.


    ¡°Aight, you overgrown tulip, we got an hour of warmup¡­ give me all you got!¡± he shouts at his foe with vigour only to be ignored. It doesn¡¯t react in any way.


    ¡°Oh come on, you can¡¯t not put up a fight¡­¡± he says with great disappointment.


    He kicks a pebble at the flower out of frustration.


    Nothing happens.


    The man falls to the ground in pieces of shredded meat as vines with sharp thorns appear from the ground and stand tall. The thorns themselves aren¡¯t thin enough to cut through anything, let alone something as thick as that guy. But with enough speed, any projectile can cut through any material as long as it doesn¡¯t break.


    Fight a Seed of Entropy they said¡­ it¡¯ll be a great experience, they said¡­


    ¡­


    They were right.

 Confirmation: Part 3.1

    An hour has passed and the 3m tall suit of armour with an even taller polearm stands on the edge of a canyon, waiting for the go. Adrenaline pumping for both anxiety and excitement. This is her most dangerous mission to date. They always used to send her on scouting or political missions hoping that she wouldn¡¯t get in trouble. They were overprotective of her and rightfully so, but this is her chance to finally prove herself.


    ¡°Breach in 12!¡± the familiar voice of Tensha echoes in her head.


    She assumes a lunging position and aims the top heavy weapon at the flower in the distance.


    She breathes in¡­ and breaths out.


    Her right calf tenses as well as her right arm.


    She empties her head of all thought.


    8 seconds have passed.


    A sudden thump can be heard from kilometres away as Asire launches towards her target.


    No fooling around this time. Straight to her target she goes.


    The metal meteorite punches through walls of vines set to slow her down but to no avail. She goes through them like running through a paper wall.


    Doesn¡¯t take her long before she reaches the wall-sized petals surrounding the core.


    She keeps a hold of her polearm as she empties all her kinetic energy into the protective layer. And just like last time, the petal disintegrates leaving the pulsating blue glassy surface behind it exposed.


    The shockwave of the petals falling apart sends the polearm backwards. She doesn¡¯t stop it, instead she lets her top half swing backwards as her bottom half swings back up without touching the floor, finishing up with a drop kick right through the glassey core with seemingly unchanged momentum from her thrust only to land at the other side onto the red dirt ground.


    That move is both illegal and physically impossible under most circumstances. But this is Asire, laws of physics are suggestions as far as she¡¯s concerned, that is as long as she¡¯s not aware that it¡¯s actually impossible, then she loses her ability to do so.


    The flower wiggles letting out a great beam of yellow energy into the sky from the crystal frame in it¡¯s head.


    A moment of nothing before a sudden change in the sky¡¯s colour occurs. She looks up to see yellow streaks in the morning sky, like an aurora overlaying the now darkened sky.


    The glossy core doesn¡¯t grow again, and neither do the destroyed petals.


    The pulsating vein-like yellow energy dissipates from the flower¡¯s stem.


    Now the real challenge begins.


    She has no idea what¡¯s going to happen next, this is the first time they cut the energy flow between the flowers. Theoretically they can¡¯t heal now but she doesn¡¯t know what that means for its vulnerability.


    She stands there in silence before she gets a message from a shouting Tensha.


    ¡°JUMP BACK NOW!¡±


    Without thinking twice, the giant armour leaps backwards anticipating something, but the flower responds only in static. It does not move, it does not react. This is the part where she expected to have an all out fight for her life, but nothing seems to happen.


    Was¡­ was something supposed to happen?


    She¡¯s very confused as she watches carefully everything around her. There aren¡¯t any vibrations from below ground either.


    ¡°Did something happen your side?¡±


    There¡¯s no response from the other side.


    She waits for a few before the anxiety gets too strong.


    Her flower¡¯s static but theirs clearly isn¡¯t.


    The giant armour takes off from the ground with force towards where the other flower should be, but not nearly as powerful as her usual.


    It¡¯s not because her strength is slowly getting sapped by the flower. She¡¯s not exactly the most stable of people when it comes to ability control. She needs extreme focus and precision when it comes to her powers, but now she¡¯s worried about Tensha and Alistair.


    Not seconds after she departed, a vine catches up to her mid-air and wraps itself around her leg to throw her with extreme force back towards the flower.


    Now it decides to be active? What is up with this flower?


    She lands ready to swing her polearm to cut any attacking vines, but to her surprise yet again, nothing.


    Luckily for her, she¡¯s very easily distracted and the jolt forcing her back was enough to get her mind to where she is.


    She turns back to see nothing at all. Just dry ground as far as the eye can see.


    The flower isn¡¯t fighting back, nor is it letting her leave.


    Well, the original plan was to cut it down, so maybe that¡¯s what she should do?


    Each loud thump taken towards the flower has careful focus over what she steps on, expecting the ground to burst forth and take her by surprise.


    Still confused as to why nothing happened yet, she decides to take this opportunity to strike.


    Maybe it¡¯s having the plant version of a stroke.


    She leaps straight up to land on the now open pedestal composed of giant flower petals.


    She raises the giant weapon and brings down the sharp axe-like side striking the crystalline frame at the centre with enough force to cut through 84cm of reinforced steel.


    But all that force is all for naught.


    A sudden burst of wind flows pushing Asire back a few steps.


    She falls down to a knee holding herself up with her polearm.


    What just happened?


    She¡¯s in shock staring at the core trying to understand what it is that happened.


    Her knees, nay, her entire body is shaking. Her thoughts are all over the place and her body feels numb, disconnected from the rest of her.


    Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.Are her muscles tense? Is she in pain? She¡¯s not quite sure¡­ it all feels so new.


    Her body has never experienced recoil before, let alone a recoil this strong.


    It¡¯s only natural for energy to backfire, afterall, every action has an equal and opposite reaction, but she never had to worry about that. She never really looked into how and why, it¡¯s just a thing she¡¯s apparently immune to even with her weak body, and this reaction was so strong, it even bypassed the (relatively) large buffer of ¡®air¡¯ between her and the armour surrounding her causing her mind to go blank for a few¡­ minutes?


    She¡¯s not quite sure how long she¡¯s been out for. The sky is dark but that¡¯s not because it¡¯s night but the Field around her. The yellow aurora streaks should give her peace but there¡¯s a feeling welling up inside her.


    Has her strength failed her? This had never happened before.


    She forces herself to stand up against all her primal instincts that demand collapsing, raise her arms up, and drop the polearm yet again at the same spot.


    Another, bigger wave of energy is released, causing all dust to clear out from a large area around the flower.


    Her body takes the brute force of it entirely.


    This time instead of passing out, she persists and starts moving not only her armour, but her entire body as well.


    Her muscles are currently out of order and some fairly important organs are struggling to keep her going. The only thing moving her is her sheer focus, and panic.


    How has it come to this? All it took was 3 seconds for her to go from alright to complete mental breakdown, all because her ability is failing her. It¡¯s the only thing she had for certain since birth.


    Gathering herself enough to not accidentally throw herself away is taking more effort than it usually takes to precisely crumble a block of cement.


    It¡¯s not just that her attacks aren¡¯t damaging the crystal, it¡¯s also the fact that such a basic feature of her powers are suddenly not working.


    The armour swings down yet again, and gets rejected back only to step forward again with another blow.


    She¡¯s not even aiming anymore. She¡¯s desperate to get a clean hit. She swings like a mad lumberjack just trying to relieve stress rather than actually cut down a tree.


    But the shockwaves are too strong for her body to take. Even with the empty space between her and the actual vibrating metal, it¡¯s too much to bear, especially with a frail body like hers.


    One¡­ more¡­ swing¡­.


    The crystalline frame isn¡¯t even scratched from all this hitting that¡¯s causing a wind current to form in the area.


    A normal person would have blacked out by now, but one of her abilities is unfortunately keeping her awake. She runs the danger of killing her body by her own actions. As long as she wills it, she¡¯ll be able to move and stay awake. One of her kidneys had already given up and the second one is next on the list.


    Her focus is all but gone, now running only on primal feelings of despair.


    It has to break through.


    All her power. All her energy.


    She has to do this.


    Just a scratch, she wants to see just a simple scratch.


    Something to reassure her that she¡¯s still useful.


    ¡°I keep telling you, you need to stop and think more!¡± she hears an unfamiliar voice, yet, a voice that tore her heart apart in a second. Well, the voice, and the black dagger sticking out of her neck inside the armour space.


    The last thing she sees as she¡¯s collapsing on the platform petal is the shape of a shirtless man.


    Eyes? Is her last thought before blacking out.


    She wakes up to the sort-of soft cushion inside her armour before all the locking mechanisms open and the back half of it flips open like a book.


    She gets out of the armour that¡¯s nearly twice her size and steps forwards to the crystalline frame triple her height.


    Her mind is clear. That nap did her a world of good.


    Her body aches in pain but she asks for just a little longer before she can give in to collapse.


    She puts her hand over the frame and closes her teary eyes that she hasn¡¯t noticed.


    It feels like it¡¯s pushing her away. Not just touching but, it¡¯s like constant wind current between her and the surface she¡¯s touching but without the current being there.


    It takes more and more energy to keep her hand on it before she¡¯s finally repelled.


    She focuses on whatever it is that¡¯s happening as she has her hand over it before it finally hits her.


    Her perspective isn¡¯t necessarily the truth.


    All movement going in is not only rejected but also being reflected back to her, an easy solution to this would be to¡­


    She focuses on the inside of the crystalline frame and concentrates all her energy to a pull force from within.


    The crystalline frame starts to crack, and with that, Asire cracks an ecstatic smile of triumph bringing her spirit back from her massive crash earlier.


    Suddenly, the frame collapses in on itself imploding to disappear leaving only a crack on the surrounding flower stem.


    The crack starts to spread over the petals before Asire and her armour start to fall down the 58 storey height.


    She¡¯s not worried whatsoever, if anything she falls in bliss alongside the crack spreading downwards throughout the flower with her, leaking yellow light and energy under the dark sky.


    She falls flat on the ground below with a thump but without a scratch on her whatsoever.


    Before she knew it, the flower was no more and the yellow aurora followed to disappear minutes afterwards.


    It was a happy day for her.


    She feels like she forgot a very important detail as she slips back into unconsciousness.

 Confirmation: Part 3.2

    An hour has passed and the two figures stand on the lush bluish tall grass.


    Tensha stands with her own bulky silver armour, though not as big as Asire¡¯s, but she carries hers with sheer body strength. Meanwhile Alistair floats by her side with a gentle smile on his face.


    They¡¯re much closer to the flower than Asire was.


    ¡°Breach in 12!¡± she says making sure she¡¯s broadcasting it to Asire as well.


    She breaks into a sprint pulling out her majestic silver sword out of her unorthodox shield.


    Hearing what Tensha said, Alistair flies upwards as his eyes start to glow faint blue. The calm atmosphere in the area is disturbed as wind starts to gather quickly by Alistair¡¯s side compressing into the form of an arrow.


    A transparent liquid starts dripping from the hilt of Tensha¡¯s sword only to cover the blade and set ablaze.


    She plants her feet on the ground as she slows down sliding towards the flower before plunging her flaming sword into the ground.


    Suddenly various vines leave the ground targeting the old lady they encircled as fire starts to spread from their roots.


    Some go for a piercing attack while others try to smack her whilst they¡¯re on fire.


    She doesn¡¯t move or try to dodge, instead she swings her shield to block one of the vines and slice into another one. The other 4 were about to land their hits before bouncing off her armour completely.


    The next time around, one of the vines aims for her head.


    She bends backwards avoiding it and pierces it with her flaming sword before turning ever so slightly to see another vine coming straight at her.


    What a smart flower this is.


    She jumps up, and with her shield stuck to her side, she spins horizontally as vines come towards her.


    The hits bounce off her sturdy shield but that¡¯s alright. With nothing to support her whilst she¡¯s in the air spinning, a vine takes this opportunity to wrap itself around her as she¡¯s spinning.


    The vine squeezes as it slams the old knight on the ground with force. Although it squeezes with immense pressure, it has no effect on the old lady. But the moment it slammed her on the ground, she coughed up blood.


    The flower didn¡¯t even register Alistair was also included in this fight, 11 seconds have passed, enough for his arrow of wind to be dense enough to slow down light passing through it.


    Wind starts to rage as the shot is made, and the bolt of wind makes its way only to hit the protective petals around the base of the flower, only for it to shatter with the wind.


    The wind bolt shatters with it into thick visible patches of wind only to change direction of its scattering to fly into the glassy yellow core like a thousand sharp needles with impeccable force, breaking it into shards.


    With that, the vine that kept a hold of Tensha froze mid swing. She easily forces her way out of the powerhold to fall on her feet to the ground.


    ¡°Gather yourself and report," she says without taking her eye off the giant flower.


    ¡°No movement above ground but all the vine networks below are retracting back to the source." There¡¯s a focused look on his face but he¡¯s very calm and collected inside.


    ¡°JUMP BACK NOW!¡± she shouts not to herself or Alistair who¡¯s already far back, but to warn Asire who¡¯s elsewhere.


    She does also follow her own advice, and it¡¯s lucky she did.


    The giant petals above close up and the stem retracts into the grown pulling massive weight down that causes dust to rise.


    The dust makes its way around Tensha and Alistair who¡¯s floating above her. There¡¯s a thin layer of air stopping dust getting through it leaving them in a pocket of clear air inside the winds of dust.


    Silence does not fall as they hear the ground breaking and moving without having any visual.


    ¡°My left," Alistair says without moving as five arrows of wind form a ring around him pointing at the flower.


    Tensha leaps up and swings her shield to the left, deflecting a large thorn from the dust cloud that was aiming straight for the cyan haired man.


    ¡°Change priorities, keep defence formation and settle the dust." Tensha noticed that the dust isn¡¯t settling on its own and might need a little motivation.


    ¡°Radius? 229 VT." The ring of arrows around him dissipates as he floats down to the ground.


    ¡°As far as the vines go!¡± She jumps to his right and raises her shield to deflect yet another thorn. The force of the thorn is high enough to pierce into the ground besides Alistair. Blocking it entirely would take time she doesn¡¯t have and energy she can¡¯t spare.


    ¡°AoE fall." They both jump back as a large vine the size of a tree slams where they once stood.


    ¡°Multiple angle shots." The faint blue glow in his eyes gets stronger as Tensha defends him from the thorns above.


    She hits her shield with her sword and a wave of energy leaves it forming a temporary forcefield around them.


    ¡°Mention possible counters," She says with a small smile.


    Her blood is pumping, she¡¯s in a very dangerous situation and she knows it, but she¡¯s not panicking whatsoever. If anything, she¡¯s proud that Alistair has improved so much since the incident.


    ¡°Leap Counter!¡± he says as he squats quickly, halfing his height but leaving his silky hair behind.


    She jumps with force and lets her feet pass her, almost committing to a front flip, before a large vine passes under her.


    ¡°FH on you!¡± she hears Alistair shout before she pierces the vine, falling head first, with her large thick burning sword.


    She is taken by the vine into the air. She pulls down her giant shield and puts it in front of her expecting another vine to slam into her. She was not disappointed. She held onto her planted sword as the huge vine bent around her and started recoiling back rubbing on her shield.


    She twists her sword, letting fire spread through inside the vine before pulling it out and jumping off the vine.


    Above the giant dust cloud, a very thin layer of dense air forms across the sky. It drops pushing the dust under it away until it reaches the ground, clearing the atmosphere for them to see.


    With gleaming eyes, Alistair looks at Tensha who smiles at him with pride. They finally get a look at what they¡¯re fighting.


    There sits the giant head of a closed flower, the size of a mansion, and hundreds of vines wiggling in the air like a flailing octopus.


    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.We¡¯ll need to break into it.


    She was about to rush for the middle of the field to where the flower sits, but before she could reach it, she noticed that the vines that are notoriously quick aren¡¯t even attacking.


    She realises that they¡¯ve been slowly hardening, limiting their movement by proxy.


    ¡°To you!¡± she shouts at Alistair hoping she has enough time.


    A jet of wind propelled her back as she turned with open arms aiming at the floating man.


    She pins him down to the ground covering him from one side and her shield on the other.


    Even though Alistair is taller than average, Tensha, considering her bigger size, can still easily cover him with her giant armour and shield without leaving him exposed to the elements.


    Without a warning, the many vines that left the ground start to spin at unreal speed around the central flower, like a blender going through the ground eviscerating anything that comes on its way.


    Alistair¡¯s innocent face looks up to see a look that he never wanted to see. His guardian in silent pain with a distorted face. All he hears are rapid clashes with her armour. The metallic twangs echo through his mind, creating many emotions within him; emotions that make him uncomfortable, like a dagger dancing on his heart. Second after second after second. What is he to do? Please, tell me what to do. Anything.


    Half a minute dragged like it was never gonna end. His heart was burning. He could barely raise his arms trying to touch her armour, just to get a connection between them. And then¡­ she spoke.


    This was new for her. This wave of attack was so immense that each hit pierces her outside layer and causes her direct pain. She could barely force open her eyes that were too stiff from the pain to let her. But then she felt something touch her breastplate from the front. That snapped her eyes open only to see tears flowing down her dear Alistair¡¯s face pouring nonstop.


    It took her a while before she took back control of her face to form a kind smile and speak.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about Auntie, remember what I taught you, always follow your role¡­¡± there¡¯s a large gap between each of her words. ¡°Now, I¡¯ll give you more time, drop Sky Breaker on it!¡± she tried to sound as confident as she can, hopefully it¡¯ll revitalise him.


    Seeing Tensha stay strong through the waves of never ending hits on her only makes him want to be strong for her. The blue glow in his eyes is no longer faint but now bright enough to light up a small room. He turns all his emotions into focus as he concentrates on the sky far above.


    The flower may be huge, but even it doesn¡¯t compare to the size of Alistair¡¯s Sky Breaker; only meant to be used in dire situations. Previously only used once, ever.


    ¡°When ready... send me... to it¡­¡± she says between deep breaths.


    ¡°Wh-what?¡± He''s not sure what she means, well, he understood what she said, but¡­


    ¡°Behind you¡­¡±


    He turns to see that the weird parts and sigils of her shield started to turn around the weird mechanism around the hole in its centre causing it to glow slightly.


    ¡°B-but¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine¡­¡± she¡¯s not sure if she will be.


    He nods in agreement.


    He puts his hand on her metal chest, and with that.


    Alistair of Rih, considered to be a sorcerer of air, unaging body, mind of a child, innocent to the core, and from known past encounters, has enough destructive power to crumble a castle at will.


    His attack buildup above started to have an effect on the atmosphere below. Winds start to rage and clouds unseen in the dark above the yellow aurora start to move away from the scene.


    Tensha is sent flying through the sky leaving Alistair sitting in a bubble of light with her shield attached to it. Each time a vine passes through the shield of light, or Tensha herself breaks through a vine with her flaming sword, the shield of light pulses again and again. Tensha wasn¡¯t getting hurt physically in the first place, but the pressure around her heart isn¡¯t to be desired for anyone.


    She lands on the centre of the flower where all the petals meet, blocking her path to the centre.


    She slashes the air above her as her sword loses its flame. She drew a rune in the air.


    She¡¯s very old, incredibly old in fact, and she suspects that she¡¯s near the end of her line. She¡¯s basically a relic of the past, but that comes with an advantage. She had more than enough time to understand relics of her own from history past since gone. The rune she just drew is from a civilization long since gone, older than entire civilisations.


    Suddenly, she gets pulled like a puppet following its string towards her shield. This feature is supposed to be used to bring the shield to her, but she needed a quick out.


    The moment she entered the light bubble around the shield. A loud bang can be heard across the lands. A sudden explosion blew the area leaving them blinded from the shield¡¯s light blocking all sorts of debris flying everywhere at immense speed.


    The grip on Tensha¡¯s heart starts to loosen as damage taken by the shield is greatly lessened.


    Many a minutes later of silence between the two, the dust finally settles and the light shield fades away to find that they¡¯re standing on the only patch of bluish tall grass on a pillar of dirt on a desolate crater that could house an entire prosperous city.


    A small smile forms on the old knight¡¯s face as relief washes over her. And Alistair follows, happy that Tensha is smiling.


    What happened just now is a rocket-sized shell of dense O3 containing various fuel gases was dropped at immense speed at the flower, passing through an ancient rune of explosive enhancement only to hit the flower and pierce it before exploding from within it like a weapon of mass destruction.


    This is what Seraph meant with one of the most efficient destructive machines.


    Tensha looks at Alistair and hugs him tightly but carefully as to not hurt him with her armour.


    He doesn¡¯t quite understand the purpose of hugging but he wraps his arms¡­ well¡­ opens his arms as much as he can around her chest.


    The fight itself was only taxing for Tensha but, it¡¯s a small price to pay for what she considered to be ¡®an unmatched bonding session¡¯.


    Tensha jumps into the crater and starts walking towards the general direction of her camp. Hopefully nothing was destroyed while she was gone.


    The sky started to get brighter the more she got further from the battlefield but not quite returning to normal daylight, while the yellow streaks in the sky haven¡¯t changed yet.


    She tries to message Asire a few times but for some reason her message isn¡¯t getting through. She can¡¯t help but worry, although not too much. She trusts that she¡¯ll be able to finish her end of it.


    They go back to camp where they enjoy a long night of sleep.

 Confirmation: Part 4

    The dim sky helped Tensha rest in her tent for a full 15 hours before waking up refreshed and ready to take the road back to the castle.


    She finds that a giant blue ball of wool made its way to their campsite. An adorable variation of a sheep¡¯s head is sticking out of the wool and licking Alistair¡¯s smooth cheek while glowing insects fly around him and sit on his draped cloth.


    He turns to her with a smile, startling but a few insects that fly back into the blue wool.


    ¡°Had a good night?¡± she asks, stretching.


    He answers with a delightful nod before saying ¡°and you?¡±


    Tensha was taken by surprise for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Very much so, but I¡¯ll still need to rest more to recover fully."


    She takes a look at the sky that¡¯s now bright and full of colourful hues of grey clouds that reflect beautifully to her.


    ¡°Oh, when did the aurora dissipate?¡±


    ¡°Just a few minutes ago," he says as he turns back to pet the sheep.


    Tensha can¡¯t help but smile at seeing him interact with something else.


    The old lady can guess what¡¯s going to happen next. She opens a chest by the campfire and pulls out a cooking stand and a pan. In a bowl, she mixes various ingredients; flour, salt, sugar, some eggs and milk, without forgetting the baking powder and butter, and bananas to add in some flavour.


    Doesn¡¯t take her long before she finishes making a large stack of delicious looking pancakes.


    A bit further away from the tents, there¡¯s a foldable table and chairs that¡¯s still somewhat fancy and nice to look at. She puts three plates of banana pancakes with sausages at the side, a plate full of dates, a tea pot for herself, a cup of milk for Alistair, and orange juice for the reckless girl that¡¯s about to land on time.


    Alistair¡¯s silky cyan hair flows in the air as he sits patiently with a smile on his face as he watches Tensha putting things in place. He doesn¡¯t quite know why she¡¯s putting up 3 plates but he doesn''t question it either.


    And wouldn¡¯t you know it, just as she finishes, his head snaps to look at the beautiful sky and his smile widens as he gets up from his seat and opens his arms.


    Tensha raises an eyebrow at his initiative but doesn¡¯t pay it too much mind.


    A slender frame of a girl, to match the slender frame of the boy, lands on Alistair spinning around him with her hands wrapping him into a hug.


    ¡°BUBBLES!!¡± Asire screams as she pulls Alistair closer.


    It¡¯s been a few months since she last saw him. She has the ability to fly back to the castle and hang around with him any time she¡¯d like but has yet to realise that her powers can be used on everyday activities.


    Alistair hasn¡¯t learnt what hugs are supposed to feel like since yesterday¡­ as you would expect¡­ but he¡¯s very delighted to see her again.


    ¡°I¡¯ve missed you so much!¡± she doesn¡¯t want to let go of him.


    Tensha coughs to grab her attention.


    ¡°Oh, sorry¡­¡± she says, still holding him close to her.


    ¡°Come now, breakfast while still fresh," Tensha says pointing to the chair in front of the orange juice.


    Tensha¡¯s also glad to see her with only minor wounds.


    They all take their seats before digging in.


    Neither Alistair or Asire are bothering with manners. It¡¯s been so long since they had a ¡®Ten¡¯s Special Breakfast¡¯ as they call it.


    She taught them how to cook many times but hers are always the best, even though she doesn¡¯t use her special potions while cooking.


    Tensha, of course, eats delicately with her knife and fork.


    ¡°So, tell me, how was your fight?¡± Tensha asks in between bites.


    ¡°Oh, it wash good, I sink?¡±


    ¡°Empty your mouth first¡­¡± the old lady shakes her head slightly with a giggle. ¡°What do you mean you think?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡± she sneaks in another bite before talking. ¡°I got knocked out before beating it and I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ve been out for." She doesn¡¯t mention the potentially serious health issues she faced.


    Alistair¡¯s head turns in between the two ladies, as they speak, with a blank expression¡­ only chewing.


    ¡°I only just woke up 2 hours ago¡­¡± Asire adds.


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ve been out for half a day, but what knocked you out in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­ um¡­¡± it¡¯s embarrassing for her to say it. ¡°I¡­ I wash the one¡­¡± she filled her mouth and started to whisper.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°I was¡­ the one¡­¡±


    ¡°You were the one?¡±


    ¡°I knocked myself out okay!¡± she shouts out of shame as she holds her head down.


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡± Tensha couldn¡¯t help but giggle at how bashful she is.


    ¡°It was reflecting my hits back at me¡­¡±


    The old lady raises an eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna do a full body check once we¡¯re back home."


    ¡°Awwww, come on¡­ I¡¯m completely fine! I flew here in less than an hour¡­¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean your insides are fine¡­ it¡¯s been a year anyways¡­¡± She teases Asire¡¯s discomfort with medical checks.


    ¡°You too Bubbles."


    Alistair¡¯s head snaps and his eyes open wide. He turns to look at Asire who gives him a knowing nod.


    Asire grabs the plates of pancakes and leaps away into the sky while Alistair swiftly follows away with the milk and orange cups floating by his side.


    They didn¡¯t get even 20 metres away before Asire fell on her ass after she hit an invisible forcefield.


    ¡°Haha!¡± a sarcastic laugh comes from the old lady. ¡°Is entering the bath the same as leaving it?¡±


    The defeated couple go back to the table and continue to have a casual breakfast.


    While helping Tensha pack up things into the tent. Asire remembers to ask her something.


    ¡°By the way, do we know someone that goes by ¡®Eyes.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Umm¡­¡± she thinks to herself for a minute. ¡°I don¡¯t recall anyone with that title."


    ¡°I see¡­ maybe it¡¯s that leaking they keep telling me about¡­¡±


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Tensha didn¡¯t hear that last part.


    ¡°Ah, nothing."


    With that, they leave the tent and stand back to watch as the ground quite literally swallows it with its content leaving no sign of past inhabitance behind.


    Tensha blows into an ornamented whistle and two valiant horses answer her call.


    ¡°Oh! I didn''t know you brought Timothy with you!¡± Asire runs to the grey horse and gives him a hug.


    ¡°I can¡¯t have you jumping around for hours, can I?¡±


    Alistair floats next to the two horses as they ride out.


    They could reach the castle within a day and a half if they ride nonstop, but they¡¯re not in a hurry. No point in rushing everywhere if you can¡¯t enjoy the journey to where you¡¯re going.


    On the road Asire and Tensha would sing songs as Alistair smiles and listens with joy. Sometimes the younger two play around with small races of getting to the top of the hill or who would catch the other.


    Come the afternoon and food is no problem as Tensha always carries with her a portable campfire setup in her large bag. They enjoy many foods they forage from the planes of the bluish tall grass.


    The planes are called the Elemental Purity. Life seems to have sparked back into the land since yesterday. Other than the big balls of blue wool and energy insects, no other creatures roamed around. Now there¡¯s various rodents under the tall grass, from squirrels to mice. And even bigger animals are suddenly appearing back in their natural habitat, like foxes and felines, and even a pack of elephants. Not only is the fauna recovering, but there even seems to be signs of small flowers starting to take root.


    Food is covered easily for the trio. For tonight¡¯s meal: a lone gazelle. An extremely thin blade of air cuts through a small gazelle¡¯s neck mercifully ending it¡¯s life; Alistair makes sure to cut cleanly before it can realise pain. Before it drops to the floor, the body¡¯s already recovered by two quick jumps by the unarmoured Asire; with her small stature, rushing through tall grass is just like a cheetah claiming its kill. And with Tensha¡¯s gastronomy level, cooking a perfect meal is the natural next step while preserving some snacks for the kids on the road.


    At night, they don''t need any tents. Tensha places her unorthodox shield on the ground and a forcefield forms itself. Warmth is kept in without sacrifice of the beautiful starry night view. From the outside, you could only see a dome of distorted light, almost like you don¡¯t want to look in that direction.


    The kids snuggle into their sleeping bags and the old lady tells them a story of the ancient past; the story of the dragon that once kept the land warm through deadly winters, leaving the people of old safe in their closed city. It¡¯s a heartwarming story that she herself is fond of since she was much much younger than their age.


    It¡¯s not that they are young in the first place, they¡¯re far older than what you can consider children, but their innocence is a star that glimmers in Tensha¡¯s eyes.


    They¡¯ve fallen asleep and she sits next to her sleeping horse looking at the majesty of the stars beyond.


    She drinks a vial of flaming liquid and her eyes shine brightly like the fire she consumed. The stars become even clearer. There isn¡¯t much light pollution out here on these hills to begin with, but now she can see in great detail the fiery details of every star and how it moves and spins and some of them die. As beautiful as that is, it¡¯s not the main star of the show she enjoys every now and then.


    There¡¯s some odd beauty in the ¡®overlapping moon¡¯ as she calls it. Whenever she drinks her vial that¡¯s supposed to only let her see slight energy transference, the moon starts to glow in different hues at the same time. A red above a blue above the original moon grey. Its confusing structure gives it some sort of attractiveness to Tensha.


    She hopes that the kids can be happy in these dark times, they¡¯ve had a tougher life than most, and with what happened 4 decades ago¡­ she thought they¡¯ll have a hard time to be happy again. But it seems they¡¯re stronger than she gives them credit for.


    It may have taken them time to readjust but it seems that the new lifestyle won¡¯t be too much of a burden on them¡­ for now anyway.


    The next day, they continue their journey and end it by the doorstep of the tundra. A zone of snow where nothing lives, dubbed, The Dead White. It is also the unofficial territory of the Black Castle where they live. It¡¯s unofficial simply because quite literally nothing can live there past the 15 seconds mark. They camp the night outside before taking back their journey in the morning after checking their red gem necklace is around their and the horse¡¯s necks.


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.This time, they rode at the top speed of their exceptional horses. There¡¯s no point in taking it slow here. Only one view repeats for as far as the eye can see.


    Glistening white snow that doesn¡¯t go dark even under the clouds. Steps taken over a layer of thick snow that doesn¡¯t sink beyond a certain depth or stop you in your path. No sign of animals or any kind of movement for that matter. It¡¯s smooth snow to the horizon with only their past steps as evidence of change. But if a black castle stands in the middle of a white plain, why is it that they can¡¯t see it?


    Only after a certain point do the black walls of the castle become visible with the shard of silver coiling around its centre and piercing the sky.


    In all honesty they don¡¯t know how it works either, and they didn¡¯t exactly have the resources to conduct research at the time. And now is even worse resource wise given that there¡¯s only 6 inhabitants excluding the animals.


    There are trees spread around the outside of the castle, in the land of the dead, giant trees live. But something catches Tensha and Asire¡¯s eyes. There are a few birds flying over into the tundra from outside. Since normal birds can¡¯t fly in¡­ is she waking up?


    As they¡¯re riding towards the castle, a ripple forms in the air around them. Something passed through their soft barrier. Asire turns with surprise to see Tensha holding a jet-black arrow that aimed to pass by them.


    A gentle smile forms on Tensha while Asire gets overwhelmed with joy; for a second there, she just looks at the arrow with a wide smile. Immediately after gaining her senses back, she jumps off her horse only to leap, passing them at a much faster rate.


    Tensha shakes her head with a gentle smile to herself.


    Alistair tilts his head slightly. He¡¯s not quite sure what just happened.


    As they got closer to the black wall, they could see just outside, two figures on the ground.


    Asire is on the ground, held in a rear mount by a handsome man in full black leather.


    The man was relentless in his hold. Even though she has a frail frame, he¡¯s not letting his guard down.


    ¡°I give, I give!¡± she says, tapping the snow.


    He lets her off as they stand up and brush off the snow.


    Tensha gets off her horse and walks up to the man in black. She looks down slightly as she puts her hand on his cheek.


    ¡°You look¡­ okay¡­¡± she says, making sure she¡¯s talking to who she thinks she¡¯s talking to.


    He puts his hand on hers while locking eyes with her.


    ¡°I am," he says.


    There¡¯s a calm atmosphere around¡­ but that didn¡¯t last long. A fist rams into black leather making the man recoil back a few steps.


    ¡°And where the hell have you been?!¡± Tensha raises her voice as she berates the man in black. Asire¡¯s flinches with a slight grin, like that you would see on a sibling seeing her brother get scolded.


    ¡°The ruins I went to scout we-¡± before he could finish, he let out a grunt from the second punch he received.


    ¡°That¡­¡± she punches, ¡°was¡­¡± she punches, ¡°decades ago!¡± The last punch missed his face and landed on the black wall behind him leaving a fist sized dent on the metal-like surface.


    A look of surprise mixed with horror forms on the man¡¯s face as he looks up at an angry Tensha¡­ actually¡­ that¡¯s not anger¡­; she¡¯s¡­ relieved?


    Her arms pull him up towards her for a hug.


    Over Tensha¡¯s shoulder, he can see tears flowing on Asire¡¯s face. Even Alistair has a smile on his face¡­ a very odd smile¡­ a smile of relief. Can Alistair even feel worried to be relieved?


    What did he miss, and how has he been gone for decades?


    The large black doors slide open to two figures in black attire. A maid and a butler stand behind with a welcoming bow for the returned masters.


    Tensha thanks Avian and Rosaliya for taking care of the place while they were gone before moving inside.


    They make their way to a large living room where they settle to talk.


    ¡°How long has it been for you?¡± Asire asked.


    ¡°About 9 days¡­" he doesn¡¯t have much to add to that.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a few decades since you left, and in said decade¡­ nearly a decade after you disappeared, everything changed." Tensha isn¡¯t happy about what she has to say next.


    ¡°What happened?¡± he asked after a moment of silence.


    ¡°The emperor threw everything he had on us on a single night in an attempt to stop Sviel¡¯s plans¡­ and it worked¡­." Another moment of silence before Tensha continued. ¡°Overnight, basically only us four remained remained in the castle¡­ then Inva¡­ became one with the land. I was able to set up a defence field while¡­ an experimental system of mine¡­ took care¡­ of the attacking forces." She speaks with a heavy heart, especially with the kids in the room; she doesn¡¯t want to remind them of what had happened.


    ¡°Who else survived?¡± he asks reluctantly.


    ¡°We¡¯re not quite sure, we know Anamous betrayed us. As for bodies¡­ we recovered Tania¡¯s body being held by a larger charred corpse¡­ she was already dead when Sviel protected her from the Fallen Star. At least her body was preserved; we buried them next to each other. I¡¯m fairly certain that Inva¡¯s still keeping the bodies of the fallen from decay."


    ¡°Well, I guess I can bring some sort of good news. Soren is still alive somewhere, not sure where though."


    The two ladies raise their heads in surprise from said news.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only heard him for a split second though¡­¡±


    ¡°Nevertheless that¡¯s great news!¡± Asire jumps from her seat with happiness.


    ¡°Keep going¡­¡± Tensha is still expecting something else.


    This entire conversation is going over Alistair¡¯s head, but he has a smile on his face. The matters discussed are of course grim, and he¡¯s aware of that, but it doesn¡¯t phase him. He¡¯s happy because they¡¯re interacting again. Someone long lost from the family is now back, and something else he knew for a few hours now, is that Inva is being released from her bed of roots. To him, this is a happy occasion, even if what brings them together is sad. He looks to the left where he sees Rosaliya smiling at him. Maybe she thinks the same thing? In all fairness, the maid always smiles at him, but this time it feels different to him.


    ¡°Inva¡¯s slowly unentangling from her roots," says Caridin, the man in black leather.


    ¡°She must have sensed your return then." A small smile forms on Tensha¡¯s face.


    ¡°Meaning we can take her to the Provider!¡± Asire somehow manages to get even more excited.


    This does also bring a smile to Caridin. He hasn¡¯t been himself for the past few days, and simply seeing her hyped up like that hit him hard, pulling him back to character.


    ¡°Well, it means I can take her to the Provider, You girls have your hands full."


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    ¡°Have you guys been outside lately?¡±


    ¡°Not for two years, why?¡± Asire¡¯s curiosity peaked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no clue what¡¯s happening but apparently there¡¯s a rebellion going¡­ I think?¡±


    ¡°What do you MEAN you THINK?!¡± Asire throws a cup at him. He catches before it hits the ground.


    ¡°She does have a point though, how did you come with this?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve only heard the word rebellion, but when I was coming back here there was an incident¡­ forced lifeforce extraction¡­ for more homunculi soldiers¡­."


    ¡°A what now?¡± Asire¡¯s confused, but that was the point of his wording. It¡¯s not exactly something he¡¯d like her to know while Tensha got the point.


    ¡°Wait, who has soldiers of homunculi?¡± Tensha asks with a look of surprise and curiosity.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know, but they didn¡¯t seem to wear any official crests."


    ¡°Well, either way¡­ it¡¯s not our place to interfere anymore¡­¡±


    Caridin has a look of disapproval on him.


    ¡°I¡¯m serious, we don¡¯t have a foothold anymore, their politics are theirs¡­¡±


    ¡°Homunculi soldiers¡­, innocent people are losing their lives over this. I know I can look over it but there¡¯s no way either of you won¡¯t lose sleep over it."


    Tensha lets out a big sigh as she puts her head back onto the sofa, she seems to be in deep thought.


    ¡°He¡¯s kind of right you know¡­¡± Asire adds to Caridin¡¯s comment.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t see a point in doing anything¡­"


    ¡°Do you want us to become like Seraph and Musha?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re already protecting what we can from the background¡­ there¡¯s nothing to stop us from protecting them from other dangers too." Asire is very passionate as she speaks.


    ¡°What do you suggest then?¡± Tensha asks almost like giving up on something she hasn¡¯t even started yet.


    The butler in black brings a large tray with various items onto the table. But other than the standard tea and desserts, there¡¯s something extra in there. Black tea specifically for Tensha, rose macarons for Asire, a bowl of cherry tomatoes for Caridin. The butler walks up to Alistair and hands him a dark chocolate bar. Alistair¡¯s smile widens as the butler nods to him with a smile.


    All of them are too busy to notice, well¡­ even if they weren¡¯t, they wouldn¡¯t notice such a subtle change. Alistair feels rejuvenated by this change. A rush of happiness and a large weight is taken off his chest.


    Barefoot, he starts to walk out the room, but before he leaves, the maid puts her hand in front of the door holding a cup of milk mixed with honey. The cup starts to float as it leaves Rosaliya¡¯s hand and starts to follow the smiling man.


    Rosaliya can¡¯t help but let out a giggle as she shares a knowing nod with her partner Avian.


    He walks between the long decorated and clean corridors until he makes it to a door with vines entangling its frame and spreading over the wall like a spider¡¯s web. He walks into the large room, infested with trees and plants of all kinds, most of which can¡¯t even live in this environment, let alone co-exist with other plants. The colourful fungi are the first thing that catches anyone¡¯s eye, even brighter than the flowers that rest on what was once a wardrobe.


    He puts the glass of milk on the bedside table that¡¯s now just a pile of leaves, yet somehow still keeping the flat surface in shape.


    He can hear the rumbling of trunks of wood as they¡¯re moving ever so slowly, unwrapping and letting go of the sleeping beauty on the bed that¡¯s now the assembly of various tree roots.


    He stands there and stares at the unconscious tanned lady without a word. Maybe he thinks that he¡¯s communicating? Or maybe he simply doesn¡¯t know what to say. Eitherway, he feels a certain lightness in his heart. The weight is simply letting go.

 Confirmation: Part 5

    An hour has passed and there is nothing.


    The third flower and the man are no longer there.


    Instead, high up in the sky, is a massive hole in space. Just a black dot leaking yellow energy into the air.


    Twelve seconds pass and a yellow aurora spreads out from it, darkening the sky.


    The link has been cut, but where¡¯s the flower itself?


    In the dark orange sky, massive balls of different coloured fire spread across it as far as the eye can see. Falling to a ground that¡¯s getting ever further is a man with an ear to ear smirk that would repel anyone with a decent sense of social instinct.


    The black fire pattern coiling around his body moves fast like a train following its track.


    Before him is a crystal that floats in the middle of a pattern of hollow rings that shape a petal.


    13 large beams of light shoot from various points in space at the falling man.


    A shield of similar light blocks most of it as he starts falling from above the crystal.


    His blood is pumping like never before.


    You can¡¯t put this situation on a scale of danger. Even the world shaking battles he has with ¡®that wench¡¯, as he would call her, don¡¯t feel nearly as exciting as this.


    As he throws his hand, swinging down a greatsword the size of a truck to cut the crystal, he is met with a shriek that resonates through his bones before all his blood vessels explode into a modern painting of chicken soup.


    The hollow rings that now float far to the left(?) line up only for the crystal to get pulled back before it¡¯s shot out into the never ending flames in the red sky, like a slingshot of rings or a futuristic railgun.


    Out of a ball of blue fire, the man comes out with a greatsword the size of a yacht trying to cut through the crystal core before it escapes.


    This has been a sort of confusing fight for the seed. Well, not that the seed can be confused; it doesn¡¯t have thought to begin with. This fight resembles a bug in a system. The seed was never supposed to move outside of its range, and here it is, so far out, it moved to the netherspace in an attempt to conjure a worthy challenge. And it had.


    The moment the sword touches the surface of the crystal, the very first clear hit in a very very long fight, the man tilts his head at, quite literally, impossible speed to the right.


    The sword is no longer there, and there¡¯s a big cut going right through the man¡¯s head, cutting through his eye. Various fluids leaking from the sizable hole as his eye starts to float out, no longer intact, into space.


    Like drops in space, they float slowly and not too far from him. Blood mixes with tears and vitreous gel. Time hasn¡¯t slowed down but it sure feels like it.


    The giant smirk on the man hasn¡¯t changed one bit.


    A crack starts to form on the crystal¡¯s surface where the man supposedly hit, spreading before breaking and disintegrating to nothingness.


    ¡°Of course... it¡¯s only normal for a subsystem of the universe to be able to do that."


    He closes his eyes, ignoring the hole in the side of his face that shows his lively red meat and the coarse texture of his skull.


    He wakes up hearing the cries of his beloved sister.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill the flowers!¡± he hears.


    Unlike last night, he traced the source down.


    The handsome man in tight black leather armour gets up and starts running.


    The very definition of ¡®from 0 to 10 real quick.¡¯


    His whistle echoes in the forest for a few seconds before a horse-sized Golden Retriever catches up to his side.


    They ride on the spongy dirt as it ripples with each of their steps.


    It¡¯s his fifth night here but he can¡¯t afford to explore any more. 2 generations together, and he¡¯s never heard her in as much pain as he did yesterday.


    Though he does want to stay a little longer, he is technically trapped here but he actively didn¡¯t look for a way out. He stepped into a cave that has its own sky and 2 suns with a 36 hour day cycle. But it seemed obvious on his third day that he was no longer in a cave and perhaps it was one of those ancient ¡°portals¡± they heard about from legend tales in their childhood.


    But if his sister calls, he will be there for her.


    He pulls out a black dagger from his belt and taps it on a tree they passed by.


    The tall leafless tree that pierces the clouds alongside its brethren vibrate sharply, like hitting a tuning fork, a tuning fork with the texture of a tree, a forest of tuning forks with the texture of trees.


    The echo helps him visualise a layout of the forest letting him ride the fluffy mount smoothly between obstacles.


    But something¡¯s not right.


    There¡¯s a large zone of nothingness that he can¡¯t visualise in the middle of it all. A hole in the ground in a grove where there¡¯s quite literally nothing.


    That¡¯s his target, he rides on his adept mount only to reach the empty zone to find¡­ nothing.


    The hole in front of him leads to quite literally nothing.


    Hah! Of course, but seriously did you think I would fall for it? Cheesy leap of faith trash.


    He puts on a black mask that looks like a compact gas mask that locks into the rest of his armour virtually cutting him off from the outside world.


    ¡°Come on buddy, we¡¯re going home," he says as he pets the giant fluffy dog who answers with a cute woof and leaps into the hole of nothingness.


    He suddenly finds himself in a purple space floating between big balls of multicoloured fire spread as far as the eye can see. And below him, is a grey ground that gets further and further away the closer he falls to it.


    His dog, although technically magic, can¡¯t fly or step on air, but in this place, he instinctively runs on nothingness making his way to even more nothingness.


    There are many balls in the sky but even though they all seem close by, no matter how fast they run towards anything, it just seems to be further away, until something seems to actually get closer.


    The floating corpse of a man with a sizable chunk of his face missing like a very thick hatchet made its way through the left side of his skull.


    The giant cute doggo bites the corpse taking him along for the ride.


    After a while of riding on this confusing yellow space, something seems to be actually getting closer rather than inexplicably existing elsewhere. A hole with nothing on the other side like the one they used to get here in the first place.


    ¡°Alright Shrimp, thanks for the ride but I¡¯ll take it from here."


    The giant fluff ball growls slightly before throwing the corpse he was carrying into the air. The man in full black leather jumps off as well and puts the floating corpse on his shoulder as they start falling towards the hole. Meanwhile the dog runs into the distance joining the many unidentifiable dots in the brown space.


    Anari, a married young woman, is tied in a chair with cloth stuffed into her mouth. The light crystal in the wall is bright and doesn¡¯t let her turn away from the puddle of blood leaking from the very fresh corpse of her late husband. She screamed and screamed, muffled to even her ears, till she didn¡¯t have it in her any more. Her tears on the other hand, aren¡¯t seeing an end any time soon.


    He was so young, he didn¡¯t deserve this. We were happy. We paid our taxes, to anyone who asked. We didn¡¯t resist. This is a remote village, they were never gonna have any use for us. We only sustain ourselves, they would never come to somewhere like this. But why, why are they doing this. Even then, they¡¯re in there with my boy. At least they should finish him without pain like his father. My poor boy, entangled in something he didn¡¯t understand. Those damn rebels, got into his head and enticed him to join. If only I spent more time with him. If I would have known this. If¡­ anything¡­.


    ¡°Oh will you just shut it ALREADY!!¡± the woman sitting on the husband¡¯s body screams at Anari, annoyed at her muffled crying.


    Anari lets out a whimper before turning into heavy breathing breaking the silence.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky you know, we need you to stay alive and be a witness, else you would¡¯ve joined him right now," the woman speaks with both smugness and disgust in her tone of voice. ¡°Some people would pay top gold to have what he¡¯s having right now." She starts laughing to herself like a maniac.


    A sudden burst of light comes from the centre of the room splitting the dinner table and launching the halves at opposite sides of the room, startling the two ladies, but not pulling much of a reaction from the corpse.


    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.There stands the figure of a man wrapped inside tight leather armour and mask leaving no open element exposed holding a man missing a large chunk of his face and wearing nothing; the only thing covering him is a black flame pattern that surrounds some parts of his body.


    The man in leather stands for a minute unmoving. The women only sit there in shock looking at this sudden appearance.


    This is home alright, but¡­ what the HELL happened while I was gone.


    The man can hear it all. He only wanted to check if he landed close to home or not, but he got a lot more than he bargained for. Too much information had flooded his mind before he closed his hearing range. And most important of all, his sister is in grave pain.


    Something snaps him back into reality. A woman rushed him with a blade aiming to kill. The woman is very strong and athletic, unnaturally so in fact. Before she could reach him, he had already drawn his black dagger from the back of his belt and side stepped while pulling her neck closer making sure that he had done a clean cut. Her blood gushes in a stream splashing the tied Anari giving her more trauma as she bathes in the blood of one of her husband¡¯s killers.


    Another turn of his blade and the bleach-white haired head is no longer connected to the rest of her body.


    He notices that the body he was carrying was no longer there, at some point before the woman attacked, he stopped carrying it. Not his problem.


    He steps towards the tied woman that flinches backwards, closing her eyes, scared for her life.


    It¡¯s only natural to fear death, she¡¯s only mortal after all.


    But nothing happens, she opens her eyes to see another hand holding the leathered arm.


    ¡°That was self defence, any more interference and you lose your observer status." A gentle voice, and yet, a coarse tone that doesn¡¯t belong. The man with a missing chunk of his face stopped the leathered one from untying the lady.


    ¡°I¡¯m just gonna give her a fighting chance." A voice leaves the black mask.


    ¡°You already deemed her to die¡­ let it be swift."


    The extended arm retracts. The woman has many conflicted feelings, but she would have still liked to be untied. It¡¯ll at least give her the choice to act¡­ to try to protect her son¡­ her only light in this world¡­.


    ¡°You know what they¡¯re doing on the other side of that door right?¡± the masked figure asked.


    ¡°Enjoying themselves¡­ well¡­ some of them anyway¡­¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the doorway."


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t for you, I just needed a lift out of there while I was dead," says the black flamed man as he stretches, letting out a few popping sounds.


    ¡°What happened in 5 days?¡±


    ¡°Figure it out yourself," was the last thing the masked man heard from the guy who¡¯s no longer there.


    He removed his mask and looked at the woman with sad eyes that apologised stronger than words could before his face went emotionless as he jumped out the window.


    Anari screamed and screamed, hoping he would come back for her.


    Please¡­ don¡¯t leave me¡­ help him¡­ or at least let me¡­.


    He didn¡¯t hear her pleas of help¡­ after all¡­ they weren¡¯t voiced.


    He runs following a road out the small village to find his loyal cute oversized Golden Retriever waiting. He jumps on only to ride into the night.


    The road¡¯s long, even with his trusty fast friend, it¡¯ll take him at least two days to get to the castle.


    But what happened? He¡¯s only been out of the castle for nearly a fortnight, suddenly villages are being overrun by homunculi, Inva¡¯s screaming in agony, and Soren¡¯s¡­ doing something he¡¯s not quite sure what.


    There¡¯s a lot of things going on in the background but right now he can¡¯t spare them the thought.


    Even with how fast Shrimp is, he won¡¯t make it back to the castle for another few days. Luckily, he can simply sleep on his trusty fluffy friend as he makes his way for him.


    On his way back, he passes many villages that he doesn¡¯t normally hear anything from or often visits. Even so, most of, if not all of them, are somehow bigger than he remembers. Sure he doesn¡¯t remember how they were before but there¡¯s no way that the entire Fields of Neian somehow became large enough to support import and export. It¡¯s a relatively new area that was only unlocked 8 years ago or so.


    Something else he notices on his way back is the charavans of merchants that aren¡¯t entirely merchants. There¡¯s homunculi travelling with them, like bodyguards. All of said homunculi seem to wear nothing uniform but the one thing they all have in common is they¡¯re all strong women and have an insignia of some kind; A silver crest of a bee.


    After a few days on the road, he finally reaches the edge of the tundra, what he calls ¡®home¡¯.


    He makes his way through the glistening snow, as nothing but white reflecting the starry night fills the horizon. After a short while, everything behind him also becomes endless snow, far more than he travelled.


    He makes it to the black wall only to find two perplexed people waiting at the open door. Did the silver shard grow taller?


    The head maid, Rosaliya, and head butler, Avian, show an expression of absolute astonishment.


    ¡°Lord Caridin?¡± Avian speaks with disbelief in his eyes.


    Why are they so surprised? Actually, he doesn¡¯t really care at the moment.


    ¡°Sorry lads, gotta see the sister, talk to you in a few."


    He jumps off the cutest of giant doggos and dashes past them by the doors.


    He dashes between corridors and large rooms of various kinds. It¡¯s all very¡­ empty. It¡¯s still the same but so so empty.


    He steps through a door protected by vines to make his way into Inva¡¯s room. There she sleeps, completely covered by vines, intertwined into many roots of trees that fill the large room, with only her tan face showing. He was right, she more or less expanded her body. He has seen her in this state once before, and it was ugly.


    He sat with her throughout the night, talking to her about mundane things. The food they had last week. What he saw the two fishermen doing last month and how weird it was. Just passing the time as he caresses her forehead.


    Somewhere between his arrival and sunrise, Avian brings him freshly made eggs for dinner without interrupting him.


    The sun has risen, and he gets summoned to the front door by Avian. Rosaliya informed them that the 3 knights are returning.


    He pulls out a bow and arrow and shoots it at the very far away old lady. Not long after that, he is tackled by a flying mass of a woman. He quickly bounces off the ground and instantly starts sparring with the girl.


    It¡¯s somewhat of a tradition for them, and it helps put a smile on his face again. Afterall, he¡¯s not the type to be gloomy all the time.


    They walk inside to catch up, only for him to find out that he¡¯d been gone for a couple of decades and many things changed since he was last here.


    They give him a very brief summary while he returns information about what he saw on his way here. Nothing too detailed, at least for now, until Inva wakes up and they gather enough information to have a full conversation.


    Of course they could have done so already, but with inva getting freed in more or less a day, they won¡¯t have the time. On the other hand, he forgot to tell them about what he heard Inva say that made him come back in the first place. Actually, they¡¯ve yet to discuss where he was or how he came back either.


    Somewhere along the general plan talk, Alistair slipped out the room without anyone¡¯s notice, not that they¡¯ll care either. It¡¯s often that something will catch his interest before following it.


    Out of Inva¡¯s window flies out a white sheet covered man with silky cyan hair flowing behind him as he makes his way up the silver shard in the middle. His hair is usually folded twice over behind him, but now as he let it go while making his way up, it seems rather obvious that his hair¡¯s length is at least twice his height.


    The deathly cold air brushes his cheek as he stands atop the shard above the clouds and the sky itself, where even air is as thin as a paper sheet. Today¡¯s a great day for him, as things are finally starting to feel like home again. It wasn¡¯t the return of Caridin alone that caused this feeling. It¡¯s something else. Something big made its way back into his family. He¡¯s not quite sure what it is, but it doesn¡¯t matter to him, because whatever it is, it has done everyone good. They¡¯re fired up like they used to be, taking risks, and most important of all, having strategy meetings.


    Deep down in his heart, he hopes that nothing comes again and breaks his family apart¡­ he can¡¯t take another one¡­ not again.

 Confirmation: Obtrusion 1

    In very deep space, where the closest galaxy cluster is several billion lightyears away, somewhere closer to the centre of the universe where no solid ground resides anymore, floats away a wooden door frame attached to nothing.


    The finely crafted mahogany doors slide open to show a bright room inside.


    The grey cat steps on small pink light platforms that appear under its paws as it moves. It jumps into the door and flips so it''s no longer upside down.


    It makes its way between the labyrinth of shelves full of books, slabs, servers, bottles, and all sorts of other miscellaneous items. The floors, stairs, and ceilings are also shelves holding their contents with a small gravity field. The library wasn¡¯t designed to be a maze or confuse people, but the owner never took into consideration the possibility of other people actually using it. The cat, on the other hand, moves between the long corridors with the finesse and agility of¡­ a cat¡­.


    While going to its destination, the cat passed by many doors kilometres away from each other, like the one it used to walk in here, but it only stopped in front of one. The only door to have engravings on it; ¡°The Overseer¡± it said.


    Behind it is a small office space, with a desk in the middle and a few cabinets full of decorations. Ancient paintings all over the wall and antique vases, a grandfather clock, an old looking pickaxe, modern art, a gif in the form of an actual painting, and even anime and videogame figures. The desk has a holographic screen with paper on top of the projected keyboard, alongside an ink pot and a quill.


    Behind the desk sits a small girl that looks to be in her twenties with a long pink pigtail. She wears silver frame glasses that cover 2 of her 7 eyes. Each of her eyes have a different type of iris within it, and every time she blinks, some of the irises change at random, while the central one on her forehead is closed. Even though she has 7 eyes, it still somehow fits all together with her face and emits a radiant cuteness around her.


    ¡°You can¡¯t impose your judgement on me," she says sternly with a heavy heart.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.The cat jumps on the desk and walks through the screen to sit on her papers.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of my own future, I was the one that started it." She looks down shyly.


    The cat turns its head.


    ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯m bound to this one chain, only you have the luxury of walking through the branches."


    The cat walks up to a cup on the desk and starts to drink some water.


    She lets out a sigh. ¡°Of course I have that authority¡­ Plus, we won¡¯t mind, we¡¯re adept at our job."


    The cat starts to lick its paw.


    ¡°Well, retirement wouldn¡¯t be so bad, I would choose it any day!¡± she says with a melancholic look on her.


    The cat hisses at her.


    ¡°Never," she says with the saddest of smiles.


    The cat steps closer to sit right in front of the girl.


    ¡°If they decide they don¡¯t need me, then who am I to judge?¡± She strokes the cat.


    The cat purrs in return.


    ¡°I¡¯ll only be a burden if I do¡­¡± she truly believes she would be. She never learnt to ask for help even after billions of years with billions of people coming to ask her for her help.


    ¡°I¡¯ll accompany you once your time comes," says a very deep and old wise voice inside of the girl¡¯s head as the cat purrs between her hands.